$9 Spiderman Fishing Pole = Priceless Fish

It's a beautiful thing when you finally, at last, succeed. Sometimes the pay-off is so grand that you are hooked. My Brandon has owned a variety of fishing poles for almost three years now. Let's see, we've had Sponge Bob, Sccoby Doo, Spiderman, and a couple Diego's. He has over the past two years learned how to cast and retrieve Daddy's big-boy fishing pole too. He's really got the whole theatrics of casting down to a science. Including the 'awwwwwhhhhhhhh" when it goes off in semi-unsafe directions. Last Christmas, his grandfather bought him some casting plugs, little hard plastic pieces that allow you to practice without hooks. How nice!

It's been a few months since he's graduated to a real fishing lure with hooks. What Brandon affectionately calls his fish"ies", an assortment of colors and spinners that give him the freedom to FISH like a big boy.

I've dodged some pretty scary hooks in the head, face, arm, and butt. He's conscious that the hooks he so forcefully weilds can hurt you. So he practices safe casting, looks both ways, and takes turns.

He's retrieved fish that I've hooked since the very beginning. Yet, somehow, he has known that it's never really been "his" fish. So, he goes fishing with his pole - now a fire engine red and blue - SPIDERMAN pole, armed with a yummy white beetle spin. A lethal combination if you happen to be a Bass. I'm so impressed with his try, try, again attitude. Brandon's like his father, he loves the act of fishing... being outdoors, observing nature, father/son talks, and spending time together. Oh, and catching fish too. We get asked all the time "did you keep your catch"? We always catch and release ... good for the fish, good for our souls.

I had just answered a call on my cell phone when Brandon said to me calmly, "Daddy, I got a big one..." Sure enough, he did. In fact that $9 red plastic rod had the strength of SPIDERMAN ... enough for Brandon to land a three pound Peacock Bass! Almost half his 44" height, Brandon couldn't help but touch it's slimmey body as he giggled with boyish joy. I'm positive two fish had been caught that afternoon -- that Bass and my little "guppy". I don't remember my first catch, but somehow I think Brandon and I will always remember the times we spent together. Priceless.

The Candy Machine

My Brandon, now almost five years old, has discovered that "if I draw it, Daddy can make it". Blueprints, yup - drawings on scraps of paper, indelibly inked in crayon, marker, and big-fat-pencils. Ideas on paper that eloquently bridge the vocabulary gap between father and son. It started innocently enough when Brandon asked me to make a machine. "What kind of machine, Brandon?"... a candy machine. "Tell me about it?" ... you put in it and it makes the candy. "well baby, where did you see this candy machine?" ... at that place daddy, you know, that place.

So we set out to better understand each other. Truth be told, we were both a little frustrated until we started making the first sketches of THE CANDY MACHINE. "So how does the candy machine work?" ... you put the things in the top and candy comes out the bottom. "ohhh, so you can put anything in, and it turns into candy?"... yeah! we make it now, right daddy?

The drawing were a good opportunity to discuss planning, blueprints, and thinking about how we would create something from nothing. We had, of course in the past developed a dinosaur trap -- honestly it worked quite well. Brandon decided that the best bait for dinosaurs was carrots. So after a night with baited dinosaur traps, we had caught six plastic dinosaurs. AMAZING, carrots worked --did the trick!

We decided that a bike would provide enough power to make the candy machine work, so that was included. We painted the boxes, made the holes, fused the pipes with electrical tape, and decorated the candy machine in bright candy colors. The test run was a huge success! Skittles in, Skittles out! All was wonderful until we had a mechanical melt-down a few days later.... it seems that Silly Putty doesn't quite make it through the candy machine tubes.

Ah, ha. Another teaching moment. We went back to the blueprints and dissected the machine, only to rebuild it better. You guessed it! Brandon also received strict instructions NOT to turn Silly Putty into candy.

Since that day, he's drawn up some pretty fancy plans for a castle. He's asked what the ETA is for delivery.

Now where did I put those blueprints for the dragon trap?

Bold, Brave, Fearless - I made Ceviche!

Fact is, when I first moved to Florida from Kentucky I had eaten many dishes that represent "road-kill" to most... Squirrel, Rabbit, Venison, Frog, etc... However, I remained squeamish about certain sea foods. Basically, if it was battered and deep fried, I was good -- unless it had tentacles, legs, or eyes! Well, life changed for me on a trip to the Dominican Republic in 1989 when I had Ceviche overlooking rio Chavon in the city of La Romana. Until then, friends tried to get me to eat sushi, calamari, clams, oysters, -- you name it... as my son Brandon would say "it's Yuckkieee". It all changed that night. The combination of sour, salty, hot, bitter --I devoured the dish like a kid discovering chocolate for the first time - tentacles and all!

Over the last 18 years, I got sand between my toes and saltwater in my veins... now an adopted Florida boy. Not too much I won't eat. I've had raw conch beaten and diced on the Pier in the Bahamas, eaten octopus cooked over burning logs in St. Lucia... caught by a couple native kids swimming over the coastal reef where I was snorkeling. The chase was exciting, the smokey charred flesh of fresh octopus was stunning, primitive.

I've learned not to ask who makes the best Ceviche. Each Caribbean, Central and South American friend I know claims their country has the BEST Ceviche... usually a mix of sea foods cold "cooked" with acidic lime and lemon juices. I've had the dish just about every place I could order it. With few exceptions (Puerto Rico - it was too sweet), I've loved every acidic bite. For the past couple years now, I've traveled frequently to the Dominican Republic for work. I became a regular patron of a restaurant in Zona Colonial, close to Christopher Columbus' house. When the waitress spots me in the crowd, she puts in an order for Ceviche. Really, it's true!

Sadly, It's been a while since I've been back to get my Ceviche fix.... I now know what's meant when someone says the are "jonesing" for something... fact is, I couldn't take it any longer.

I did it... I became bold, brave, fearless... I made Ceviche, and it was GREAT!!!! Why did I wait so long???? It's the next morning and I'm still alive, have no bad gastronomical feelings, and made no late night run to the emergency room.

I'll be making this dish time and time again. I wish I could give the recipes measurements here, can't do it... Just seemed wrong at the time to measure accurately when I was living so dangerously!

Here's what I included --

Talapia, Raw Shrimp, Scallops
Lemon Juice, Fresh Lime Juice
Cilantro chopped
Diced Garlic
Red Bell Pepper
Habanero Pepper (red)
Salt, Pepper

Red Onion

Garnish with lime wedge, cilanto leaf

Bad Dream Repellent

I love being a father. Somethings come so naturally, you feel like the wise, old CEO of daddy, Inc. Of course those days are far and few between. About a month ago, I difussed a common persistant bedtime issue with a few squirts.

Brandon's active four year old imagination has started to kick-in at bedtime. He began complaining that he was having "bad dreams" about buggies or monsters, and could he come to daddy's bed for a little while. Not missing a beat, I said stay here... as I went to the cabinet to get a large spray bottle of verbena fragrance linen water. I returned to his bed and told him to stand on the bed while I applied the "Bad Dream Repellent". This verbena water smells great, and the spray atomizes the water to the finest mist.

After a couple spritzes on the front and back, head to toe, he begins to rub in the magic elixir. Now dubbed the bad dream cream, he asks for a spray now and then. It's amazing, he's never had a bad dream after smelling that sweetly pungent verbena spray. I actually like dousing him in it, seems that it not only keeps away bad dreams, but brings back beautiful memories of pure innocence.

I wonder how long it'll take before it's effectiveness wears off? I really wish I had a stash of "bad day repellent", "hurt feelings salve", or "broken heart spray" for the future.

Now where did I hide that dinosaur trap?

Retracing her tracks in the sand.

I just returned from a photo session/vacation to Red Rock Canyon and Lake Mead. The weather was amazing, cool in the mornings - about 50 F - until just past noon when it reached the mid 80's . It was a special trip for me for a couple reasons, including sharing this experience through the lens and making memories for a couple lifetimes.

My Mother took a trip to the west with her sisters when I was a little boy, probably 9 years old or so. She never traveled, refused to fly, so I was interested in knowing why she decided to take that trip. Before she passed, she told me about her trip west, describing in detail the rock formations, the plants, how vivid the colors were, how indescribably massive the Grand Canyon was, the crisp dryness of the air, that she was part Cherokee Indian, and most importantly how she felt being there.

She brought back a plastic cowboy playset from that trip for me. I still have the two horses and one cowboy, sans hat. I thought about my Mom a lot this trip, how she seemingly provides just what I need, when I need it. It amazed me how her stories of the west resounded in my minds eye, just like watching a scene from an epic movie. I was taken back to childhood when Loml pointed out rock formations with the question "What's that look like" as we laughed at how we came to the same conclusions at the same time. An elephant, a skull, and a few unmentionables etc...

I hope you enjoy the photos.

It was a special trip with sites beyond imagination created millions of years ago and memories made that will last a lifetime. Both that 9 year old, and now a much older man, felt we were retracing her tracks in the sand.

See the pics here.

The End of the Rainbow

My 4 year old son Brandon and I were on our way to the Young at Art Museum this past weekend. The weather was drizzling rain and basically a nasty day for South Florida. We've enjoyed spotting rainbows in the past and I was particularly excited to point out a BIG rainbow forming in front of us. Brandon's excitement grew as the rainbow became wider and wider, growing more brilliant with each second of its' life.

I stopped the car to take a few pics with my iPhone. As we spoke about the rainbow, Brandon was excited and wanted to tell a loved one about his "find". We drove a little north, actually getting a better view of the rainbow. As we turned the curve, there it was, in an open field - THE END OF THE RAINBOW. I parked the car and snapped a few more pics. It was so bright, translucent and as bright as neon lights. The experience lasted about two minutes, I stood in the rain trying to comprehend what I had seen, talking to my son through the car window, magic was in the air.

First hand, I can tell you there is no POT "o" GOLD, but a golden memory that I shared with my son. The pic does no justice to the excitement, magic, and mystical feeling we experienced. We can only hope everyone gets to see the end of a rainbow in their lifetime.

Home for the almost the Holidays

Brandon and I returned from a beautiful long weekend in Lousiville, KY. While there we visited with his Grandfather, Aunt, and many Uncles and Cousins. He was busy from sun-up to sun-down, which of course meant I was too! It was cold, no snow however. Too bad, the little guy wanted to meet FROSTY!

Brandon has become acustom to me making a DVD of his events, especially travel. With this top of mind, I took some adorable pics of his activities. I'll post the video link here once it's complete and passed the little director's final cut!

Having an older "Papaw" means it's that much more of special time when we can visit. There was no warming up period. The two of them played, ticked, and fought like they were the best of friends. It was evident to all, they love each other. It warmed my heart!

Brandon also had the chance to reconnect with HIS dog, Charlie, a 100 lbs.+ Australian Red Merle. Pic below!!!! It was Christmas, many thanks to all that made it possible for us. Love you all.

Randy