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A Father's Day

6/21/2013

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Back on the Bayou
Today's swamp adventure looked to be a totally different adventure than the air-boat tour we had the day before.

Totally, except for the stress we endured on the travels to the venue. Like the day before, we gave ourselves plenty of time. And like the day before, the directions we got from the boat company were anything but clear.

Actually they were quite clear and specific, just totally inaccurate. Had we not had the GPS on our smart-phones we would have been completely lost. As it was we were only mostly lost.

Eventually we found the group and after a little more confusion, we were in our kayaks and canoes and on the water.

In spite of the slapping and splashing of a bunch of newbie paddlers, the waterways were remarkably quiet and peaceful.

Skye and I were teamed up in a double kayak and often the lead kayak which was really nice, giving us many unobstructed views.



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Skye Makes My Father's Day

This year felt very different than Father's Days in the past in a couple of ways.  Before my focus as a father was to provide for her, whether that meant financially, being there emotionally, education, etc and to a certain extent leading by example.

As she's gotten older the impact of my example has grown, to the point where I've had to really examine who I am and what I do. So on top of the pride and joy I get from having her in my life, she's been a huge part of my becoming a better person.

And while I've always been proud of her, the person she has grown into and the way she has handled herself in these adventurous but often incredibly stressful times has been an inspiration to me.

Several years ago, before we had any idea that we would become semi-nomadic, Skye and I took a "once-in-a-lifetime" road-trip across the United States. We had an incredible journey.

Since that time, we have made that trip several more times and are looking to do it again in a few weeks. She is an amazing traveling companion. 

What a wonderful day the three of us had.

The three of us, living in a hotel for months on end, not knowing where we're going to end up has been pretty stressful at times, but has certainly made us stronger as a family. I wouldn't say it's been a trial by fire, by any stretch because for the most part we've been having an amazing experience.

It was great being a father on this Father's Day.

Thank you Cindy and Skye.

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A Tale of Three Santas

1/4/2012

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All I Want for Christmas Is.....

I will use "special days", you know holidays, milestones, full moons, etc. as excuses for any number of things.

New Year's Eve has enabled me to upgrade our sound system for a big party we were throwing.

I landscaped our backyard in Venice as part of my engagement surprise to help convince Cindy to marry me.

I used my 40th birthday to start home-schooling, vacation to Paris and install an outdoor kitchen, which included a wood-fired pizza oven. 

You can only guess how I abuse Christmas every year.  And this one would be no different.

The Self-Santa

I ordered the Body Wrench as a Christmas present from Santa to me. I do this self-gifting on occasion, usually annually, to insure I get something I want.

I also rationalized that it's "Pressure Point Relief" would aid in my recoveries and ultimately save money that I might otherwise spend on massage and chiropractic services.

It's also a tax write-off because I could certainly utilize it in my new career as a Personal Trainer.

Speaking of which....

The Forgetful Santa

I ordered the Audio Lectures that accompany my Personal Trainer Certification online course so that I could listen to them on the drive down to the Keys and back. Again, a tax write-off and something I really had to have if I were to have any chance of completing the course on time.

Unfortunately I didn't get the CD's in time, even though I paid for Fed-Ex second-day air.

Santa you can be so lame and disappointing.

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The Sloppy Santa

I purchased the Fender Blender Universale from  Rock-the-Bike as a gift for the family. One that we would "open" a little early so that we could utilize it on our trip down to the Keys.

Unfortunately, they didn't have all the parts and wouldn't be able to get it to me on time, even though I had paid for Fed-Ex second-day air.

Blending Daiquiris after a pedal around Key West would have been awesome, oh well.

Back track to "Forgetful Santa". I had forgotten that I had paid for the Fed-Ex shipping for the blender set-up and assumed I had done it for the CD;s, somehow forgetting as well that the Audio series was a download, meaning I could have easily and in fact, did have it in time for the trip.

Perhaps the "Forgetful Santa" would more aptly be called Dopey Santa.

Santa Summary

Even though I ordered all of this stuff on-line a couple of weeks before Christmas with theoretically more than enough time to arrive  before Christmas, the only thing that I actually could have put under the tree was the body wrench, which I had already started using the week before.

I was still going to wrap it up and add it to the mix, but ended up getting to busy to continue that part of the charade.
I have yet to listen to the Audio series, having just found it and downloaded it yesterday.

The Fender Blender should arrive next week.

                                                   Ho, Ho, Ho

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Florida Road Trip--Day 6-Christmas Eve

12/29/2011

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A Very Tropical Noel

We all slept in, even me, finally rolling out to brunch just a shade south of 1 p.m.  Cindy found a place with incredible atmosphere, Blue Heaven.

This wasn't immediately evident as we went inside the building, ignoring the sign that clearly stated the entrance was around the corner.

We sat down in an almost empty room with a few guys at a bar watching football, not American football, what we in the States call soccer.


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The hostess very politely informed us that we might want to sit outside, around the corner, like the sign said.

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So much better.

Not only was the weather perfect, the shade dappled and live music in the background, but we were joined by......

chicks, chickens and roosters.

The roosters started up their own version of Dueling Banjos.

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The brunch cocktails left a little to be desired, the food was only a bit above average, but again I must reiterate about the amazing  atmosophere and vibe, and there was also the amazing desert, Key Lime pie with an over-the-top merenque.

Relaxing, No Seriously This Time

One of our favorite home-school families had relocated to Key West, so Skye would get to be with friends at Christmas after all, how crazy is that?

So she went to the movies and Cindy and I went back to just relax at The Banyan.



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 We were able to emerge from our respite in time to make it to Mallory Square and one of those magical Key West sunsets.

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going,
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Gone!
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It was funny how many people were trying to catpure the moment with their cameras and/or phone, myself obviously included.

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There were several really good street performers, working the crowds and trashing their voices, all the while doing some amazing tricks and stunts.

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And then there was this guy.



_We headed off to find some stocking stuffers on Duval Street and its tributaries.  Right about this time was when Cindy informed me that we only had 2 stockings. And just like that, I was on the hunt to find a Christmas stocking, which I thought would be easy, but was anything but.

Actually I saw a stocking in the first store I walked into, but it was a bland, just regular sort of stocking so I kept going looking for something special.

But the clock was ticking and Skye was being dropped off along and we were meeting one of my favorite park-day compadres for dinner, so I retraced my steps trying to find that first store, which convieniantly and ironically enough was right across from our dinner rendevous.

Again might be better to refer to one of my fb comments,
Jon Danniells Also the family agreed not to get each other presents and now we're off to go shopping among a bunch of drunk tourists on one of the tackiest streets in the lower 48 because of course we're not going to not give each other presents

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This photo-op was just a tip of the iceberg as to the non-traditional Christmas sightings of the night.

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Our Christmas gifts would end up being determined by what was open.

I did find a more unique stocking, one with Sloppy Joe's Key West embroidered on it.

A lot of Key Lime tasties, pirate themes and Hemingway/Papa sort of stuff would find their way into our stockings and under our "tree".



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Fourth of July

7/6/2011

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Celebrating
&
Not

For the last several years, we have been hosting two big parties a year, on New Year's Eve and on the 4th of July. I typically start gearing up for them a couple weeks out and on the day before, during and after I am pretty much focused on the event. This year we didn't.

Last year in the frenetic run up to the party, (actually I was running down steps) I managed to severely twist and mangle my ankle. I didn't go to the hospital so I don't know if it was officially a sprain, a break or whatnot, but it did end up plaguing me for almost a year. In overcompensating and favoring the injured foot I twisted the other ankle as soon as my right ankle was almost back to normal. I ended up racing and training in braces until quite recently. One thing I certainly celebrated the other night was an independence from ankle wraps, braces, and the regular icing that went with it.

The evening of the 4th of July brought with it an amazing thunderstorm. If we had made any plans such as going to see fireworks or grilling, they would have been canceled. But we hadn't, so there was no sense of disappointment. Instead we just enjoyed the rain, thunder and lighting, nature's fireworks. Our house in Los Angeles had a number of leak issues, so anytime it rained there was always the likelihood that I would be dealing with some sort of waterworks. Rain, an element that I had always loved became a cause of frustration and anxiety. Having gotten rid of the LA house, I was free again to love the rain.

Another cause for celebration.

Then there is the holiday itself, which like so many holidays gives me pause.

We read through the document, The Declaration of Independence that serves as the foundation to the holiday. We discussed it at length, which lead to discussions on freedom, wars, taxes and....


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    Jon Danniells is an adventurer and traveler, a teacher and student, a husband and a father, a cook and a farmer, a "week-end warrior" (very amateur athlete) and has not earned any money on these labors of love.When I googled myself what showed up first was my IMDB listing, which is basically a resume for my 20 and then some year career in film, for which  I fortunately do get paid.

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