Mayo Doesn't Need to be Refrigerated!

Seriously, even after opening mayo doesn't

 need to go in the fridge. This subject came up last time I was visiting my husband in the Bahamas and I found mayo with other condiments (like mustard) left out on the tables in the chow hall and not taken in to be stored in the fridge at the end of mealtimes. Then I saw the mayo/ refrigerator issue mentioned on MSN. I’m really not a mayo fan anyway but seeing it out on the tables at room temperature in the chow hall pretty much cemented my dislike. I thought the main ingredient in mayo was mostly eggs and I know they require refrigeration. I was told as a child that mayo would spoil in my lunchbox, hence there began my long love affair with the pb&j sandwich for lunch on school days. But as far as the need to refrigerate mayo after opening goes, I was wrong. If you look in my fridge at home however you will find the mayo (and the miracle whip-which does require refrigeration after opening) on the top shelf on the left or in the door by the mustard!

Gold Rock Beach

As a bona fide Bahama beach bum fan, I recently had the opportunity to visit and enjoy Freeport’s Gold Rock Beach on Grand Bahama Island. It gets its name from the beautiful golden cast the rock off shore gets when the sun sets behind it. This off shore rock, Gold Rock, is surrounded by coral reefs. The beach by itself is beautiful and anchored by some of the highest dunes on the island, windswept casuarinas, and seagrapes. Resident hermit crabs and some friendly raccoons seemed to enjoy the beach as much as I did the day I visited. The beach is part of Lucaya National Park and though it is open to the public it was nearly deserted, giving it a serene private feel. There are a couple of walking trails (one through the mangrove swamp and the other via the creek) that make travel to the beach interesting and easy to access. The sea breeze when you finally reach the beach feels even better as you trade the humidity and hum of insects along the trails for the gentle sounds of waves lapping the white sand. Gold Rock Beach is a place you shouldn't miss if you get a chance to visit Grand Bahama Island, I know I look forward to returning there again.

Hello Kitty? Not a Cat?

So yesterday I read that Hello Kitty isn't a cat and couldn't find that anywhere in the news today. Maybe this means no news is good news in regards to Hello Kitty and whether or not Hello Kitty is or isn't a cat. Or maybe that says something about yesterdays’ news being old news. Then I got the idea to actually Goggle Yesterday’s News, for the rest of the quote and discovered that it’s a brand of cat litter which leads me right back to Hello Kitty. Hello Kitty also has cat ears and whiskers and that is an obvious cat indicator, in my humble opinion. I don’t care what anyone says (even the creators and producers of Hello Kitty), Hello Kitty is a cat! 

G-Uncontrol

A 9 year old girl killed her instructor with an Uzi at a firing range in Arizona. It was an accident. Apparently the recoil caused her to let the weapon go and the Uzi kept firing. An expert stated it would be unlikely that a 9 year old girl would be able to control an automatic high powered weapon like the Uzi and that most gun ranges have age limits and strict safety rules when teaching children to shoot that would preclude allowing a 9 year old to shoot an Uzi without the instructor also holding the weapon. Something went wrong in this instance though and the child (unnamed as of yet in the news story) will bear the trauma along with the family and friends of the deceased instructor. Charles Vacca, 39, of Lake Havasu City, another victim of gun uncontrol.

New Cruise Experiences, Yes, even after all those past cruises

Here are some first time things for me, a seasoned veteran cruiser. Day one, upon embarkation, it was enthralling to be escorted away from Jacksonville, FL by pods of dolphins. Yes there were tugs, pilots, and the Coast Guard too, but none of those were as cool as the dolphins swimming alongside, cutting through the waves, and blowing through their nose holes. Day two, I got to watch the life boats lowered into the water, motored about in the water beside the ship, and finally hooked back up and winched back into place along both sides of the ship. Day three, I got to watch (and it was not a drill) the fire crew spring into action to fight a fire on a Royal Caribbean docked across from us in Nassau. Apparently it was a galley fire and because we were so close by (not close enough to smell smoke but we did see guys in chef hats come out where the fire guys went in) we were able to listen to all the announcements including an all clear when the fire was completely out. I’m not sure what new experiences tomorrow, the final day of this cruise may bring, but one never knows what the future may hold. 

Kayaking in Lucaya

If you tuned in yesterday, you found out I’m enjoying a Fascination cruise, not to be confused with a Fantasy cruise which may or may not require being onboard a seagoing vessel. As it turned out, a respite to Freeport would engage me in a different kind of cruise – it was fascinating but not onboard the Fascination. Today I cruised the mangrove waterways of the Lucaya National Park on Grand Bahama Island. I did so in style – in a two-person kayak. The Lucaya National Park is so named for the alleged first “settlers” of the island known as Lucayans and also because it supports 6 distinct eco-systems which happen to include four different types of mangroves. Mangroves are important to sea life replenishment because numerous fish and crustacean creatures, not to mention a variety of fowl, use the mangroves as a safe haven for their off-spring who will grow up there until they graduate to the open ocean reef. The creek we kayaked was a mixture of both sea and fresh water and had nice gentle turns and both open and narrow spaces. I love to kayak but hadn't done it for a while. My enthusiasm has been renewed. Our kayak guide, Sam, gave us a brief instruction and off we went. My rust showed but I was able to shake it off and have some fun as we (the group of 14 I was with) cruised the waterway, occasionally playing bumper cars with each other and frequently getting up close and personal with the mangroves we ran into as we tried to stay on course. With only one rest stop in the 2 ½ mile course, it was both laborious and exhilarating! The good news is that even if you’re bad, you won’t get paddled! Instead, you come away with a greater appreciation for nature and your own ability to have a wonderful adventure. I may not make it back to Lucaya National Park in the near future but I definitely know I will be kayaking again at my first opportunity.

Underway with Fascination

Leave it to my other half to have a fascinating idea. Why not escape the skullduggery of day-to-day existence? Why not go where there are no dishes to do, no chickens to feed, no errands to run, no appointments to be kept? I was fascinated with the idea and agreed. That’s when my anticipation became reality, the fascinating concept of care-free existence became an engulfment in Fascination! In case, you haven’t guessed by now, my dapper darling has ensconced us on the Carnival Cruise ship Fascination! The great escape has become the fun escape! We may be all “at sea” but I, for one, am glad of it. If you've never “cruised” before, it is the best bang for your buck for vacation. They truly do take care of you and all you have to do is nothing or everything. There are plenty of activities onboard and ashore when you pull into ports of call. You can veg in your cabin or you can see the sites. Knowing my commitment to escape the waist land of excess poundage I had misgivings about such an endeavor because they FEED you from a variety of culinary perspectives and in copious quantities! (They even have a Tasting Bar where they come up with exquisite edible delights that you can try it to see if you like it.) My concerns were unwarranted because we had lunch at the newly added Mongolian Grill where you can pick your portions and enjoy “wok” ever you like. The veggies were delicious and the sauce was spicy enough to make my nose run. And just so you know, no Mongolians were harmed in the making of my meal. 

Birds Spontaneously Combust in the Desert Skies

No, I’m not talking about fried chicken here, but did you know that birds are being scorched to death in flight at a rate of one bird every two minutes? This is happening in the Mojave Desert at the BrightSource Energy plant, considered the largest solar thermal power plant of its kind in the world. Their solar power system uses more than 300,000 mirrors the size of garage doors to focus the sun's power toward "power towers" as many as 40 stories tall. Those intensely focused rays are what are cooking the birds as they follow bugs that are attracted to the light from these same focused rays. These same lights are also are said to be so bright they dazzle pilots flying in and out of Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It is estimated that at least 1,000 and as many as 28,000 birds will face a fry-tful death within a single year’s time. Federal wildlife officials are calling this plant a mega trap and hope there will be much needed follow up studies before more power tower plants are opened. This kind of green energy comes with an unexpected price.

Service Dogs

There are more of these kinds of animals out and about these days, or so it seems to me. I saw recently on the news that a couple and their service dogs were given the boot from a restaurant in Sand Key, Clearwater Beach, Florida. Apparently the wait staff didn’t think the dogs looked like ‘service’ dogs, and I am not sure of what that stereotype means exactly. I did see a video of the dogs and they weren't wearing vests or leading blind folks around so there was that. The restaurant was in the wrong, however because service dogs do not need to wear vests and the people they serve do not need to carry proof or documentation. The only questions the wait staff (or anyone else in a public building) can ask a person with a disability and their service dog with them in public are, Is this a service dog? and What service does the dog provide? The disabled person is not required to state their disability, and some things like seizure disorders or PTSD are not as obvious as other disabilities might be. The service dog and owner can be asked to leave if the dog is not housebroken or is not under the control of its owner.

In another instance of well meaning folks misunderstanding service animals, a friend of mine who has a service dog ran into similar resistance at of all places a veterinary school. That seemed pretty ironic to me but definitely brings to light the need to refresh the public’s education about the laws regarding disabled folks and their service animals. These animals play a big role in abling the disabled to enjoy everyday life in a safe manner and for them they are much more than just man’s best friend. They are lifesavers.

Twitch

Today I admit that I don’t get the attraction of video games, period. I have seen my grandsons completely enthralled with them so I know the attraction is powerful. I have even watched the boys make their own videos of themselves playing a game and afterward put it on You Tube. I've seen them watching other videos of other players on there too. So today I was reading (something I don’t see the grandsons do very often) about Twitch, something that allows one to stream live video of oneself (usually playing a video game) over the internet. There is even a live chatroom that accompanies the video and adds to its apparent appeal. So Twitch has been gaining steadily in popularity since its launch in 2011 and it isn't as much about actually playing the games as it is about watching other people play. I don’t get that, millions of viewers tuning in to just watch, not play… Nevertheless if you are a player and have Xbox One or PlayStation 4 you can stream your games at a push of a button and with a webcam you can add your face to your video too and become a Twitch celebrity because watching games has become as popular as playing them! Yikes!

Getting Out of Bed to Exercise in the Morning

It is Sunday morning and as I write this I am a little disgusted with myself for not getting out of bed early enough to go for a morning run before the dog day’s heat sets in. I can always go at sundown but I actually like running better in the morning…it’s just that I don’t like getting out of bed in the morning. So as luck would have it I came across an article that listed 5 ways to trick oneself into getting up in the morning. The first trick was to wear your exercise clothes to bed. Even if it would save time in the morning this one isn't happening for me. Trick two was to get a friend to ‘tweet’ you in the morning. I don’t ‘tweet’ so this won’t work for me either. The third trick was to keep mints in your nightstand and pop one in your mouth when the alarm goes off to make one more alert. I could do this one and my dog and cats would be happier with my morning breath too, I suppose. I am actually considering popping one in my mouth and giving one to my dog to counteract his morning breath. Trick four about the alarm clock is a tough one. Two years ago when I retired I unplugged my alarm clock, the one I’m supposed to put far enough away from the bed that I have to get up out of my bed to turn it off or hit the snooze. Even without an alarm I wake up with the chickens so trick four isn't happening. I am not planning to plug in the clock. The last idea was interesting to me, when you hit the snooze button (if you plug in your clock or as in the case of many, set an alarm on your phone) use the 7 to 9 minute snooze window to give yourself a pep talk. I am all about positive self-talk. This one and the mints in the nightstand are my keepers from this article. I’ll let you know how they work for me tomorrow!

Boko Haram, Procol Harum

I know I’m dating myself when I say this but every time I read about Boko Haram and their latest terrorizing antics also known as their plan to reinstate a medieval Islamic caliphate in religiously mixed Nigeria by virtue of stealing and brainwashing children, I hear an eerie version Procol Harum’s Whiter Shade of Pale in my head. Boko Haram is the group that abducted more than 200 schoolgirls to use as sex slaves from the village of Chibok. The girls are still missing after four months. Now this group has kidnapped dozens of boys and young men with intentions of forcing them to fight. At one time Boko Haram as a grassroots movement garnered popular support but as they have become bolder, more extreme, and more bloodthirsty they have lost much of that support and it seems that Nigeria’s military and even vigilantes are powerless against them. In the raid to kidnap the boys Boko Haram killed six older men and wounded five others. In my head I change Procol Harum’s lyrics from, Then dirt in truth is clean to the dirt in truth is clear and my heart goes out to the families of the children kidnapped and abducted in Nigeria. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it would be to live immersed in fear and so much uncertainty,nor how difficult to be impotently unable to protect the lives of my children.

Sweat could be more than just my fat crying…Sweat could charge my cell phone!

I know this is kind of a long title for me but sometimes I get excited about this sort of stuff. I had a hard time parting with my old solar powered cell phone for my current smart everything phone but true to my daughter’s prediction (once you get this new phone, your old one will be like a bad relationship…you’ll never want to go back there) I do love my phone, but I might love it even more if I could charge it while I work out. I think it would give new meaning to the words sweat equity! So here is the scoop, during strenuous activity, the body needs to generate more energy, so it activates a process called glycolysis. Glycolysis creates energy and lactate. Researchers imprinted a flexible lactate sensor onto tattoo paper. The sensor contains an enzyme that strips electrons from lactate, generating a weak electrical current, and this current can someday (in the near future, I hope) be used to charge my phone! Lately I have been sweating up a storm since I’m getting back into my fitness routine. Generally the more intense the exercise the more sweat and eventually the more lactate. The researchers did however find that the people that exercised most regularly produced the least power. They said this is probably because the less-fit people became tired sooner, causing glycolysis to kick in earlier, forming more lactate. I figure I shouldn't have a problem producing lactate like the regular exercisers, I am not that consistent but I do think it would be really great if my sweat could charge my cell phone!

Good News for Coffee Lovers (Like Me!)

Checking out an article on four benefits of drinking coffee over my usual first thing in the morning, yep a cup of coffee, I've decided to add one more…but first a quick sum up of the four benefits. First the old news, previous studies have shown coffee can lower your risk of diabetes, liver cancer, Alzheimer’s and skin cancer. These benefits have been debated for quite some time but of course being a coffee drinker myself I am leaning toward the pro statistics on these previous studies on coffee’s health benefits. Now for the new, drinking coffee (with caffeine-not decaf) can boost blood flow in our body’s smallest blood vessels. The researchers measured blood flow in fingertips which is a good place to measure because the vessels in the fingertips are typically tiny. This anti-inflammatory property of coffee the researchers found is a plus for people at risk of heart attack, heart disease, or stroke. Coffee also reduces the coffee drinkers’ risk of oral cancers though researchers don’t yet know why. Next researchers found that coffee acts as a mild antidepressant by boosting neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline, in the brain. I always figured coffee first thing in the morning has something to do with my positive outlook. Lastly, if you love a single cup coffee maker like I do but hate the idea of adding more plastic via little individual coffee making K-cups, there are new biodegradable coffee maker cups out there so you can brew your cup guilt free. And before I forget, my own personal additional benefit, sharing time over a couple of cups of coffee with someone you love makes even straight up black coffee (just the way I like it) even sweeter.

Oh Chicken Feathers!

Rather than focus on what came first the chicken or the egg, I’m focusing on what usually comes last (as in the most unused part), often discarded, the feathers. Don’t get me wrong, I love my chickens, their eggs especially, and I love chicken, but I wasn't aware that of the 5 million tons of chicken feathers produced each year, most of them end up in landfills where they can sit for decades without breaking down. I have read recently that when chicken feathers are heated to 600 C for three hours in carbon dioxide, ammonium bicarbonate is produced. This can be used as a fertilizer and a food additive. When warmed to 60 C the ammonium bicarbonate releases ammonia, an important ingredient in urea, an even better fertilizer. Making ammonia (without using chicken feathers) is an energy intensive process so using chicken feathers could actually save some energy. Another thing produced by combining chicken feathers and carbon dioxide are carbon micro-spheres that can be turned into carbon nanotubes for use in solar cells and biosensors. Chicken feathers have also been turned into plastic, hydrogen fuel cells, printed circuit boards, and fashion materials. Oh chicken feathers! I had no idea!

Benefits of Fresh Salt Air Therapy

Breathing fresh salt air has therapeutic and even medicinal value that can ease the symptoms for folks with a variety of respiratory problems. These come as no surprise to me because even though I am originally from Chicago I have spent more of my life in the south, specifically on Southeast Georgia’s Atlantic coast and places further south either on the Atlantic or the along the Gulf of Mexico than anywhere else, and I love the smell of the salty sea, especially in the early morning. For the elderly, the very young, and anyone in between with respiratory health problems like asthma, cystic fibrosis, chronic ear infection, bronchitis, allergies, COPD, and Valley Fever breathing salty air can thin mucous, improve function of cilia in the lung, soothe irritated skin, reduce coughing, and lower pressure in the sinuses. Salt air therapy which can be pricey if received at some expensive day spas was discovered by accident when people realized that folks working in salt mines rarely suffered respiratory issues and had lower rates of common diseases of the day, such as tuberculosis. I figure that’s why I love living in places where can you get some instant fresh (and free) salt air therapy all year long while walking or just relaxing on the sandy shores of the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, or the Caribbean.

Traditionally Crossbred VS Genetically Modified

Genetically modified chestnut trees are helping the near extinct American chestnut ready for a comeback. The tree has been genetically modified to survive a deadly fungus and its seeds have fungus resistant genes. The fungus originally appeared and began its deadly rampage in the 1900s from chestnut trees imported from Asia. The American Chestnut Research and Restoration Project spent 20 years trying to save the native species. Using biotechnology a wheat gene has been added to the new trees and several other strains of the same gene are improving the chestnut’s fungus resistance. Their goal is to plant these trees in the wild (outside currently permitted plots in the near future.

A parallel project begun in the 1970s by the American Chestnut Foundation is working to produce a fungus resistant chestnut tree by crossing American and Chinese chestnuts. Over several generations the Chinese component is bred out. Their latest generation is 94 percent American chestnut and has similar resistance to the Chinese species.

I have read a lot about how mistrusted genetically modified foods are in Europe and this country too. The plight of the American chestnut and these two different tactics for saving it has made the difference between genetic modification and traditional cross breeding in plants easier for me to understand. Both seem to attempt to speed up evolution, traditional crossbreeding by humanized natural selection and genetic modification by even less natural mutantized selection. This is why I have come to believe in gardening and growing my own food and eating organic food whenever possible.

Cowabunga! It’s TMNT Time!

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have really bulked up! I haven’t seen the latest movie but from the ads and the trailer I wonder if maybe they are finally (after 30 years) not teenagers anymore. In the past 30 years the TMNT have been animated in a couple of TV series, they've been heroes on a half shell in a bunch of movies, and they've even come out of their shells (something true turtles cannot do) for a live Broadway musical tour. I have always liked turtles and I’m partial to the TMNT gang too. I have turtles on my ankle bracelet and a peace turtle in my pocket, but it seems like when I write about turtles of the marine and land variety this blog doesn't garner many views. I daresay this summer’s TMNT movie blockbuster will not share the same fate. I know I’m looking forward to watching it!

Ebola, Bubonic Plague-They’re Back

Actually these old diseases never really left, but they've made it back into the headlines recently.

Ebola is a viral disease that effects humans and can be transmitted to us by contact with infected primates (monkeys), pigs, and/or fruit bats. Once it infects humans it becomes ‘airborne’ meaning transmitted through the air and of course the Ebola virus can also be transmitted through bodily fluids. Ebola starts out with fever, muscle aches, sore throat, and flu-like symptoms and progresses to bleeding problems, hence the designation, hemorrhagic. There is no cure for this disease and it kills from 50 to 90 percent of the people infected. Its origin is in Africa and there is an outbreak of this deadly disease there right now. There is an ongoing effort to develop a vaccine and some other experimental drugs to stem the tide of deaths from Ebola.

Bubonic Plague (or Black Death as it was called in medieval times) is spread by the rats and their companion fleas. These plague bacteria (transmitted by flea bite) enter the body through the skin and travel through the lymphatic system. Without treatment, the bubonic plague kills about two thirds of infected humans within four days. With treatment, especially with in the first 24 hours, the infected person’s prognosis improves. The plague if properly diagnosed can at this time be treated and cured with antibiotics that weren't available in the 14^th century when it killed 25 million people, (30 to 60 percent of the entire population of Europe at that time). Just last month the Chinese government sealed off a city of more than 100,000 people, fearing the spread of a plague outbreak. More than 151 people exposed to the deadly disease were quarantined in that time, and one middle-aged man died from the infamous bacterial infection.

Ok, now that I’m done here I’m going to wash my hands and spray myself with some insect repellent! 

Challenges

Every once in a while I like to take on an old word with a new meaning and today is one of those days. I Googled the word challenges looking for a quick definition and right away I came across You Tube’s Top Ten Challenges to do at home when you are bored. So I guess I’m going figure everyone already knows the traditional definitions for challenges (as a verb or noun) and get right to the new social media meaning. The meaning I’m referring to here is the challenge part of things like the cinnamon challenge and even more dangerous the more recent fire challenge. The cinnamon challenge had kids swallowing (and sometimes aspirating) mouths full of cinnamon, and the fire challenge has kids setting themselves (their bellies anyway) on fire and posting a video of the whole experience online. The public posting is a big part of these challenges because I guess kids want to ‘share’ with their friends how harebrained they are too. They should add the resulting ER bill and following pain, suffering, and scarring as part of the credits at the end of the video. Perhaps the popularity of shows and movies like Jack Ass or reports like the Darwin Awards have contributed to this new media category of so called ‘challenges’ I don’t know, but the more I see, hear, and read about them the more I dislike this new meaning to the word challenges. 

Volunteer and Help Put a Dent in Food Insecurity

A friend of mine, Kelly Daily, posts on Face Book about feeding people in the park (in Oregon) pretty regularly, usually with a request for others to come out and volunteer. I always “like” her posts and have thought about how I’d like to volunteer. Today I finally figured out a way. No, I don’t have airline reservations or plans to head to Oregon, but there is need in our community and in the surrounding area for food and I found a way to volunteer. Journey Church in Fernandina has partnered with Second Harvest to create a food ministry that provides boxes of food for families and the elderly. Today (Tuesday) I got the opportunity to participate in a bunch of different facets of this ministry’s mission. The Journey Food Ministry has it down to a science. I got to bag fresh fruit and veggies, bread, and box a variety of meat items. I put 2 boxes of saltine crackers (a pallet full) in almost 300 boxes as they were being distributed. Milk, baby food (options for folks with littlest ones), and dessert (chosen by each customer) along with dry goods completed each box. Then each box (or cluster of 2 or 3 boxes) was delivered to the parking area sometimes with a hug, a prayer, a smile, or any combination of the aforementioned. As if this wasn't remarkable enough all this was packaged between 7:30 and 10:30 this morning, then the 300 boxes sent out the door between 10:45 and 12:30 and this dedicated group of volunteers does it all over again for a different group (as many as 300) every Thursday too. As I write this all I can say is “Whew!” The operation today was a lot to take in but I know be back volunteering there again and I‘ll sleep really well tonight.

Finding a Balance between Tech and No Tech

This green glass jug and an old water bath canner are the last two things in my possession left from my late father. Before I went on my sojourn (Summer’s Last Blast) I attempted to can some pear jam, not to be confused with Pearl Jam though I do like music while I work and oddly enough this computer wants to auto correct pear to pearl, as in Pearl Jam... Anyway to make a long story shorter, I put the water on, in my old trusty, slightly in a few places rusty, canning pot, blue with white speckles, and proceeded to peel pears, wash jars and lids in hot and soapy before sterilizing etc., etc., when suddenly there was on the stove top sparking, steaming, dripping, and leaking all at once and in no particular order. My Dad’s old canner had sprung a leak. After the mop up the pear jam ended up being refrigerator packed, not canned or preserved. The rest of the jars, the majority of them, dried and returned to the cabinet above the fridge. I related this sad series of events to my husband via SKYPE later that evening and went the next day on the grand grandkid adventure, Summer’s Last Blast. When I returned I found a very large box on my doorstep and in it was a brand spanking new water bath canner identical to the leaky one I’m planning to turn into a planter. Here in lies the tech side of this post since canning food is a no tech (and no brainer because I love to can) operation for me, all that remains to be considered is the tech side, SKYPE, online ordering and delivering of my new canning apparatus, and writing about it in this blog. So today for me, finding a balance between tech and no tech means after I finish this blog post and Google some sugar free or low sugar jalapeno pepper jelly recipes with this ol’ laptop, I’ll be putting my water bath canner to good use!

Summer’s Last Blast

Though it’s only the first day of August, it’s also the last weekend before school starts for a bunch of my grandchildren, hence we are convening for this summer’s last blast in Cocoa Beach. We (Ethan, Jonas, and I) await the arrival of some more cousins tomorrow but in the meantime we are enjoying the amenities at the International Palms Resort. It’s right on the beach and has a pirate ship splash area beside the big pool that the boys fell in love with when they were little. It is an older hotel (I've stayed in many nicer) but memories of fun times here keep us coming back. We’re only a short distance from I Dream Of Jeannie Lane, Lori Wilson Park, and East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame. Also nearby are Dinosaur Store and Museum and Cocoa Beach Skate Park. As a matter of fact Cocoa Beach and the surrounding area are full of fun and exciting activities, from the Kennedy Space Center to the Cocoa Beach Pier to the Ron Jon Surf Shop (open 24/7) and plenty of good places to eat. We don’t really need a structured plan of events (other than making time to spend with family) when we come here because never run out of things to do during our visits. Yep that’s my foot in the photo I took as I was relaxing on a lounge chair, enjoying the pool and beautiful sunset with some of my favorite people and looking forward to the fun that tomorrow will bring.