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I'm a good ways into the second of Ian Fleming's James Bond series, Live and Let Die. This one is set initially in Harlem, and has some dialogue written in dialect. Mr. Big, the protagonist, is smuggling gold coins into the US, and has a vast criminal network to support the activity. A voodoo cult is employed to enforce order.

The book could not be written today, as Fleming would be immediately jailed for felony "outdated cultural depiction" crimes.

Casino Royale, Ian Fleming. Been years since I've read the James Bond series, but I recall they were all good reads. This one, the first of the series, tells about a baccarat game against Le Chiffre, a communist agent. Introduced are Vesper Lynde and CIA agent Felix Leiter.

Been visiting the Alabama/Florida Gulf Coast since a 1955 trip to Pensacola Beach as a five-year old. Dauphin Island: Good beaches, less crowded, rentals, limited restaurant/entertainment. Ft. Morgan Peninsula: Good beaches, less crowded, lots of large multi-bedroom rentals that are a bit pricey. A few more restaurants. Gulf Shores/Orange Beach: Good beaches, crowded, lots of high-rise condos, plenty of restaurant/entertainment options. Perdido Key, FL: Good beaches, moderate crowds, mix of condos and rentals, restaurants/entertainment. Pensacola Beach: Good beaches, moderate crowds, hotels/condos, restaurants/entertainment. Navarre Beach: Good beaches, less crowded, hotels/high rise condos, limited restaurants/entertainment. Ft Walton Beac...

Fiddle-Bow wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 7:39 pm Today’s sightings at the Lower Suwannee Wildlife Refuge in Florida included a barred owl in a cypress swamp, a great egret and little blue heron along the edge of a grassy pond, and what we believe might have been a swallow tailed kite flying overhead.

Was the owl talking? My second favorite call - positively haunting.

Son of Flubber, 1963, Disney, sequel to The Absent Minded Professor. Fred MacMurray, Nancy Olsen, Tommy Kirk, Keenan Wynn, Ed Wynn. Some "critics" have said over the years that it's a letdown from the original. IMO, it's quite the equal, and has many of its own moments.

A fascinating bit of trivia to me is that the IRS agent (Mr. Harker) that puts in an appearance early in the movie is portrayed by Bob Sweeny. He achieved TV immortality by directing some 100 episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, almost all of the first three seasons. Also notable is the bouncing baby seen early in the movie is Walt Disney's grandson, Walter Elias Disney (WED) Miller.

Lots of racket out of the birds at daylight this morning. I was able to ID several different iterations of the Northern Cardinal calls, and heard the owl again. Won't be long the Chuck Will's Widow will be tuning up.

Having a little cold snap right now, with temps this AM and tomorrow AM below freezing.

Found it! It is a Northern Cardinal. But the bird calls in my neighborhood is slower by half to what's in this video. So maybe they're "Redneck" Northern Cardinals with a southern drawl?

At 0:30 in this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Egd73TfeiMA

Also, the Great Horned Owl in this video duplicates what we heard earlier this week.

I have a sincere question. As I get older, the bird songs early in the morning when mrs. wabbott and I take our daily walk are pure music to me. It says maybe the world ain't coming to an end, at least not today. There's this one call that I can't identify that's very prolific here in North Central Louisiana. Best I can describe it is: "PUR-de, PUR-de, PUR-de, PUR-de." Then a chirp, chirp. I've listened to a lot of video and audio but I still can't find it. Any suggestions from all y'all? I agree with jebmke, your description sounds like a cardinal. Take a listen to this one if others online. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3dLaeG6WCj0 You can also try a search for common bird songs, there are a variety of resources from that searc...

I have a sincere question. As I get older, the bird songs early in the morning when mrs. wabbott and I take our daily walk are pure music to me. It says maybe the world ain't coming to an end, at least not today.

There's this one call that I can't identify that's very prolific here in North Central Louisiana. Best I can describe it is: "PUR-de, PUR-de, PUR-de, PUR-de." Then a chirp, chirp.

I've listened to a lot of video and audio but I still can't find it. Any suggestions from all y'all?

Rigatoni wrote: ↑Sat Mar 11, 2023 5:22 pm We just got back from Southern Italy 2 days ago. We met up with friends who were in Venice earlier this week. Asked about dry canals and they said they didn’t see any sign of them then.

Good to hear. We'll be there in July and plan to do lots of walking early in the day before the crowds grow.

Humbolt Redwoods State Park, the largest old growth contiguous redwood forest in the world.
http://humboldtredwoods.org/

Shelter Cove, CA. Only one road in and out.
http://www.sheltercove-lostcoast.com/

Mt. Rainier National Park. Very, very majestic peak that sits alone with no other mountains nearby to compete.
https://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm

Muir Beach Overlook. You can almost see Hawaii from here.
https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/muirbeach.htm

Heceta Head Lighthouse. Iconic west coast lighthouse.
https://www.hecetalighthouse.com/

A couple of owls were calling to each other the past two mornings before daylight. Pretty sure they were Great Horned Owls (Bubo Virginianus)

We went in early April of 2021. It was our first time, but we both agreed we would like to go back. Overall, the atmosphere is somewhat similar to NOLA's French Quarter/Bourbon Street, but maybe a touch more civilized. Wild roosters and hens everywhere, which I found fascinating. Lots of folks don't like, but to me it adds to the overall vibe. https://funinkeywest.com/key-west-roosters/ Take pictures at the Southernmost Point buoy - go early, otherwise you'll wind up in a long line. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southernmost_point_buoy We did a sunset sailboat cruise and felt it worth the money https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Products-g34345-zfg11865-a_contentId.37676939726+714412932-Key_West_Florida_Keys_Florida.html. Truman Little ...

We've experienced it on the FL Panhandle. Not pleasant at all. Usually the phenomenon happens in the Fall, and is quite common in the lower FL west coast. Here is the Florida Wildlife Commission website that tracks it.

https://myfwc.com/research/redtide/statewide/
https://myfwc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View ... 1d16462a72
http://ocgweb.marine.usf.edu/hab_tracki ... ories.html

Don't recall if the Atlantic Coast of FL ever has outbreaks. The panhandle will have outbreaks every 3 or 4 years or so, not nearly as often as Tampa area.

Ditto on Hopi Point. The canyon walls changing colors is spectacular. The Tetons sunset or sunrise. Have not seen the Pfeiffer Beach view, but did see sunset at Lucia.

Not so much the sunset, but the nighttime view of Los Angeles from the Griffith Observatory is memorable.

TacoLover wrote: ↑Fri Mar 03, 2023 5:01 pm Colossus: The Forbin Project. Highly recommended.

One of the most underrated movies of the 70s. Stars Eric Braeden, who still today stars in the soap The Young and The Restless. Mrs. wabbott never misses an episode.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Braeden

bookmark

The folks on this discussion board know all there is to know about Disney cruises, and all things Disney.

https://www.disboards.com/forums/disney ... e-forum.9/

National Lampoon's Vacation. Another iconic 80s movie that works better once you've taken the family to Walt Disney World. "Sorry folks, park's closed. Moose out front should've told ya."

We enjoyed sunset sailboat cruise. Also pictures at 'Southernmost Point' buoy. Ditto on Little White House, Fort Zach, Mel Fisher Museum. "Today's the day!!"

Beverly Hills Cop, 1984. The movie still works as well as it ever did, even after seeing it dozens of times. Truly one of the defining movies of the 1980s.

JenniferW wrote: ↑Sat Feb 25, 2023 12:12 pm Quickly skimming through The Complete Tightwad Gazette to see if there is anything useful in it which I am overlooking with respect to frugality. Found a few things. I'm circling them in the PDF with my apple pencil and bookmarking.

Most of the stuff doesn't apply such as school lunches, arts & crafts, high carb meals (we eat low carb), toys and costumes for children, children/baby related stuff (we have no children). Or a lot of it I already do.

I read that book once years ago. Mrs. wabbott put her foot down on using dryer lint for cotton balls. "If we're that poor, we'll just have to earn more or cut out something else," or words to that effect.

bertilak wrote: ↑Sun Feb 12, 2023 12:22 pm

You Know What I Mean wrote: ↑Sun Feb 12, 2023 12:11 pm Bond: Do you expect me to talk?
Goldfinger: No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die!

Oscar winner all by itself.

Another good one: When the bomb is disabled, the count-down timer stops at 007.

Bernard Lee (M): "Gold? All over?"

And then there's this killer.

Bond: "Ejector seat? You're joking!"
Q: "I never joke about my work, 007."

Goldfinger, the best of all the Bond movies, imo. Directed by Guy Hamilton, who also made Diamonds are Forever, Live and Let Die (the 2nd best), and The Man with the Golden Gun. His movies have a bit more humor than the other Bond films, it seems.

Jayhawk11 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 08, 2023 8:01 am Seeing the William Manchester recs here and thought I'd add one I've recently enjoyed: "American Caesar" which is a biography of MacArthur. Obviously a fair bit of pre-WWII, but I think the pre-war Philippines sections and the post-war reconstruction of Japan (along with all the WWII stuff) was very interesting.

Ditto this. IMO, the definitive MacArthur bio

Richard Frank
John Toland

Robert Leckie - His book from 1965 (Challenge for the Pacific: Guadalcanl: The Turning Point of the War) is probably the single best book on WW2 I've ever read. I can still recall passages from it nearly 60 years after first reading it.
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/8225587

Gordon Prange
Richard Newcomb
Cornelius Ryan

Circe wrote: ↑Sun Feb 05, 2023 11:57 pm

bertilak wrote: ↑Sat Feb 04, 2023 2:05 pm

Circe wrote: ↑Sat Feb 04, 2023 12:53 pm Deliverance, starring Burt Reynolds and John Voight. It was on Turner Classics last night.

This film is in the Library of Congress as! "significant," and it deserves every bit of it. When I go hiking, I still occasionally see people wearing prank T-shirts that say, "Paddle faster, I hear banjos."

Someone always shows up with one of those T-shirts at dam releases in the Mid-Atlantic / North East!

Parts of the movie were filmed here. A great area to hike with spectacular views.
https://gastateparks.org/TallulahGorge

Watching old Columbo episodes on Great American Country. Playing now is Columbo Cries Wolf.

https://columbophile.com/2020/08/02/epi ... ries-wolf/

A complete surprise for dessert last night. Mrs. wabbott made one of my favorite all time dishes that's very popular in NOLA - Bananas Foster. She said it was easy to make.

https://www.brennansneworleans.com/reci ... as-foster/

wabbott wrote: ↑Wed Feb 01, 2023 3:14 pm

ruralavalon wrote: ↑Wed Feb 01, 2023 2:49 pm The Brass Cupcake, by John D. MacDonald.

In corrupt city in Southwest Florida, an insurance adjustor is assigned to recover stolen jewels by offering a reward. It's complicated because local police are in the pocket of local gangsters, and don't want him to disturb their relationship with the crooks. Ultimately he gets the goods and the girl.

Now you you're gonna make me dig through my pile of JDM books and find this one...

I might add that here in Louisiana nowadays, the local police, judges, sheriffs, etc ARE the gangsters.

ruralavalon wrote: ↑Wed Feb 01, 2023 2:49 pm The Brass Cupcake, by John D. MacDonald.

In corrupt city in Southwest Florida, an insurance adjustor is assigned to recover stolen jewels by offering a reward. It's complicated because local police are in the pocket of local gangsters, and don't want him to disturb their relationship with the crooks. Ultimately he gets the goods and the girl.

Now you you're gonna make me dig through my pile of JDM books and find this one...

Done the water in the shampoo bottle for ages. Never have done the pencil trick for toothpaste. I sometimes scrape the toothpaste tube against the sink countertop edge - that's usually good for a couple of more brushings. Wonder if the water trick will work on toothpaste? After all, it's diluted with water when you're brushing.

K72 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 28, 2023 10:38 am I also watch reruns of "Family Affair" from time to time. I miss the wholesome shows from my childhood.

They are all over streaming channels, especially westerns. We watch an Andy Griffith rerun just about every day.

Highway 1/Big Sur and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Walt Disney World/Disneyland - I become thirteen years old again when I'm those places.

I agree on the train. Last spring we traveled from Amsterdam to London via train and also from London to Plymouth and back. European train travel is a dream compared to air, lots of room, and very smooth. Investigate buying a rail pass. Here is a website than can help.
https://www.seat61.com/
Also, try to book hotels close to the train terminals for convenience.

Bachman Turner Overdrive - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cia_v4vxfE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Bachman

Robin Peter Kendall Bachman (February 18, 1953 – January 12, 2023) was a Canadian drummer and the youngest brother of guitarist, singer and songwriter Randy Bachman. He was the original drummer for both the Brave Belt and Bachman–Turner Overdrive bands. He also was sometimes credited as "Robin" or "Rob" on the liner notes of Brave Belt and BTO albums.

RIP. Thanks for adding to our happy times.

RIP Jeff Beck
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Beck

A true 60s anthem. Crank it up!!

The Yardbirds - Shapes Of Things
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc17DqcA6Qc

bookmark

Bullitt - 1968

Lt. Frank Bullitt - Steve McQueen, who invented Alpha Male Cool.
Cathy - Jaquieline Bisset, 100% all female, smoking hot.
Sen. Walter Chalmers - Robert Vaughn, who perfectly captured the type specimen political climber.
Capt. Sam Bennett - Simon Oakland, worried about the police bureaucracy and his pension, while trying to be a good cop.

After our weekly Saturday morning Old Fart's breakfast, I put the leftover coffee in a quart jar and drink it for the next few days until it runs out. Tastes just fine warmed up in the microwave.

Cruise wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 7:46 pm Just amazing that this thread has sooo many more entries than the thread asking about favorite vacation destinations. What does this say?

Could be after a lifetime of saving/doing without, some cannot make the adjustment to spending money. That IS a rather significant lifestyle change.

A little over a year ago, I buried a good friend of mine who was mostly that way. He would splurge a little on driving a nice vehicle, and always dressed well, but nothing else. Never went anywhere much, and when he did was in a hurry to get home.

His two adult sons have since put it in circulation, though.

Some of us would benefit from reading about the various places y'all have been, especially if you could provide a few details about what makes it so unique. It would be useful for future planning. I will start. We like outdoors (mostly hiking) and a trip to Sedona AZ, Grand Canyon, and Page AZ was very memorable. The key was to go before it gets too hot, too cold, or too crowded. We went late March / early April. When you are outdoors, the weather could make or break your vacation experience. While not a favorite destination in and of itself, when in the vicinity of Northern Arizona I highly recommend a night or two at the historic La Posada Hotel in Winslow, AZ east of Flagstaff. It's a remarkable tale of the owner's persistence in restor...

Not a native Californian, but we've traveled the coast several times. We stayed in Morro Bay once and it seems a nice and scenic town. Further south, Huntington Beach has the surf vibe of Southern California without the riff-raff of Venice Beach. You go north of San Francisco, the temps can be almost chilly even in the summer. Interesting that you speak of the "riff-raff" of Venice Beach. The first reference I googled listed the median home price in Venice Beach at $1.95M, and the median rent for a 1 BR apt. at $2915/mo. That is a long shot from when I was part of the "riff raff" there back in the mid-1980s. OP, when I was looking at jobs in the San Diego area I really liked the artsy, funky, laid back vibe of Encinitas...

Thanks, adding Morro Bay to my list of places I'll look into. I've driven through Central California a few times but haven't spent significant time north of Santa Barbara. How does Morro Bay compare to Santa Barbara? A quick search on Airbnb and prices seem lower which would be a nice plus. I love the beach at Huntington Beach but feel it's a bit too densely populated for my to want to spend a month there. My ideal would be within biking distance to the mountains and walking / jogging distance to the beach. If Huntington Beach is too dense, you may look at Laguna Beach or Dana Point, but most all the SoCal beach towns are pretty well built up, and the closer you get to San Diego, the steeper the prices. Not much 'mountains' down that way e...

We've avoided the long lines and haven't used the Genie system on our last couple of visits. If you stay on property, you have a 30 minute early entry window unavailable to anyone else. You can use that time to visit the most popular attractions before the lines are too long, and then after 2 or 3 or 4 hours in the park, have an early lunch, and go back to your room for a swim or a nap. Or both. Late in the PM, re-visit that park or another and catch some more attractions after the crowds thin. We've used this strategy for years, and it still works for us. And we're old folks.

Not a native Californian, but we've traveled the coast several times. We stayed in Morro Bay once and it seems a nice and scenic town. Further south, Huntington Beach has the surf vibe of Southern California without the riff-raff of Venice Beach. You go north of San Francisco, the temps can be almost chilly even in the summer.

Please no "DisneyWorld hate" as I am already very skeptical of DisneyWorld! But the "Least Favorite" vacation destination thread got me thinking about this. A dear friend of ours loves DisneyWorld. Their family loves DisneyWorld. They truly just love the place. Their kids truly just love the place. They go there often and would absolutely just love to introduce us to DisneyWorld. I have explained about a million times that we aren't interested in our shoes melting from the heat. We're not interested in eating donuts as big as our heads. We don't want to walk for hours or wait in endless 2-hour lines to go on rides that will make us dizzy for hours later. We're not into Cinderella, don't feel the need to hug Mickey. And ...

We have a trip planned for early May. Looking forward to it. They say upstate New York is beautiful countryside. My paternal great-grandfather lived near Albany, NY.

I had high hopes for Sanibel, FL and booked 3 nights there in spring, 2021. I love Randy Wayne White's Doc Ford novels, and most of his books feature that area as story settings. IMO, he comes close to John D. McDonald's standard in Florida fiction, and that's what enticed us to visit. We found Sanibel to be more overdeveloped than expected, and much busier, too. That said, the beaches are great for shelling, and the dining is good. Probably won't visit there again - there are other places in Florida I would rather stay. Sanibel is no longer overdeveloped and is not busy. It suffered major damage on September 28, 2022 from Hurricane Ian. The Sanibel Causeway partially collapsed during the storm, leaving no road access to the island or near...

This thread has been valuable to me. It made me realize what a great traveling partner I have in mrs. wabbott, and I hugged and thanked her for that! There's nothing worse than being cooped up in a car with a chronic complainer who is miserable and feels it necessary to visit that misery on everyone else.