What's on your mind today?

[Buddy]

Very pretty. Makes me want to take a trip to the gulf coast

Buddy my city is not on the Gulf coast. It is inland about 45 minutes from the Disney, Universal Studios, and other tourist attractions.....or magnificent rip  offs as the case may be.  About 25 minutes from Legoland, 40 minutes from Busch Gardens.  If that kind of stuff is your bag then Lakeland is the central starting point for such things. Alternatively the B bar ranch and many other nature trails and parks are nearby. B bar ranch borders Lake Hancock that has thousands of alligators. Surely you'd be impressed.  The weather is usually pretty hot in the summer months but is most pleasant in the fall and most of the winter....Temps in the high sixties and  low 70s mostly. We have a civic center who attracts many Broadway attractions and not far away is the Ringling Museum of art, the Florida Symphony orchestra, is nearby and the Imperial symphony is here in Lakeland.  Of course there are many venues for young (crazy) people who dig rock. There is a alternative community of LGBT people who are pretty cool. as well. 

If you are ever inclined to take a vacation to the Peninsula state, you can be my house guest. ( If you think that the cute little Mini can make it that far .. About 980 miles from Indianapolis)..My weird, single mother, Grand Daughter had a Mini that she loved, until she figured out that it was not the most appropriate vehicle to transport her infant son) 


Damn!  I sound like the Chamber of Commerce ..............Not my intention.

Not to be selective here, I would welcome any of my other HAF friends.  Hey, we are all in this together are we not?

Hmmm next time I take a trip to Key West I'll have to make a pit stop 

[xSilverPhinx]

I like the place where I live.  It is Lakeland Florida. Named appropriately because we have a lot of lakes inside the city limits.  lot more lakes in the immediate vicinity. Take a tour with this vid...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y50Hjd4wOds  Any HAFer who visits will be my honored guest.

I would be pleased to learn of the places where our other members live. Please post your videos of you own locations if available.

Lakeland seems like a nice place to live.  I like lakes. I live near a huge one.

Here's where I currently live, Porto Alegre (which translates to something like 'Joyous Port')

[Icarus]

DL Gatorland is not far away. 

have no qualms about telling where I live.  It is a burgeoning city on the I-4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando.

Florida was once the relatively undiscovered land similar to Camelot.  Then came the damned Mouse.

When I was in high school the state population was at about an even one million.  Alright that was a really long time ago. The state was a pristine place where nary a McDonalds could be found.  Now our population has expanded past twenty million residents with  traffic jams and toll roads to match. 

When Disney (the damned Mouse) came here, the mass migration seemed to begin.  Disney was not solely responsible but their presence seemed to be the catalyst that sparked a geometric progression of population expansion. 

SO far so good. This is a big place and there are still areas with peace and harmony that is reminiscent of the older way of life.   On the other hand there are areas that have gone completely apeshit.   One such place is called The Villages.  It is in central inland Florida that greedy developers made into a large community.  The Villages are composed of several sub communities each of which has its' own politico-philosophical bent.   Mainly retired people from the northern states who are opinionated, rude, and exclusionary.  If you ain't a Trumper then you are not welcome in the Villages.  Sheeeesh.  If I die and go to hell God would make me live in one of the Villages.

Oh, looky here I am carrying on about Trumpers.  I apologize for that lapse of common decency.  That must have something to do with the glass of Canadian Whiskey near my keyboard.

Anyway, Welcome to Florida and all its glitz and its resultant expansion problems. 

[Tom62]

Here is a video from the place where I currently live.

[Icarus]

Places of elegance Tom.  The old world charm is evident and appreciated.

I have been led to believe  that the beer and Schnitzel is also worthy of note.

[Tom62]

Places of elegance Tom.  The old world charm is evident and appreciated.

I have been led to believe  that the beer and Schnitzel is also worthy of note.

It is a nice, rather unspectacular, small city near Wiesbaden. Great for hiking, because it is in the middle of a forest. The region is better know for their wines (mainly white wines like Riesling) than for their beers.
It is hard to find a restaurant that serves a real good schnitzel. The real Wiener schnitzel is made from veal. Most restaurants however serve convenience food schnitzel made from pork or chicken meat.
The quality difference is astounding.

[Bad Penny II]

[Sandra Craft]

So there are good days and bad?  Or days when everything is on fire, and days when only the usual things are?  Sounds like California.

[Bad Penny II]

So there are good days and bad?  Or days when everything is on fire, and days when only the usual things are?  Sounds like California.

It is a bit better than it was.
Back in July a fire started and it got into some lowlands, damp swamp areas in normal times.  The fire will just keep smouldering underground in the peat until substantial rain, say 4" puts it out.  So that's been a constant smokey thing, particularly if the wind is coming from the wrong direction or at night when it's still.  You have to develop canny window opening skills and be vigilant to changes in wind direction.  Now and then the fire will spread to other not so low areas and do its thing.

It's not really like California climatically, Googling:
Los Angeles gets an average 14.93 inches
Port Macquarie average rainfall 1562mm or 61"  so its not normally a dry place, we have rainforest in places. 

Some will say the indigenous people knew how to manage things by planned burning.  That would be good if we were nomadic and people complain about smoke when hazard reduction burns are done and there is always the risk the fire will escape and dry short winters don't provide much opportunity and and and.

[Dark Lightning]

That looks more like Florida. If a fire starts in some areas, it will leave a long smoky trail as it burns. It takes about 6" of rain in some cases to raise the water level high enough to extinguish the fire. I was working in Florida in '06 and a fire burned for months, slowly crawling along. At least I think that it was in '06. It's been a long time.

[Tank]

Shopping day today. What would anybody like?

[billy rubin]

curry leaves.

ive never cooked with curry leavez and have no idea what to do with them.

[xSilverPhinx]

Shopping day today. What would anybody like?

Money. 

[xSilverPhinx]

I prayed to Santa for some more free time next year.

[Buddy]

Is my icon visible? I can see it on my work computer but not my phone