Considering...

On the Carbon Fiber guitar forum, where I participate pretty regularly, there is a guy with an Emerald X7 looking to sell or trade.  He would like a bigger guitar.  Incidentally, I have a bigger guitar (a RainSong Shorty limited edition) that hasn't been out of its case in a year.  Yes, I already have an X7... this one on the forum is an amber color with upgraded tuners and pick-up.  I sent him a note.

He wanted to see photos of the Shorty.  I got the guitar out, and Joan and I both said, "Oh - I forgot how pretty that guitar is."  It is one of 15 made with the abalone soundhole rosettes and sharks as fret markers, and an all-gloss finish on this particular model.

After sitting all that time, the guitar was still in tune.  (Another nice feature of carbon fiber)  I took the strings off, polished it up, put new strings on, and took some photos...

Some close-ups that show pick gouges that happened when I lent it out for an evening.  You have to disclose stuff like this for guitar fanatics.

Yep, this guitar looks, plays, and sounds great.  Interesting situation.

Making tracks...

Nah, that joke is too easy.

I put a bass track and some drums on The Letter, that I recorded a couple weeks ago...

https://soundcloud.com/captainjimb/the-letter-wdrums-and-bass

The weasels said it would be sunny and around 70º today.  Close.  Solid overcast, occasional mist, barely made it to 60º.  I thought we might get out on the boat, but no.  I did get strings changed on a couple guitars.

Joan made chili and cornbread - just right on a day like this.

Guilt...

It's not a pretty emotion.

Even less so when someone (and I won't mention any names here, but it's my daughter Stephanie) tries to take you along on her guilt trip.

If you saw the previous post about that big ol' fur-ball Alfie, our grandcat, you may have noticed it was photographed with reasonable lighting so you could see his winter fur.  And, that impish face.

Steph and Dan have two other cats, both females.  Joan and I don't play favorites - we lavish plenty of attention on all three when we are there.  Torrie is the eldest, at 17.  She is special because she is the first furry family member for Steph and Dan, and the first pet period for Dan.  A medical situation with Torrie led to Steph and Dan canceling their plans to come here for Christmas... something that Joan and I understand and fully support.

Torrie is a mostly black with some gold tortoiseshell.  With all the black fur, it is tough to get a good photograph of her.  Of course, someone whose name I won't mention (but again, it is Stephanie) worked in our studio for a number of years... doing all jobs, including shooting.  Apparently, the posting of the previous Alfie feature caused a bout of guilt in my sweet little girl, and she sent me some photos of Torrie and Tasha, telling me how hurt they were that they didn't get featured in a blog post.  Alas, we had no photos of "the girls," because someone (do I have to tell you who?) didn't send me any photos of "the girls."

So, I just got some photos of "the girls," apparently hastily photographed, and not much regard for exposure or positioning.  Because I am a good Daddy (and cat-Grandpa), I spent some time getting the best possible out of those images.

Here's Torrie...

Torrie is a little bit of a thing, with the tiniest paws I've ever seen on an adult cat.  For the first 16 years, it has been very apparent that Dan is her favorite.  I don't speak "cat," but I am pretty sure I heard Torrie say to Dan, "Why do we let her live with us?  She is always trying to come between you and me."  (referring to Stephanie)  In the last year or so, Torrie has not only accepted, but embraced life with Steph.  Torrie was a "girl of the streets" before being rescued by Steph and Dan.

This is Tasha...

This is Tasha's back...

No, I have no idea who thinks this is her best side.  Apparently, someone who hurriedly took a photo, apparently while Tasha was laying on her feet.  It took a lot of photo manipulation to find any detail in that image.

This image shows some personality...

That is a big cat (Tasha is also a 15 pound Siberian Forest Cat, and if you were buying her an outfit, it would be: size Pretty Plus) under a low table.  Tasha has a beautiful sweet face.  I am amazed that she can fit herself in that skinny space, though.

Here is a photo I took of Tasha when she was brand new in the family...

Yes, she had to have the "cone of shame" to keep her from licking some stitches (from getting "fixed").  Such a sweet little face.

All three of our grandkitties are special to us.  We can only post new photos when someone (need the name??) sends some.

Steph was concerned - or rather, she said "the girls" were concerned - that they wouldn't be in a blog post before the end of the year.  Yeah, I have that covered.  ;-)

Look at that face...

No, that isn't Izzy.  Her face is more baby-kitty shaped.  That is our grandcat Alfie.  He is the new kid, at a bit over a year and a half now.  He is a big boy, and furry...

Look at that luxurious belly!  He is a Siberian Forest Cat (like his "sister," Tasha), and has his winter fur.  Yes, in Arizona.  We're anxious to see how much he has grown since we saw him last...

That breed typically continues to grow for the first four years.  For a comparison, he is now nearly twice the weight of Izzy.

A handsome boy... can you tell we don't have grandkids?  ;-)

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...

Jack Frost nipping at your nose.  Not really.  I stepped outside this morning to check on the boat...  that Frost bastard was trying to eat my face!  46º with a light drizzle and a biting north wind.  The "feels like" temperature is 38º... according to the Weather Channel.  I think they use that "feels like" bit because the term "wind chill" is foreign around here.  I still remember it from my years in the frozen northland.

We'll meet friends Mike and MJ for lunch later, and I'll be wearing my warmest winter coat.  In the meantime...

 The furnace is occasionally running this morning; this cottage-size home is tightly built, so it doesn't take much to warm it up.  This electric fireplace is also a space heater and keeps the living room comfy.

You're heard the phrase: "It's a dry heat."  In the Tropical Tip today, it is a wet cold.

------------------------

Time for another recording before we head out for lunch - a cover of Carole King's It's Too Late...

https://soundcloud.com/captainjimb/its-too-late

A conga track instead of full drums.

A day's difference...

24 hours ago, we were just pulling in from a truly delightful dolphin experience.  Today... it started out windy and drizzly, with the temps dropping all day; to a chilly 52º with a strong north wind.  The rain has stopped for now.  Nothing I needed to go outside for today.  Well, other than a quick step outside to press the button on some of our Christmas rope lights to switch them from green to white... for some reason, they come on green.  White works better with the rest of the lights.

Another day or three and those will come down.  Joan put away all the indoor Christmas decorations today.

From what I read, many people with a cat have problems with their feline family member attacking the tree.  We have been fortunate: our first kitty, Smoke, was pretty small and she only swatted at the low hanging decorations.  Raise those up, and all was good.  Molly never bothered any decorations, but she was more like a furry person than a cat. Izzy is just the sweetest little thing ever, and doesn't cause problems; has never gone after Christmas decorations or anything on a table or shelf.

I see that much of the country is having severe cold and wintery weather.  I don't miss that a bit.  These northers that blow in this time of year are more than enough to make me appreciate our sub-tropical climate.

A triple!

Yep, third post for the day.  As an update, we went out for BBQ for lunch - we saw the FedEx truck heading onto our island as we were heading off.  When we got home, the 4 boxes we left on the steps were gone; we're assuming the driver was able to "find the house" this time.  ;-)

It was around 3:30 when we drove across the swingbridge back to our island.  I asked Joan, "Would you be up for a short boat ride when we get home."

"Sounds great!"

Before going home, we stopped at the furthest canal over to check the situation - the dredge was still tied to a dock there - looks like the crew got to have some days off.

Back home and looking down our canal, it appeared as though the pipe was closer to our side of the canal.  We shoved off, thinking we could still get alongside it... nope - it was too close to a boat on a boat-lift on our side.  No choice but to "jump" the pipe.  Looking up the canal, Joan was ready for the next crossing...

We got across that one and turned the corner to get into the exit canal.  Here's a look at this small "rustic" (I'm being charitable) dredge...

One last pipe to get over, but that was submerged enough that I didn't have to pull the motor completely up -  we are heading out!

The sun had been in and out of the clouds all day; with the afternoon getting short, I wasn't planning to be out long - I want to be back in our canal while there is still enough light to clearly see the pipes.  We were barely out of the canals when we got our first view of some dolphins, looking into the lowering sun...

I went behind them to get to a position where we'd have better light - that is some belly...

"They are right here by the boat!"

Well, not just there, we had dolphins all around us...

This boat came by and drove right over the top of them...

They at least slowed down, looked for a few seconds, then kept going.  Sometimes that drives the dolphins away, but they seemed anxious to play today!  We don't need "Walking In A Winter Wonderland" - we have dolphins frolicking in the snow!

No, not really... that is water splashing, while looking into the sun - makes for an interesting high contrast image.  In the following shots you'll see the difference in light as we move around.

Some tail...

So much activity to look at - do you look close or far away?  Ahead of us or behind??

Look at that pretty face...

Getting to see their faces above the water is my favorite!  Well, and belly...

When Isabella offers her belly up for a rub, that is the ultimate show of trust... I can't say it is the same with the dolphins.  Face or belly?  It's all good!

One of the dolphin watch boats passed by; slowed down to take a look, but they were headed back to the dock...

We exchanged "Happy Holidays!" greetings, then had the dolphins to ourselves again.

One of my favorite shots of the day...

A bit of everything!  On with the viewing...

Look at this little baby face!!

Big and little dorsal fins...

Look behind the tail...

Yep, another face!  Here's a series of "nosing up to the boat" images...

All this was happening in the span of less than a half hour - what a great viewing!

And never more than about a half mile out of our canals.  One last shot to say "Good bye!"... the activity quieted down as we turned for home.

Coming back in our canal, someone had moved the pipe (not the dredge crew), and it was sitting higher in the water - a bit more work to get over it to get home.  Fortunately, there was very little wind, so we were able to mostly "drift" over the pipe, with the motor up and off.  Snug maneuvering.

A short, but great, outing!