You need to watch this movie: "How
to Train Your Dragon" - based (very loosely) on the book of the same
name, by British author Cressida Cowell... If you want to see what Wikipedia
says about it click here.
Some recent pictures - page / site updated on Sunday, 22 January 2012...
We went to have an EXCELLENT sushi-dinner last night and one of the
people asked about radio-controlled-sailboats. We happened to have a
couple and so we said we'd loan him one for a while if he wanted.
That prompted me to get it out of 'storage' (on top of a bookshelf in the
living room), and clean-it-up and make sure it all worked (needed some new
batteries and etc.) and so-on and so-forth... Here's
just one picture of what is known as an 'East Coast 12 (meter)' model -
it's about 5 feet long and about 6 1/2 feet high. - it's NOT a 'small'
boat!...
OH _ just in Case you have NOT (probably, huh?) SEEN the UPDATEd Mr.
Panda Bear Web-site you can click
here...
This one is a house that I have been 'passing-by' on the ocean, nearby, on my tricycle rides for nearly four years... In the last month or so I figured they were doing SOMETHING, but I was not quite sure what. Now I KNOW... - I'm 'suspecting' that someone will now build a masonry and/or poured-cast concrete wall underneath this house, and that will make it more 'hurricane proof'? - who knows but it's VERY IMPRESSIVE the height that they have gotten it to!
AND - here's a picture of actress Ms. Jennifer Lawrence as the character 'Katniss Everdeen', in the movie adaptation of "The Hunger Games". You may have heard of this book (and the other two in the "Hunger Games Trilogy" by author Suzanne Collins). The books (and the movie(s)) have basically swept the world.
This is, apparently, so I've read, the highest grossing film of all
time with a female heroine (Katniss is supposed to be 16 years old in the
first book / film, and then 17 years old in the following two books /
movies). It also had, apparently one of the highest-grossing
opening weekends, in terms of box-office-take.
I'm not often 'really taken in' by a series of books / movies, but this whole story-line and the two books and the way the author writes (and I've just finished another of her books) is quite exceptional.
I highly recommend this author / series...
Though the whole concept of "The Hunger Games" is exceedingly depressing and violent (a bunch of teens fighting til the death (the last person left alive, 'wins')), this author (and I'm guessing the movie which I have not seen) makes the murder, mayhem, and blood very very minor in the story, and what comes through (for me at least) is the way the characters THINK about what they are doing (and not doing) and what they feel in this obviously very artificial (for teens) environment into which they have been put. I suspect that there is something 'magical' about the way Suzanne Collins writes and why it appeals to a LOT of adults as well as to teens. She takes what is basically a repugnant subject-matter and makes it both interesting and not nearly as bloodthirsty and cruel as it sounds at first glance...
Suzanne Collins (the author) has another series of books "The Underland
Series" and I've now finished the first two of the 4-5 books in that
'series'. These are more for pre-teens, but the concepts of
young-people making life & death decisons, and the adults relying on
them and what they are THINKING is still there... - VERY GOOD books... -
I'm looking forward to the next couple of books in this 'series'...
And - other things going-on here in Stuart in Mid-July... -
It's getting HOTTER by the MINUTE! - though I did find a rainy-overcast-day and spend over two hours in the 'loft' cleaning- throwing-out, re-organizing!
Many things are GROWING - and especially our Mangos - we got a LOT this season (probably 20-40 fruit) and our freezer was FULL UP with frozen mangos and we ran-out-of plastic (and other) containers to store them in! - (but - we found bunny-rabbits like mango!!!
The kiln-project is moving-on and making progress - we managed to
scarf-up (from a pottery-friend) a brick-saw (picture below)
which we will need when building the kiln, to cut brick and shape brick
and so-on and so-forth. We were really lucky that Ms. May's pottery
friend / instructor had this and loaned it to us.
Mr. Bill also checked-out his OLD (no longer does TIG because the
high-frequency PC-board died) but still does Stick-Electrode welding
(which we will need for some bracing on the kiln when we build it.)
That still works, and Mr. Bill still remembers how to weld, too!
AND - Lastly (on the kiln front) we HOPE to have a 'permit' by this weekend (20th July?) - we'll see!!!
I managed (finally (after procrastinating for almost 6 YEARS)) to get the
hurricane-generator on 'wheels'... - AND then noticed a little ten dollar
(plastic) part had cracked / broken, so now the $3,000 generator won't
START (it was a part of the starter) for want of a ten dollar plastic
part. - Well - after 3-6-8 weeks of 'investigations, false ordering, etc.
etc. etc. etc. I found, on _eBay_ a whole starter (vendor wanted me to pay
$425 for a new starter (with no plastic part) - anyway - I PayPal'd this
whole starter with the little plastic part for $28 (including shipping!) -
When it gets here, if it works, I'll update this part of the web-page...
So - I had two generator problem(s) - one was wheels - solved that - the other was the starter-part and that is - theoretically - in-transit at the moment...!!!
And - we went Hobie Waving a few days ago - just walking out to the boat, getting-on and going for a short sail was wonderful!. However, a week or so before that I took the Europe Dinghy out for a sail - and even though I had to rig, rinse, de-rig, that was still a wonderful afternoon...!!!
And - of course, tricycling continues, but not at the previous rate of 5,500 miles a year - I suspect this year I'll be 'lucky' to get in 2,000 miles. However there have been a number of other factors consuming my time & energy this year...
One recent morning at breakfast, the eggs decided to 'throw a fit' - one was 'ready' to eat, the other - well - we'll let the picture tell the story?!
AND _ we've had some blossoming / blooming Cacti Flowers, recently - they attract the buzzzzzzing bussssssy honey-bees and this is what they look like. Ms. May has taken some video, recently, we'll have to see how that turns-out and if it is any good, I'll put some here!
Today is also a Sunday and so we went for a short-tricycle-trip after
breakfast (always makes the breakfast taste better!)... During that ride
we stopped-by to pet Mr. "Mombak" - Just as a little 'aside' the
term 'monback' is SOUTHERN for "Come on Back" as in when you're telling
the guy driving the BIG (DAMNED) TRUCK to "Come On Back" into the
loading-dock...
Now why someone would name their cat Mom Back I have NO IDEA, but - there
is it - and this particular cat is VERY VERY LOVEY... We see
him on our walks and our cycling around this area, we know where he lives
and we have met his owner, Ms. Maggie... However Mr. Mombak and his
owner are headed north soonish, we really did not expect to find him this
morning.
Here is Mr. Mombak with Mr. Bill. (and yes - if you click on the picture you'll get a MUCH BIGGER image...)
Mr. Mombak
and here's a better (much (MUCH BIGGER))
picture of Mr. Mombak...
