The breeze blows in my long hair as I head up the smooth Ipswich River. The clear blue sky and hot breeze, is only the beginning to a great day. The river finally connects with the ocean. The mouth of the river is bumpy and filled with boats so we head towards our destination at Steep Hill Beach. Steep Hill is loaded with boats and people, but the one crowd that always stands out is mine. During the summer, my entire family is out there. Cookouts are a regular thing, with food every where. Steak, Hamburgers, Corn on the Cob you name it, we defiantly have ate it on the boat. The best time of the day on the boat is when the sun is setting. Sitting on my uncles boat, I stare over Little Neck where the bright yellow and orange ball in the sky fades away. I have my family, the light warm breeze and a beautiful sunset to gaze at. Life without the beach would be the end of the world for me.
Cranes Beach
This is the Ipswich resident boardwalk at Cranes Beach. I just recently took this picture when I was home on break for thanksgiving. It was such a beautiful day out so my mom and I went for a walk. The beach is only a five minute drive from my house. When we got there, there was quite a few people because in the fall and winter people can bring there dogs and horses on the beach. This beach is not only for soaking up the sun. There are trails that lead all over the beach. My mom and I took one of the long routes that brought us all the way down the left of the beach in the dunes and up to the castle and back to the original spot, this boardwalk. This beach is called Cranes Beach because Mr. Crane used to own it and the surrounding area. He lived in the Castle that overlooks this beach with his family. The reason why the Cranes were so wealthy was because he was one of the first men to create the indoor toilet. If you ever see a toilet that has a crane on it is from him and my hometown. He then gave this beach to the trustees of Ipswich that maintain it and take care of it. This beach is gorgeous and no matter what season you visit it you will be stunned by its beauty.
Making S’mores: Step by Step
Before it gets dark out make sure you grab a bunch of fire wood and a bundle of sticks that you can put your marshmallow.
Get the fire started.
Once the fire is going you need to take out all the materials. The materials that you need are graham cracker, marshmallows and chocolate bars.
The next step is to place the marshmallow on the stick.
Place the stick over the fire and let it roast. At this point you can cook the marshmallow to your standard.
When your the marshmallow is finally cooked to your perfection you then grab a graham cracker.
The next step is to take a graham cracker and break it in half.
When the two crackers are separated place a piece of chocolate on one half.
Take the marshmallow off the stick and then place it on graham cracker without the chocolate. You can also place the marshmallow on the graham cracker and then grab the other graham cracker with the chocolate and pull the marshmallow off the stick.
Once you place the sandwich together you then begin to eat.
Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1
The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyers has been a major hit ever since she published them. Everyone was reading the books and crushing on the mysterious Edward Cullen, the vampire who falls in love with a human. His charm, crooked smile and sparkly skin caught the eye of Bella Swan. They eventually fall in love and go through many obstacles together. One obstacle is when he leaves her and she also falls in love with a werewolves, Jacob.
Finally when the movies came out Twilight mania was in full blast. I saw the first movie and was hooked on Edward just like everyone else. The next two movies were awful and the acting was very poor just like the first movie. Breaking Dawn is the last book in the saga. Since the book is so long the movie is broken up into two parts. This book is about how Bella and Edward get married. Bella desperately wants to become a vampire but the only way Edward would allow her to become a vampire is for them to get married. This book has so many surprises that you wouldn’t expect.
This first part of the book was shockingly good. I was impressed with Robert Pattinson’s(Edward Cullen) acting. In the first two movies he would breath heavily and looked so awkward. His skills defiantly improved and he is becoming more creditable as an actor for me. Another thing I was impressed with was how well the special effects are with the werewolves. The eyes of the wolves are amazing. Also the way the humans turn into wolves is also a good effect. One thing that I did notice was the the acting in the middle was weak and not that strong. Even though Pattinson has improved, the other actor and actress were not that good. I wasn’t impressed. Overall, this movie was decent. It was better than the first three and hopefully the second part of Breaking Dawn will blow all of us away.
Invasive Species
Invasive Species after 9/11 and New Species found in 2011
The years following 9/11 many invasive species came to the United States. Invasive species are species that don’t belong in an certain environment. They are also known as “non native”. These species take over the ecosystem because there isn’t another species in the ecosystem that eats it. Right after 9/11, scientist who were in charge of stopping the invasive species got reassigned into anti-terrorist jobs. They completely forgot about the invasive species. This caused a lot of different species to invade. Also people may not know this but when this mistake happened there was an increase in food prices and a risk of chemicals came into play.
According to Tracie Cone from MSNBC these were some damages that have occurred since 9/11
- No fewer than 19 Mediterranean fruit fly infestations took hold in California, and the European grapevine moth triggered spraying and quarantines across wine country.
- The Asian citrus psyllid, which can carry a disease that has decimated Florida orange groves, crossed the border from Mexico, threatening California’s $1.8 billion citrus industry.
- New Zealand’s light brown apple moth also emerged in California, prompting the government in 2008 to bombard the Monterey Bay area with 1,600 pounds of pesticides. The spraying drew complaints that it caused respiratory problems and killed birds. Officials spent $110 million to eradicate the moth, but it didn’t work.
- The sweet orange scab, a fungal disease that infects citrus, appeared in Florida, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, which all imposed quarantines.
- Chili thrips, rice cutworms and the plant disease gladiolus rust also got into Florida, which saw a 27 percent increase in new pests and pathogens between 2003 and 2007.
- The erythrina gall wasp decimated Hawaii’s wiliwili trees, which bear seeds used to make leis.
- Forests from Minnesota to the Northeast were also affected by beetles such as the emerald ash borer, many of which arrived in Chinese shipping pallets because regulations weren’t enforced.
Now in 2011 many states are finding more and more species. The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Library post news about invasive species. For example in Florida, The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has found and confirmed that a population of Giant African land snails are in the Miami-Dade County. These were found on september 15th 2011.These snails are considered to be very damaging. They eat about 500 different types of plants and carry parasitic nematode that can cause meningitis in humans. This is just one of few species that invade the United States.
I think that this is a serious problem that we need to try and get under control. These invasive species can and will take over entire ecosystems if they are not stopped. The only problem is that getting rid of these pest takes a lot of money. For example in 2004, Cornell University, put the total annual cost of all invasive species in the U.S. at $120 billion. This is an ridiculous amount to be spending on invasive species but at the same time this needs to be taken care of. Our food supply is very important to us and we don’t need any invasive species ruining it.
Sources:
Cone, Tracie. “Foreign Insects, Diseases Got into US Post 9/11 – US News – Security – Msnbc.com.” Msnbc.com – Breaking News, Science and Tech News, World News, US News, Local News- Msnbc.com. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44841097/ns/us_news-security/>.
“Invasive Species: Emerging Issues (News and Events).” National Invasive Species Information Center. 22 Sept. 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. <http://www.nalusda.gov/news/emerge.shtml>.
Woody’s
Woody’s
Woody’s is a famous restaurant on a small island, named after the owner’s dog. On all the T-shirts sits Woody the dog, sleeping with his tongue out with a beer can next to him. The island is off the coast of Florida and you can only get there by boat. All the locals have small houses on the beach which are all less than a five minute walk to Woody’s. Woody’s is pretty busy during the day but when night hits, its usually all the locals. Monday night is Mardi Gras themed and Earl Buckley plays the same songs as usually. The restaurants entrance has a giant buoy that resembles the southernmost point in Key West. It says the drunken most point in the continental USA, which is true to all the locals. The restaurant has a giant tiki hunt on the side were picnic tables are set up. Inside is a bar that is L shaped and around it are large round tables. The walls are covered in posters, car hoods and bright lights advertising beer. There are pictures of the hurricanes that the building survived and dollars bills cover a whole wall. Earl is setting up his mic, stool and guitar as I walk in.
“Earl, you always set up in the same left corner, you know that right?”
“Haha, Hey Hank why don’t you go sit in your same bar stool?
“Ha, I think I will”
I head over to my bar stool that is on the end, right in front of the T.V. The Florida Marlins are on and they are playing the Cleveland Indians. I look around and see all the usual drunks and locals who are here for Mardi Gras monday. Sally and Doug sit in there usual barstools, Greg, Lou, and Bill are sitting in the round table behind me and Mary the bartender is working her usual shift. Earl begins the night with Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffet and then heads into the Mardi Gras music. The next song he decides to play is Mardi Gras Mambo by The Hawketts. Mary is busy getting Vito, the local drunk to wake up off the bar when she notices me. She grabs the gin off the top shelf and begins to pour it into a small glass.
“Hey Hank! I am grabbing you the usual be there in a sec.”
Mary is my favorite bartender. She always knows what people want and even if she is running around like crazy she will acknowledge you.
“Here’s your Salty Dog”
“Thanks Mary, you know me to well.”
“Well Hank, I know all the locals.”
Mary heads back over to wake Vito up when all of a sudden a geeky looking guy walked up to Mary and asked for a drink.Vito immediately woke up to get a glimpse of this man. His white polo, kaki shorts, and boat shoes stuck out from all the locals. His pale skinny body and large glasses also stuck out. Everyone on this island including myself are tan, wear flip flops, bathing suits and our hair is grown out. He stuck out like a sore thumb and everyone wants to know why he is here. Earl stopped playing his music and the atmosphere became more awkward then it all ready is. Everyone is staring at this guy as if he had a huge wart on his face. In the past thirty years that I have been coming to the bar I have never seen a tourist here at night.
The skinny, geeky guy starts to look around for any open seats. Of course the only open barstool is next to mine. I am not anti social or anything but I really am not in the mood to talk to this guy. Why would he be out here by himself on a monday night? I just want to enjoy my gin and go to bed. Being retired, I have just kept to myself and I like it that way. He passed by Sally and Doug and they both gave a look of disapproval. He finally made it around the L of the bar and heads over towards me. Greg, Lou and Bill give a little chuckle behind me.
“Hey is this seat taken”
I gave a little nod to tell him he can sit down. He gave a quirky smile and sat down.
“Hi, my name is Steve” He put out his hand to shake my hand.
“Hank”
“Well nice to meet you. This is a nice restaurant, my mother told me I had to visit it.”
I just gave another nod but he didn’t get the hint that I didn’t want to listen to him, or talk to him.
“So hank, what are you drinking? I am drinking a Pina Colada.
“I am drinking a Salty Dog”
“Seems interesting, isn’t that whiskey?
“No, gin”
He finally got the hint and knew I wasn’t interested in talking. He starts to look around to see if he could find anyone to talk to. I knew that no local would talk to this nerd, so I knew I had to take one for the team.
“So Steve, What brings you out here?
His face is beaming with excitement because I was actually talking to this poor guy.
“Well, my mother lives on the main land but told me about this place. She said that all the locals are here at night and that there is music and its basically a party. But I guess she was wrong about the party. Oh yeah and My girlfriend is down too. She decided to spend a night with my mother so I decided to come over here to get away. We are sort of are in a fight right now.”
“Yeah everyone kind of keeps to themselves and drinks. No dancing or really a party in general, just a normal bar and oh well I am sorry to hear about that.”
He nodded and looked around at the dollar bills that were defaced with writing on them from all the tourist. He seemed nervous being here, maybe it was because he was with all the locals. I thought about why he would randomly say that about his girlfriend.
I took another sip of my drink and asked “How did you get out here?”
“I departed from the main land around six thirty on my rental boat. It was still pretty bright out and tonight I’m just gonna sleep out on my boat.”
Steve turned to Mary and asked for another drink. I had nothing else to say to this guy. I mean he was nice and all, but I just wanted to go home and sleep. Mary came back and I gave her a look to tell her I was done here. She went over to the register and grabbed my bill.
“Have a good night Hank. Go get some sleep”
“Thanks Mary and get Steve another drink and put it on my tab for me.”
Mary went to go grab Steve another drink.
“Well Steve you got two drinks you got to finish. It was nice meeting you. Hope you get home safe.”
“Hey Hank, thanks a lot. It means a lot to me that you actually talked to me.”
I gave one last nod to Steve.
I head over to Earl and put a dollar in the tip jar. I start walking home to my little shack. I mean it wasn’t even that bad talking to Steve but I am never doing that again, someone else has to take one for the team. I decide to take a walk by the docks that were right in front of Woody’s. The moon was almost full and it light up the ocean. I turn to my left and notice a boat I have never seen before. It it had a rental number on the side and I realized it was Steve’s. I decide to take a peek inside. I look behind me to make sure he wasn’t coming out or if anyone was around. A trash bag sits on the bottom of the boat and is full. I thought maybe it has all of his clothes and his sleeping bag until I notice a little pool of blood. I look at the bar and through the door I can see Steve. I know I should not over look this, I mean its blood! I climb over the edge of the boat and duck down. Luckily I am wearing a black t-shirt and dark jeans so no one can see me. I slowly open the trash bag and see a mop of hair and a beautiful women. I look up again and still see Steve. My heart is racing and I can feel it about to pop out. This women looked like she was about thirty. Her face is swollen and black and blue. I move the bag further down and find a bullet hole in her chest. Oh my god, Steve murdered this women. I look up again and Steve is gone. I grab the bag and cover her again. I hop out of the boat and start speed walking to get out of there. Steve one of the nerdiest, friendliest and normal guys I have ever met killed this women! I ran to the end of the dock and ran into the bar. Everyone was huddling in the far right corner by the bathroom. Even Earl and Mary are sitting in the corner which is very strange.
“Hello Hank”
I knew whose voice that was. It was Steve. I turn to my right where Earl would usually be sitting on his stool. Steve was sitting there with a loaded pistol and was aiming it right in between my eyes.
“Hank, Hank, Hank. I was going to let you go. You were the only one who talked to me and bought me a drink. Unfortunately, I saw you in my boat looking at my girlfriend. I told you we weren’t really getting along.”
I couldn’t find any words. I look over at all the locals. Mary was shaking, Sally was hiding behind Doug and even Greg, Lou and Bill were hiding and shaking.
“So Hank, I know you probably are in shock. I mean you would never expect a guy like me to have a dark side and kill someone but that bitch would not shut up.”
“But Steve, why?”
“Well, long story short, I was running out of gas and needed a place to stay the night. But you couldn’t just walk home. So I decided that everyone here should um…die. You know people can’t keep there mouth shuts, you are all so close.”
“Steve we never really go off this island. There are no cops out here and we will keep our mouth shuts.”
“Hank stop the pleading its not going to work.”
Steve starts to walk closer to me. He put the gun right on my forehead.
“Any last words”
I stare at his index finger as it moves closer to the trigger. I close my eyes and pray that this is just a dream.
“BANG!”
I feel the cold barrel of the gun leave my forehead. I open my eyes and see Steve stumbling backwards. His chest was bleeding. I look over at everyone in the corner. They were staring at the bar. I turn around to find Vito, hammered out of his mind with a shotgun.
Vito puts the shotgun down and says “Got him”
Everyone rushed over to Vito to hug him. I stood there standing over Steve. His body is lifeless but still gushing blood. I can’t even believe what just happened. I turn to look at everybody. They are hugging and crying with happiness. I walk over to Mary who is still shaking.
“Hank, we are never letting another tourist in here at night ever again.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
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