POPPIN SOME CAPS IN ORLANDO

We got a chance to do what every boy and lots of girls have wanted since Clint uttered those immortal words "...and this is a 44 magnum, the most powerful hand gun in the world"

Yup we shot the dirty Harry gun. But only after Dave, Carols brother had checked us out on some lighter stuff and made sure we were safe and knew what to expect.

Starting with a 357 revolver and lighter 38 bullets we got to blow away the blue man while practicing our range safety and reloading procedures.















We had a variety of politically incorrect targets to choose from as well as the common bulls eye.

I enjoyed blowing away Burt with my Glock 45 and got reasonable groupings albeit at relatively short range most of the time. I did try a magazine at the full length of the range but found that my eye sight is now so restricted that I do not have the depth of field to "see" the sights and the target clearly at the same time.

Dave was a good teacher and we quickly got good groupings and felt safe handling the revolvers and the automatics.



Dave had the big gun and we knew when he was blasting away because the noise and shockwave was much greater. I expected the difference in recoil when it was my turn but the violence of the kick was still a shocker and after only two shots I could feel the growing ache in my wrists.

Carol actually moved backwards when the recoil hit but her injury came when a hot shell casing from her automatic lodged in her cleavage. Nasty!

'CRUZIN' in Old Town In Kissimmee

We moved up to Orlando to see Carol's brother Dave who was over for a week.

For something to do on the first night before we hooked up with Dave we looked in on Kissimmee "Old Town". It was Old Time Car Cruising night. Everything from 30s Willys 5 windows to a Plymouth Superbird [ a replica I think ] to a really Cherry 50 Ford.






But some one just could not resist the temptation to go tacky!

Condos, a lighthouse some injured turtles and a boat

We had a look at some of the bargains in the housing market here in Florida. The realtor tried hard with a 50% discount but the "marina" turned out to be some semi derelict boats


and the possibility of some mooring balls. The condos were pretty inside with marble floors but the neighborhood is not good.





Still someone paid 3/4 mill not so long ago for it.













We drove down to Jupiter and had a look at the lighthouse.





















Nowadays it still lights the way home for the rare boater without GPS












But it mostly signposts the most costly real estate in Florida, Celine Dion lives here and Tiger Woods is building.








The Turtle hospital seems well resourced and full of volunteers some cleaning tanks and others scrubbing algae off hatchlings using toothbrushes.

However all the adults seemed to do is try to climb over the tank lip and escape to the sea.















The turtle place also had these strange fish called look downs in quite small tanks, we wondered why?






We have a boat under offer at last. An elegant old lady that someone poured lots of time effort and money into.





If she surveys well she will be our home in the future,

Tortola Trip

I have just spent an entertaining few days visiting Tortola in the BVI to look at some boats. Erica, a big lass who could not make up her mind, made sure that “I was living in interesting times”

In the end it mostly rain but flights were canceled, ferries stopped running, hurricane shutters went up and anyone responsible for boats was scurrying around making sure the storm lines were securely tied. But Erica was partly responsible for one of the strangest experiences in my life.

I got to the terminal in Charlotte Amalie in plenty of time only to find an eerie site, no queues at check in and going through security I was on my own. The security operative powered up the xray machine and my bag was duly scanned. I was waved through to the departure lounge where a few people sat n front of a single attendant. They were swiftly boarded and the attendant chatted with the floor sweeper






then she left me on my own in a vast echoing and entirely deserted terminal.





This was not entirely true there was me and two fellow fliers, but I am pretty sure they did not have tickets. I felt that I was an actor in a scene from some “end of the world” film.

Eventually some one appeared a few minutes before my boarding time and called my name. It turned out that I had the whole aircraft to myself with two flight attendants to look after me. She then proceeded to improvise on the lack of a tannoy, bellowing out the the opening of the gate and immediately called last call for passengers on my flight. All this while digging out a monster umbrella and beckoning me forward. I was ushered on board seated and they wound up the elastic for my private flight to San Juan. “ Je suis un rockstar!”

I am heading up to Orlando to pick up Carol who has been back in the UK sorted out her house purchase





and working for a German Shepherd rescue society.

This is Kaiser who now has a new home.

SHUTTLE LAUNCH AT NIGHT

Well it finally got off. I would have liked to see it from Manatee Hannock up at Titusville but even from 70 miles away it was still impressive.


It turned the low clouds into sunset pink then clmbed through the upper sky to orbit. It is the third launch I have seen and the wonder is still there.





It has been seriously wet here with a convergence line setting up over the area yesterday, big boomers and 2 inches of rain was the result. The lights went out for a while but one of the advantages of being a RV is you just start the genny and the lights come back on for you.

SHUTTLE LAUNCH BLUES

Well I am up in Titusville, opposite the shuttle launch site in Cape Canaveral, sitting in a pretty nice campground called Manatee Hammock, but singing the shuttle launch blues.

Stayed up to 1.30 in the morning and waited at the waters edge along with thousands of others, all hoping to see a night launch.



With only a few minutes to go they were counting down when BIG SPARKIES hit the Cape a few miles south of the launch site. The regulars looked at each other shrugged their shoulders and started packing up. A couple of minutes later came the official word from NASA saying "cancelled due to weather".

I booked in for another night on the strength of a positive forecast and an update from Nasa reschduling the launch for 1.05am. Wednesday morning. Tonight came the bad news, a main engine fuel supply valve has failed, and the launch is cancelled possibly to October.



Still I met some nice locals







including this one sipping fresh water from a leaky hose in the marina.

Florida Thunderstorms

It is hot and the thunderstorms roll in with the sea breezes and line up on the convergence lines. If one sets up camp where you are several inches of rain are possible. Well that is what happened. I disconnected all the electrics and sat there with the rain pounding down.




When it was all over the depression behind the Trek was now a little lake. It might be an anti flood catch pond I suppose but it still looks pretty as well as holding some of the loudest frogs in the world.

I am getting on with some little jobs that need doing before I advertise the Trek for sale.

Nothing major needed just a coat of varnish on the woodwork and some cleaning.