Blast from the Past

This is Mom and Grandma then more Cousins and Sis

Blast from the Past

This is my Grandpa McHale and all my cousins in the 2nd picture!

Beach Day!!

Another trip to the beach! Gosh ya gotta love it. A stiff East wind brought in some very choppy seas and some low level clouds all day long today. I did get in a nice 8 mile ride on the bike and believe me the sand was not as hard as concrete today...it was like riding in mud due to the very high tide that saturated the beach. I caught some very nice body surf action off the second sandbar..the current was swift to the south but no rip tides at all today. I did spot a surf board at the local shop that I will most likely purchase next weekend. It is an NSP 6'4" Fish board that includes the pad, fins and leash. Can't wait. Of course I'll have to buy a wet suit soon as the water cools. The water was still 81 degrees today. The pictures above are of the board walk to the beach, the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and of course the surf.

Here at my temp. home

And finally I have somewhat caught up with my posts here. My job is going well after the first week and as usual with a new job I am learning all the new systems at TriQuint. So here is a picture of a sunset here at my condo in Sanford and a picture from the website of the place I am staying. And I'll start uploading a Blast from the past photo or 2..

Road Trip to West Coast

Sunday Oct. 18th , Today I caught up to Bob Patton a friend I use to work with up in Richmond at Qimonda to go on a road trip in the Miata. We decided to head west to Crystal River which happens to be just south of a nuclear power plant..yes a nuke right on the Gulf coast. Anyway the beach over in this area is not really great at all. There are several barrier islands off shore in very shallow water that make this area a non swimming area. Besides the beach is more like mud than a sandy beach.

The pictures above are from Homosassa Springs State Park which is located off hwy 44 about 40 miles north of Tampa Bay. Here I did see my first Florida alligator and Manatee, look close at the blob in the picture above to see it. You can also see the flamingos and a sandhill crane. I'll have to say some of the areas like Leesburg and Clermont Florida are Hilly with many very large live oak trees and pasture lands with cattle, reminds me of Texas. I also seen some very nice citrus orchards just west of Orlando. Overall nice ride and a nice day to do it...it was only 70 degrees today!

New Smyrna Beach

Well another trip to the beach, today is Sat. Oct. 17th a very breezy cool day since the first cold front passed through last night. It is only 74 degrees with a stiff north west wind causing the surf to be peaky. When I first arrived at the beach I took my old Rockhopper for a 15 mile ride. The beach here is drivable with vehicles for a 6 mile stretch for a 5 dollar fee. So riding the bike on the packed sand by the water is like riding on a sidewalk. It was an easy ride going south but when I finally turned back I had to fight the wind! I meandered through some of the
neighborhoods and business streets to actually take in all the places as I miss all this stuff while driving a car as it just flies by. Biketoberfest was also in full swing so the hogs and biker chicks were everywhere! The main drag was closed off to automobiles, motorcycles only and there was a chili cook off.

After riding I went to rent a surf board for my second so called session! I'll tell you what. When it is this cold out you want to stay in the water since it still 82 degrees. Anyway like I said the waves were very peaky and running 3 to 5 feet with short periods...What a workout. I think I forgot to tell you the first time I did this last week I was sore for 5 days! Straddle a wide board and paddle on your belly for a while and you will know what I mean. I found muscles that have not been used in some time especially under the pecs. So today was quite an effort getting out and also having several wipeouts! Hey it was fun. Cant wait to do it again.

Note, Sunday I wake up with a pretty good sunburn on my face..guess the SPF washed off..did not get burnt anywhere else.

Finally I Surf !

New Smyrna Beach

The closest beach to where I am staying here in Sanford is New Smyrna Beach, its only 38 miles and an easy drive from here. Today is Sat. Oct. 10th another balmy warm day..and a good one to come here! I am taking my first surfing lessons from a place called Nichols Surf Shop!! Woo Hoo! I was lucky enough today to have my lesson be a one on one with the owner of the shop Chuck Carter. I have always wanted to learn how to surf and finally I live close enough to warm surfable water to do it. Chuck did a fantastic job teaching and I had a blast at the shop and out in the water learning several maneuvers on a beginners soft board. Overall Chuck thought I did a terrific job for a first timer, apparently most people struggle getting through the surf and even onto the board. I did catch 1 good wave where I was almost in a stand up position but the wave wanked out. Other than that I had several catches but could not get off my knees or turned before the wave crashed. The surf was not that big today only knee to waist high. I'll keep trying! By the way...New Smyrna and Sebastian are the 2 best places to surf the entire east coast due the the mostly consistent conditions. One thing that is different about New Smyrna is it is also the shark attack capital of the world! I think 27 bites last year! No deaths..just nibbles!

Since it was a one on one I did not get any pictures..so maybe in the future I'll meet some other surfers that can snap a few! Hey..at least I can share some laughs..right!

Ft. Pierce

Ft. Pierce

After enjoying a nice swim at Sebastian I continued to motor south towards Vero Beach. By far this is the nicest stretch of 1A1 for the segment I have traveled. Although I could not find a public entrance to go see and swim at Vero, no doubt this is an upscale community with stunning homes and golf course after golf course consuming this narrow stretch of barrier island land. The Vero area is also densely overgrown with beautiful tropical vegetation that is very well manicured. Watch out for the speed traps..they are every where!

I have been to Ft. Pierce before to visit my aunt Mary so I can remember the area somewhat.
After driving 7 hours in the Miata with the top down on a balmy hot day like today it was time to take another swim. After criss crossing the causeway 2 times to get around the inlet I went to South Beach and found a very nice new and improved parking area with facilities. This beach has a very steep drop off to the water and when you get in the water at the edge there is a fairly deep trough which reminds me of the outer banks in North Carolina. I also noticed the water seemed to be very salty and fishy smelling compared to the beaches north of this area. The swim was great at any rate though. Time to swing by a beach dive and order up an ice cold dollar beer! I passed by the place earlier and seen the Happy Hour signs. Hard to believe you can still get a beer for a buck! On to Mary's now.

Sebastian Inlet

Sebastian Inlet Florida

Continuing down HWY 1A1 south from Cocoa you pass through the Melbourne Beach areas. I wish you could see more of the Ocean while driving this road but there are Condos and homes stretched along the east side of the highway for miles. The next stop to go for a swim is Sebastian Inlet. This is the best surf area on the east coast due to the inlet, pier, ocean bottom topography and currents. As you can see here in the pictures the water really clears up compared to 30 miles north at Cocoa. Today 10/6/09 the water is very calm and a warm 83 degrees. Since I have moved down here I want to learn how to surf so I'd imagine this coming weekend I will take some lessons. Sebastian Inlet hosts a very nice Florida state Park that has full facilities great snorkeling areas and the best fishing in east central Florida. "I'll be back!"

Cocoa Beach

PAFB Beach

After getting settled in to my new temporary housing 10/6/2009 I thought I'd make a run down to Ft. Pierce to visit Mary. I took the scenic route 1A1 from Port Canaveral to the Ft. Pierce area making stops at Ron Jon surf shop in Cocoa Beach then a quick dip in the ocean. I had never been to Cocoa Beach and overall was not very impressed with it. I also stopped at Patrick AFB beach which was much better than Cocoa Beach. The sand here gets really hot and the grains are rather course, I suppose this contributes to the sand maintaining the heat! Bring flip flops!