Hurricane predictors admit they can’t predict hurricanes
by BloggerInParadise on Dec.13, 2011, under News
Monday, December 12, 2011
Two top U.S. hurricane forecasters, revered like rock stars in Deep South hurricane country, are quitting the practice because it doesn’t work.
William Gray and Phil Klotzbach say a look back shows their past 20 years of forecasts had no value.
The two scientists from Colorado State University will still discuss different probabilities as hurricane seasons approach — a much more cautious approach. But the shift signals how far humans are, even with supercomputers, from truly knowing what our weather will do next.
Gray, recently joined by Klotzbach, has been known for decades for an annual forecast of how many hurricanes can be expected each official hurricane season (which runs from June to November.) Southerners hang on his words, as even a mid-sized hurricane can cause billions in damage.
Last week, the pair dropped this announcement out of a clear, blue sky:
“We are discontinuing our early December quantitative hurricane forecast for the next year … Our early December Atlantic basin seasonal hurricane forecasts of the last 20 years have not shown real-time forecast skill even though the hindcast studies on which they were based had considerable skill.”
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen
Restaurants honored with Golden Spoon Awards
by BloggerInParadise on Dec.09, 2011, under News
Dining out is one the fun things to do in the area. We have lots of great restaurants of all kinds and price ranges. The Golden Spoon Awards just came out. Here’s who made it. Try them out.
The Golden Spoon Award Winners -
The Perfect Caper, Punta Gorda
Café & Bar Lurcat, Naples
M Waterfront Grille, Naples
Sea Salt, Naples
Turtle Club, Naples
Golden Spoon Awards: Best New –
Figs Grille, Bonita Springs
Lush, Fort Myers
Golden Spoon Awards: Hall of Fame –
The Grill at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples
Stone Crab Season is Here!
by BloggerInParadise on Oct.12, 2011, under News
Locally caught stone crab claws ‘the golden nectar of the sea’. Season begins Saturday and runs through May 15.
We try a new restaurant
by BloggerInParadise on Oct.05, 2011, under Meanderings
We had been anticipating the opening of the new Agave Restaurant. It’s Southwestern cuisine rather than Mexican. We used to live in the southwest and missed some of the dishes that are common there. We went and were quite pleased with the food. Although it is a bit pricy, the quality and taste is great. We definitely had a great meal and were well taken care of. Below are a couple of pictures of some of the dishes. Oh, and I don’t want to forget, but they have over 150 tequilas and make great Margaritas. Here’s the website http://agavenaples.com/. Well worth a visit.
Chile Relleno
Camarones y Vieiras
They’re baaack! Southwest Florida tourist season getting early start
by BloggerInParadise on Sep.25, 2011, under Real Estate Discussion
Good article. Positive for our economy. Might have to start making dinner reservations starting sooner this year. Read More.
Cactus does it again
by BloggerInParadise on Jun.16, 2011, under Meanderings
Hi all. The cactus in our back yard just keeps blooming. Counted 39 blooms in one day this time. The blooms last a day or so. They open up in the morning and close when the sun starts getting to them. Never ceases to amaze me that a cactus can bloom so prolifically. Click on the thumbnails for a larger view.
Who says cactus don't have large flowers.
The bees love them!
We Meander Down to the Naples Botanical Gardens
by BloggerInParadise on Mar.11, 2011, under Meanderings
Last weekend we decided to meander down to the Naples Botanical Gardens. We had been there a few years ago, but they’re at a new location now. They’ve got 170 acres of plants and more divided into several different themes. It was Doggie Day at the park and a lot of dogs brought their owners. Unfortunately, we didn’t know this and left ours at home. The park is pretty nice. It’s new so not all of the plants are fully grown, but that won’t take long. Even though it has been cold this year, the place looked pretty good and I’m sure will look even better as our warmer temperatures get everything growing again. This is definitely a place not to be missed while you’re here. Below is a short video that will give you an idea of the scope of the place. Click Here to go the Gardens’ website. Before you go, check the events calendar.
SWAMP BUGGIES: Eddie Chesser wins drama-filled Budweiser Cup title
by BloggerInParadise on Mar.07, 2011, under News
Chesser amassed more than enough points to clinch the crown. See photos and Read More.
David Wong’s Pan Asian & Sushi
by BloggerInParadise on Feb.16, 2011, under Meanderings
We went to one of our favorite restaurants for Valentine’s – David Wong’s Pan Asian & Sushi in Bonita. When we got there we found out that Sushi Thai now owned the place and David had gone to Las Vegas. We worried that the food would change. It is a unique menu with a lot of very tasty items. After having eaten our meal, we found our fears were unneeded. The food was great. Seems that they’ve put in a full sushi bar which is to open this Thursday. They said the original menu would continue and that Sushi Thai was going to add some of their own items. Sound great. Sushi Thai is a good sushi restaurant and combining the two should be a real positive. If you have the inclination, go eat there. You won’t be disappointed.
Tasty and Creative Dishes
Boating on Estero Bay
by BloggerInParadise on Feb.10, 2011, under Meanderings
It’s been awhile, but finally I got around to taking another meander. This time a friend and I went boating on Estero Bay. This is an area off the coast of Bonita Springs that is bordered by a number of our coastal islands. They are close together and form a bay with access to the Gulf through several “passes” – some of which you can’t use at low tide.
We started off at a pier near Barefoot Beach. The video below starts off and has a view of some of the boats and some of the houses on the waterway. Then, when we got going we saw a dolphin having lunch courtesy of some bait fish. We ended up at the entrance near New Pass and Dog Beach. Dog Beach is where you can take your dogs and let them run loose. It was a beautiful day – just under 80 degrees. Not bad for early February. A nice day spent relaxing. You can rent boats to do this if you don’t own or have access to one. Give it a try when you’re down here.
You may want to turn the sound down. Still learning about how to video with my Droid and there is a bit of wind noise.
Merry Christmas – Happy Holidays
by BloggerInParadise on Dec.23, 2010, under Uncategorized
Wishing All the Best
Schutzhund Tests
by BloggerInParadise on Dec.13, 2010, under Meanderings, Uncategorized
As I’m sure everyone has noticed, I have a new German Shepherd puppy. We’ve been looking at training him to be an all around dog – gentle, obedient, and able to protect when needed. We’ve decided to participate in Schutzhund which is a training sport that teaches obedience, tracking, and protection. It requires brains, not just beauty. Of course, our dog is handsome, but he’s really smart, too. We’ll see if we can train him. I’m sure he can do it, but can we?
There was a trial at the German Shepherd Schutzhund Club of N. Fort Myers this last weekend so I went to see what’s up. It was a small trial with several people getting their BH (Basic Handling) certifications and one trainer going for Schutzhund III – a very high level. The first video below is the obedience part of the BH – you also have traffic and crowd tests which I didn’t upload. The second is the obedience part of the Schutzhund and the third is the protection part of the Schutzhund. I didn’t video the tracking part of the Schutzhund III test. In the protection part you’ll see the trainer walking straight down the field pointing at blinds that the dog is supposed check looking for the bad guy. He finally finds him in the last blind and corners him. Then some attack exercises. None of the dogs were perfect, but the two that I’m showing passed. You can’t go for the BH (which is mandatory prior to Schutzhund) until your dog is at least 15 months old. That will give us time to train ours as he is only 5 months. Take a look. You’ll see dogs that can protect you and cuddle, too. There’s a little wind noise, so if it bugs you, just turn your sound down. Nothing important in the audio.
More of our Puppy
by BloggerInParadise on Nov.15, 2010, under Meanderings, News, Uncategorized
Instead of carrying around lots of pictures of our “kid” in my wallet like most proud parents do, I’m just posting some more here for my friends to see. He’s doing great and is now 32 lbs at 15 weeks. He’s got his stay, come, heel, and sit and lie down commands down pretty well. He greets all the neighbors on his walks and is having a darn good time. Click the pics for the whole picture.
Taking a moment to rest
Puppy at the ready.
On the march
Lunch with Mom and the dog
by BloggerInParadise on Nov.11, 2010, under Meanderings
One of the nice things about the area is that many of the shopping centers are pet friendly. You can bring your dog into stores and eat at restaurants in their outside dining area. One of my favorites is The Grape at Coconut Point. It’s not cheap, but the food is very good and worth the price. Great wine list with almost all available by the glass. If you want to relax outside with your pet and enjoy a nice meal, this is a great choice. Other pet friendly centers include the Bell Tower in Fort Myers and Miramar Outlets in Estero. At this time of year it’s great to be able to take your pet and enjoy the great weather.
Dining at The Grape
Palmira
by BloggerInParadise on Nov.11, 2010, under Meanderings
I got a chance a bit back to play Palmira Country Club in Bonita Springs the other day. As a Realtor, they gave me a free round so my wife and I and a couple of friends went to try it out. Beautiful place. Great course – 27 holes so you can make a number of 18 hole combinations to keep things fresh. Wonderful subdivision with very nice homes. A great place to live. We had a great time. If you’re interested in a home, it should be one of your considerations if you like to golf. A plug for me, if you’re interested contact me through mbohman.com. Click the picture for the full photo.
