A Novel Creation www.WatersWords.com

  Yay for May! Yes, my birthday is in May. But this isn’t about my birthday. Yes, Mother’s Day is in May. But this isn’t about Mother’s Day either. (If you want to read a wonderful Mother’s Day post, click HERE . I’m pretty sure last year’s Mother’s Day was the best yet for these five mothers in the story.) Nope, this first weekend in May we are celebrating the boy turned man named Joshua. Joshua Thomas or JT was born in May, too. But the real celebration is that this May, Joshua is graduating from the University of Cincinnati. He is the oldest and first of the grandkids to graduate from college.  My heart is full. Joshua’s degree is in “Information Technology-Cybersecurity,” but he is so much more than a techie.  Joshua’s interest in cars offered an immediate connection to Mike when they met roughly four years ago. In fact, when Mike took Joshua to the Don Garlits Museum in 2023, I thought they’d never come back! And JT loves the fact that Mike and my late husband, Tom, ...

Buried Treasure from the Bottom of the Ocean Newsflash! While in the Florida Keys, Mike and I found buried treasure. Okay, I collected most of it, but Mike humored me by not laughing, helping some, and most of all, allowing me to haul my treasure home.  While in the Keys, we did more than gather information for a book I intend to work on this next winter, we visited the sandbar. The sandbar is a gathering place for boaters in the Atlantic and not too far from where we stayed. Lots of Boats: You can see  Manny's Food Barge... We enjoy the sandbar. I was first introduced to it on our honeymoon three years ago. It was then I met Manny, a Cuban man who runs a food barge catering to visitors on the sandbar. We wade through the clear blue water to get our fresh grilled hamburgers then head back to our boat to eat. It’s fun.  I love watching fish swim by as we sit on the boat and eat lunch. What a view!  The last day of our visit this time, a large tarpon lazily made h...

  Of Sun and Sand; Of Water and Wonder If you follow my blog, you can probably guess where Mike and I are right now celebrating our anniversary. Although I had visited the Keys on a couple of occasions prior to marrying Mike, he introduced me to the calm, beautiful Key called Islamorada. We stay at a resort known as Kon-Tiki. And yes, that’s where our cat, Tiki, got her name. Kon-Tiki isn’t fancy but it is beautiful. The water, the tropical flora and fauna of the islands, the sand bar where we can see fish swim by, listen to music of our era, and eat sandwiches we buy from Manny, a local entrepreneur who drives a “food boat” instead of “food truck.” Yep that's me in the boat on the sandbar!  The restaurants on the isle are excellent. Hey, the competition is tough. You either offer your best or go under. And each visit we discover new restaurants to enjoy. We still have a few favorites and each time we add a few new favorites.  Of course there are tourist attractions. We’v...

  Kiddos From “Up the Country” I have three daughters. Danielle, the middle of the three lives in Wisconsin. This past week she arrived in Florida with her husband and four children. Mike and I knew they were coming. We looked forward to their visit.  We readied the house and stocked the refrigerator. Mike made sure the boats had gas and the fishing equipment was in order.   Yes, they did a few tourist things like visiting Homosassa Springs and a “dolphin experience” in Clearwater. That was fun. They also went to visit the University of Florida, since the oldest of these four grands is preparing for college.  They found a drive-in movie in Ocala and played a bit of golf. They went swimming in the pool at my mom’s. Several times. And they spent some time with us. That was a treat. Especially when Mike taught Matthias not only how to fish, but how to use a trolling motor. AND…the teen caught the biggest bass we’ve pulled out of these waters to date. We enjoyed mea...

  Creativity… a Frame of Mind   Many people associate creativity with arts and crafts. But it is so much more. Creativity is a frame of mind.  It is the openness to recognize solutions to problems using what you have available.   Likely you’ve heard the saying “Necessity is the mother of invention.” It’s true. But there is more than need driving the creative mind.    Think about it.    Saw this at an arts and crafts show.   Creativity may be fueled by a dream or desire. The Wright brothers wanted to fly. They couldn’t grow wings, so they figured out a way to build some.    Creativity is the outcome of solving a problem when the “typical” tools aren’t available or the solution isn’t readily visible.    Creativity is being confident enough to take a first step toward a possible solution. Remember Appollo 13? If you watched the movie, consider the scene where a group of scientists and engineers need to develop something to a...