Daytona Beach

To be honest...I'm not a beach person. However, on days like today when there is an all day winter snow warning and my drive-way is waiting for me to clear it of the almost 6 inches of snow...Not to mention the knee high drifts that need attention...It's easy to let one's mind wonder to warmer days past and future.

These photos were taken a few years ago on Daytona Beach. The boardwalk shown has a great seafood diner. It's simple fish sandwich and fries is comfort food at its best and unhealthiest. Daytona isn't nearly my favorite place to visit, but when I do, the diner provides one of the tourist town's highlights.

Tarantula

Tarantula are a group of hairy and often very large spiders belonging to the family Theraphosidae, of which approximately 900 species have been identified.

The tarantula pictured above scared the heck out of my Aunt Jean, my wife, and myself while walking down a dirt path while in Belize last month. My Aunt saw it first and then screamed. My wife and I were not far behind.

Later, after retelling our near death experience to a local tour guide. He assured us that very few people die from tarantula bites. He explained the best thing to do after getting bit is to calm down and take a nap. I don't know about you, but I would find it very difficult not to over react after getting bit by a monster of a spider.

"Motor"-bike

Near the end of last summer I was in Kenosha WI for work. While driving around with a co-worker I saw a bicyclist weaving in and out of traffic. Two things struck me. The first being the bicyclist was an older gentleman. The second was that this older gentleman may be the fastest bicyclist I've ever seen. In and out of traffic he went passing cars with ease.

Later in the day when my co-worker and I came back to the hotel I was staying I noticed a bicycle chained to the front porch of the inn. I noticed the bike immediately as the bicycle I witnessed breaking speed records in downtown Kenosha earlier in the afternoon.

As I approached the bicycle to check it out I immediately noticed its secret...it was a "motor"-bike...Literally, a motor-bike. As I was admiring the sweet machine the owner of the bicycle came out of the hotel. He said he built the motor-bike himself. He explained that old age had not been kind to his knees and he couldn't stand not riding his bicycle. Although he doesn't peddle as much as he once did...He still is able to spend lots of time as his bicycle. Very cool.