Posts Tagged ‘florida’
F.A.Y.
August 18, 2008
From CapeWeather.com
Wanted to find some witty lyrics to post as the title, but a search for Fay came up with F.A.Y. , so that is what I’m running with (not FAY from me…Just hopefully not F.A.Y. from Miss Fay as she comes up the peninsula…
Well, she’s a-comin’, but in what force and tme we don’t really know…
Here’s where I’m tracking:
If you want to see what else is going on I do recommend NOAA.gov and even our local news and papers can offer some info… I found that News-Press.com is not always amazing on the updating (I usually just head to CapeWeather.com or Wunderground.com for weather info) BUT they were one of the only sources on information when my mom was going through Charley and we were feeling helpless up north….
We have, for the time being, decided to stay put…So we are doing lots of organizing and packing this morning, just in case we need to move….
As far as my etsy shop goes, I will not be shipping again until Friday (8/22)…But as long as we have power and our ‘net connection is up I will be checking in and updating my shop announcement….
Anyway, giant hugs and stocked emergency kits and wishes for safety to all in Fay’s path….
xo
B
FLA
July 26, 2008
Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek
Ahhh sunny Florida and vintage souvenirs….
Sometimes, though, there is a little too much detail on pieces… This particular intaglio pictures some palms, the beach, a flamingo, and what I’m guessing is a lady sunning her legs while the rest of her is under the cover of an umbrella…
But, due to the monochromatic and general tiny-ness of the piece is looks like a giant clam eating a person.
Now that would have been a classic drive-in bit…
With Love,
From Sunny Florida
MangoMania! 2008
July 14, 2008
Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek
Ahhhh MangoMania 2008…
What can I say? There were mangoes.
Mangoes for sale…Treats incorporating mangoes…Mango preserves… T-shirts aimed at mango humor… Ahhhh yes.
We went. We wandered. We purchased some mangoes and a dwarf Meyer Lemon tree for the lanai (I have always longed for my own fruit tree… more on the new leafy addition to our home later)….
We did a ton of wandering around looking for the Mr. MangoHead competition which promised a mango decorating opportunity for the pee-wee set. Alas, nobody(not even the supposed Mr. MangoHead sponsors) had any clue where or what it was. But that is life in SW Florida…If information about a local event can be gleaned from the internet it is always a year out of date (minimum) or just completely inaccurate…
The only folks who were able to help were the kind librarians from the Pine Island branch…
And boyo got his first library card and is so excited to swipe it through the machine on his next visit…
Turns out we missed the competition entirely by wasting all the time looking for it. They had 3 prizes (great ones, according to one of the librarians) and nobody entered. Probably because nobody knew they were supposed to decorate their mango at home and bring it to enter it in the competition… Oh well. Maybe next year our strategy will be much improved.
Anyway- it was a nice morning out for us… We returned home after 2 hours dodging some of the pushier vendors (of various services and “event only exclusive offers” blech) with 6 mangoes, a meyer lemon tree, and we bought 3 jars of preserves but the gentleman packing them for us goofed and instead of a variety we have 2 jars of mango raspberry and 1 of mango strawberry (and none of the tropical ginger which sounded so freaking tasty)….
Next year, I hope they don’t have such a vendor free for all and they make better use of the German American Social Club’s sprawling grounds…It was a little suffocating and not as tropical fruit festival feeling as it was even last year…
Also, there was a rash of brutish boys terrorizing the little guys. These were kids that should have been taught manners at some point and probably denied entrance to the bounce houses, where they terrorized the younger kids and annoyed their parents.
Also, note to mangomania 2009 vendors: yes, water pistols are fun. It is however unwise to spray strangers with water pistols from your booth if they are not interacting with you at the time. It will not gain you business and you might just shoot the wrong person. People carry all sorts of electronic devices- from medical related things to shmancy iphones. I would not want to short out someone’s gadget or spook the wrong person in this firearm toting, quick tempered region of the world…. It is not refreshing. It is rude. Even the rudest of the brutish wild boys wouldn’t stoop to zapping strangers with water. Even they know better.
Sorry to come off as cranky, dear reader…But for the love of pete those two elements were *that* irritating…
MangoMania!
July 9, 2008Woohoo! It’s time for MangoMania again!
Can’t wait to taste some locally grown tropical fruit and mango creations at this year’s festival celebrating that crazy cousin of poison ivy, The Mango.
Mangomania will be hitting Cape Coral, Florida this Saturday and it is being held at the German-American Social Club on Pine Island Road (between Chiquita and Veterans/Burnt Store Road… This year they are having a Mr. Mango Head contest for the kids, various vendors. Last year I scored some awesome all natural spray for my old bones and muscles- called, very cleverly, Snake Oil (and it is a real treat for an aching back and sore muscles)…there were a few folks selling jewelry (some of it handmade, but usually not by the people selling it) and a soapmaker or two. We came home with bags of mangoes grown on nearby Pine Island (which is wear the festival originated… The German American club does provide a slightly more central location with more amenities and space)… We also brought home jars of homemade (by some of the farmers and their crews) preserves, mango bread, and a few other treats…
Adults can get in at the gate for $6…Kids under 10 are admitted free. We wound up spending around $50 total last year- including a couple of carnival game tickets, a light lunch for the 3 of us (the German -American club had their Potato Pancake hut and Weiner huts open, not sure if they will be doing that this year) and a beer for the hubby (the beirgarten was open), and two grocery bags chock full o’ homemade baked goods and locally grown fresh fruit… There are plenty of places to sit and eat and take a load off…It does get hot though- definitely wear a durable sunscreen all over as the event is entirely outside. There are port-o-potties available and possibly regular facilities inside the german club (not sure on that…I’ve been to a bunch of events but I have never been inside!)… Bring a lightweight, breathable hat for everyone. If you go near dusk bug spray is a must. I doubt they are allowing outside beverages (other than kid’s bottles in mom’s handy backpack…) so bring cash for tickets, food, and drinks- especially water to stay cool and hydrated.
Boyo is excited as he is a mango maniac from way back… The kid cannot resist Mango sorbet…
There is usually a fruit tree vendor as well…I’m hoping that they have some dwarf/container trees as I would love a miniature meyer lemon for our porch….We shall see…
Anyway, here’s an article from the news-press on the festivities…
We hope to see you there!
Witness Cafe Sarasota, Florida
June 27, 2008|
Here is their most recent information:
Witness Cafe
Lounge- Dance Bar-Patio
5100 N. Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34234 (941) 351-4949 phone (941) 355-9819 Fax www.witnesscafe.com
We have been receiving a few calls a week for the past 3 years from folks looking for Witness Cafe… THIS is their phone number… If you try to reach them at any other phone number found on the web you will probably get a very cranky redhaired lady on the phone who really values her sleep and above that values her kid’s sleep….
Thanks folks…
I’m going to go find that sleep that I value so much….
*hugs*
zzzzz
|
Woooooohoooooo!
June 20, 2008
Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek
Finally, it has happened.
We are getting a sidewalk.
Sidewalks in this area are sporadic at best. It depends when the structure was built and what rules were on the books…
Except for a few main roads (in this case I mean roads with traffic lights as our road is a whole lot more “main” than the other roads that come off of it) the only sidewalks you see are 20 feet or so in front of a random house- not connected to any other sidewalk….Not forming a walkable length of more than 20 feet. Just 20 feet, at most, and then nothing for miles…
We have corners that are “sidewalked”, complete with the pedestrian images and the walk/don’t walk lights… But they are the only sidewalk around for miles, or until the random house that has the 20 feet… None of them were connected. I cringe every morning when I see kids walking to one of the many schools in the immediate area. They are walking on the actual road…Cars, trucks whizzing by all too close seeming to believe that the speed limit is optional. And the kids can’t walk on the grass thanks to our militant fire ant population…Not to mention our snakes and other critters.
Now we can walk out of our complex and walk all the way down to the water treatment facility and be that much closer to that sulfurous stench. Maybe someday we will be able to walk safely to necessities that would relieve the need for a second car. I can dream, right?
Before I moved to SW Florida I never would have imagined that I’d get this giddy over a cement truck and traffic cones.
I need to get out of here… If only the sidewalks all connected…
Evening weather….
June 8, 2008
Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek
PLEASE VISIT CapeWeather.com or NWS for weather updates
Weather Underground is a great resource for weather information….
The Return of The Fanny Pack
June 2, 2008
Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek
Wear what?
Fanny packs?
I’m glad to see my mother is up on this. She hasn’t stopped wearing hers since she hit 58 a decade ago. It’s her dog walking gear bag. Handily manages the poo bags, her mile long Virginia Slims, a lighter and the keys to all of the gates in the fortress…er…gated community,she lives in… I’m glad the State of Florida has launched this initiative.
Perhaps the fanny pack campaign will spread far and wide- Click It or Ticket seems to touch many states, perhaps Wear It Florida will do the same. People everywhere will be buckling up their fanny packs and their seat belts. Movie stars will be spotted at shmancy red carpet events and instead of “Who are you wearing?” and a toe to crown pan the lenses will zoom in on those belted bags of glorious hands free convenience.
In all seriousness, I have seen the commercials. Florida has launched a campaign to promote boating safety through the wearing of life jackets.
Anyone who is around boats and boat supplies probably knows that the little “fanny pack” depicted in the logo is actually one of those fancy and convenient self-inflating flotation devices. Basically, they inflate when you hit the water. The majority of self-inflating pfd’s have the familiar look of more traditional personal flotation devices but without the bulk. Only a few are “pouches” that look like the ones in the logo. So which graphic would have taught more on glance? Fanny pack or traditional life jacket shape? (maybe a bright orange to depict “safety”? just an idea…)
I did a little research… Turns out that in 2007 there were 77 boat related fatalities. 70% of the accidents occurred in situations, if I am understanding this correctly, where the operator of the boat did not have formal boating and water safety training.
Here is what I am finding very interesting…
Boat operators under the age of 21, in Florida, are required to have a boating education card (signifying that they have completed boat/water safety courses…courses are even available online).
According to the report available from Florida Fish and Wildlife (http://myfwc.com/law/boating/) 51% of the folks who perished in boating accidents/mishaps drowned. That is (rounding down) 39 people in 2007. The rest died from “trauma” or “other”….
Interestingly, in these fatal incidents, 87% of the operators were over 21 years old. (to balance that 19% of the operators were in the 21-35 age bracket and theoretically would have been under 21 and would have been required to have completed a safety education course as the act to require that of the under 21 crowd was put into play in 1996. Note that this still leaves 68% of operators in fatal boating accidents in Florida in 2007 as not required to have completed a boating safety course. By the way, the under 21 crowd only accounts for 13% of fatal boating incidents in 2007. (Numbers not adding up? 1% did not have ages reported)
So, 39 people drowned in boating incidents in 2007.
I assumed, with the amount of advertising the Wear It campaign has been sucking up, that the number would be much higher.
So why do I care? Well, I found the fanny pack thing funny. I know what it is, but I’m betting that if you showed that logo to anyone who is not already boat and water safety savvy they will probably guess it’s that fashion icon of the 1980’s- the “waist bag”…
Now, if 70% of accidents occurred on boats where the operator had no formal safety education, then couldn’t we assume that those 70% might not know about the inflatable flotation devices and that they might, on a logo, look like a fanny pack? Especially if the folks are not year round water/boat folks, I don’t see how this logo is going to create any recognition for water safety in the audience that needs to be getting this information and getting it now. However, any Florida-based manufacturers of fanny pack souvenirs may want to hop aboard this campaign.
Anyway, the other day I was looking for some Florida agency issued water and pool safety printables- bookmarks, stickers, anything at all to add to the goody bags for the last day of preschool. I found tons of information on child drownings in Florida and safety suggestions for parents and caregivers to implement, but I found nothing geared for kids. I found printables from states that are not even in the “top 10” drowning states… Perhaps this sort of thing is available in person and not online…One thing I have noticed since moving here is not that much information regarding our state, state offices, and procedures is available online, or at least not easily located or interpretable.
In 2001-2005 an average of 73 kids 0-4 years old died, per year, by unintentional drowning (yes, they specify unintentional.)
In all ages groups an average of 465 people died in unintentional drownings every year between 2001-2005 (which was the last year they published the report). 7% of the total drownings were boating related. 61% occurred in pools or natural water (27% are reported as “other”, 5% were bathtub related).
67% of drowning deaths were in people ages 25+
71%of cases (in 0-4 year old drownings)accessed the pool through a door leading from the home to the pool area. And there really has not been much of a drop in swimming pool related, unintentional drownings in the 0-4 age group since the October 2000 application of the Pool Barrier Law. This tells me that not only are people not using enough layers of security around their pools for whatever reason (expense? aesthetic? there can be many reasons, obviously none of them valid when we are talking about the life of a child, but for what reasons are these layers of safety being breached or not created at all? this definitely warrants further investigation, in my opinion… I think if accidents are happening because of minor oversights, then how can all of us work together to fix those oversights…), it also suggests to me that kids are not being taught rules regarding safety early enough. My kid knows that he cannot leave this house or his grandparents house- and I mean the actual four walls of the house- unless he is holding the hand of one of his parents or grandparents. I believe educating him about this from early on has helped stave off many potential tragedies. I do not believe that any of us are invincible, but keeping him as safe as he can-when he is in sight and out of my sight (by educating him) is my top priority. He cannot experience the joys of life, he will not have the chance to reach his potential, if I do not do my job in teaching him safety. I also was unaware of some of the things that happen when someone drowns- I did not realize that drowning is typically silent. That usually nobody hears a splash of a child falling in the pool. Once I learned that I tightened security. Perhaps if more people knew that they would realize that the minute where they run inside to turn off the kettle or grab the phone is one minute too long….
And the literature available regarding child safety and water is geared at parents- it should also be geared at kids. In a parallel, adults may know plenty about keeping our kids safe in regards to strangers, but unless kids are taught the rules regarding strangers and safety, our knowledge is only as good as our eyesight and as far as the nearest wall or door. It needs to be the same with water safety. It isn’t a complete fix, but education of everyone, might help the numbers some.
Another thing that we are terribly aware of in our family is that adults do drown. We have experienced this tragedy in our family, not too long ago, and I have read about it in our city at least twice since the new year. These adults had one major thing in common. They were swimming alone.
Nobody should swim alone. NOBODY. Perhaps many of these drownings and near drownings (which number over 1000 on average, per year, in Florida) could have been prevented and lives saved if people of all ages would learn and follow this rule.
Perhaps if the State of Florida would take the advertising dollars spent on the potential prevention of the loss of 40 lives each year and spent even just a portion of the time and energy on educating adults and children on the dangers of swimming alone, then perhaps a real dent would be made in these numbers. Potentially, hundreds of lives would be saved each year.
Fanny packs* are just not going to save lives.
*and for the record I understand that the self-inflating devices are more comfortable to wear when on a vessel and more likely to be worn. Detailing that as an option for boaters would be smart, but on a logo it’s not reaching the folks who aren’t educated on the types of safety equipment available in the first place)….
Helpful links:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Boater Education information:
http://www.myfwc.com/boating/safety/
(they have links and more information on online courses that are available at no cost)
Florida Boating Accident Statistics:
http://myfwc.com/law/boating/
Epidemiology of Unintentional Drownings in Florida, 2001-2005
http://www.hillscountyhealth.org/healthpromo/pdf/drowning_report-Florida_2001-2005.pdf
Wear It Florida
http://www.wearitflorida.com
