Technology is a wonderful thing – when it works

Mom's pesky TV remote looks like the control panel of an ICBM silo. Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.

Yesterday Mom experienced her first crisis with the new TV. It took me only two hours and three phone calls to get it fixed. Seems one of the batteries in the remote started leaking, creating that white, powdery film we… READ MORE

A pictorial tour of Florida’s Forgotten Coast

The beach down around Cape San Blas is nice-looking but the sand is darker than what we're accustomed to in Fort Walton Beach and Destin. What's really scary is the thin sliver of land extending out into the Gulf of Mexico. You feel like you're aboard a very small boat that could capsize at any moment. Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.

After Mexico Beach was named (by whom I forget) one of the nation’s coolest beach towns, I became curious about that stretch of the Panhandle. I’ve lived in this region since 1964 and apart from a quick snorkeling adventure to… READ MORE

This is the saga of Jeff’s tree

Image courtesy of Flickr user atomicules by way of a Creative Commons search. https://www.flickr.com/photos/i-5-m/

All that digging today reminded me of a Sunday long ago when I went to Jeff Newell’s house to help his friend Dave get rid of a dead tree in Jeff’s front yard. Jeff was struggling with cancer so he… READ MORE

Parents and their kids must rediscover the joy of walking

In this image the author heads out for his first day of school at Royal Oak Elementary just outside Madrid, Spain. Image courtesy of Del Stone Sr.

I try to get up every morning and walk to the Ferry Park Fitness Trail. It’s about a mile through mostly lovely scenery and it gets me fully awake so I can face the day. Unfortunately it takes me past… READ MORE

The food chain in action will haunt me for a long time

Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.

Today I saw something that will remain in memory for a long time. I was driving east on Mary Esther Cut-Off, about to approach the intersection with Beal Parkway. Traffic usually backs up there with people wanting to turn left… READ MORE

Today, I did a bad thing – spent money on fun!

Image courtesy of GetArchive by way of a Creative Commons license. https://garystockbridge617.getarchive.net/

I’m known throughout the land as a pennypincher. A quarter of my paycheck goes to the 401(k). I stash money in savings every month. I grill insurance agents for the lowest possible premium. The T.Mobile rep said he couldn’t give… READ MORE

Vacation Day 4: Writing, movies, and maybe SNOW!

Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.

This will be a short entry because while I did a lot yesterday, I didn’t do a lot of different “lot”s. Basically I wrote all day. I added about 2,000 words to my short story – gonna have to watch… READ MORE

My stay-at-home vacations are thing to behold

The view from my upstairs patio overlooking the pool and courtyard of Bienville Square on Hughes Street in Fort Walton Beach. Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.

This morning I slept in until the late hour of 7:25 a.m. And I didn’t make the bed immediately. My God, what’s happening to me? This is the day I usually become panic-stricken. It’s the first real day of vacation… READ MORE

Who dat on vacation, day No. 2

Image courtesy of Flickr user Todd Martin by way of a Creative Commons search.https://www.flickr.com/photos/tmartin/

I woke up at 6:45 a.m. to another gray day. Whoever called Florida the “Sunshine State” sold us a bill of good. Wait a minute. We don’t live in Florida. We live in southern Alabama. Roll Tide. Today was to… READ MORE

Vacation Day 1: Beer, wasps, tennis, squirrel fodder and then more beer

The newly resurfaced tennis courts at Ferry Park don't offer much in the way of tripping hazards. Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.

My vacations come and go so quickly I wonder where they went. THIS vacation I vow to keep track of every precious second. Hence, this “vacation diary.” Sooo … how did Day 1 of Vacationland go? Well, I charged out… READ MORE