Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

Henry David Thoreau

Friends of all sorts and that haircut

Wednesday & Thursday
February 26 & 27, 2014
Blue Springs State Park
Orange City, Florida

 

 

WEDNESDAY

It is a foggy morning at Blue Springs. 

The air is full of water and the rain seems only seconds away.  David is getting ready to go into DeLand to get his monthly blood draws and to get his hair cut.  This may be the first none home haircut he’s had in over 30 years.   I have always cut his hair.  It was wavy and soft and easy to cut.  After his stem cell transplant his hair grew back with a very different texture.  It was more coarse and frizzy.  When he decided he wanted it cut, I was afraid to try it since I knew he didn’t really want to cut his hair at all but it had become too difficult to take care of.  So off to the Hair Cuttery he will go.

He is getting ready to leave, this is always a long process, when I go down for my morning walk along the spring run.  Fog always makes familiar places and things seem eerie.

 

The walk from the campground to the spring run.DSCF7847

 

 

The spring run at the mouth of the St. John’s RiverDSCF7854

 

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Looking up the spring run toward the spring.DSCF7862

 

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But fog or no fog, a guy’s gotta eat.  He just may have to look more closely to see the dinner.DSCF7897

 

 

 

The manatee too are very hard to see in the fog. 

The spring water is dark in the fog so unless they come very close to the surface I can not see them.The ranger I ask says he counted eight manatee today but the only two I see are Pixie with her tracking device and a friend.  You can see the tracking device here.  She tows it after her.  It is attached just above her tail with a soft band.  It is not “heavy” and goes beneath the water if she goes far down.  It looks like a giant bobber.

 

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While I’m watching Pixie and friend, I hear what I recognize as pileated woodpecker calls off to my left.  I find there are two birds and they don’t seem to be drilling a hole for a nest but rather just throwing the bark off the limbs of a live oak near the boardwalk.  Looking for breakfast I assume. Their rapid fire motion makes it nearly impossible to get photos of them at least with my camera.   But they are so much fun to watch.   They do rapid fire hammering.  So fast you almost can’t see it.  And then they throw their head to one side or the other as if looking to make sure no one is observing them.   Back to drilling, throw the head to the other side.  I love watching these giant, easy to spot woodpeckers with their jungle like call.  I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants to call them all Woody.  At the farm we had a resident pair that often hung out in the trees in our backyard.  It’s like seeing old friends.

 

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So fast the camera can’t catch it either.DSCF7882

 

 

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The sprinkles start before I get back to Winnona.

 

It isn’t long before the rain pours down.  It continues all day.  David returns from DeLand and takes some “after” pictures to go with the “before” shots.  He took the before in the early morning with no interior lighting.  The after shot has to be taken with the interior lighting.  It’s too dark not to.  So even though it is the same shirt, it doesn’t look the same color.  Perhaps the “antique” look gives the wild hair a bit of an advantage.

He doesn’t like the haircut. He knew he wouldn’t  Too short.  It had just gotten to be too much trouble to take care of.  I do think the before picture is about as good as that uncontrollable hair ever looked. With a hat on he often looked like Bozo. I have to agree that it is too short.  But I think at least I will like it in a week or so.   How about you?  Want to vote for which David you prefer?

 

 

Before

After

 

 

THURSDAY

I have the answer for what to do when it rains, visit with friends.

 

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I rained yesterday afternoon, all evening, all night is raining when I get up.  So I give up my morning walk for the first time this visit.Hope the manatee won’t miss me.

We laze around and have a delicious pancake breakfast.   In the afternoon just as we are about to leave, the rain quits.  We are off to a Seafood Shack that had been recommended to me by some local folks and is about half way between us and Laurie and George Owen.  

We met Laurie and George at two early RV Dreams Rallies and have been keeping up with each other ever since.  We had just bought Winnona and she was on her maiden voyage at the first rally.  We had just gone full time for the second one.   Laurie and George were engaged to be married and buying their RV for future full timing in the future.  They had a few of those life events that propel folks in things earlier than they planned but they seem very happy about it all now and are currently work camping in the Ocala National Forest before moving on in April to work camp at the Thurmond COE campground in South Carolina.  Then in September they will begin their first stint at Amazon taking care of everyone’s holiday orders.   These guys are really well organized.  I still have no idea where we will be on May day this year.

We have a wonderful time talking with them about all things RV, everyone’s future plans, the state of the world and medical care among other things.   The food turns out to all be deep fried in the same batter so that my onion rings and oysters taste about the same.  That is a disappointment but the company is not and we hang around for several hours before finally saying “see you later”.   I’m sure we will too.    We both said we would get the waitress to take a picture of the 4 of us but we were so busy having a good time that everyone forgot.   Thanks to David for taking this one just after we arrived.   And thanks to Laurie and George for a fun afternoon.  You guys are officially the first people to see the “new” David in person!! Smile

 

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35 comments:

  1. I think David looks very distinguished now...hope that is ok with him!

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  2. I think he looks like Dapper Dan, er Dapper David! :cD

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  3. David's photos look like mug shots;o(( Forget the hair... where is his wonderful smile?!?! If we have to choose, it will be short hair, but then look at the 2 of us;o)) Just put back the great SMILE:o))
    Glad you got to visit with Laurie and George!!

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  4. I have always preferred men in short hair as opposed to the 'wild man from Borneo' look, so you know my vote. ;)

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  5. I actually like the new haircut. I hate to say this but short hair does make you look younger. I am LOVE younger guys with long hair but there comes a time... Great hair cut David!!

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  6. I think David looks lots younger with the new, shorter hair!!! I like it!

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  7. I like the haircut very much. A haircut always looks better after you wash it a couple of times and it falls into shape.

    I spent many hours in Asheville watching pileated woodpeckers destroy a couple of trees in my front yard. They are fascinating and amazing birds, and I also had several other smaller woodpeckers as well. My trees were a mess!

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  8. David, I think you look great with short hair! Eric goes waayyy too long between haircuts and looks like Albert Einstein with his finger stuck in an electrical socket. :-)

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  9. Well, as a recent convert to short hair I can attest to the fact it is definitely easier to manage. If my hair had not become so unmanageable I would have kept it. Maybe David is the same way. In a world of shorter hair some of us guys just prefer the longer look. It's our freedom statement. It's our wild west Buffalo Bill look. It's our 'I don't wanna look like everybody else' look. It's that rebellious nature some of we fellers have in us. It's that little boy in us saying, 'no I don't want a haircut & I'm not going to get a haircut....so there!!!! I understand David not liking his short hair look. I know where he is coming from.......................

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    1. I think both look nice. It seems that most of us do not like a shorter cut at first, but after a few washes and styling it, we make it work. That second bird looks like it has a huge beard :)

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    2. You got it - exactly how I feel about it!

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  10. Hey David, you look groovy with the hair cut.....younger too!

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  11. Luv the eerie foggy pics. Sorry that rain dampened the day. I have to agree. The after shot gets my vote too.

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  12. I vote for the "short" version.

    Virtual hugs,

    Judie

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  13. Well I am the oddball, I like the " got the world by the tail " puffy hair look better.

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  14. Meeting blog friends is always a fun experience and it doubles the pleasure when the camaraderie is such that you want to meet them for a second, third and fourth time! I really like David's haircut! I am just so thankful that he NEEDED a haircut.

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  15. I'll add my vote to the short look making David look younger. I like it.

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  16. The haircut looks nice but imagine it will look better in a few weeks, I never like Dave's hair right after it's cut though this winter he's been keeping it a bit longer since he's not working, when we met he used to keep it really long. We've really enjoyed all the friends we've met through this lifestyle, looking forward to "meeting" many more.

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  17. I'm one for the short hair look, you saw George's! David looked a little 'unkempt' in the long hair pic.:-) It was definitely a terrific time with you guys, and we can't wait to do it again someday. It's very foggy here this morning . It is amazing how fast it burns off though!

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  18. That's why they make hats isn't it! Good part is it will grow back before you know it but I'm a fan of ehort hair...Marine cuts are my fav! David you look handsome both ways...and what a beautiful barber :)

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  19. I prefer short hair. Having said that, though, I think we reach an age when we can wear our hair any way we please. He's handsome both ways.:)

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  20. David's new do looks great! But then Jim shaves his head (what little hair there is) so I'm partial to bald men.

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  21. Hey Bro, Like your short hair better than the "Einstein" look.- think it makes you look at least ten years younger. My friend looked at the pictures and said "now he doesn't look like he's got 10,000 pounds of fertilizer in his basement". Had to pass that comment on :)

    Love you either way

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  22. Love the hair cut..glad to see you are both doing well..:)

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  23. Okay, the short cut is a clear winner, but I think I will settle in the middle somewhere. I need just a little wild rebel.

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  24. I think David should wear his hair the way he wants to wear his hair! As my other half, Rick, would say, he's an adult and he should be able to make his own decisions; hair being one of them :)

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  25. Hey David, I like the short hair but needs to grow out a little. I agree with Al that y'all grow it long just to rebel!! I'm sure it will be easier to take care of! Enjoy!

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  26. I love the foggy morning. I guess I'm starting to tire of the heat here and those cool foggy mornings are starting to look pretty good. (not good enough to leave they Keys, yet)

    I vote for the shorter haircut, and I don't think it's too short at all. He looks very handsome.

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  27. The shorter hair looks like the David I remember from all those years at the annual GCRC meetings. On the a Capella side, we had a great year as Clef parents. Our son Daniel was president so we followed them religiously even if they only sang on the street corner. It feels funny this year since we've only been able to see them once. They put out a new CD. I'll have to decide which is my favorite cut and email it to you.

    good to hear from you on google groups.

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  28. We have had a lot of fog here too. It gets kind of creepy as we can barely see over the patio. David looks good either way. It will grow back.

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  29. Well...I agree that Pops looks good either way - the waves are really nice, but mad scientist and bozo did come to mind. I think the shorter makes him look younger. It will grow back indeed and be easier to 'manage' :) Lovely fog and sounds like you made the best of a rainy day. Woody the Woodpecker! Nice pictures - we have a red headed who likes our birdfeeder - definitely not as big and the call not so wild.

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  30. Sorry David, the long crazy hair makes you look like a homeless person. Our friend, Scott, has let his grow in hopes that he'll get a starring role in a Civil War movie. It's not a good look. The shorter one is much better. The expression, however, makes you look like a aerial killer. You do have a great smile.

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  31. I guess I'm in the minority since I prefer David with the long hair - perhaps it's because I'm a former hippie.

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