Monday, Monday....

Well we got through the first weekend and we're all settled in the house. Tony, Karen, Sedona, Babe and I all seem to fit quite well. The 2 dogs escaped thier leash on Saturday and a neighbor brough them home. Damn escapees !!!! Well its Monday and Tony and I are going to do some "yard work" ... ie: there are literally tons of pine needles everywhere. Raking and sweeping are in order big time and I'll be up on the roof sweeping off pine needles and cleaning all the gutter. Frank's Powerwashing will be here this week to clean the outside.

I started my daily classified ad in the Daytona News-Journal. Every year I go under the name of Hollyhill Wheelworks and "Kim Camara -- Professional Spokes Person". I offer to do motorcycle wheelwork, which I've been doing for over 30 years in the bike shop and since this is the home of "bike week" and there are 1000's of motorcycles down here... I do pretty well fixing them. Let's hope its a fruitful season.

Over the weekend I did 3 racks of baby back ribs in the new smoker and those of you who know my ribs and penchant for BBQ... I need say no more. Tony had to be forklifted to the couch !!!!

Well it's off to the world of semi-retirement and now that the camera has arrived, I'll start posting lots of pictures. I hear a trip to the "doggie pool" is in the works,... Cya soon.

Karen & Tony ---- MCO

Well it's friday and I've got the house all whipped into shape... reefer is full of food... car washed and yard is spiffed up. Karen and Tony fly into Orlando (MCO) airport at 4:50pm today. The dogs and I have missed them !!! I'll drive over around 3:30 and pick them up and then we will stop at Daytona Pig Stand in Ormond Beach for some kickASS BBQ. It's kinda become a tradition every year.

Speaking of BBQ... I took the plunge !!!! Whilst at Sam's Club on Wednesday I bought a Masterbuilt Digital Smoker. This baby is 30" high with a glass door, 4 stainless steel shelves and an external woodchip feeder, all controlled by a digital control panel with a remote control. The ultimate in slow roast BBQ !!!! I already did a Boston Butt roast and it brought tears to my eyes !!!

Karen has the digital camera so there aren't any pictures yet but my next post will have all the latest visual news thats fit to print. Although I have awoken every morning with 2 dogs laying next to me.. ( and who hasn't !!) I miss my wife... Awwwwwww. It'll be good to have Karen and my bud, Tony here tonight !!!

Well time to get ready and make the 70 mile trip west...

2011 ... The NEW season begins

"Lucy....I'm Home" .....ahh that familiar chant from Ricky Ricardo as he burst through the door and made his grand entrance. Well this ain't the 60's and we ain't in Hollywood. This is HOLLY HILL and I'M HOME !!!!!

I made the 1244 mile drive in 22 hours this year and the trip was uneventful, even traffic through the first 7 northern states cooperated. Of course I left at 5am so CT,NY,NJ,WASH,& BALT were all "cakewalks". I drove 16 straight hours on day 1 ( Monday Jan 3) all the way to Florence SC... got a room at the Motel 6, had pork chops at Cracker Barrel and turned in for the night by 10. Back in the road at 6am got me into Daytona around 2 pm on Tuesday.

I'm travelling alone this year and my wife Karen and best friend Tony are flying into Orlando on Friday at 5pm where I will pick them up. Tony is planning on staying with us for the duration so I made the drive with both our dog "Sedona" and his 95lb American Bulldog "Babe". To say the least, the drive was quite an experience but we are "all" here and settled in.

9 months away has found the house needing a few plumbing repairs but after a $20 trip to Lowes, I've got all the faucets and toilet(s) to stop leaking. The extreme cold that's been here so far this winter has taken it's toll on all the fruit trees in my yard. Oh well, time to regroup and plant some new ones.

Well we're here til mid-march so let the fun begin. I've got 2 days of intense unpacking and de-summerizing the house before wifey arrives so I've gotta get going. Follow along all winter and enjoy our fun along with us. I'll try to make my posts both appetizing and fun.. and you know I can do both. Until next time... Woot Woot .. double fist pump. "Holly... I'm home" !!!!

GOOD BYE til 2011

Well just a short entry to say goodbye to the land of doing nothing for 2 months and HELLO to the land of 70hr work weeks. I can't wait !!!! ( NOT ). We are getting ready to head north. 8 am and the weather at least is going to cooperate. Funny that its been the coldest winter here in central Florida in over 40 years and when we get home on thurs the temps are expected in the 60's.. Oh well maybe next winter, Until then... thanks for reading my daily ramblings, See ya all real soon.

T.B.I.M.L.F. !!!!!

Too Bad Its My Last Friday .....


Well all thing must end and after a great winter vacay here in Florida, this is our LAST weekend. They say the temp is Florida was the coldest in 40 years. Whatever happened to global warming? I guess it starts in the Caribbean huh?


Last night Karen took me out for our final "Date Night"... I say she took me out cuz it was her treat. That's right... she paid..her debit card... her signature .. WHOOPPPEEE. we went to a place called Carrabba's Italian Grille and although its a chain much like The Olive Garden, it was FANTASTIC !!!! Karen had Lobster Mac & Cheese and I had Ravioli stuffed with lobster in a tomato/basil cream sauce. It was out of this world.









Well its been raining for 2 days in Florida with tornado warnings all over the place so I guess somebodies trying to tell me something. I'll shout out once or twice more before we put the laptop in mothballs for the trek north., Have a great weekend !!!!

Winding down

Well its Sunday and Bike Week ends at 6 pm today. The constant 24/7 rumble of FatBoys, Choppers, XLCH's, ElectraGlides and Heritage Soft Tails will subside tonight. I swear you can her the baa-badda baa-badda..ALL NIGHT AND DAY. They say in the local paper that during this week there are in excess of 200,000 motorcycles here in Daytona.... all within 5 square miles..... MY GOD. I went to Publix Mkt last Thursday and they had shut down Ridgewood Avenue .. ( The MAJOR street in Daytona/HollyHill ) for a concert by David Allan Coe.. There must have been over 20,000 Harleys just parked in the street and everybody was rocking.

Now don't get me wrong... I like bike week but since I only own a moped, I really don't get into the leather and noise and partying like all these 1 week a year warriors do. It's great for local businesses.. I mean there is a tee-shirt stand , tattoo parlor, bikini bike wash or instant BBQ set up on every single street corner. Its so funny.. at the start of the week all the t-shirt stands say "BIKE WEEK - T-SHIRTS" ... and their 15-20 bux a piece.. by Wed they say BIKE WEEK - T-SHIRTS 3-$20 . and by today (the last day) they all have duct tape or magic marker signs that say.... T-SHIRTS 6 - $20 !!!! What a deal !!! Gee you could polish your car with them.

Friday my friends Joyce and Oby Walker from Port Orange came by on his big ol' Yamaha and we went to the Iron Horse Saloon just outside of town in Ormond Beach for a look-see at the Bike Week festivities. We had some BBQ and beers and walked around... it was fun, but nice to get home after....

Well this is the LAST full week of vacay coming up.. We leave on Tuesday 3/16 for the trip back to reality and work.... BOO. Have a great week.. We'll talk again....

WOW .. where'd the time go ???

Hey gang.. sorry. I've been having such a great winter here this year in Holly Hill that I haven't been thinking about my blog. Where to begin..... Hmmm well the weather has been fair.. lots of wind.., some rain and temps in the mid 60's to mid 70's. The nights have been cold though. Heat is on at night.

Projects around the house.,,.., I put a gutter and downspout system on the back 1/4 of the house over the spare room effectively killing 3 birds with one stone, 1) Sealed the roof about the room to stop any leaks... 2) stopped rain from flooding the area against the house and 3) made and irrigation "channel" to my banana tree. These puppies need an awful lot of water and I'm not here 24/7 to look after it.. Now it will flourish. I'm sure.

This is BIKEWEEK in Daytona and the shit has hit the fan,.,, roaring Harley's day and night.. non-stop. Karen and I went to a really nice Sushi restaurant on Sunday night and when we pulled up there were 25 hogs parked out front.. when we got inside there was leather and X-rated tee shirts as far as you could see, now mind you these are well behaved people who probably have 9-5's 51 weeks a year ..... but show a little class and hang out at the coleslaw wrestling pit or go to the Iron Horse Saloon if you're gonna dress like that. Jessssssus...

Sedona has been cuter than ever and we have been taking her to the local dog park almost every day and last week we even took her up the road to the "Bed & Biscuit Inn".. a pampered palace just for dogs,.,, they even have their own swimming pool. She just loved it. It was a great day.

My cooking exhibitions continue nightly.. mostly winners a few flops.. like the homemade biscuits I made for a chicken fried steak dinner. I used leftover (last winter) baking powder thinking it would be OK !!!! NOPE.... I had flat tire repair patches instead of nice rolls,, ha ha.

Well today (Tues) marks 2 weeks left.. we head North on the 16th of March so lots of fun still to be had until the 60+ hr work weeks begin,. ( Boo Hoo ) Joyce and Oby are coming over for the day Friday and we are all headed to the Iron Horse Saloon for some BikeWeek festivities. Its a tradition that Joyce gets some crazy steak sandwich there every year. I'll take pix and post them on the weekend. Have a great week.. y'ALL