Author Archives: Sparky
Stats for Sparky’s American ancestors, 2019
I have made another pass through my family tree in Ancestry.com, making corrections and adding some 25 newly-discovered ancestors. Some of the new ancestors are also Jett’s ancestors, meaning that we are related some 11 generations back. Good thing we didn’t have children. Number of American ancestors: 349 Location of graves, by state: MA – … Continue reading
Night lighting
I posted a photo a few days ago showing our new flags. But I didn’t have the flag lit, which is a violation of flag etiquette. So we got a solar-powered spotlight for the flag and some solar-powered lights to line the driveway. When the lights came on for the first time I took a … Continue reading
The RV park’s new section
Our RV park has nearly completed the fourth and final stage of its development – the addition of about 50 new sites. They were supposed to be ready for occupancy on Jan 1, but as with most construction projects there have been problems and delays. The most significant problem was Hurricane Michael. The arrival of … Continue reading
New Year’s Eve – almost ushering in 2019
We attended the New Year’s Eve party at the resort. 208 people dining on prime rib or chicken, with steamed vegetables and baked potatoes. Cheesecake for dessert. A 5-piece dance band. All cooking and entertainment provided by residents of the park. Jett and I did our part by prepping the baked potatoes. Over 200 potatoes … Continue reading
NYE fail
Jett and I have been volunteering a lot at our new home. It is a good way to meet our neighbors and is fun, too. Mostly. Cleanup from the Thanksgiving dinner was a lot of work – over 2 hours. Prepping for the New Year’s Eve dinner (mostly preparing the 240 baked potatoes) was only … Continue reading
Letting my (freak?) flag fly
Jett has, for years, wanted to get a large American flag that we could display at our site. On taking up residence for at least 5 months – perhaps longer – it seemed like a good time to make it a reality. So we ordered an American flag and a new “thin blue line” flag … Continue reading
Ghosted by my printer
I have published the first four volumes of the blog – 2011 through 2014 – and have the 2015 volume ready for print. But my chosen printer – printi.com – has disappeared. Apparently they have been gobbled up by VistaPrint. Their website now redirects me to the VistaPrint website. But I have been unable to … Continue reading
Rusty the goofball
We have been a one-dog family for nearly a year now. That means that all of our loving attention has been lavished on a single dog. It is a heavy burden for a dog to bear, but Rusty seems to be able to tolerate it. As you can see from this photo, he can thoroughly … Continue reading
“Night School” by Lee Child
Copyright 2016 by Lee Child, published by Delacorte Press. This is the 21st book in the Jack Reacher series. I like all of the Jack Reacher books. He is larger than life, sometimes tender, sometimes brutal, always analytical and never predictable. All of which makes for a good read. In Night School he is in … Continue reading
Sunsets in Fort Myers
One of the best things about southwest Florida, right behind the (usually) great weather, is the sunset. More often than not the sun sets in a blaze of color. Enough color to make you stop what you are doing and just watch. Free theater.