Florida is awesome!
 

Wakeboarding on December 29th in Florida 83 air/ 72 water
After we got back to our house there was an eagle that landed on our back deck!

My backyard ice rink is set up and I have a bunch of below freezing days in my forecast. I'd rather be on the water. I'm definitely jealous.

sounds like you are ON THE WATER ? Maybe a few more clothes.

The Eagle has landed.

I see a lot more of those birdies in the winter. They sure are impressive.

I'll give you $5 to pet him :)

I'm trying to set myself up to uproot the family and move down there within the next year or so. I'm tired of living on my version of Hoth.

I second this. Wife and I are working on the plan. Canadian winters have done me in. I'm ready to ride year round.

Florida
 

Jason and Jamie, make sure you get your SO on board along with your kids, I always brought the waverunner down when we would visit Florida and if you go to the ocean inlets, you can watch the dolphins which is pretty cool! We also usually go to visit the beaches and my wife also likes camping, so we have camped all over the State where we had access to the water, very important on those 100 dgr days! I also plan on taking my wife to go and watch the Manatee over in Tampa this winter where I know she will love it! The Florida wildlife is awesome!
I still need to find someone in the Orlando or Cocoa Beach area that's wants to try some pull in surfing just north of the Cocoa Beach.

Remember Florida doesn't take just any ole Jo Shmoe.

Oh I hear you. My wife and my 13yr old are all about it. My 10yr old, not so much!!! We are headed down at the end of next on vacation for a week. Hopefully that will aid in the convincing!!


I work for a worldwide company. I've already talked to the regional director for my company. He has given a free pass to transfer anywhere I choose at anytime, regardless if there is a position available or not. First worry is out of the way!!

Can you spot the Gator? and...
No, that little guy is not going to stop my son and me from wakeboarding in the lake!

If you swim in fresh water in Florida you are not alone - there are gators. We have seen them in brackish water as well. If you don't bother them they will not bother you.

That's not entirely true. Gators do attack people who aren't bothering them. Most of the reports I hear of a gator attacking an adult are related to people who are hanging out in the water wading around after dark. Not really concerned about wakeboarding in the middle of the day. But I would not wakeboard in Lake Jessup at any time. The lake is loaded with gators. Just goggled Lake Jessup and this came up...

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/...echobee-gators

Florida
 

Bought an American flag for the deck where the eagle lands and got a few pics when he landed.
I still need people who want to ride behind the jet ski on old lake Davenport, I can't take the boat out every day, but the days I don't take the boat out, I like to just rip back and forth behind the jet ski.

Wow!! Those are really cool shots. Nice work.

Love the repeated theme with the second flag in the background and the eagle perfectly framed between the two. You should submit that for a photo competition somewhere. The first shot is super cool from a more naturalistic action standpoint, but the overall composition of that second shot is just exceptional!

I might like to put that on my desk at work, as I work with rehabilitation of brain injured and traumatized soldiers and combat veterans, and those folks really need something nice to take their minds off their pain and misery when they come in to see me. (And secretly I would be thinking about the wake boarding connection to the photo while I'm at work.) I'd be stoked if you might be willing to send me a high-res file that I could use to make a print. I'll give you the photo credit, of course. Lemme know, thanks!

Doc, I took the pic with my smart phone the file says its 832 KB, not sure if thats the same number that's in this thread, what is the max KB for a pic that is uploaded to this web site?

Understood. I'll try to download it from here and see how it comes out.
Thanks!

The image here is under 60KB. Probably not the same as on your phone. That eagle doesn't seem to have any reservations about coming right up to you.

Jo, I just sent you a private message.
Thanks, John, for the technical clarification. I know a bit about brain functions and such, but otherwise I'm sort of a techno-tard.

Doc, I cannot get to my private messages and cannot even send any pm's, not the first time this has happened to me. Please send the pm to my e-mail at Buckthistwo@yahoo.com , then I can e-mail the pic to you.

Got it!! Thanks, Jo! I appreciate your effort to send that to me. I am gonna have a print made this weekend for my office. The image you sent looks really clean, so thanks again for the extra effort. I think the veterans I work with are really gonna like it. And, I was thinking more about it - I've only seen a live bald eagle 3 times in my life, and all three times I was on a boat while wake boarding - once at Lake Altoona in GA, once at Lake Roosevelt in AZ, and once on Lake Shasta in CA. So that will keep me thinking happy thoughts when things get tough at work. It's a trip when you see them fly, they are not huge, but they look like pure muscle in flight. I've never seen another bird that looks like that while flying, even other types of raptors. Thanks again! I'll post a pic here when I get it hung in my office.
WakeWorld peeps are good peeps!

Florida
 

Up North wishing I was in Florida!