My wife had a couple extra days off for the 4th of July, and it happened to be my three day weekend off so we got in the car Monday (after the crowds abandoned Highway One) and drove to her new favorite place, Fairchild Gardens in Coral Gables, three hours north. She showed off her membership card, in the flashy limestone stone building pictured above, and we got in for free because I went as her guest and thus skipped the $20 entrance fee. We had a great time. I took tons of pictures and it was only when I settled down to load them into the computer I discovered that my longstanding technology problems were still plaguing me. A new issue reared its ugly head July 3rd when it seems American Telephone and Telegraph metaphorically stood on their own dicks somewhere in the Upper Keys July 3rd and cut the Internet connection because many users in the Keys suddenly had connectivity problems. AT&T denied this when I called them yesterday but when my wife spoke to our computer Guru, Joe, he apparently showed her how to reset the laptop to its pre-interruption state, and she assures me connections are once again brilliant. I am weary of computer problems frankly as I am a technophobe and long for the day when computers are as simple as televisions to operate. Even though I long since gave up on any television reception in my life. The TV itself is easy enough to switch on and run a DVD (hooray for Netflix! I order old TV shows and enjoy them without the commercials) but my damned computer is always telling me to wait..
These constant interruptions in my computer connections have made me painfully aware that I am internet dependent. I've known that for a while, living at the end of the road makes the need for outside connection obvious but I have missed the regular tussles with Blogger and the picture download routine which can be horridly slow when Blogger is busy or the nerds that run it are experimenting with weird new "features." I still want to upload pictures from my trip to New Mexico in May but I've been afraid of losing them altogether with the current state of my lap top and AT&T. My wife says I can stop worrying. I shall soon resemble less a bear with a sore head, and more a happy blogger.
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Perhaps I am lucky as I have a schedule that allows me plenty of time to take pictures, download them and write my narratives. Perhaps I need more hobbies (God forbid! I hate collecting stuff!) but I find the whole business of doing the blog very relaxing and I am surprised when my posting schedule evinces surprise. But I am surprised to find myself as antsy as I am simply because I have entries planned and I have been stymied...And the Trumpet is getting a new front tire so I shall be riding the wife's Vespa 150 for the next few days. Cool, I need a blog excuse to go places.
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I did manage to download two pictures for what was meant to be a tour of Fairchild Gardens in Miami and here is the other one, a gardener weeding (I think) in 90 degree heat. I got the impression he thought he had the best job in the world:
But two photographs a blog entry do not make for conchscooter so I hope to have a properly illustrated essay tomorrow, AT&T and the computer permitting. If not I shall immolate the laptop and strangle myself. And then I'll take up stamp collecting.
8 comments:
Oh, please do not abandon the blog - your's is one of three I check in with every day...
You're very kind. My wife did not lie and the computer is back to it's proper self. I would get very home bound without the blog to prod me off the beaten track.
I do enjoy your blog -- I check it all the time. My favorite thing is if I have been away from the computer for several days and there are a couple of installments of your blog I can read at my leisure.
Special request: do a blog on any or all of the following -- manatees, Hogfish Bar & Grill, Boca Chica NAS, New Jewfish Bridge, Dry Tortugas -- Fort Jeff.
You may have hit on some of these already.
Cheers.
Thats funny- my links list is what i read when i get back to work after a couple of days off- and the more the merrier! Manatees are a winter phenomenon in the Keys but I know where they tend to hang so I can give that a shot this winter. Fort Jefferson has an entry already based on my wife's trip there last winter, try the search feature as I'm getting better with the labels and it should pop up.I like to go in September when there are locals specials on the ferries...and it's time for a return! Boca Chica- I've thought about photographing the NAS bases around town from the street (I'm not ex military and have no access) but I kind of wonder what the military will think in these troubled times...me in street with camera pointed! Hogfish- sure, I need a fish sandwich from time to to time! Today's the day to quote Mel Fisher...Thanks for commenting and sharing my irritation the computer is brilliant now and I can surf and upload pictures like a maniac.
Yes please don't quit, I check it everyday. I helps get me back down there to a life I miss terribly.
William
NOT QUITTING JUST GRUMBLING. I hate computers, not blogging. Jeez I'm never going to whinge again, at least for a while, I promise.
stamp collecting! HA! Unless they have a great deal of stamps bearing the images of wooden schooners, I don't see you going down that way.
I have found whenever my internet seems to be down, resetting the router usually clears it right up. But it puts me in a foul mood when it does it in the middle of a long post. Thankfully blogger saves on a regular basis automatically :)
She did say something about resetting something. Or soemthing. And you';re right for all that blogger has its faults ( slo-o-o-w picture download!) it does do an excellent job of saving. And today I downloaded nearly 2 dozen Taos pictures in record time. My reward for being impatient no doubt!
cheers all.
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