tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122885462024-03-15T20:11:44.829-05:00Nolesrock's Blog::a few pieces of my life, my love for music, my family, my writing, football and my emerging spirituality::CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.comBlogger376125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-17678913762280894362024-03-03T11:55:00.002-05:002024-03-03T11:55:41.191-05:00Second Chances and Trusting the ProcessIt was unbelievable the way I made it back to Fort Myers Beach in May 2023. I woke up in my favorite place on Earth June 1st last year.The first time any doubts arose about moving back here came a few months in, maybe 2.5. It was on a hot, summer night, AC barely able to cope, my mind doing too much thinking, that I began to question my future here. I put on a Reiki video and the one leading the CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-20124557491441287742024-02-12T08:00:00.004-05:002024-02-12T08:07:03.591-05:00Splintering of the Ex-Scientologist CommunityI knew so little about the Cult of Scientology before this show aired on A&E. I was riveted. Already a fan of Leah Remini from her time on "King of Queens" with Kevin James, I became a fan of this docu-series exposing the abuses of this destructive cult. It was enlightening and frightening at the same time.Fast forward a few years, and about the time that I really start digging into YouTube, CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-37038681392768983062024-01-03T08:33:00.003-05:002024-01-03T08:34:41.261-05:00Caring too much and carrying the weightI had someone close to me last year tell me they are jealous of my "gypsy lifestyle." I found that characterization quite interesting and not all that far off. But here's the thing...it seems to denote a carefree lifestyle. I'm neither carefree or careless. Quite the contrary, I care TOO MUCH at times.More recently, a newfound friend and confidante told me that I am effected by other people's CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-91487722717691978932023-12-20T13:14:00.000-05:002023-12-20T13:14:09.084-05:00John Varner and my connection to his familyJohn Varner (1792 - 1870) was born in the Commonwealth of Virginia the same year that the western wilderness known as Kentucky was admitted to statehood. The young Varner (a German surname, not sure of the timeline of immigration) became acquainted with that wilderness south of the Ohio River and joined the Kentucky Militia, serving during the War of 1812, and continuing his service as private CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-68738864609946286482023-12-14T11:24:00.000-05:002023-12-14T11:24:30.647-05:00ARE ONE-PERCENTERS SCARED, YET?!?! They know how the French Revolution started, right?Are they scared, yet?Back at the beginning of the 19th century, it was the "Second Estate" who held all of France's wealth, well them and the Church (i.e. "The First Estate"). They represented TWO PERCENT of the nation's population. In 21st century America, the wealth holders are an even more elite ONE PERCENT. They know what happened to CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-49480690729546049482023-11-28T09:01:00.000-05:002023-11-28T09:01:25.077-05:00On Becoming OrphanedI know it’s a funny word choice at my age, but feeling orphaned after losing your parents is real. And as we approach the 8-year mark since Mom’s passing (tomorrow), I’ve been more reflective. I’ve made several posts on social media to memorialize her.Since losing Dad two years and two months ago, almost, I’ve had that feeling of being an orphan, parentless. And though I’m well equipped at 55 to CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-39458242350219061422023-10-17T06:23:00.000-05:002023-10-17T06:23:40.778-05:00Community: Connections that heal"We don’t heal in isolation, but in community.”– S. Kelley Harrell“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” – Herman MelvilleIn my journal this morning, I shared a moment of gratitude for the connections I’ve made on Fort Myers Beach. So many of my friends and neighbors are friendly, kind-hearted folks from the Midwest. I was journaling just how CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-39077621188641510222023-10-14T22:42:00.004-05:002023-10-15T06:47:55.075-05:00Tribute to a childhood friendMELISSA JAMES SALMON
November 30, 1968 - May 7, 2022(Click for obituary)We grew up in Indianapolis together, a couple of Winston Drive kids in one of the city’s middle class neighborhoods near Arlington High School on the city’s Northeast side. My family moved to 5701 Winston Dr. the summer between my fourth and fifth grade years.A few houses down towards the cul-de-sac was the two-story James CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-75905973763143477532023-10-12T08:24:00.002-05:002023-10-12T08:24:48.144-05:00Indiana RootsA few years back, I started a private Facebook group for my immediate family, prompted by my niece Kyrsten’s inquiry about our family history. It was called OUR INDIANA ROOTS and it traced my mother’s family back to pioneer times. That page was sadly lost because I failed to name anyone else administrator before my account was hacked and permanently deleted.I was off the social media site for CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-62230478081133549512023-10-04T07:20:00.001-05:002023-10-04T07:20:09.935-05:00My DadWe didn’t always see eye-to eye, me and him. I was his oldest and too much like him for their to be a lot of middle ground. We were stubborn, hot-headed and we both loved the same woman—my Mom.Like most teenagers, I rebelled against his authority and his autonomy in the home. I didn’t want to get up and go to church on Sundays. When I refused, he’d drag me out of bed or coerce me with a glass of CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-27720280343472635432023-08-30T11:18:00.000-05:002023-08-30T11:18:08.978-05:00Florida Connection Made Early in LifePrinceton, Indiana, my birthplace will forever be home to me. I have deep roots there dating back to pioneer times, 1811. I grew up in Indianapolis until the age of 17 and that city also feels like home to me. But from a very early age, Florida has had a special hold on me.My first time in the Sunshine State I can only recall from faint memories and family photos. My parents took my sister and I CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-74797044159557269012023-07-28T09:26:00.012-05:002023-07-28T09:49:19.829-05:00Beach Elementary: A Unique Firsthand Perspective Original post:https://fmbislander.wordpress.com/2023/07/28/beach-elementary-a-unique-firsthand-perspective/BY Ellie Bunting (Special to the FMBIslander)Tomorrow [October 6, 2022] at 6 PM at Skip One Seafood, there will be a meeting to discuss the future of the Beach School. This school has been an integral part of our community since 1937. I attended the Beach School in the late 50’s. CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-88060142446792282672023-07-24T17:17:00.003-05:002023-07-24T17:19:32.340-05:00Latest Article - FMBIslander.com https://fmbislander.com/2023/07/24/no-date-for-reopening-matanzas-pass-preserve/I haven’t been writing like I should, but I did post one article today.Two reasons—this heat and humidity is sapping my energy. We were under heat advisories this weekend due to 110-degree-plus heat indices. So getting out to run down interviews or take pics has been limited. I stayed inside, sat at a bar (to CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-18981647942730944792023-07-18T12:07:00.008-05:002023-07-18T12:09:40.908-05:00New Article on the Beach Libraryhttps://fmbislander.wordpress.com/2023/07/18/fort-myers-beach-library-update/To view all my recent articles, visit FMBIslander.comMy new Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094471973535CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-9711046762778793172023-07-15T09:56:00.002-05:002023-07-15T10:04:58.303-05:00Goodbye Shamrock! Video credit: @DebyRoxanePhotos I took last week:The famed dive bar at 2201 Estero Blvd was decimated by Ian and demolished today by heavy machinery. My coworker and friend DebyRoxane Sams shot video this morning.CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-10781512751231935502023-07-15T09:27:00.001-05:002023-07-15T09:27:18.391-05:00The Mound House, an island treasure It sits at the end of Connecticut Street and is my favorite spot to take my coffee and journal to greet the day! No better place to catch the sunrise over the red mangroves on the back bay.I took these photos this morning ahead of tomorrow’s interview with Events Coordinator Adam Knight at the Mound House. Being the highest point on Estero Island helped spare the 117-year-old property from CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-25736077603184753142023-07-04T14:45:00.004-05:002023-07-04T15:14:21.037-05:00Introducing the FMB IslanderI'm in the process of starting a new venture -- an online, independent news site specific to Fort Myers Beach. I previously worked for the Island Sand Paper when I lived here before. It has since gone out of publication, sold by it's local owners. I loved writing for them and diving into human interest stories about all the characters here on FMB. I want to do that again.Currently, the island is CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-79460857113411117882023-05-08T12:49:00.000-05:002023-05-08T12:49:02.614-05:00***PRIME***TIME*** Coach Prime, Deion SandersIn my last post about my blog name, alma mater and fandom, I ended on a player I did not originally care for. He arrived at Florida State from Fort Myers the year after I moved to Tallahassee. As I detailed in my last post, I was not an instant fan of the university or the team. In fact, I was a little annoyed at the garnet and gold displayed everywhere and the rabidity of the fans there. I'd CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-38938382017881747532023-05-04T09:34:00.004-05:002023-05-08T21:02:47.625-05:00A Proud Florida State Seminole: A RetrospectiveMy Dad moved to Tallahassee in April 1986 for a new position. He would lead the Florida Credit Union League. We helped him move into a small apartment on the city's northside during my senior year spring break. The family would join him a week after my graduation in June.When I arrived in Tallahassee that year, I knew very little of Florida State University or Bobby Bowden or the fledgling CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-48064690633532450602023-04-01T10:18:00.003-05:002023-04-01T10:18:38.115-05:00HISTORIC TORNADO OUTBREAK: A bit too close to home! CBS Morning News - 1 Apr 2023WTHR-Indianapolis, 1 Apr 2023The National and Local news this morning led off with the deaths in Sullivan County, Indiana, currently at three, confirmed. This was the result of a historic tornado outbreak across the Midwest and Mid-South (Memphis to Nashville).I watched the events unfold live through YouTube, donning my "virtual storm chaser" cap. The tornado CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-41108618737192239142023-03-28T09:47:00.011-05:002023-05-04T09:47:08.183-05:00HURRICANE IAN: 6 Months Ago TodayIt was 6 months ago today that my ISLAND HOME was decimated by Hurricane Ian. I watched all the coverage I could the morning of September 28th as the monster storm blew ashore. It started with young adults playing in the roaring surf under the Fort Myers Beach Pier around 11. By the time the water receded later that day, the pier was GONE! So too was the beach plaza known as Times Square...and CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-44178818919296225882023-03-21T09:17:00.000-05:002023-03-21T09:17:01.816-05:00Two different worldsOn their Agent Provocateur album, Foreigner sang "Two Different Worlds," and that song just came back to me as I was about to start this blog post. In America, we certainly have two different worlds. In 1984, Lou Gramm sang, "One that belongs to me, one could be wrong for me," and that couldn't ring any truer than today.On the one hand, you have California who formed a task force to tackle the CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-16391963726508920422023-02-21T13:14:00.003-05:002023-02-21T13:14:49.325-05:0033 YEARS AGO TODAY......the world lost a great woman, my maternal grandmother, Kathryn "Kate" Dunning/Larson/Wright...One of my most favorite blog posts ever is the one I wrote about her 15 Jul 2010 (link in caption):Pancakes & Smoky LinksShe was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1989 when I was starting out on my own in Florida. I was so disappointed I couldn't come home for the annual Dunning reunion that OctoberCMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-69049905705866879262023-01-28T14:41:00.006-05:002023-01-28T14:49:59.415-05:00The Remarkable Story of the McClure Brothers (Civil War/Gibson County History)You can read part of the story in the news article, below, published on page 4 of the 1 Sep 1911 Evansville Journal newspaper. It tells of the annual reunion of the 17th Indiana Infantry Regiment, Company H, assembled in Gibson County, Indiana, during the Civil War.Not mentioned was a fifth McClure brother, Alex, who died four years earlier. He also served in this company of Gibson County men. CMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12288546.post-44554198684884738252022-12-31T14:16:00.001-05:002022-12-31T14:31:06.478-05:00Retrospective 2022The year after my mom died really sucked. I wasn't ready to experience grief like that. I wrote that December just how awful it was. This is the end of the year after my father's death. The grieving process has been totally different. In 2016, the year actually ended on an up note as I landed a job I liked, a gig with a local band I admired and started a relationship late in the year. I can't sayCMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05030180805789592988noreply@blogger.com0