Yeah, We Had Some Rain

So, a couple of posts ago, I commiserated with myself over a bunch of stuff that, now, just a week or so later seems so trivial that I nearly deleted that post in its entirety. However, as I sometimes reread my posts, I decided to leave it up so that I can review it at will and realize what a real wimp I was and then be able to vow to never be that wimpy again. By the way, thanks to all who commented and emailed your encouragement, it sure helped. the Bus's comment was most noteworthy and thanks also to the Dirt Sister for your note.

So anyway, things seem to be coming together for the olelongrooffan. Last month, I remodeled TheGoodAttorney's kitchen. What a job that was!! He decided he wanted a cooktop in a freestanding island in his new kitchen. And did he want an overhead exhaust fan? Not just no, but H*ll No!! So this oleunemployed construction worker had to cut the 30 year old concrete slab and excavate under the 24" deep concrete footer and stemwall to run a 6" metal exhaust pipe to vent the required downdraft vent contained within that cooktop. Not alot of fun but as TheGoodAttorney told me numerous times during Happy Hour at the Taj Mahal, "Thanks for tearing up my house." It was fun.

Well, anyway, a buddy of his is in the screen enclosure business and hooked us up with a local cabinet company. I met with the rep from that firm and just didn't get a good feel from him. Nothing personal, but that personality mix so necessary for success was just not there. Anyway, I shopped his numbers and ended up over at another local company, Kitchens of the World. I walked into their showroom and just felt so comfortable. Judy walked up to me and we started chatting and she said she was sorry but Dan the Man was busy and started apologizing for that fact. I interupted her and said 'Hey, your sales guy is busy and has another potential client waiting, don't be sorry, be happy.' Well it turns out Judy and her husband own the place and we struck up a conversation and the time passed quickly waiting for Dan the Man to become available. Well, Dan and I came up with a design and his numbers came in at 20% less than the other dude's and Dan's numbers included the granite top of TheGoodAttorney's choosing. Needless to say, that association and its resulting installation went off without a hitch. I even talked TheGoodAttorney into buying the good Bosch dishwasher from them.

So, as a result of this successful transaction, Dan the Man has hooked me up with the coordination of a couple more kitchen remodels for clients of his. Yeah, almost a real job!! I have to meet with Manuel Labor more than I would like but at least it is a few bucks coming in!! Plus, once we are able to get into a high rise condo, the gigs just keep on coming.

I am in the middle of an install up in Flagler Beach, about 25 minutes, in the olestationbus, north of the Birthplace of Speed, on the 12th floor of a high rise condo. Whenever I haul a load of drywall debris down to the basement to load in the olestationbus, I carry a wisk broom and a dustpan to sweep up any chunks of drywall or dust that may fall out of the shopping cart during transportation. Once, when I was doing so in the elevator, it stopped and an older female got on board and saw me sweeping it up. She commented that no contractor had ever done that before and 'Thank you so much.' "All in a day's work" was my response. The building super came up to the condo I was working on to relay his happiness at my ongoing cleanup. I have a feeling there are great things to come up there at the Aliki Tower.

So in that sorry *ssed post I did about the low point in my life, I commented about my allergic reaction to that cheap medicine I picked up down at Walgreens and how it affected my kidneys. Well, thanks to thehorsefarmer's excellent advice, all is cleared up now and I am back to my old self. Yeah I was a bit worried at the time but as thehorsefarmer and the Bus related to me, 'You are going to die, just not today'. Thanks big brothers.

Anyway, I know I have returned to my old self because of what is shown in the following image.

I was in the olestationbus in the oleragtop driving down A1A up there in Flagler Beach and I noticed this old Right of Way marker in front of this cool old house and had to whip a Ueeee and get a shot of it for those of you Counting Along With Me. It is cool old things like this that peak my interest and it seems I am always on the lookout for them to share with you. I like this image due to the juxtaposition of the natural palmetto fronds to the left and the mural of the fronds painted on the wall to the right, along with that old marker out front. One day, this olelongrooffan will be able to afford more than a $50 Polaroid to get a crisp image of it, but for now, this will have to do. Anyway, here is a shot

of the entire, almost wall, along with the cool old house that wall surrounds. It is located on the east side of A1A, across the street from the beach and, I think, it is a B&B, and a d*mn nice piece of architecture, that is for sure.


So, as I mentioned in that self pitying post, we had something like 37" of rain in five days and it was, at the time, near tropical storm conditions, just not as much fun.

Well, I didn't get any images of this storm as I was feeling like cr*p and didn't even want to leave the Taj Mahal. I did, however, get some images the last real day of that quagmire and decided to post a few for your pleasure.

Of course, before we get to the storm images, I had to include this image to remind thejeepjunkie that those favorite four letter words he enjoys (free, cold, beer) are not allowed on the beach up there in Flagler County. And as far as hazards, thesungoddess would prefer the Kid and the Kid's sister never went into the Atlantic Ocean, there are sharks out there after all.

Earlier in the week, I had gotten an image of these Hobie Cats leading a field of 25 more on a race from Key West to Savannah. It was pretty cool and it would have been even cooler had the image I got of the next 25 not been so blurry. This was shot the day prior to the rains beginning.

The following is a shot of the Flagler Beach pier.

And just out from this beach access point. Those farthest breakers are about 12 feet in height and not good for surfing at all, as the Kid let me know.

Check out the palm trees to the right in this image. Yeah, it was a real blow. Those knowledgeable locals down on the beach are in jeans and windbreakers!

And know, while there is no water over the road to be seen in this shot, it was prevalent up and down A1A that week.

And now, lets move inland five miles to the Daytona International Speedway.

The above image is taken from the backstretch looking across the infield to the front stretch grandstands.

This is the "new" tunnel under turn 1. That tunnel is large enough for racecar transporters to drive through. That is when there is not 5 feet of water in it. That railing to the left borders a sidewalk I utilized last winter for access to one of the events I attended.

And this is the backstretch of that Speedway. Those things that might look like buildings in the background are actually timing lights and yellow light warnings just outside the SAFAR barrier wall.

You can check out more about the flooding at the Daytona International Speedway, by checking this report out.

Oh, and on the way back to the Taj Mahal from that project up in Flagler Beach, the day I got those images, the surf had washed some of A1A away and a detour had been set up to bypass the construction zone. While I was unable to get any shots of the washout, yeah that Cop looked pretty menacing, I was able to get an image of my dream.

A big *ss motor coach and a three car garage.

What more is needed?

And it is knowing that I am healthy, still not on Twitter, the rains have gone and a brighter future that continues to allow me to

Celebrate Life.