What's Going On Up There?

I was talking to a buddy this morning who said there were probably 3,000 people there this weekend. (I posted a video a while back of some guy destroying his fancy pick up on a jump. I'm sure there's a ton more out there.)

Last Vacation Pic

This was just the last evening on the beach as I walked alone to take it all in one last time. I don't know why I thought this was so funny/sad/odd/telling, but these two girls were just texting away as the sun was setting and waves were hitting their feet.

It's 2013.

Today's Texas Monthly Story By Wise County Assistant DA

I haven't read it yet. Link:

 http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/death-penalty-has-face-das-personal-story

Does The Devil In "The Bible" On . . .

. . . the History Channel look like the President?

2013 Liberally Tourney Pick 'Em

I hope this link works.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• I'm back at it this week but I'll wrap up with some post Spring Break thoughts. 
• After driving across the South, I'm now a big fan of the GPS. Yes, I love technology. 
• Vicksburg National Military Park Thoughts: (1) Fantastic place and thanks to whoever it was that suggested it, (2) I took a crash course in the history of it before I went through it, and I'm glad I did, (3) I was whipping everyone in the car with "fun facts", (4) and I also spent a lot of time saying "be reverent" to the jokesters in the car, (5) the fact that many people use the park for jogging is a little unnerving, (6) coming up upon the USS Cairo was a treat, (6) no matter how hard I tried to envision what that battle(s) was like,  I know I wasn't close.
• Alabama might want to work on its roads a little bit. 
• Based upon the billboards, personal injury law is alive and well in the South.
• I was stunned by how few confederate flags there were but how many azaleas covered the landscape.
• Texas Monthly tweeted last night to check its site tomorrow "for an amazing personal essay by Wise County's asst DA [about] the death penalty." I'm really confused by that but will post a link as soon as I find one.
• I'll also post a link for Liberally Lean March Madness 2013 in a bit. There may be just one prize this year -- last year I got beaten down by getting about seven different gift certificates sent out. Ain't nobody got time for that. 
• Stolen from Gordon Keith: The headline in the opinion section of the Dallas Morning News yesterday that read, "Should we put robots on trial?"
• "Orange Beach looks to restrict obscene merchandise after mayor 'sickened' by T-shirt logos." The mayor hates some T-shirts sold during Spring Break. I don't know what the government can do about it (and I'm not sure they should have the right to do anything about it, but I agree with his sentiment. Classless.
• I watched a little bit of the CPAC convention late at night while on vacation. Donald Trump. Sarah Palin. Rick Perry. Ted Cruz. Man, they work themselves up into a frenzy, and they are not helping their cause. 
• Saddest story that you may not have heard: The Seton Hill's lacrosse team bus was in a crash last week killing the bus driver and the coach who was pregnant. 
• Crazy plane crash yesterday in South Bend. One of the dead is Steve Davis who led OU as quarterback to two national championships in the 1970s. 

Above The Fold

Whipping ya with another pic

Beach Walk

Random Friday Morning Thougts

• We canoed for about an hour down the Blackwater River yesterday. My only complaint is that we didn't sign up for the longer one.
• Pic. 
• Once the canoes were in the water, I fired up Dueling Banjos on my phone. At least I was highly entertained. 
• The guy helping with the boats had a great accent. We asked him where he was from and he said, "LA - Lower Alabama."
• We took someone's advice on here and ate at AJ's in the harbor yesterday evening. Fantastic. The girls want to go back to see more fishing ships come in. Best times? Noon? 4:00?
• But when we got dressed for dinner, I realized I'd only brought tennis shoes. When I walked out, I got a "Really?" from Mrs. LL.  I started humming the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme. It didn't help. 
• Most awkward stepparenting moment last night when one kid (who shall remain nameless) woke me up to tell me their toilet was clogged. I headed that way when she yelled, "I don't want you to see my business." Darlin', I don't want to see your business, either. So with me in the kitchen, I gave her instructions as she operated the plunger. Success. 
• I've been mostly disconnected from the news this weekend. I love it and hate it. 
• But I did see that a state legislator was arrested for DWI in Austin. 
• Six people gunned down in a bar in the "outskirts" of Cancun.  Mexico doesn't need that bad press. 
• And some things never change: Cop car hit in the metroplex. 
• They have "bear crossing" signs on the back roads here. 
• And the very odd message warning that smoke might impact visibility. Is there a big fire in the Florida Panhandle I'm not aware of?
• What does "first cousin once removed" mean?
• Speaking of awkward, this most recent clip of the very effeminate pastor Robert Jeffress ranting about gays has to be seen. The FBC of Dallas has to get control of that guy. 
• And that's some craziness at Prestonwood Baptist.  
• This might be a bit, but Kelli Rasberry tweeted a pic of a knight at Medieval Times who she was in love with. But there is no question that's the boyfriend of Fox 4's Fiona. Did I just write that?

History Channel Selling Aurora Spaceman DVD

No waves this morning

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• There was a pretty big fire outside of the next door condo last night. Mrs. LL even called 911.
• Four motorcycle deaths in two days in Fort Worth?
• Mrs. LL used to eat her hamburger upside down.
• The Fourth Grader in the Condo and I successfully located the buried football. That was pretty fun.
• The weather is a tad cool this week for Florida but I think I'd rather take a long beach walk at 65 degrees, slight breeze, and sunny than with a temperature of 95.
• Everyone is on a quest for the perfect sand dollar. Did I read those things were once alive?
• The water boards that you stand on and navigate with a paddle are called YOLO boards down here. Idiocracy?
• The college kids that go full throttle on Spring Break probably aren't the leaders of tomorrow. 
• If we get our act together, we are going to canoe on something called the Blackwater River today.  I wish I had a bow and armor ala Deliverance. 
• Ever Big 12 school as a Simpsons character. Who could possibly be Flanders?
• About once a day, two low flying helicopter fly down our beach. Mrs. LL yells, "Get some! Get some!" Every time. That's a Full Metal Jacket reference. 
• There were three people in the Update's death announcements yesterday 51 years of age and younger. I don't feel so guilty about a spring break vacation any longer. 
• I see eleven fishing boats heading out right now. 
• A group of cardinals in a room electing a new pope reminds me of the closed sports writers electing players to the NFL Hall of Fame.
• Google is shutting down Google Reader which kills me because I use it many times a day.
• Why is he not Pope Francis the first?

Another Pic

A sunny pic of the beach

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• I don't know how you could have better beaches than what is here. White sand. Small waves. And, depending on the tide, the water is so shallow that it is like walking on it. 
• The picture below (rare for me to post stuff like that, I know) shows what I'm talking about exactly. And the sun set makes for perfect lighting for great photos. We took a ton. 
• In the photo I'm actually saying, "This is so cheesy."  Then I saw it later and it was anything but. 
• I don't know what I think about Seaside. It's like you are walking around in a 1950's town that would be quaint if the tourists hadn't found it. 
• There's actually a Truman House on a side road which had absolutely no one looking at it besides us. 
• The dolphins swam by yesterday when the beach was crowded but their fins breaking the surface looked a little creepy. I soooo wanted to break out into the character of the mayor from Jaws with, "It's a beautiful day. The beaches are open. Welcome to Amityville."
• Finally had a few drunk spring breakers show up but very few. Almost all the condos require someone over 25 to be the renter. 25 is the new 18. 
• Florida has the "speed limit enforced by aircraft" signs.  That's a government lie, right?
• I'm posting this now but I'm still writing more. I overslept. 
• I had to make the dreaded Subway Sandwich run for five orders. I made everyone write theirs down neatly because I'm not talking to anyone for that long to order food. And when a lone guy came in behind me, I asked the clerk to let him go in front of me. "No! You were here first!" Sassy little gal
• I found a beat up football. After throwing it with the Fourth Grader in The Condo, we secretly buried it on the beach. The goal today is to find it. 
• We watched The Cosby Show last night. To my surprise, I now want the kids to watch every episode. There are a lot of life lessons in there that I'm not capable of teaching. 
• Beach people watching is the best people watching. 
• On the first day on the balcony I looked out and said, "The sea was angry that day my friend."  Our Visitor in the Condo who goes to a private school said, "old man in the sea".  I'm thinking Seinfeld. She's thinking Hemingway. 
• Before we went to sleep the other night, I was watching The Family Guy and Mrs. LL was reading a book on New Orleans voodoo. And we were both totally happy. 
• 
  

Best Of Days

Me. The Teenager In The House. The Fourth Grader In The House. Mrs. LL 

There are some photos you know you want to keep close to your heart. 

Above The Fold