Not quite a Tom McEwen breakfast, but good

Posted Nov 19, 2006 by Mike DeWitt

Updated Nov 22, 2006 at 01:39 PM

Good Morning, fellow Hikers

With sincere apologies to Tom McEwen, I send you this morning dispatch over a zip-lock freezer bag of hot plain oatmeal and a steaming GI canteen cup of freshly French-pressed Starbucks French Roast coffee, all of which are being inhaled on a pine-dotted knoll in the middle of a sun-streaked morning forest.

Last night, as the twilight snuck behind the horizon to leave me in the company of a million stars in an infinitely clear heaven, I slipped into my sleeping bag after rather easy day on the trail.

I propped my head against my pack and looked into the sky, so happy to be enveloped in the magnificent isolation of the woods.  As is my habit, I slipped the earpieces of my small radio into my ears and pulled on my knit cap to keep them in place.  I switched on the power, delighted to find that I was tuning in the opening notes of the Prairie Home Companion on NPR. 

I lay there, laughing.  My yuks were probably the only human noise within miles.  Over the next moonless hour, I let my imagination be transported to the gloomy offices of Guy Noir, Private Eye and to the pastoral stoicism of Lake Woebegone.  It was heaven beneath the heavens.

So clear was the night and so deprived of ambient light was my camp, that I could easily see satellites rip across the sky at speeds that make the final lap of a NASCAR race look like a parking lot.  Garrison signed off, and so did I.

The noise that brought morning was one that I recognized but at first could not place in the fog of awakening.  It was a bird that discovered that the peak of Big Agnes made for a fine place to call to his brothers and sisters.  The first light of sun made little bird feet shadows that I could clearly see.  They made a scratchy noise as he balanced himself on the single aluminum pole just beneath the rain fly.  So close was he to me that I could almost hear him inhale between chirps. 

He flew away when he heard me stir beneath him.  He left with his mission accomplished, this avian alarm clock.  It was 0600 and time to get up. 

Another glorious day!  Every day a holiday, every meal, a banquet,  All that was missing was my friend Gene McColgan’s Irish baritone belting out “Oh, what a beautiful morning.”  Were he (and you) here with me, I guarantee you we’d have been treated to a verse or two of “Oklahoma”.  And Gino has some mean pipes.

Well, better pack up and hit the trail, there folks.  I’ll be passing a grotto which is said to feature Florida’s only true waterfall.  Visit floridatrail.org to see a picture of it.  I’ll post some more of them – and hopefully some video – when I can plug in.

Enjoy your Sunday, hikers- and have an extra piece of Cuban toast - liberally buttered and thoroughly guava’d - for me, will you, please?
Cheers from the Florida Trail, ya’ll.  Mike

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Econfina Dreamin’

Posted Nov 18, 2006 by Mike DeWitt

Updated Feb 3, 2007 at 03:22 PM

What a day for a hike, eh, hikers?

This happens to be one of those rare occasions when I can write to you from the trailhead of the Econfina (pronounced EE-con-FINE-uh) section of the Florida Trail.  Want to be laughed at instead of laughed with?  Pronounce it ek-con-feena.  Do that and you might as well have pulled into the parking lot driving a Lincoln Continental with Massachusetts tags and trunk-load of luggage fashioned from carpets.

Wow, it is so great to back on the trail.  Those orange blazes are like open arms after that layover in civilization.

But it was worth it, helping to build the bridge over Monkey Creek – sweating alongside those great and talented F-Troopers, SCA-ers, and FTA and USFS staffers – was totally worth the layover.  A tip to my blog readers: There will be a story in the Trib about the Monkey Creek bridge project one week from tomorrow (barring anything unforeseen editorial edicts).  On that day I will post a “companion blog” that will touch more deeply on a couple of cool things I learned while there. 

Teaser? OK, just one.

When you hike the Florida Trail, you are instantly appreciative of the trail workers who paint the blazes, mow the footpath and clear the obstacles.  Trail hikers would be trapped upon that proverbial fecally-challenged creek - sans paddle- without these rough-and-ready volunteers.

But behind the loppers and mowers is a chain of bright, passionate professionals – some volunteer, some paid – that strive mightily to capture more wilderness access and more resources for this extraordinary undertaking.  I want to introduce you to them. The shared a few things that might come as a surprise to you.  Suffice it say that I am hitting the trail jazzed with sense of renewed optimism about the future.

Okay- well.  Dang, it’s been fun.  How are your packs riding?  Good?  Great. Well, we’re getting ready to see some of the most beautiful sights on the trail. 

“Let’s do it.”

Cheers from the Florida Trail!  Mike

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Festive Attire, Part Two

Posted Nov 18, 2006 by Sandy Hughes

Updated Nov 18, 2006 at 12:58 PM

So how do you decipher invitation dress codes? 

Most of us know the rules for black-tie, formal, and semi-formal attire. 

For women, a clearly defined dressy occasion is pretty easy, and choices abound.

It’s when the invitation says “casual” “festive”, or nothing at all that we run into issues.  After all, the term “casual” can mean different things to different people.  There’s city casual, snappy casual, dressy casual, relaxed casual, business casual , resort casual, country club casual,  sloppy casual, and probably more.

We love Mr. Andy’s “Casual Categories Chart” in this detailed, precise breakdown—although he focuses on men’s attire, his definitions are helpful.

Here in Tampa there are generally four categories of casual:  Business Casual, City/Nightclub Casual, Snappy/Country Club Casual, and Sporty/Sloppy Casual.

Business Casual, or the “Bree Vandekamp” look:

No matter what you do, you’ll probably need to dress Business Casual at some point in your life, because it’s the go-to look for anything that has a serious side to it.  Political fundraisers, church functions, meetings with your estate attorney (or probation officer, depending on your situation), all require more conservative attire.
Business Casual is the same here as pretty much anywhere:  While much depends on your industry, corporate types can’t go wrong with nice pants or a in wool or twill, a sweater or knit top, and close-toed mules or flats.  A skirt and boots works well, too.  (Brooks Brothers is a great place to start for conservative looks.)
In more creative industries, dress jeans and trendier tops or jackets can be worn, as long as nothing looks too “hootchie”, (which is never a good idea in any business if you want to be taken seriously). 

City/Nightclub casual, or the “Gabriella Solis” look:

City/Nightclub casual is where you can go sexier.  If you’re invited to an adult party either held at a restaurant or nightclub, or in someone’s home (a good indication of this kind of party is that it often starts late—8 or 9:00 at the earliest), or if you know the guests are mostly young and trendy, anything goes.  Dressy jeans, sexy tops, little skirts, strappy sandals are all great.  If you’re older or more conservative, some well-cut pants paired with a bare top—a halter, or strapless—with a shawl or cardigan would be perfect.  The only no-no’s would be anything too “Mommy” or “Granola-Cruncher” looking.  Boring is bad!

Snappy/Country Club Casual, or the “Lynette Scavo” look

At Vanderbilt University, and we’re sure many other colleges, one of the sorority-rush dress codes is defined as “snappy casual”, which we had never heard before but learned means “expensive”.  It goes by lots of other names—casual chic, dressy casual, resort casual, upscale casual—and it will vary with locale and season. 
And for most of us in Tampa, especially anyone over 30, this is going to be your most common category for dinners, showers, club events, and cocktail parties.  If the invitation doesn’t say what to wear, this is probably what it means. 
We find that most women will keep it low-key by having one focal point, whether it’s the “cute” skirt, the detailed blouse, a great piece of jewelry, or gorgeous shoes (that they somehow found for 80% off at DSW, something we never seem to be able to do).  Everyone loves their “statement” skirts, but we’re starting to see a lot more day dresses, too, especially with the younger, “pre-school Mommy” set, paired with flats or wedges.
Boutiques like Deborah Kent’s, Kate McKenzie, and The Pink Palm are great Snappy Casual sources, as are Anthropologie (the favorite for those skirts)  and BCBG in Hyde Park. 

Sporty/Sloppy Casual, or the “Susan Mayer” look

This is the relaxed, backyard barbeque, football tailgate, jeans-and-loafers casual that we all know.  It’s basically weekend and vacation wear, and the priority is comfort and/or suitability to the party’s central activity.  (Jorts, anyone?) Clues in the invitation that the party’s super-casual:  It’s in the daytime, it’s outdoors, children are invited, and you’re encouraged to bring a lawn chair or beach blanket.  For casual clothes in bright holiday colors, check out Old Navy, Gap, and JCrew.

And if you’re still not sure what to wear to your event, your Friendly Retailers can help:  Just log on to the websites for Neiman Marcus, Banana Republic, and Ann Taylor for their suggestions for different occasions. 

With all this help, you can’t go wrong!

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Streak The Streets

Posted Nov 17, 2006 by Patty Kim

Updated Nov 17, 2006 at 06:05 PM

Tomorrow’s forecast: Mostly sunny, a high of 70 and winds of 6 mph.

What better day to run the Sneaker Streaker 5K? If you’re not feeling as frisky, there’s a 2.5K fun walk.

No need to bother with running shorts, sports bras or tanks—it’s clothing optional. Special awards are reserved for nekkid racers who place!

Fun times begin at 8 a.m. at Paradise Lakes Resort, 2001 Brinson Road, Lutz. Registration is $25, and proceeds will benefit the Paradise Lion’s Club.

What better way to unwind after a run than to hang out with sweaty racers in their birthday suits at the post-race par-tay?

E-mail race director .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for the scoop.

If running isn’t your thing, never fear. Paradise Lakes offers so much more.

You can take belly dancing lessons and jump into the contest Saturday.

There’s a Thanksgiving buffet on Nov. 23.

On Dec. 10, there’s a Christmas Golf Cart Parade.

All the details are right here.

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Ode To My IPod

Posted Nov 17, 2006 by Stacey Shick

Updated Nov 17, 2006 at 03:56 PM

I had a scare during Wednesday’s run, when all of a sudden, my iPod Nano froze. That had never happened to me before. I had just reached the sidewalk on Bayshore Boulevard and reached over to my arm to crank up the volume when the stopwatch function froze and the volume wouldn’t go up. I took my earbuds out for another mile or so, then I remembered how to reset it. Fortunately, I was able to get my tunes going again. I didn’t know how I was going to do 7 miles on my own, without tunes, especially on a day when I was having a hard time finding a groove.

It’s been almost a year since I went into full-scale hint mode about what I wanted for Christmas. I hadn’t been that persistent since I asked for an Apple IIc in elementary school. (My grandparents were so scared Santa wouldn’t bring me my computer that they brought their Commodore 64 to my house as a backup. They weren’t sure what I’d do if I didn’t get the Apple.)

The hints started innocent enough. “I think I’d like one of those little iPods for running.” After a while, I stepped it up. “Did you know you could get a Nano engraved if you order it off the Apple Web site? You could put my name on it!” Then I just got crazy. “Don’t you think a black Nano would look good with this skirt?”

Christmas morning, my boyfriend handed me a little box—with a shiny white Nano inside. It wasn’t the black I had wanted, but the engraving on the back more than made up for the color. A little cheesy maybe, but still inspiring everyday: “Don’t Give Up. Don’t Ever Give Up.”

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