The type of IT consulting I do allows me the somewhat unique opportunity to work from anywhere and since I own the business, I need nobody's permission to do so. I decided that instead of working from Washington, DC during February I would take my laptop and join the other snowbirds for a month in balmy South Florida. I put the Triumph Sprint ST in the back of the truck and headed south.

On the way down I decided to stop in Beaufort, SC and see some old friends from when I was stationed there in the Marine Corps. Beaufort has changed quite a bit since I left nearly fifteen years ago. More people, more traffic and more buildings. Port Royal is actually no longer a dirty little town near Beaufort. The Marine Corps, with its two bases, Parris Island and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, still dominates the local economy and culture but you can tell that a retirement lifestyle is creeping into the area.

Did I mention that Mackenzie was born here?

Beaufort Pics

From Beaufort it was down to West Palm Beach, FL to get some dives in to complete my Scuba Open Water Diver certification. While waiting for Beth to fly we drove down A1A to Miami/South Beach.

A1A Drive pics

The next day it was time to DIVE DIVE DIVE!

Wonderful diving with the guys at The Scuba Club.

It seems that no matter where I go, beautiful women find me:

My cousin Aerin was down to dive at the same time we were.

From West Palm Beach it was a quick 3 hour drive across Alligator Alley to Fort Myers, FL where Dad and Sally spend their winters.

I found a place to live on Craigslist and moved in. It was a nice little two-bedroom apartment that I shared with a guy from Boston who talked funny.

Apartment pics

While there I actually convinced both Dad and Sally to try sushi. Dad liked it...Sally, not so much.

Sushi pics

I spent most of my month in Ft. Myers working, working out (lifting and running), kayaking and enjoying the weather. The weather didn't allow me to ride the bike as much as I had anticipated but I did manage to get in a trip down to the Everglades where I visited Chokoloskee and Everglades City.

I managed to find a restaurant with a wonderful view and spent several hours chilling by the water.

Everglades City Trip pics

I also spent some time kayaking in Estero Bay near Lovers Key and the area around Sanibel Causeway and Punta Rassa Cove.

Kayaking pics

I left Ft. Myers after about a month, just as the weather started improving. I did get to watch the Super Bowl and the Daytona 500 with my father and was able to explore yet another chunk of America.

A quick drive back across the bottom of Florida to West Palm Beach for a final dive prior to heading north. After a wonderful 90 ft. dive I jumped in the truck and headed back, stopping just shy of South Carolina for the night. I got back into DC Wednesday evening and saw a bunch of white stuff all over the ground. Apparently there was a few snowflakes while I was gone.

Good to be back home to see my girlies.

Mackenzie and I went out today to enjoy the snow. The last flakes came down last night around midnight so it was great to be able to see where we were driving.

We ended up taking a hike in McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area, near the Potomac Rover.

On the way out we saw this, stuck:

All pictures are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thestevensons/sets/72157623032797908/

Videos are here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=A3B8981902B5154E

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The biggest snowstorm since we moved to Washington, DC hit this weekend, with Beth getting back from college just in time to go out and play.

We spent all day riding the backroads in the truck, occasionally getting out to enjoy the snow.

All pictures are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thestevensons/sets/72157623032797908/

Videos are here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=A3B8981902B5154E

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The girls and I wandered down to Delaware for our Thanksgiving vacation and had a great time with my brother's family. It's always fun down there.

We rode the 4 wheeler, ate turkey, went shopping and shot some guns.

Beth and Mackenzie even drove a (little) motorcycle. Here's a shot of Beth's first time driving on her own:

I did tell her that she was supposed to sit on the seat instead of dragging herself along behind it but you know how kids like to do things their own way...

Here's a video of Mackenzie's first time shooting a 12 gauge shotgun:

Lots of fun.

All Thanksgiving 2009 photos are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thestevensons/sets/72157622882798930/

All Thanksgiving 2009 videos are here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=51475CE70A02BD31

For her roomies at U of Md. She said they were practicing for when it "really counts".



We're going down to Chip and Tina Stevenson's next week for their Thanksgiving dinner.

Just got back from riding the Pine Barrens 300, a motorcycle Adventure Ride in the wilds of Southern New Jersey. The ride is 300 miles of GPS-navigated off-road style riding over two days through woods, cranberry bogs, trails and sand. The event had well over 100 riders and the bikes ranged from small 250cc enduros to 1200cc BMW behemoths.

No camping this time as 300 off-road miles over two days is tiring and a king-sized bed is better than the hard ground.

All the pictures are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thestevensons/sets/72157622558585052/

Here's some video from Day 2. This time I happened to be the rider in front of the guy with the camera so that's me you see barreling through the woods.

And a much better video:

My buddy for 15 years.

Had a chance to go to Delaware for my niece's birthday party this weekend. It was held in the Georgetown fire hall and the girls had a chance to pose with my father, a volunteer firefighter with over 40 years of experience running into burning buildings and pulling people from wrecked cars. My admiration for him is immeasurable.



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Went riding with a group of guys from D.A.M.N. Riders this past weekend and enjoyed the massive Pine Barrens area of NJ.

I know that it is hard to conceive, but about a third of the state of New Jersey is actually wilderness as evidenced by the map below:

Imagine a sandy area roughly the size of the entire DC metropolitan area covered with pine trees and bogs and that's the Jersey Pine Barrens.

Here's a couple of us taking a break, sucking sweet, nourishing water from our Camelbak packs.

Here's a video of the riding. It's not my video but one of the guys that rode with us giving you an idea of the fun we had.

Mackenzie and I went on our annual motorcycle trip recently. Deciding to head South after going West and North the last two years, we took Beth's advice and stuck to the high altitudes to counter the heat this time of year in the southern latitudes.

We headed down two of the best motorcycle touring roads in the East - Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway. During the week these roads are essentially devoid of the traffic that clogs them during the week. Mackenzie and I lolled along at the speed limit (imagine that) and enjoy the slow sweepers, putting both of us in a blissful, calm state. Even spotting a couple of black bears on Skyline did not take us out of our daze.

Mackenzie chilling at a rest stop on the Blue Ridge Parkway



In Boone, NC getting ready to ride



All pictures here


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Jeff Stevenson