Miami, Baby

I see on the news that it's still snowing like crazy up north, which makes me doubly glad to be in sunny Miami.  My buddy Frank has been here over the weekend and we've been enjoying the warmth, the natural beauty of the area and the good food.  The South Beach Art Deco area is a real treat!  Great Art Deco buildings line Ocean Avenue across from the beach and they are bustling with cafes and bars.  Here's a typical hotel.

I've also been out taking some pictures down in Key Biscayne and in the park in front of the apartment.  So, I posted another Page above called Key Biscayne/Miami if you want to take a look.  I'm into all the patterns in the trees, leaves, rocks, etc.  There is a lot of color and texture there and, I suppose, it's more noticeable to my eye since everything at home is a uniform field of white!
I'm wishing you all a warmer start to February! BB

Gator Country

As much as the latest storm tried to prevent it, I made it to Miami after only modest delay. Today I rented a car and drove out to Big Cypress, which is part of the Everglades.  The trip passed through an indian reservation, so I stopped and chatted with a native guide who offers airboat tours through the "Sea of Grass".  I may have to go back and try that.

But today, I wanted to take a walk in the Glades.  It was a reasonably warm day - about 70 degrees and sunny.  The glades are absolutely teeming with life, most notably birds life!  I saw hundreds of anhinga and cormorants, which means that the water was full of fish.  There were many different types of wading birds, from the large blue herons and snowy egrets to smaller colorful bank-stalkers whose names I don't know.  And quite a large group of buzzards were scrumming in a field, obscuring my view of whatever meal they were jostling over.

The walk was fun, although the section of trail I was on was rather dry and more brown than green (it is winter after all).  But the water was full of alligators, turtles and fish and the scrubby thickets with small wrens, mockingbirds and quite a number of orange and black butterflies of about 2 inches in width.  I took some pictures which I posted on a tab above.  Hope you enjoy them! BB 

Winter at the Beach

I admit it: I’m not a fan of winter. So, to escape the cold wind (1 degree this morning, predicted zero tomorrow morning), I have planned an escape to Miami. I corralled a friend to join me and, hopefully, will be jetting south on Wednesday morning (weather prediction for Tuesday into Wednesday = ice cold and snowing). Another generous friend has offered the use of their apartment, complete with pool and gym, so how could I say no?!?! I also hope to daytrip over to the Everglades and have lunch with the alligators. But mostly, I’m just looking to do my napping in a place where the thermometer uses 2 digits, and with luck, the first one will be a 7!


How can a guy who doesn’t tan love the sun so much? I guess wonders never cease. Here's a shot of what I'll likely look like when I get there….see, at least I'm smiling!! BB

90 Day Moratorium

I had a scan last Thursday and my meeting with the onc today. I have more growth, as expected. About the same amount as last time. But rather than going straight back to chemo, he offered me the option of holding off a while longer. So, I basically jumped at the chance to wait. He said that my growth rate is “not fast, but not slow either”. He also said that most patients, after having experienced chemo, prefer to delay future treatment! So, we’re going to let it ride a little longer. If I have pain problems or get jaundice, the plan will change, but as it stands, I will it ride for another 90 days and then we’ll do another scan.


I am pretty happy about not having to go back right away. I was rather dreading it. And our strategy is to stretch out the time between treatments for as long as possible since doing so can both prolong my life and make it more enjoyable. So now I can truly say Happy New Year!

Happy New Year

Time to wish you all a Happy and Healthy 2011!  We had some friends over for New Years eve - it originally started as a small gathering but somehow morphed into about 30 guests!  But it was great fun!  Morristown does fireworks at midnight and we have a perfect vantage point from our front windows since we are on the top of a hill.  The 9:15 fireworks show, which is much longer than the midnight display, even rattled our windows! David followed his usual tradition of running outside in his bare feet at midnight but this year decided to take advantage of the snow and sled down the front yard.  It was rather icy and he crashed into the mailbox!  No damage other than a cut on his toe.  The sacrafices he makes for tradition....

I also had another little omen experience this morning.  If you recall, I blogged about omens about a year ago.  The spirits were crows (a symbol of change) and pileated woodpeckers (a symbol of opportunity).  So, when I went out this morning to get my newspaper from the end of the driveway, I was greeted by a flock of crows caw-ing their heads off in a tree beside the driveway.  Then I heard the thump-thumping of a big Pileated Woodpecker.  He was a particularly big one, banging away at the tree holding the crows. Once again, I must say it's odd that this was my wake up call on January 1.  But in the spirit of mysticism, I hope that whatever changes come your way in 2011 will be new opportunities.  And that you are happy and successful in all your endeavors!  Happy New Year!

In the spirit of change, I'm trying a new trick with this post.  I uploaded a video of the fireworks last night rather than a picture!