Countrydiction

Column published in Northwest Florida Daily News, April 27, 2005: As much as I love the Emerald Coast beaches I have only myself to blame for buying a home 30 miles inland. But, I’ve discovered a potential way to enjoy the beach 24/7. Let’s lobby the city of Destin to install some webcams. Anyone who has a computer has probably seen web-camera images on the internet. Typically, a camera is installed on a tower or top of a tall building and directed at a point of interest. Still images are updated at regular intervals, like 30 seconds or a minute apart. You get the idea when the local TV news and weather programs show a view at sunrise from a stationary camera. Consider the benefits. For example, a local TV station in Toledo, Ohio, where my brother lives, hosts several webcams around the city. Every time I felt like complaining about the weather this winter I sought out the webcam in Toledo, and suddenly I felt warm…and giddy. Let’s say you felt the call of the surf and sand. ...

As the sun climbs daily toward its annual apex I marvel at the fact that it never takes a day off. I, on the otherhand, go into eclipse every chance I get. Writing a bi-weekly column for the local newspaper (circulation 41,000)is not all that taxing. I spend probably an hour and a half on average for each column. I've had three published and I have three drafted columns waiting in the barrel. So, no excuse for not keeping my blog fresh. I just finished a three mile run, barefoot. I love running on these dirt roads barefoot. Nike has a major marketing effort to sell their latest craze. The Nike Free 5.0 is supposed to give you that barefoot feeling when running in them. I'm going to save the $85 and leave my nekkid footprint on the landscape. The other day I ran soon after an early morning downpour. Oslo was running with me and he performed a trick I had never seen before. There were stands of rainwater along side the road and the Oz was runn...