KOEN SLUGS CARLA AT THE BEACH

Today my friends from Belgium, Koen and Carla, wanted to go to South Beach. So.....off we went. Koen was having a great time when Carla apparently tried to take his swimsuit off in the water.....................resulting in Carla getting socked by Koen. Koen looks pretty proud of himself, don't you think?? (see attached photo). Pretty neat, eh? Nah, I'm just kidding. Carla had a bad sunburn from "missing" part of her shoulder with the suntan lotion. Glad I've never done that.......LOL Anyways, we had a great time at the beach.

OIL SPILL DEVASTATION

Yesterday while flying from Miami (MIA) to Houston (IAH), we flew directly over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Our stomachs literally turned as we saw the polluted water for literally hundreds of miles.........as far as you could see. I've attached a couple of photos to show you just how bad this really is........and it is BAD. For those who think drill, drill, drill, is the answer, these photos might change your mind. The Saudi's have nothing to lose but sand......while we have beaches, wildlife, and livelihoods from fishing being lost by the day. The sad thing is, is that this is going to cost a fortune to clean up, and decades for the environment to recover from. And it seems fixing this SINGLE well is far from being accomplished. Their are literally thousands of wells already drilled in the Gulf, but it only took ONE spill to make everyone realize just how serious an oil leak can be. Hopefully the next time I fly over the Gulf, the water will be blue again. Click on the photos to enlarge them.

IGUANA ON SOUTH BEACH

Here's a sight you don't see very often............an iguana heading out to the beach for some R and R. With the cold spell we experienced here a couple of months ago, quite a few iguanas died as a result of the "continuous low temperatures" which finally take their toll. I read where three or four days of cold weather destroys their ability to stay warm, and makes them susceptible to a quick death. Quite a few Floridians were happy at the result since iguanas tend to destroy plant life and make a mess in many of their habitats. The iguanas were also getting very aggressive and taking over quite a few parks in south eastern Florida. At any rate, here's a shot of a "handsome young fellow" out enjoying a nice day at the beach.

GOING GREEN

Continental was been selected to be one of the "guinea pigs" for testing "green fuel" or "bio fuel". This particular aircraft was flown using the oil from the jatropha bean. Apparently this will save us a lot of money, and burns much more efficiently than the jet fuel we currently use. However, since this type of plant and the testing of it's abilities is still in its infancy, we may be waiting for jet fuel from this plant for a long, long, time. At least it's a start.............and the green wingtips sure are an attention getter too!

HENNA TATTOO ANYONE???

South Beach in Miami, Florida (MIA), is loaded with "regulars" selling their wares. Here's another one that I see each time I go to the beach. His voice is a little, high-pitched "squeak", that catches your attention. So far I've never seen anyone buy any of his products, but he must sell something since he's still around. Henna tattoo from the man in purple? Not me.....LOL