Sunday, July 25, 2010

More Odds and Ends

This is the second time I'm changing my usual format for a few tidbits that I find interesting and hope you do too.


To start with, I recently wrote that as a recovering workaholic, I love the peace and tranquility of walking the beach. The sound of the waves hitting the shore and lapping at my legs is so refreshing. The cares of the world seem so far away. Especially when the beach isn't too crowded although it is nice when there are a few lovelies in their bikinis to check out. Hey, what can I say, I'm a guy after all and a little eye candy is always nice.


Anyway, got to do that for four days last week when we visited St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia. We got a place right on the beach and it was so relaxing. And there is just enough history and quaint shops and good restaurants to add to the ambience.


And close by there is an island called Jekyll when the tycoons and robber barons of the past like the Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts built "cottages'' on the private island where nobody but the owners, guests and workers were allowed. Of course, the cottages were 9,000 square feet and up built in the 1900s. You can now go on a tour and visit them.


Another interesting feature was going on a shrimp boat where they put their nets in three times to drag up shrimp. Along with them came all sorts of other fish, including baby sharks a foot and a half long that they would let you you hold and pose for photos. And then they boiled a huge pot of shrimp that they caught that morning and you could eat all you wanted. So, naturally, I gorged myself. Delcious.


So it was a fun time. Good to get away and take time out to smell the roses and not have a care in the world.

--

Walking sticks


In one of the "cottages," they had a walking stick on the couch. About an quarter to half inch round and I immediately thought of the uses it could be put to. You couldn't touch it there, but lo and behold, they were selling them in the gift shop. A bit pricey at $50, but I picked it up and slapped my other hand with it and I thought it could deliver some very enticing blows. Too bad walking sticks went out of style. LOL.
And then there's a restaurant called Spankys with a deck outside. Wouldn't it be nice for two spankos to have dinner and then go out to the deck where she is bent over the railing and he delivers a few quick smacks before anybody notices. A good dessert. A spanking at Spankys. How appropriate.
Then one of the gift shops had a plaque with a saying something like, "The beatings will continue until the attitude changes.'' The effect was spoiled with a picture of something of a pirate skeleton on the top. Just a cane would have been more appropriate. What a nice touch for a spankos' bedroom!!!!


Mad Men

Just wanted to alert you that Mad Men will start a new season Sunday night on AMC. If you are too young to remember the 1960s, this show captures that time perfectly in a story about a New York ad agency. And if you were in New York in the 1960s, as I was, it will bring back memories of the way things used to be. Things have changed for the better from the days when sexism and racism were almost considered normal and everybody smoked.

It is worth watching along with Rescue Me (about New York city firefighters post 9/11) and Friday Night Lights (a family drama against the backdropf high school football in Texas), which are currently in new seasons. And if you haven't seen them, the DVDs of all three shows are worth watching.

--

Chelsea's Wedding

I clicked on to AOL this morning and they had 14 questions about Chelsea Clinton's wedding. Not that Chelsea has answered any of them. She has given no interviews, but The New York Times has already done two stories on the wedding despite her attempt to stay out of the limelight. The wedding is next Saturday and t he guests haven't been told yet where the wedding is, just that it is within driving distance of New York City. And the guests -- 400 to 500 -- don'tt include many of the Clinton's power pals. The top criteria was to have a personal connection with the bride and/or groom. Chelsea has grown up in a fish bowl, but certainly has conducted herself with grace and dignity. I guess I'm adding to the gossip by posting this, but I think she has done a great job of keeping her wedding from becoming a media circus. In our celebrity driven culture, she has avoided the spotlight and the tabloids. I doubt she will selling wedding photos to People Magazine.

--

Weddings

Speaking of weddings, I read a story about a woman who had been a bridesmaid 29 times and was finally getting married herself at age 39. Can you imagine having 29 dresses you had worn just once? It said the average American woman is a bridesmaid five times.

--

Word Verification

I'm curioius if anyone who doesn't have word verification has had any problems. I don't have it on my blog and have no problems. It seems like word verification is just an unnecessary step when you try to post comments. But then maybe bloggers use it because they have had problems.

If you've read all the way to the bottom, I hope you found these thoughts interesting. Anyway, I enjoyed the vacation, but it is good to be back and checking out the blogs again. And thanks for reading.

FD



23 comments:

  1. Hi FD, welcome back. I stayed on Jekyll Island with my aunt a million years ago and thought it was absolutely gorgeous.

    Walking sticks aren't that far out of style. You could get one. It does sound like you are more interested in using it on someone's bum though.

    I think I have only been a bridesmaid twice. Once with the ugliest dress... And a bride once with a dress I still think of as beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. sin: Thanks, sin. And, yes, Jekyll Island is gorgeoos. And you got my drift about my interest in walking sticks. LOL. And how nice that you still think your wedding dress is beautiful.

    FD

    ReplyDelete
  3. I liked your post FD, it was like getting caught up with and old friend and reading what is hot in the news all at the same time. *smiles*
    I loved Georgia, I will have to check out this place.

    Katia

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kathia: Thanks and I'm glad you enjoyed the blog. And, yes, I think if you checked out the St. Simons area and the surrounding area they call the Golden Isles, you would enjoy it.

    FD

    ReplyDelete
  5. You vacations seem so relaxing. You enjoy the area and the culture. I find that intriguing. So much anymore everything is bogged down with all the I need to do's instead of lets just enjoy ourselves....a little bit of envy here.
    I do hope one day to enjoy the pleasure of Mad Men. I do not have that channel currently.
    Oh the bridesmaid thing.....I have been at least 3 times. (Not fair you make me dig into my young age history, lol)
    I hate word verification!!! Just so you know!
    Glad to have you back.

    ReplyDelete
  6. keeps away the spambots

    it's how I cured my vanilla blog woes with chinese spam being posted non-stop.

    ReplyDelete
  7. FD!
    You're home! We've missed you but I'm so glad you were able to relax and completely enjoy your vacation. It sounds great. Isn't it funny how the spanko mind finds wonderful spanko things in everyday life?

    I know all about being in weddings - I was in 8 before I got married. Enough already!!

    I don't have word verification and I've never had any problem. Another thing I find off putting is comment moderation. Again if anyone is having trouble I could see why they would need to use it but it really a barrier to those leaving comments.

    Glad you're back and look forward to hearing more from you.

    Hugs,
    PK

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've never been to the places you've mentioned, but I've been to Tybee several times... it's nice...

    I don't have word verification on my blog, and I've not had any trouble... of course, maybe I've been lucky in that regard...

    Back when I used to hike the Appalachian Trail quite a bit, I used walking sticks...

    For some reason, I haven't been able to get pulled into 'Mad Men'... but 'Breaking Bad,' YES!! And I love 'Rescue Me' except for those hokey sex scenes...

    ~shoes~

    ReplyDelete
  9. PV: Yes, enjoying yourself is a great idea.

    stp: sounds like the word verification worked for you.

    PK: Thanks and yes, the spanko mind always spots things that can have a spanko twist. LOL.

    Shoes: I guess you used a walking stick for what they were designed to be used for. LOL.

    FD

    ReplyDelete
  10. FD - I'm glad you had a nice vacation. I haven't seen Mad Men yet but I have heard great things about it, so I am planning on it at some point. One of my good friends looks almost exactly like January Jones.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Glad you had a lovely vacation. St. Simons Island sounds relaxing.

    I love your odds and ends posts and I hope we will see Mad Men here in the UK soon.

    Love,
    Ronnie
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  12. I like your blog photos and text. Very well written.
    I always visit.
    Kisses
    Andréa

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ally: Thanks and I think you will like Mad Men if you get a chance to see it.

    Ronnie: Yes, it was relaxing and hope Mad Men gets to the UK soon.

    Andrea: Thanks for commenting besides just blogging. Hope you keep commenting.

    FD

    ReplyDelete
  14. FD,

    It sounds like your vacation was full of cool things. One of these days I will have to check out those islands.

    The walking stick would be a fun little add to the toy bag I am sure ... too bad they spoiled the sign tho!!!

    I have been a flower girl once, a bridesmaid once and a Bride twice. Sadly I prefer my first Ex over the one I am in the middle of divorcing!!! Neither of them really make much difference any way cause M is the best of them all!!!

    *Hugs*
    Humbly His,
    Heaven

    http://sinful-princess.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. hi FD... reading your post reminds me how much I want to go to the beach to hear the sound of the waves again... it is so relaxing

    and I just checked, I didn't know I had word verification on my blog :O
    well, I don't have it anymore, I think it isn't necessary... however, comment moderation is still on ;)

    ReplyDelete
  16. LOVE LOVE LOVE mad men! don draper, dark and brooding, what a great dom he'd make.

    have you read 'the creature from jekyll island'? it's all about the formation of the federal reserve, really interesting.

    have to approve of how the clintons have handled/protected their daughter from their own very public lives. she seems very grounded.

    thanks for the update from your corner of the blogosphere.

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  17. um, ok, well, i hadn't actually seen the season premier when i commented above (was at the lady gaga concert) but i DVRd it and just now watched it. wow. ok, so, maybe he would make a great sub? a switch? i so didn't see that coming! but now i'm hooked more than ever. thought it started slow but boy did it pick up steam as it went along.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Heaven: I do hope you check out those islands, and yes, that walking stick would be a nice addition to your toy bag. And thanks for stopping by, which gave me a chance to checkout your blog. And hope your pregnancy goes very well.

    Juliet: Yes, the beach is so relaxing. And glad you got rid of word verfication on your blog, which makes it more diffcult for people to comment.

    naughty: I'm surprised the actor who plays Don Draper didn't become famous earlier. He's like an old time movie star and I am sure he is catnip for women. Since men lust over women all the time, it's nice to see women doing it. LOL. And they talked on the tour about the creation of the federal reserve there. The owners of those cottages controlled one-sixth of the world's wealth at one time. And I didn't include some of the other history. When there were cotton planatation on St. Simons, a slave named Nepture grew up with the Master's son and they became friends besides Master and slave on the isolated island. So when the son went off to the civil war, the slave went with him to tend to his needs. So the son gets killed and the slave drags his body 500 miles in a wagon to bring him back home. The grateful family then gave him a lot of prime beach property as a thank you and there's now even a park named after Neptune. Amazing story.

    FD

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hey FD!

    Glad you had a great vaca! Keep up the great writing! Speaking of which...Training Lisa???

    hugs,
    Michelle

    ReplyDelete
  20. Yhank you Michelle and, yes, I know I have to get cracking with Training Lisa.

    FD

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi FD,
    It has been awhile since I've commented, so thought I'd say hi. I have not had too many problems with not having word ver on my blog, but I do have to delete comments from time to time. Glad you enjoyed your vaca.
    Hugs,
    Maryann

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hi Maryann. Good to see you commenting again. Yes, it was a fun vacation.

    FD

    ReplyDelete
  23. The beach is always a wonderful way to relax!

    There is actually a movie about a women who was a bridesmaid 20-something times. I think it was called 27 dresses. I was ok for a chick flick (I do not normally get into chick-flicks lol).

    Master has many walking sticks...

    I have no issues with comments without word verification and now with the new spam section I have just moved the very few spam items I get there...

    ReplyDelete