elle weems updates

And then there was one.

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:54:08 -0400

Bailey's father picked her up several hours later than what he had told her, but I'm not complaining. When she went, Tommy decided to take out his anger about the situation on me. The poor thing is out of siblings for two weeks until Bailey returns and then August when his big brothers come home.

Being down to one kid is a very odd feeling. It will make going places easier, for the most part, but with the weather rolling in predictably when Tom is finished with his workday - which is earlier than the standard workday so with cooperative weather I'd have good light and dramatic shadows to play with - there's still not a whole lot I can do... unless I muster up the courage to start photographing lightning. I've come to view Florida lightning as especially dangerous and unpredictable, but I also have to photograph lightning to bring all these ideas in my head into reality. This one-child timeframe is complicated further with Tom going to Jacksonville from the 7th to the 10th. But it's only three days plus some travel. He'll work with me, I'm sure. He has been so far. It's a real downer that he'll be out of town on his birthday.

I haven't concreted any plans for the fourth. Tom keeps asking me what we're going to do. I don't even know what we'll do just the three of us. With the way Indy hates thunderstorms, I think the fireworks in the neighbourhood are going to freak him out. Wherever we go, maybe we should bring him with us.

We had hotdogs for lunch but are still planning to have bratwurst for dinner. We need to do some shopping first, for propane and also for milk. Tommy was very creative in arranging his lunch, using one of Bailey's paint palettes. Thank goodness it was thoroughly cleaned out and disinfected!

Tommy's creative lunch display

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More splitting up

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:23:45 -0400

Tom, Tommy, and Lt. Brad Wasmus

My Sunday was pretty uneventful. After I delivered a print to CCFEMS 12, we had breakfast, went shopping and stopped by CCFEMS 7 so Tom could see an old friend. There wasn't much else to the day after that, just relaxing. We had subs and watched Spiderwick again.

Bailey starts her two-week visitation with her father this afternoon. It's the longest she's been away from home and, of course, they're taking her all the way to Chicago instead of considering the possibility that she's going to get homesick [read: miss her mother] at some point. I don't remember if I'm supposed to meet him in Punta Gorda or if he's coming here. He was supposed to email and didn't. So, I'll see if he calls me in a panic because I'm not in Punta Gorda, or if he shows up here. I think because he's taking her on Tommy's birthday and there was the disagreement about it, he knows I'm not going out of my way.

I actually wouldn't mind going to Punta Gorda today. It'd be a good opportunity to find those South County Park geocaches.

While the older boys have decided not to go on visitations when they're old enough to not be forced (13, I think?) (they know better than I do), Tommy is the only child that never has to go anywhere. So, I guess we're looking at camps or my parents' house when he gets a little older. Then again, I really hate having an empty house.

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Eddie's Bakery + Summer Visitation Travel - Tom: Day 1

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:12:03 -0400

Eddie baking a pie - balling the dough for a crust

Yesterday, Eddie made us a cherry pie. He is wearing one of my Pampered Chef aprons, as well as his little league baseball cap. Michael is in the background making himself some ramen noodles. Eddie made a great pie, too. He's made us promise to leave Bailey a piece, since she had to go to her father's house for this weekend.

Tom was going to drive the boys to the airport and leave his car in the overnight parking but had a nasty sinus condition that was so horrible that he'd mistaken it for toothpain. So, we all got into the minivan and I drove them to the airport. All this means is that we save on the parking fee, spend twice for fuel, and I have to make sure to be back at RSW tomorrow on time. It was sometime along the way that Tom figured out his "toothpain" was relieved by placing the icepack on his sinus target points. I had known that sinus backup can cause horrible toothpain just from the pressure but even with Tom's history of sinus trouble, it just didn't occur to me that was the problem! It's a relief that it's a sinus problem and not a tooth problem. Sinus problem is a lot cheaper to fix! He gets an evening with my parents pampering him and throwing every OTC medication possible at him to help. He'll like that.

The flight went well and my mother was waiting for them like she said she was going to be. Their Comcast hasn't been working so Tom can try to sort that out for them, too. While he's at it, he can clean up the mess my brother does on my mother's computer... if there's enough time.

Tommy hasn't been happy with his brothers gone. I think with the frequency that Bailey goes on visitations, it doesn't phase him much when she's not here for a couple days, although he's had his moments over the past year of getting very angry to see her go. He really doesn't like it when his brothers disappear. He argued against going to bed by saying we needed to go get his dad, Michael and Eddie. I think he'll be disappointed when we pick up only his daddy from the airport tomorrow. Hopefully, next summer will start a much shorter visitation period.

I don't think I really need to talk about how I'm doing, especially being alone through this. Those who know me, already know.

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QotD: And of course, the title has to be... Home Alone!

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 19:47:51 -0400

What happened the first time you were left home alone as a child?
Submitted by Warhead.

Absolutely nothing. I don't even remember the first time I was left home alone. I remember that I was being left home alone for a while when my father insisted I go to the gas station with him because he was out of rolaids. I was pretty insulted that he wouldn't leave me home alone when I'd been doing fine by myself.

Speaking of being by myself, I certainly would not have been by myself if I'd gone for that Fire Power #3 cache. When they said "high muggle area", they meant it. I'm just not brave enough to walk up next to a group of people and grab a cache. Let the seasoned cachers do that. It will have to wait for another time.

Oh, and Bailey's father was late... again.

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Spring Vacation Visitation Travel: Days 3 & 4

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 14:21:30 -0400

Jasper County Courthouse and Bell

We ran two hours behind schedule since my ex-husband decided to play games to an extent where the police had to help return the boys. It's both fortunate and unfortunate that this happens so often that the boys aren't intimidated by the police. It's just a regular thing for them. I thank God that the police in my ex-husband's town have always been very helpful and concerned.

We left at 5:30pm Eastern time. We stopped in Murfreesboro, Tennessee at 11pm at the Days Inn. I had a heck of a time trying to find a hotel with a double room. A Holiday Inn north of Nashville tried to sell me the same suite we ended up in at the Days Inn for over $100 (before tax). The room we had was still expensive and over-budget but I got it for $80 so hey.

We left the southern Nashville suburbs around 10am and got home at 11:30pm with an eighth of a tank left. It rained from southern Georgia all the way down to North Port. Traffic ran smoothly, for the most part, and we didn't have any of the delays that we had traveling north.

Fuel was more expensive. In northern Florida, it cost me $3.55/gal. That's the most I've ever paid in my life.

Food costs for the return trip total $25; Hotel cost: $92; Fuel: $160; Total Return Trip: $277

Total Travel Expenses: $497

Total Trip cost with expenses during the week, including top-up cards: $902

If I didn't have to top-up my phone twice to deal with the problems my ex-husband caused, I would have been below $850.

Tom's taken Michael and Eddie to the Florida International Air Show again this year. They'll be gone all day as long as the weather cooperates.

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Spring Vacation Visitation Travel: Day 2

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:51:25 -0400

Guntown Mountain, y'all

We left Cave City, KY at 8am and arrived in Rensselaer at 1pm. The time zone fluctuated between Central and Eastern so my times are all Eastern.

We had time to run back to Sayler Makeever Cemetery to get the micro geocache hidden there, run some audio and take photos. It was cold and the wind made it worse, but the road was solid and the ground was firm enough. The cemetery is amazing.

Sayler Makeever Cemetery - Patrick Makeever

We got to McDonald's at the same time as my mother and she bought us lunch. She's also giving me $100 when she brings the boys back so I can make it home. I said I was short. I won't worry about getting home now but I look forward to losing some weight this week!

My room in Rensselaer, Indiana

The hotel I'm staying at is a small, family-run operation that's clean and reasonably priced. I'm across from the big cemetery and a mile down the road from Rensselaer's historic district. I didn't feel like doing anything today after I'd done the Sayler Makeever Cemetery. I want to rest and I'll get to waymarking and photography tomorrow after Mass. I have until Friday.

My mother is taking Michael and Eddie to see Horton Hears a Who and she's spoiling them as usual. I told them not to take advantage of my parents since my kids tend to ask for the moon and, being proper grandparents, my parents will give it to them. Their father should pick them up tomorrow at noon and drop them back to my parents' house on Friday at noon. Here's hoping it's all uneventful.

My father-in-law is a piece of work. That's all I'll really say about that since his huffing and puffing doesn't change anything, but it's just irritating. I'm thankful that Tom is handling all that now.

The totals for this leg of the trip:

Yesterday's total of hotel, food and fuel: $187

Today's expenses: food - $8, fuel - $25; Total travel expenses for today: $33

Total northbound trip: $220

My six-day hotel stay cost $285 and food will average $25. I've already eaten today at 0 cost, thanks to my mother.

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Spring Vacation Visitation Travel: Day 1

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:38:39 -0400

I HATE SNOWBIRDS!

*cough*

We left at 8:45am Eastern. We crawled from Tampa until I-24. We went an average of 40mph between Macon and Atlanta and never went over 85mph! I couldn't trust the snowbirds not to jump ahead of me in the fast lane just to slam on the brakes for no reason. I was four hours behind schedule so I drove until 11pm to get us to Cave City, Kentucky. Because I'm in a tourist town, the hotel cost over $70. The other places were full and I didn't feel like driving until the next exit. I filled up the tank three times: Lake City, FL; somewhere inbetween Macon & Atlanta, GA; Franklin, KY (or close to it). This tank should get me to Indianapolis, if not all the way.

I cannot afford the gas to stop anywhere extra there or back, as much as I want to.

Cost totals for Day 1:

food - $13; fuel - $102 (still on full); hotel - $72

Other stuff happened today that's non-trip related that's worth telling but I'm just too tired to get into it. Let me sum up to say: My stupid ex is stupid and the people who like my photos rock my world.

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Cemeteries + more Waymarking talk

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:47:30 -0400

No Trespassing

I can't begin to tell you how much I like this photo. I don't know why. I guess with the ridiculousness of xenophobia and immigration, it just seems appropriate.

I went to two cemeteries today. It would have been three but the third was in a different spot than I thought it would be. I should have really Google Earth'd the location before I set out so I wasn't basing my direction on a general location.

Lt. Carl Bailey Cemetery - weathered tomb

Lt. Carl Bailey Cemetery, formerly Cleveland Cemetery, is located in the Cleveland neighbourhood of Punta Gorda. It's well-kept now. The older graves - the ones that are marked, that is - show extreme weathering and neglect. The place is modestly big for being in a small square of town. The number of occupants are impressive and there are still plots for sale. It's an active cemetery. It was renamed Lt. Carl Bailey Cemetery after the U.S. Air Force lieutenant who is buried, along with his whole family, in the cemetery.

Hickory Bluff Cemetery

Hickory Bluff Cemetery is named appropriately because when the cemetery began in the 1800's, Charlotte Harbor Town was still known as Hickory Bluff. This was a time before DeSoto County even existed and the entire area was a giant Manatee County. This was another neglected cemetery where people were buried without markers or record from the 1800's until the 1950's. Charlotte County had charge of maintaining the cemetery in the 1930's and 40's but did nothing to resolve this substantial problem. There are three markers with full information provided. Three. Out of the countless others who were buried in the seventy years from the 1880's through the 1950's. I ran audio at Hickory Bluff but it resulted in nothing. I did get fantastic photographs of the birds who weren't afraid of people. They treated me like I wasn't even there.

Did I mention both Lt. Carl Bailey Cemetery and Hickory Bluff Cemetery were for African-American residents? I think the County should exume and identify, but where does that money come from? Still, I think it needs to be done and should be done on the County dollar since it was the County who perpetuated this problem. It shouldn't stay the way it is.

I have to do laundry and pack tomorrow for this trip. Tom's making me "prepare" instead of letting me throw everything together last minute. Since I'm staying in Rensselaer for the week, I have to pack more clothes than I did when I ran back and forth during the Winter visitation thing. Rensselaer currently has one waymark so I'm going to have a ball waymarking all the historical and noteworthy everything. The peer vote on my Woman's Clubs category will be done on May 29. I'll be on the road, which doesn't make a difference in the category's fate but it will drive me crazy until I know what's going on.

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Preparing for Easter

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:33:42 -0400

Eddie taking a picture

We coloured eggs tonight, and then took pictures of them. Tommy even got into the fun, turning all his eggs blue.

On Wednesday while Bailey was in CCD, I waymarked the North Port Library and took some pictures of the Most Holy Mother of God Ukrainian Catholic Church off of Price and Biscayne that I've been eyeing for the better part of four years. It's an elaborate structure and incredibly stunning. Waiting out the final moments of Bailey's class, I took even more photos of San Pedro Catholic Church. I just can't help myself.

Earlier today I took a few shots of Ollies Pond Park in Port Charlotte. I was actually investigating the claim on the County website that Ollies Pond Park had a fitness trail. I never remembered such a thing in this small park that only had a single path that circled the center pond. My memory was right and there is no actual fitness trail. One would get fit walking the trail, mind you, but an actual fitness trail is something a bit more than that.

I adopted Myakkahatchee Cache (GCGYJF) and I'm very happy about that. I couldn't allow it to be archived when so many new caches have filled that park. It was an active and solid cache to start with, even in the park all by its lonesome. Once our pending waymarks are approved, we'll be one or two shy of 100 waymarks. I've done about 75 waymarks in one week. Not too shabby.

I've been trying to prepare for this Spring Vacation trip I have to take for Michael's and Eddie's visitation in the midwest. It's bothersome but it has to get done. Can you believe tomorrow is Good Friday already?! I'm ready for a nice, long sleep tonight.

Here's a few more shots from yesterday and today:

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Geocache Thursday

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:10:16 -0400

I'm stumped

Geocacher r3mix3r had planted about nine new caches in Myakkahatchee Environmental Park in North Port, Florida. I found five of his new hides plus the existing regular cache that I just hadn't done before. It took a couple hours to hunt into a half-mile of the park before I had to turn around and leave to get the kids from school. I was FTF on those new five. Four of the new hides remain in the same park. I think other cachers will get the FTF on them before I have a chance to hike that back half-mile.

Tomorrow, Tom's made plans for me to photograph his father's plane, which I suppose he intends on selling. After that, we should head out to Station 16. I've rebuilt cache hides Good Boy! and Harbor Arbor, and both are ready to be placed back in their respective spots at any convenient time tomorrow. Bailey goes to her dad's this weekend, which is an additional trip to Punta Gorda, so there's always an opportunity there.

Here's a few more images from Myakkahatchee Environmental Park:

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