A Trip to Puerto Plata Dominican Republic

Its been a while since my last trip to Puerto Plata but I was trying to make plans to go back there. I love the beaches and activities there a lot. I was wondering does anyone have any suggestions on where to stay there? The resort I used to stay at has closed. Also, I am looking for new activities there. I have always gone to Ocean World Puerto Plata but I would like to experience something new and exciting. Any suggestions?
God Bless,
John

Moved from Croissant Park

Hi there,
I am not sure if anyone reads these posts anymore, but my wife and I  have moved from Croissant Park after living there for over 17 years. I will always have fond memories of my days there. It was my first time of owning a home in my life and experiencing home ownership. Becoming Civic minded, meeting my neighbors and getting involved, this is always a challenge when time is very limited, but I was able to do it.

Croissant Park will always be in my heart because I started my swimming with the dolphins business there, working day and night to make a living. Even today, I never know if I will get enough business to pay all my bills.

The only legacy I think I might have left Croissant Park was the few trees that survived 2 hurricanes on 14th Street. Maybe 8 trees survived from 20 trees the volunteers planted. So every time I drive down 14 street, those were the trees we planted. It makes me happy I was able to leave back something, not only take, but give too!

Now, that my Duplex is a rental property, I will still be involved but more from a distance. I have paid my dues to the CPCA and look forward to the New and Better Croissant park for years to come.
God Bless,
John

Crime is Up in Croissant Park

Its a drag that crime is so rampant in Croissant Park. My wife does not want to leave the house at night because she thinks the house could get robbed. I don't blame her because when you look at the Croissant Park Facebook page, you will see the many posts about the breakins and crime.

I live in a duplex area of the street and my tenant next to me, got his car broken in late one night about a month ago. They stole his speakers from the car. I thought it was isolated because he would open the trunk and play the music while he was cleaning the car and you could see the speakers in the trunk. Maybe some kids where driving by while he was cleaning and targeted his car. But that was not the case, they (who ever they are) were targeting not only his car but the houses in the neighborhood too. They seem to be coming mostly during the day or late at night. Since his break in, the crime does not seem be letting up at all but getting worse.

I try not to live in fear and hoping they won't break into my Dolphin Tour Van and steal my van while I sleep at night. If they do, my business would be gone for  awhile. Again, I don't put my trust in the police and I only put my trust in God above. So hopefully it will get better here soon.
God Bless,
John

Thousand Line Up for Jobs in South Florida

Wow, I was watching the news tonight and got to see how bad the economy is, 4 thousand people standing on line for jobs today in Coconut Creek.< See This Report >

I hope this country goes in another direction in 2012 because we can not take another 4 more years of this misery.

I worry about my swimming with the dolphins tour business. My business was good in the beginning of the year and now it is so bad again. But one thing, I don't put my faith in politician but in God.

God Bless,
John

Flood on 14th Street

Here are some photos from the Rain Flood last night. Its hard to believe how much rain came down in such a short time. My neighbors got their places flooded, about 1 foot of water came into their places.

God Bless,
John
Swim with Dolphins

Tim Tebow Beats the Dolphins

Hi there,
It would have been better for the Miami Dolphins football team if Tim Tebow came to South Florida and went swimming with the dolphins Miami instead of playing the football game.

The game was really boring until the last 5 minutes. Within that last 5 minutes of the game, Tim and the Denver Broncos game back from a 15 - 0 deficit and beat the dolphins 18 - 15 in OT.

I would have to say I really like Tim Tebow and I must say I was rooting for him. The Miami Dolphins are going to have a long season. Its too bad to see this NFL Franchise be down and out now. Hopefully they will find an answer.
God Bless,
John

Karen Harrington Distrist 20 Videos

Here are few videos to help you with your decision for the upcoming District 20 Congressional campaign.

Here is video of Karen Speaking about herself. A chance to get to know her and her background more.

Here is Karen latest campaign ad.


Karen is the underdog, so if you want to help her campaign, please call her headquarters 954-358-4861 and see how you can help.
God Bless,
John

Debbie Wasserman Shultz Won't Debate

Hi All,

Congresswomen Debbie Wasserman Shultz won't debate, so far, with Karen Harrington. Both are running for District 20 congressional seat. This is the thing that gets me so mad about Congresswomen Wasserman Shultz. She loves to hide. From my experience, when the health care debate came up, she would not meet with me. All I got was emails from her. I had to get a special invitation to meet with her which I never received.

Here is a recent video of her debating with congressman Ryan. At least we can see where she stands and will she take responsibility for the recent course of this country. What do you think of this debate? Who won?

Helping Karen Harrington Win

As Robert Duval said in the Apocalypse Now, the movie, "It smells like victory", I am hoping that the case for Karen Harrington who is running for Congress in my District 20. She is running against Debbie Wasserman Schultz. I am going to use this blog to communicate my journey with Karen and the victory party on November 2nd.

She is running against a career politician. Her opponent, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, does what ever she wants and votes however she wants and does not listen to her constituents. She hides in her office. I learned this the hard way during the Health Care debate. I called the office of Debbie Wasserman Schultz and wanted to see when Debbie was going to have a town hall meeting to explain the health care bill. I was told the only way to meet her was by invitation only. NO ACCESS to her or any public town hall type meetings!! Wow, what a helpless feeling. No input, no way to communicate with my representative, only by email. Of coarse I sent emails of my feelings and I got a canned response back. Like I was a little boy in school, " Good little Johnny, just take your medicine and don't talk back to teacher".

Politics is like crack cocaine, you can't get enough of it and you will do anything to get it. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is a career a politician, never worked a job except in the political arena. She is the elite class, from what I read, and you can read her bio, government this and government that. How does she really know what I need, an entrepreneur, for 15 years and what is best for me and my family. She doesn't. She will do what ever it take to stay and keep her, $174,000 a year job and power.  Not a bad job, and I don't know the perks she gets too. All I know, I have lived for over 15 years in my neighborhood and been active on my civic association and I have never seen her at any rally or political function. You would think I would see her somewhere, a parade, around Fort Lauderdale, city hall, NOPE.

OK, enough talking about her, now let's talk about Karen Harrington. Just to start, before I decided to help Karen, I have seen Karen prior to making my decision to help her, at my church, at a rally, and meet her face to face and talked with her. A real person, finally!! This helped me solidify my decision to help her campaign. I am really excited for her and her chances of  winning. It won't be easy because she does not have the name recognition but I enjoy the challenge and seeing the outcome in November. The one thing I "LOVE" about Karen is she owns and runs a business called Rickey's Restaurant. Being a restaurant owner, I know she knows hard work, working in a kitchen, waiting tables, balancing budgets, and talking to customers. She is a real entrepreneur, in fact she opened a second restaurant in Pembroke Pines, which is not an easy task. She knows what a business needs and how to give employment. She is living it. Not sitting in an ivory tower of Washington's politics and telling what is good for us. To find out more about Karen go to her Website, Karen for Congress.com

Well I planned to blog here of my journey volunteering with Karen Harrington's campaign. Read her bio and give me your opinion of Karen and her opponent.
God Bless,
John

More things to do in Grand Cayman

Hi All,

I did my own research and found this Youtube video of things to do on Cayman Islands.

Check out the video...



Grand Cayman swim with dolphins is not the only activity on the island and that is good to know. What do you think of the video?
God Bless,
John

Grand Cayman - A Quick Trip from Ft Lauderdale

Hi there,

My wife and I were thinking of taking a quick trip to the Grand Cayman. I am trying to see if anyone there have a good suggestions for Hotels to stay in that might be reasonable. We definitely going to swim with dolphins Grand Cayman but are looking for other fun things to do to. Any suggestions?

I hope to hear from someone.
God Bless,
John

What's in your hurricane pantry?

Well, one thing I can tell you that is not in mine is Spam (or Vienna Sausages). A friend of mine and I started talking about how cans of the stuff fly off the shelves when a hurricane warning goes up - begging the question- do people actually buy this for any other purpose than disaster prep? And if so - who and why? I have to admit that I have never actually eaten either Spam or Vienna sausages and do not want to disparage products without giving them a try (like that is going to happen) so I won't say anything bad about the actual product. Its just the idea of them that got me wondering why people who never buy them at any other time would think that they may make tasty treats during an emergency when there are so many other things they can stash away that taste good. Remember- you do not have to eat meat or some facsimile thereof to survive.

In keeping with our June membership meetings theme of Hurricane Prep I decided to start to make a list of things that people might want to consider having on hand during the summer months- just in case. I'm just getting started on the list and the items included are by no means listed in order of importance- just randomly. But here's the idea- I will keep adding things as they occur to me- but why don't you all post your thoughts on what needs to be in the hurricane supplies- and if the answer is not obvious- let us know why. If you can post pictures- even better - we will have a slide show at the meeting - and perhaps a prize for the best idea.

P.S. I claim Pop Tarts ( although no photo yet) as the perfect food- it even comes in foil wrapped packages so it doesn't get damp - OK - this qualifies as my "spam" contribution.

P.P. S. For some reason I can't figure out how to post images to this - need a tutorial - but if you check out the Croissant Park Facebook page- think I can post them there.

Expedia

Survery of your favorite city in Florida

Hi there,

I am trying to find out what is your favorite city here in Florida. Please fill out the survey.


Survey Results - GlowDay.com

Florida Deals

Hi All,

You may like this feed on Great Travel deals here in Florida.



I hope it helps you!!

BIZ Night at Croissant Park

Hope you all will come to our first "Biz Night" for the Civic Association- in addition to some goodies to eat and some fabulous raffle prizes- we are hoping that the neighbors come out big time to support this event - whether you are looking to advertise your business or are on the lookout for a service - what a great way to get the word out about what you do or find that perfect plumber, painter, Realtor, lawyer, taxidermist, masseuse, astrologist, baby sitter, dog sitter, electircian, photographer, interior designer,DJ, pool service, garden specialist- you just never know.

When I moved into the neighborhood I was really happy to discover a plumber just a few houses away - and know that my electrician was just around the corner. Since then I 've used the services of a computer guru down the street and found a dog sitter from another neighbor. It makes sense to use the services of someone you know - I'm not saying you always get moved up to the top of the list (although the chances are pretty good) but if your pipes break in the middle of the night or you son calls from the Broward County accommodations on the river- it is nice to be able to call on someone you know.

The cost to advertise your business at our meeting is $10- ($5 if you are under 18 for those entrepreneurial baby-sitters out there) . For that - you get a few minutes at the meeting to talk about what you do, where you are- and answer any questions. Please let us know if you are planning to come to talk about your business so we can plan accordingly - and for those simply shopping- just show up!

Rainbow Palace Fort Lauderdale

Valentines day is alway special and I had a great time with my wife, Shakira, at the Rainbow Palace, off Oakland Park and Bayview. The food and service is really great but the price tag is very expensive, $30+ a dish.

Since we don't drink, the bill is somewhat manageable but we only celebrate there once or twice a year. It is worth it.

Here is our video:

Signs of the Time in Croissant Park

You really see the signs of the times yesterday in Croissant Park. Yesterday I was putting out bulk trash and in the past you would see a person drive up to look at your trash to see if there is anything good to salvage. You might see one person or two in the coarse of 24 hours. Yesterday was another story, it was a like a parade of cars and all kind of people, white, black, Hispanic. I was glad there wasn't a fight over the trash but it sad indicator of the times.

I know the unemployment is the worst its been in years and I have heard it has reached close to 12% in Florida. You might not think its that bad until yesterday, bulk trash in Croissant Park.

Did anyone see that too or was it just me?
God Bless,
John
Swimming with the Dolphins

New Toll System for the FLA Turnpike

Here is a new toll system for Florida Turnpike...

Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, part of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), is moving to all-electronic toll collection, with the first implementation on the southern 47 miles of the Turnpike in Miami-Dade County by 2011 and other segments of the Turnpike System to follow. In order to accomplish all-electronic toll collection, the Turnpike is introducing a new electronic toll collection system called Toll-by-Plate. The Toll-by-Plate system works by capturing an image of a vehicle’s license plate and billing the registered owner for the tolls. The Toll-by-Plate program is flexible and allows for customers to either call in and register for a Toll-by-Plate account, or just wait for their bill, which includes an administrative charge, in the mail. Payments can be made with cash, credit, and debit using multiple payment methods including mail, on-line, or through new payment kiosks that will be located at major retailers.

The Turnpike is holding a Toll Rate and Administrative Rule Development Workshop on Tuesday, November 17, 2009, at 6:00 p.m. The Workshop is being held as a statewide electronic webinar, a live presentation over the internet which allows interested persons to attend the meeting from their personal computer. For more information on the webinar please visit: http://www.floridasturnpike.com/all-electronictolling/publicmeeting.html

For those persons without a computer or internet access, several site access locations are provided at various Florida Department of Transportation offices across the state. Please refer to the locations below to find the location nearest you.

Wow, a big change. It seems like a toll system I think I saw in the Punta Cana.

What Happen to the Yankee Clipper?

As I was driving down A1A the other day, I noticed that the famous Yankee Clipper is totally closed and under renovation. Does any know what it is going to become?




A friend of mine, who had worked there for 15 + years, as the bell captain is out of work. I would see him in the lobby all the time, now I don't know what happen to him. Maybe he went back to Tortola to work there again.

God Bless,
John