Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
I’ve been watching segments of the Democrat National Convention just to keep an eye on them. I haven’t caught any shenanigans, it’s mostly just been a thinly veiled praise fest for Joe Biden and a celebration of Kamala… which has the feeling of something that could crumble at any second. Yesterday I compared it to those chocolate Easter bunnies that are hollow on the inside. Of course, Tim Walz’s energetic personality is a combination of those inflatable clowns and a shaken up soda can…
…but they brought out the super elites last night– Michelle and Barack Obama, speaking in that order. It’s no surprise that Michelle is a gifted speaker. Barack is, too. Michelle spoke with eloquence and purpose, even if I disagree with 105% of the things she said. One moment caught me off guard, so much so that I had to back it up a thousand times to hear it again. There is such a thing as a voice cracking, or a hiccup while a person is speaking, but I have no idea what happened during Michelle’s address last night. Listen especially to her pronunciation of “This…” and let me know in the comments if there’s an obvious explanation for it.
The party of pride and joy started their convention yesterday with a bunch of speakers and a country singer we’re supposed to like. Of course, AOC made an appearance because why not? Miss Irrelevant Hillary Clinton said stuff, too. A bunch of people I didn’t know. The final act of the night was Joe Biden (Mr. Irrelevant?). What a slap in the face that, not only was he strongly encouraged to drop out of the race, but then they give him the 1130pm slot, when they KNOW he’s terrible later at night. It’s such a joke how they’re treating him. Chants all night of “We love Joe”. Then why did your party force him out? If that’s love, I don’t want to be any part of it. Of course, we’re talking about the same party that picked Hillary Clinton when Bernie Sanders was the more popular candidate in 2016.
A few take-aways from night #1 of the Democrat National Convention:
Tim Walz reminds me of a can of soda after you shake it up. Watch Walz wave his hands at people anywhere he goes and see if you don’t think of Fanta.
The Democrat party is hollow inside. Just like those chocolate Easter bunnies. Looks good on the outside but when you bite into it, pure disappointment.
Raphael Warnock (Senator from Georgia) spoke and completely botched the Bible. Go figure. Early in his speech he referenced Micah 6:8, saying that Donald Trump ought to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.” Then he ended by saying “we are all God’s children!” Um, no sorry that’s wrong. In Romans it says, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” In other words, Christians. It sounds good (which is all Warnock cares about) to say we are all children of God, but it’s Biblically untrue. I’m getting a wolf in sheep’s clothing vibe from this guy, and it’s alarming.
There was lots of talk about how important every child is. Except for the day before they’re born. “We love Joe” but not really, they love that Joe dropped out. Democracy except when you’re losing and need a new candidate. The glitter is going to wear off, it’s just a matter of time. I just hope it’s before November 4th.
It wasn’t that long ago that a certain Super Bowl commercial featured the music of the well-known band Creed. It had a host of famous people in it; I thought it was one of the better ads in a category that usually has more duds than winners. Check out the music of Creed in this Super Bowl commercial.
Perhaps that was a foretelling of what was to come because Creed is back! Well, technically they never left but to celebrate their 1999 album “Human Clay,” the band has released a new music video for the song “Are You Ready?” Strategic for sure, the band is currently on tour and football season is ramping up. This song has Saturday morning pregame teaser video written all over it.
To be honest, I hadn’t heard this song even though it’s off their 1999 album. It might be that the song was overshadowed by two gigantic hits, “With Arms Wide Open” which charted high all over the world and went platinum two times over.
The other big song was “Higher,” which went to #1 in countries around the world and was certified gold in the U.S. Of the two songs, “Higher” is my favorite just for that guitar lick alone.
The new remastered version of “Are You Ready?” is a lot like the original, perhaps with more guitar pumping through and it seemed a bit twangier in the first guitar strums before the electric rips in. I think, and hope, we’ll be hearing this song on Saturdays for college football and all the days the NFL is on TV.
Creed, partying like it’s 1999… and I think it’s a welcome callback to rock music that isn’t so mainstream in 2024.
Mostly these will be pictures of wildlife and nature because that’s what I’m most drawn to. But check out a few pics of my campsite during my recent camping trip to the beautiful Florida panhandle Henderson Beach State Park! My favorite 3 pics are the one-legged bird looking down at his one leg, the kids chasing the seagulls, and the wide shot of the airplanes at sunset. What a beautiful place…
Aside from the Florida keys, which has state parks nearly impossible to camp in without reserving months in advance (and they’re also a long way from everything), my favorite state park in Florida is, without a doubt, St. Andrews State Park close to Panama City Beach. For starters, it’s easily accessible from almost anywhere in the southeast (as compared to the keys). But convenience aside, the park is an adventurous playground perfect for all ages! And if you’re wondering, yes they have wifi (free for low speed, or pay extra for fast).
While the park itself is easy to get to, there is a little bit of a hiccup in your plans if you want to book more than a night or two in the near future. Just like other beach parks, sites are in demand. I happened to snag 6 days (I attribute that to school starting back and families are finished with summer vacations) at St. Andrews and had a ball… mostly. The biggest drawback, and it’s no fault of their own, is the heat! August in Florida is a formidable foe. People fainting, dog paws burning, clothes dripping in sweat, all part of my experience on the recent trip so because of that, I’d recommend the following: sun block, hydrate like your life depends on it, be mindful of the hot pavement when walking your pops (early morning or late afternoon for the longer walks), and if you can rent a golf cart or bring an e-bike or scooter, do it. There isn’t much shade on any of the sites, except for a few older sites tucked away in the woods. The new sites (rebuilt after Hurricane Michael) are basically shadeless so keep that in mind. I got a spot where the shade was cast toward the awning side of my camper in the afternoon so I liked that a lot. It was site #10 if you look at the park on a map. On the other side of the road, you get awning-side shade in the morning and the afternoon you’ll be dealing with the sun going down and baking you, even under your awnings.
With that out of the way, the attractions of the park is incredible. Even on the busiest beach day, there were just a few dozen people on the gigantic ocean side of the beach. I say “ocean side” because there’s a lagoon side which features a great little tidal pool, perfect for young kids, new swimmers, snorkelers, etc. Many times this area had people lounging on tubes, snorkeling by the jetty, a few skim boarding kids. In fact, you might find that this part of the beach is more crowded than the ocean side. The ocean side is where you can boogie board (if there are any waves whatsoever), swim, snorkel, collect shells, fish (off the jetty or pier), etc.
During my stay, I wanted to focus on open water swimming (for triathlon training purposes), running, and cycling. Unfortunately, I didn’t find a super safe place to ride my bike outside of the park, so I ended up doing running and swimming only. But also… the snorkeling! You can’t go to St. Andrews and NOT snorkel, so be sure to bring a mask. Whether you’re by the jetties or paddling around the pier, you’re bound to see incredible underwater creatures. I have a few pictures I’ll post below but I didn’t get a photo of the manta rays, which were really neat to see. Can you see the turtle in the last picture? I barely saw it in time to get the photo, had no idea they could swim so fast! Take a look and then at the end is a little video of my snorkeling experience. Just be sure to bring a dive flag, as I learned from a FWC officer. 👮
If you’ve been to this park, chime in with what you like (or didn’t like) and which other parks you love in Florida!
Out of the Wilderness 