Floridian Shoutout - Page 1

A shout out to all Floridians, just wanted to check and make sure that everyone made it ok through the storms.  Hoping all is well.

Well, things are fine and dandy here.  A bit of wind, but no rain to speak of....

It is great for diving, once the waves calm down....or should I say, lobstering.....

I went out yesterday AM, and brought home 6 bugs(Caribean lobster look like overgrown cockroaches), a brick, and a propeller.....Prop isn't worth anything, but will clean/paint it up cute and put it with all my other "finds".....the anchors...shells, spear guns, fishing rods, dive computers, masks, golf balls....yes, golf balls...kid you not....

So, all told, South Florida didn't get a thing!

Fay did the damage here, alot of homes over on the west, flooded.  People using canoes to get to their houses.  Not any fun on that part.  I got lucky no damage just full ditches and back yard under water.

I'm in Central Florida.  We've had a lot of wind, rain & flooding.  A lot of water/flooding damage to many houses from Fay.  Thank God mine was spared, just some minor flooding in the back yard.  The pool had to be drained some to keep it from over flowing into the sun room.  Not as bad as it could have been.  The water has gone down but is still higher than normal and any rain at all sits on top, a sign we are not able to handle more right now.    I don't want to even think about what would have happened had Ike hit us!      

I have been too busy training dogs to go diving.  :o)  Enjoy your bugs & treasures. :o)

Teri

Teri,

Where in Central Florida?  My Mom lives in Orange City, and I try to get up there every 6 weeks or so....we should get together sometime!

I hear you about training and working dogs....but I have to take a break sometimes, and Diving has been great for my MS.  My neurologist puts his MS patients in a hyperbaric chamber, and frankly, I find diving sooooo much more exciting.  It is amazing how great I feel after a couple of hours of inhaling nitrox at depth!

Plus there is the fun of the hunt!  And, then, watching my dogs play with the lobsters in the backyard.....The expressions on their faces are priceless....they just have never seen a "dog" that looked and smelled like that before....and, they move funny!

I have to get pictures next time!

Speaking of Drs.....got an appointment in a few hours, so must shower!

We are in central/southern City of Okeechobee. Luckly they came and cleaned out the ditches or I would have still had water in the ditch.  Glad your house was spared and glad Ike did not come here.  I dont wish any storms on anyone else but I wish them NOT here.  You will have to get pictures, I love the look on my dogs face ( I call it the funny face)

<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v111/apatches/Yona/?action=view&current=yona6.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/apatches/Yona/yona6.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

I'm a bit farther north in Ocala, close to Williston. We got a BOATLOAD of rain. I had standing water where it never was before. Alot of people still have water on their property. Fortunately, we're at the high end of the 20 acres, so we stayed high and dry - it was a really big drag having to towel multiple dogs off, multiple times over 2 days...the house reeked like wet dog for days until I could mop and do rugs and stuff. The horses and cows all did fine. My best friend lives "around the corner" and had a lake on the back of her 6 acres and a river running through her 10 acres!! Amazin'....!! Oh, and then there the "misquitoes" the first day after - they were so bad that all the horses were running just to get away from them....dogs went out, did their thing and right back in and still had bugs on them.

I'm green with envy over the bugs - lived in Key West for a few years...nothing like fresh caught bugs for dinner...mmmmmmmm! And living thru Mini season...geez....

They finally sprayed for mosquitos here, using planes.  I created the map for them so that they could target certain areas.  Did they not spray there?

As far as I know, they haven't yet. Everyone that I know that has any sort of standing water has been using those biscuits that are designed to be thrown into the standing water or WD40 - a little of that sprayed on the surface apparently kills the wigglers. I've even heard of using little killie fish to eat the wigglers... They seemed to have died down, so something must be helping. Even this morning, there was still alot of standing water along 27. During the dry season, we pray for rain - then we get it and now want the water to go away!!! It's a no win!

Hey Dog Trainer, small world, my SAR team is out of Orange City. :o)  I live in Winter Park just north of Orlando and south of Orange City.  Believe it or not I'm a certified PADI diver.  I got certified but only dove a few times before I got soooooo SICK from diseal fumes and big waves that threw the boat all around, it was right after a Big storm.  I threw up everywhere!!!!  The rest of the divers were drug behind the boat on a long rope after their first dive to avoid the fumes and ME!!!!!!  It was horrible, I was too sick to be embarrassed and then I was sick for days after that.  Needless to say I haven't dove in YEARS!!!!!!!  Too busy I guess and that was before I really got busy training dogs. :o)  You will have to give me a shout next time you come up.  One area I train at is an enclosed/fenced training area where the Police Dept. has an agility course.  It is a lot of fun to see how the dogs do on it.  There use to be a rubble pile there too but they recently removed it. :o(  

I am glad to hear diving helps with your MS.  It was beautiful the few times I did dive but that sea sickness is NOT GOOD.  I'm a firefighter and have to tell you I would rather enter a burning building any day than get sea sick again.  ;o)    

Teri