National Coloring Book Day

My online entry...

Let's Abolish The Bogus Superdelegate System

Yes, Hillary (now, the presumptive nominee it appears) has won more votes from actual voters during the Democratic primaries and caucuses. But did she win their support by nearly a 13-to-1 margin? Because among the so-called "superdelegates", who are unpledged technically until the convention next month, Clinton has the stated support of 572 of them, compared to 46 for Bernie. In fact, she started out with the support of more than 500 superdelegates before a single vote was even was cast. Superdelegates need to be abolished.

Hell, the dang Republicans are more democratic than the Democrats when it comes to superdelegates.

GOATSKIN

Goatstskin

I shot the scene of a human chessboard match from the Annual Sarasota Medieval Fair. Folks are dressed up a as characters from Feudal England and Scotland, who are, of course, at war with one another. In this scene, the English capture a Scotsman on their side of the chessboard, and force him to wear a goatskin!

SCOTS BAND

I shot this video of a full ensemble Scottish band performing at the 2015 Sarasota Medieval Fair.

An Unpromising Future?

Our seemingly perpetual state of warfare based on a misguided and exploited paranoia is causing me to become progressively disenchanted with the current state of our political system. Our government and the acquiescent mainstream media have successfully shifted the public’s focus away from the country, which is literally crumbling before them, to terrifying and cruel criminals in faraway foreign lands that contain huge supplies of oil.

President Obama has been an improvement over his predecessor, but just barely. It appears that he also is going to bear the legacy of leaving the country in another military quagmire. And the leading presidential prospects, as of this writing, promise more of the same.

I've lived through some tumultuous times, Vietnam, Watergate, and 9-11. But I must admit that, right now, I’m having the most pessimistic feelings about the United States I've ever had during my 57 years of life.

South Florida Museum (A Photo Diary)

The South Florida Museum is situated in the heart of Bradenton, Florida. It contains a rather large collection of natural and cultural history displays and artifacts. The facility also includes an aquarium and a planetarium. (Unfortunately, the latter was closed the day I visited.)

The museum's entrance...

Apparently mastodons used to live in Florida thousands of years ago. This huge skeleton of one greets visitors as they enter the museum's foyer.

The jaw bones of a prehistoric shark that used to swim the waters near Florida. (That is me standing there to give it some perspective. I'm an average size man at 5' 11".)

This picture is a close-up shot of prehistoric shark teeth.

A mural depicting Native American life in Florida before the arrival of the Europeans.

A statue of Spanish conquistador, Hernando de Soto, stands in the museum's central interior plaza.

Manatees are the main attraction for the museum's aquarium.

Blog CPR

My blog has been a rather lonely and neglected place lately. It's been about 5 months since I've posted anything to it. I suppose the following video sums up my recent activity.

But fear not! I have two valid excuses to explain my absence.

1.) I got a divorce.

In February, Patty, my ex-wife, and I decided mutually to end our 24-year marriage. It was, without a doubt, the toughest decision I've ever made. To this day, I'm still grappling with the fact that she and the kids are not a daily part of my life. The emotional fallout has been intense. I suppose I'll never 'get over' it completely. I have many fond memories that I'll cherish forever. But without getting into too much of a diatribe, the breakup had to happen. I honestly believe that our toxic relationship was bringing both of us down. It was time.

2.) I moved.

The second excuse ties in directly into the first. Because of my divorce, I decided that I needed some new scenery. I relocated to Bradenton, Florida, a beautiful Florida gulf town about thousand miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana. My reason for choosing Bradenton was based purely on a lead for an inexpensive mobile home I saw for sale online. (As it turned out, I purchased better, more inexpensive unit that I later discovered by simply driving around town.)

I'm now settling in quite nicely. I have a job, a Florida driver's license, and I'm registered to vote. I've found an excellent outdoor, local pool at G.T.Bray Park where I can swim laps. Bradenton also provides plenty of spots for bicycle riding. So there's plenty of activity here, and the year-round warm weather enables me to be take part in them consistently. I still have gotten acquainted with too many folks down here yet...but give it time.

And with that, I've now officially revived "Outlook from the Outskirts"!