Karen at Fifty Four

Another great ride, and a new route for me, with the FFW. I will definitely do this route again. It was a long one - 56 miles, but mostly on the trail and a view of the beach at the turn-around point.  The bridge was open when we were crossing the intercoastal waterway so Donna was able to get a shot of the group. It was a beautiful scene with the boats going under the bridge. This was the N Causeway leading to New Smyrna Beach. It amazes me that I have never been to this area and we are close enough to cycle here from Orlando (well, technically, Osteen). Not as beautiful as St Pete though... nothing tops home! From L to R: Donna, Allen, Linda, Mary, Kerry, Brian, and me. We did have a eighth cyclist, Barry, but he ran to the bathroom during picture time.

Kelsie organized for Adacel to participate in the Girls in Aviation Day at Kennedy Space Center. Kelsie, Mike, and I went the day before to set up, then the day of the event we were able to wander around the static displays and talk to the other vendors in the morning, and let the girls run our sims in the afternoon. I was in charge of the ICE sim. The girls loved it! I was so happy they got a kick out of trying to say the ATC phrases displayed on the monitor. They were actually pretty good too. And, thankfully, ICE behaved well (no crashes and gave realistic feedback on their transmissions). All in all, from my perspective, it was an awesome event and an awesome cause (encouraging girls to pursue careers in the aviation field). After setting up on the first day, we were taken to see the latest rocket to go to the moon, Artemis I. I think the launch was scrubbed because there is a hurricane brewing in the gulf right now (headed for St Pete!!!!)  Looking cool with my aviators (freeb...

I went to St Pete, Sunset Beach to be exact, to celebrate my dad's 79th birthday. Great dinner and football. Cheering on the Gators Saturday night and the Bucs Sunday afternoon. Fabulous to visit with the family too. Dad and Debbie had the beach house and Donna, Gerald, and Leah stayed out there with us. I always have fun with them. Then Sunday morning I did a bike ride with Mom and her friends from the St Pete Bike Club.   Riding over the Treasure Island causeway to meet Mom and the St Pete Bike Club at the library for their Sunday ride. Beautiful sunrise and a perfect morning for riding. 

I participated in the Watermelon ride with a group from the Florida Freewheelers. Great ride, and a great group to ride with. It was held in Amelia Island/Fernandina Beach. Personally, I think the Gulf coast is prettier. This part of Florida is very industrial. Lots of "working" going on over here, not so much tourists. By working, I mean commercial fishing boats and lots or cranes, factories, rigs of some sort or another. Seemed there were people making their living from the waters here. The beaches were also harsher... more wind blown, rugged. And it was hot!!! But all that aside, I really glad I went and was able to connect on a deeper level with the folks from FFW.   Group dinner the night before the ride. These are all the Florida Freewheelers that came out for the ride. All in all, they say 900 people participated. Great showing from our little group in Central Florida. That's me leading the pack! Not really, we all took turns pulling and for the most part, stayed t...

The last day of ICE training at TCC only lasted two hours, so I essentially had a "free" day to explore. It was a great little city. Well, to be fair, I didn't venture into downtown, I stayed in the suburbs and really enjoyed myself.  First I went to a public park called Gathering Place. It was huge! Unfortunately my knee was acting up so I didn't get too much exercise walking around. I did a very slow stroll. They had all kinds of activities for kids, playgrounds, paddleboats, trails, snack bars, outdoor seating. It was a masterpiece!   The grounds were immaculately maintained too. I like being out in nature, especially when it's been cleaned up a bit :) Another observation... I didn't see any homeless people or "weirdos". Everyone looked healthy and nice, out for some exercise or playing with their kids. After the park, I went to a vegan restaurant called Pure Food and Juice. Wow! That sums it up. The best vegan meal and dessert I've ever had! ...

A work trip to teach ICE to TCC brought me to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I always love to explore the new towns I visit (new to me, I mean) and sometimes I get lucky. This was definitely one of those times. The Oklahoma Aquarium was a terrific surprise. Who would have thought Tulsa, Oklahoma would have a nice aquarium. And actually, this area of town is all nice as far as I can see. Of course, the college campus is on a regional airport outside of the town of Tulsa and everything out here looks very clean and new. The neighborhoods look upscale and a quick peak at Zillow tells me they are in the half million dollar range. Oh well, out of my price range, but so is most of America right now! Not that I'm shopping for a new town, but I must admit, the heat and congestion of central FL is getting to me. Really impressive shark tank with a tunnel through. Of course, you have to love the jellies! Reminds me of home... these little guys should be on a log in a spring fed river. Well, at least here ...

 Nice long weekend in St Pete. Dad and Debbie had the beach house on Sunset Beach, so I even got to stay on the beach and get two fantastic mile-long swims in. I brought the paddleboards but the water had some ripples, and that's all it takes to make me stay on my knees. I've gotten used to the flat lakes of Orlando, I suppose. The view from the balcony. The water was a beautiful shade of green and very clear. I was able to swim both Sat and Sun mornings, a mile each day. Even though there were no white capped waves, there was a current so I definitely got a good workout! Nice gathering of family for Gerald's birthday. The sunsets from Sunset Beach are perfect! We had crazy clouds all weekend, but the storms seemed to stay off shore.