Busy week

Hi all,
Well busy, busy as usual and time flying by. We had a great week with grandson Alex and his gf Emily. Maybe we can relax now-HA.
 We finished the week with them taking a nice kayak run on the Santa Fe River. We did about a three hour trip but leisurely made it in four. There were a couple large springs to check along the way and then the highlight visiting with Naked Ed.

 Naked Ed (John Edward Watts) has been living in a hut or shack by Lily Springs since 1985. And as you can guess he is a bit eccentric. He has signs up that show he is a free thinker and you can argue with him about it but you would have to remove your clothes first as to be on the same playing field( according to one of his signs).

 We had a nice chat with him but he was gracious enough to be stay behind a fence on his pier. He was proud to show us a bottle from a local brewery that named a beer in his honor.
 Wednesday was a chore day, the kids planted a garden and Wendy and I rebuilt a flower bed. On Friday Alex, Emily, and I went fishing on the gulf near Stienhatchee, Fla. Amanda set this up with Keith a friend from work. We had a great time although the fishing was slow. We caught a mixed bag of Spanish mackeral, hammerhead shark, and a stingray. Not quite what we were fishing for but enough to keep it fun. Alex ended up getting quite a burn even though he was dousing with a spray sunblock.

Alex fighting with a stingray

Keith and Emily

 While we fished Wendy and Amanda went shopping for more bushes which we planted on Sunday. Wendy repainted a bench and we spruced up a flower area in the front yard. There were quite a few rose bushes and some other flowers and they are now beginning to bloom. We have seen hummingbirds frequent the area and hear orioles and some other birds. We repainted a bird feeder and will begin to stock it so we will see what we can attract.

 Big news is also on the horizon for us. Stay tuned for more in the next exciting blog of Wendy and Ray.)