Mmmmm 4th of July

Fireworks, Kids having fun, Grill back in action....all is right in the world today.

Happy 4th of July

Thanks to those serving and our veterans. They make it possible for us to celebrate this day. God Bless You!

Uncle Bryan and Aunt Jennifer

It's about time for new members in the kid club! Congrats to Lauren, Mike and TBD....lovingly referred to as P-Nut! YEY.....

OUCH!!!!

Ford F-150 King Cab vs. Honda CRV...I mean really, pick on someone your own size. Everyone was fine. A sore neck and emotional day, but the auto-body shop says I should have the car back in a week. For what it's worth, not my fault! Rear-ended at a stop light.

Baseball Game

Thanks to the neighbors and Northrup Gruman night, we had some free tickets to the Manatees Bball game on Friday. Mommy had to work, but somehow we made it through the 78 degree, breezy evening at the baseball stadium w/o her. The pic might come out a little small. Possibly b/c there are some copyright issues being infringed upon? You'll have to ask my attorney about that one.

Coastal Charities Up and Running

For those that follow and may not know, I've started a non-profit to help fund youth education and involvement in the outdoors here in Brevard County. To raise the money we are running a kayak fishing tournament. The first event is September 12th of this year. I'm very excited about the momentum behind the event and look forward to a successful inaugural year. Please check us out at www.coastalcharities.org.

The paypal link will be up soon for those itching to make a donation! :)

Couple Pics from Chicago/ MI / Ft Wayne

Home sweet Home!

Vacation pics to follow, but some things had to come first! Sam and the boys are already testing out the pool!

Catfish Boys....

There must have been a healthy school of cats sitting off the end of our friends dock. The boys tossed the shrimp in, counted to 10 and had a fish on. They probably caught about 5 or 6 each before we arn out of bait. Great Memorial Day fishing trip.

Baby Jaguars

short video of the main attraction.....Come check us out!

Ahh.... Spring in Florida

Once everything is growing, humidity sets in, birds are everywhere, Pelicans diving on the beach....and bay crabs float into Tampa. The last being the most important for this story. When the tide starts carrying crab, those that eat crab are on the prowl. And, for 3 to 4 hours on the outgoing tide of the full and new moons, those that eat crab, eat them voraciously. The exciting part of this fishery is the constant action with boat after boat hooking up and fish dancing across the water. The unfortunate part is when your playing with giants, that 3 hour window gets very short. You don't exactly tell a 130# fish to hurry up and get to the boat to go catch more.
As you can guess, I was lucky enough to experience that event yesterday. We cancelled a couple weeks back, so a spattering tough weather (see pics) was not going to stop me. I made the drive over to Tampa and we were scooping crabs by 1:30. By 2:30 we were on site and by 3:15 we were hooked up. We went 3 for 5 for the day with two fish over 130#s. I caught two, one of the larger brutes and the "little" 80# fish that's jumping in the pics below. My arm still hurts. If there was a downside to the day, we never got the trophy shot. Combination of sloppy water, only two guys on the boat and a camera that takes too long to focus and shoot. None the less, it was a fabulous day and an experience that will have to be repeated. I just need to find these fish on the East Coast!

In case the snook was too small for you....

The pelicans were happy to take what we didn't want.

Take a Guess?

Not too many takers on my guessing game..Boring. If you guessed "my sister's dog watching over my brother in law prepare a room in my brother's apartment for dropping the big question to his girlfriend" you were right!!!....C'mon, it wasn't that hard! Way to go Ben....the answer was yes if anyone was curious.

First Snook of the season

Just 1.5" longer and he'd be swimming in the Zoo aquarium. Oh well, back to life under a dock.

Yes Lauren....this is what a Candy Table looks like...

Oooops....that's not funny, huh?

Spring in FL

Spring is marked by many things, none of which is more obvious than the frequent visits by family members from the North.....geez, just move down here already! Hah! We love the company. Couple shots from the last 3 weeks........

Tooth Fairy has a stop to make!

I've got two words for you ...... Uncle Larry!
OK, it may take a little more explanation for some. Brayden and Alex are both in loose tooth world right now. Brayden had two on the bottom and Alex two on the top. Well, the corn on the cob last night loosened one of Brayden's up enough to put "extraction" on the table. Add that with the one day visit from Jen's Uncle Larry and Aunt Nancy and you've got trouble! The two on the bottom were so crowded that when the first one came out, the second was hanging by a thread, so out it came as well. Or, maybe Uncle Larry's fingers were too big to grab just one. Either way, Brayden took a huge lead in the missing tooth game last night going from one half to two and a half in a matter of minutes. The first one being thanks to the tile floor two years ago, so it only counts for 1/2!

Sports Week of WOWs!

ALEX AND HIS GOALS....
So, we've figured out that a good 10 minutes of focus time between Dad and Alex makes for a much better game. Two weeks ago, we made it to the field just in time for Alex to "warm up" with the team and we were treated to a great game of star searching, butterfly chasing and what you might imagine would happen on the soccer field when Alex is far more concerned about the ice pop than the ball. So good to be a kid. BUT, it is way too frustrating for Dad. So, this week we hit the field a little early and just worked on running at Dad and taking the ball. That's all, no pep talk, very little coaching, just running to the ball. Ahhhh, the results! TWO GOALS! One of the two he really had to work for and get past a defender to score....and more importantly we had a kid that was more focused on the game than the clouds. Clouds are fun, but at 7 the kids are getting good enough that day dreaming can be a bit dangerous.

BRAYDEN'S FIRST HAT-TRICK
Brayden keeps flopping back and forth between the advanced skaters and intermediate skaters in mini-mite games. He's not quite ready for the advanced team, but it's good for him to try and play at that speed. Tonight, coach gave him a break and let him run with the intermediate kids. Equally good as he gets to carry the puck more and can get back on defense in time to block shots. He also has a much better chance to score goals. He had multiple attempts and connected on 3! His shinning moment was the slap shot that came off the ice and over the defenders stick into the goal. (I may be embellishing just a bit, maybe the shot bounced off his stick and bounced again over the defender's stick, but what's a Dad to do?, the puck did get off the ice). It was a great night and a nice show for Grandma and Grandpa Cleghorn.

It's all Relative

We love this time of year not only for the wonderful weather, but the many visits from friends and relatives. We're looking forward to Jennifer's parent's arrival this week and a first time visit from Aunt Nancy and Uncle Larry the following.

With everything going on it's difficult to stop and remember what's happening around the world during these difficult times. Jennifer has family that serve in Bontoc, Philippines in the Youth With a Mission program through Cornerstone Community Church. It's not that there aren't issues to be concerned about right now the in great US of A, but we don't have rebels fighting the military and helicopters landing so frequently it's difficult to conduct daily business. Please keep Thomas, Lisa, Alanya, Adriana, Alexie and Annalise in your thoughts and prayers not only for the wonderful work they do, but for the unrest in the region at this time. If you want to follow their story, the link to their blog is on the top right of my page "Lisa and Thomas' blog". http://garden-of-grace.blogspot.com/

Wii Showdown....Grandparent Style

So Grandma and Grandpa were in Chicago visiting with the Big City dwellers and thought it might be fun to get in on a little of this Wii action with the grandkids. After all, they're only 6 and 7, how good could they be?
There was great anticipation as Fuzz, Player, Squakasaur and Zander lined up for the first match. Engines roared, smack talk echoed from the speakers of iPhones and they were off.

There were certainly moments when the races were interesting (for the first 100 yards) and times that the boys felt threatened by the experience and skill of the Ft. Wayne driving team (on the starting line). The races were close (until the end of the first lap) and sweat poured from the boys brows (from all the celebrating), but in the end it was the little Cheek boys (terror on wheels team) that made their entry (through the gate they built)to the world of Mario Kart Wii know to all on this day. They look forward to the next challenge (beatdown) and hope that the City Folk can bring their A game (only game) again.

In fairness, Squaky and Zander were defeated a couple times. It was usually b/c their Dad wanted to get into the action. The boys, being well aware of records, point accumulation and the thrill of winning, did not let Dad play for long. If only there were scholarships for Wii play, I might open up the game for practice during the week. But, for now it's a weekend only event, looked forward too so much that Friday has been re-named Super Wiiday in our house. Ahhhh... to be 6 again.

Fun Weekend

Another sign that Spring is here in full.....reverse migration. Yes, all you poor folks still dealing with cold NE weather making your way down South to enjoy a taste of what's to come, albeit months from now, in your world. We, of course, love this part of spring as much and more than any part of the year less our first beach day. The first beach day is a cherished and celebrated event that puts the entire family in a great mood in light of the many trips that lie ahead. Anyway, back to friends and family.

My folks firmed up plans this week for their visit in late April. Jennifer's folks were on the phone finalizing plans for their Easter pilgrimage to Daytona with Nancy and Larry. And, we had a surprise visit from our good friend Jeff. Although we razed him about leaving the better 2/3rds of his family in DC, that was apparently not his doing and promised a return trip with Mer and Sam. I told him the more clients he can pick up in FL, the better. We love the company. We enjoyed sharing the hustle of a Cheek family weekend with him and look forward to seeing the whole family in months to come.

Little else to comment on, my March Madness bracket, picked in the waning minutes of time prior to tip off of the first game and with "0" research has proven strong through the first couple rounds. Not a minute of reading led me to believe I would yet again have a slightly rough go at it this year. I'm not known for making it too far past the sweet 16 with any hope of winning. I think this bodes well for the "throw a dart" method used for this years analysis. I will admit I was a homer in some areas, mostly in the finals picking UNC (rough choice given I pretty much bet chalk to the end). Go Heels. Still remember a few trips to UNC from the burg hoping to extend a weekend with Kipp to watch UNC play in the championship game. That was decidedly driven by my desire to be on campus when such a big game was celebrated. What a party that must be! I wouldn't know since it never happened during my college tenure. Regardless, with no connection to any other school, it was an easy pick.

Busy weeks ahead, but little going on in the family. Steady diet of soccer, hockey and swimming for us. Mix in a little zoo and that takes care of it. Keep your fingers crossed that I might sneak out to hunt a redfish or two. Catch up with everyone again soon.

It just never gets old...

Watching the shuttle launch from the front yard with Jane and Rich.

Soccer Superstar

Alex scored his second goal of the season yesterday. Our kid that "loves soccer", which we've always interpreted as loves getting a treat after the game and trophy at the end of the season, may have taken a new step. His goal included a couple dribbles, a blocked first shot, and a second shot over the head of the defender into the net. I gave him a standing O! Nothing better than a proud papa! We're proud of him no matter how he plays, but it sure is fun when does something cool.

Spring is in the air

A couple weeks ago it was just a promise of things to come. This weekend we celebrate the 2nd Sat and Sun of 80 degree highs and 60 degree lows. As expected the lawn will need some attention, but that also means the remainder of the landscaping is starting to come out of it's "cold" weather shell! Funny we live our lives so in tune with our surroundings. No coincidence that the pool heater has been pumping the natural gas the last two weekends as well. We enjoyed a full day of soccer, skating and swimming with friends yesterday. Today will likely be a zoo day followed by more swimming and Wii.

The warm weather gets Dad in a good mood as well since the dolphin (mahi) and tuna should be working their way in our direction. Itching to get offshore. Ahhh, if we could just get a little rain. The combination of three months in a dry air cycle, the addition of hot sun and you get very, very dry Florida.....fire season is here. Only a couple small ones to date, but keep your fingers crossed, it's shaping up to be a potentially bad spring.

The spare bedroom is also warming up for the spring season, a few bookings are on the calendar, but there's always room for more. If you're around, drop us a line and check out a night at the Cheek's B&B

Kayak Day

Jennifer, the always wonderful Mom that she is, gave me a hall pass last Sunday to take advantage of a couple hours of the perfect kayaking weather in Florida right now.
I dumped the boat in around 6:45 in the Banana River (second body of water you pass over between our house and the beach) and paddled North. The relatively cool water temps still keep things quiet in the morning. Think about how motivated you are to get out of a warm bed into the cold house at the crack of dawn. Fish are no different. They all stay put until the sun climbs and gets the flats "heater" turned on. So, I was ready for long paddle and didn't mind that there was little to fish for in the first couple hours. There's always so much to see in the Lagoon. This time of year we become the equivalent of the Miami Airport, but for bird immigration. Thousands of birds flying overhead all morning long. The greatest show was a covey of ducks that had a white underbelly with black top wings. They don't glide well, so there is rapid flapping. The sun was just right so when they opened their wings, they blended into the sky and disappeared. On the down flap the black wing flashed. There were probably 500 birds and you can imagine the sight. It was sparkling.
I was lucky to paddle past a couple of white pelicans, strange visitors to the Space Coast. Their smaller cousins, the grey variety, are most common and always around. The much larger whites are common 30 miles to the South, but we are definitely a N boundary for the bird. Don't get your global warming ire up. Although they are rare, they've been taking spring vacations to our waters for many years.
Next came the largest school of manatee I've ever seen. Must have been 30 of them eating the seagrass and generally just hanging out. Fun to sit and watch until one curious, 200# mammal bumped my kayak....makes you remember how small you are. Gentle creatures can still unnerve you. I spent most the rest of the morning enjoying watching others fish, something mesmerizing about watching the rhythm of a couple fly fisherman wind and throw. Flats boats poled along the shore, mostly just scaring up stingrays and puffer fish (always plentiful in the river). I paddled back as the wind started to pick up. I hit one of my favorite canals, and as usual there were schools of small seatrout patrolling the docks. Unfortunately, a pair of dolphin made reservations for the same restaurant that morning. I couldn't get more than two into the boat before they showed up and wrecked the buffet. Is is fairly amazing to watch two dolphin corner a school of fish and chow down. They, like their friends the manatee, made some curiously close runs by my kayak to let me know seating for people is limited at this location. I managed a couple more fish and headed home. Good call as the wind picked up again and paddling became work. As many of you always hear, fishing is so much more than catching fish. Days like this one move the purchase of a boat way up on the priority list. The only improvement to the morning would have been sharing it with the boys.
What an amazing day.

Highlights from last weeks sporting events

Couple good plays.....Couple funny ones...enjoy

Beach Pictures

What a fun evening! Jennifer "won" a picture session with a local photographer at a charity event for the Zoo last year. So, last night we headed up to Indialantic and we cashed in the family shoot on the beach. Afterward, the boys enjoyed running around and checking out all the cool stuff washed up on the beach. It has been at least 3 months since they've played in the ocean, so to a 6 and 7 year old, everything is new again! After the beach trip we headed over to LongDoggers (shack across the street from the beach with tables) and enjoyed Beer and Burgers (Milk and Soda for the boys). Here are some pics we took.

Let Spring begin?

This weekend is supposedly the last bit of "chilly" weather we'll encounter for the year. I'm speaking for the plants of course. We (the people) experienced the last chilly weather with some low 50 degree stuff a couple weeks back. Tonight and tomorrow mark the last sub 50 evening weather we should have this winter. When the evenings don't drop below 60 and the ground warms to that temp, everything springs to life in FL. When the palms start moving, you're there. We planted our herb seeds last weekend along with a sunflower or two. We're trying out a few new things this spring with a couple mangrove trees from seed pods the boys and I collected from the river. We've put together a little orchid garden (up to 4 species now). I'm even trying a little one in a tree. OK, enough of the gardening and rub it in your face warm weather comments. Life's not all flowers and pineapples (did I mention I'm growing one of those,too?)

The boys are in full stride with Soccer, Hockey and Skating lessons taking up much of the weekend. Pics to follow. The beach has tempted us on several occasions, but at 70 degrees, the water's still a little cold. We're taking full advantage of the Zoo, along with thousands of other people. If the new kids area gets any more attendance, we'll have to start limiting entrants.....good things for the zoo during this tough economy.

That's the update for the night. Not much else going on. Looking forward to a full weekend and busy March.

Wii Showdown II

There's a reason Vegas makes money folks, they know how to pick 'um. Saturday night provided a better showing from Fuzz (aka Aunt Lauren), but in the end, Squaky and Soph/Todo ruled the night. Alex raced as Squakasaur. Brayden, showing some degree of difficulty choosing from his myriad of Miis (there's probably 50+) went to the venerable Soph/Todo. They both did mighty damage to the best Chicago has to offer. Thanks for a great match Aunt Lauren! Whatcha doing next weekend?

Wii Showdown

We finally hooked up and in a 30 minute showdown including about 10 races, the boys made quick work of Aunt Lauren and Uncle Mike. We won't post the score to save the embarrassment. Always ready for another match, but I promise you all, the boys are not getting any worse. It will be a tough match up for any who dare!

Happy News for Childcare!

As we continue to find new and creative ways to keep the boys in safe care for the summer, we are happy to report that we will have live in care this year! Jennifer's cousin Neil who lives in Michigan with his family (I don't know why I'm explaining all this, almost everyone that reads this knows the family!) has three children, Katelin, Samantha and Matt. Sam is 16 and has been babysitting for years. We put two and two together and offered her a job watching the boys and living with us for the entire summer. She was very excited and will be joining us in early June and staying through August. I've know Sam since she was 4 (wow....time really flies), and couldn't imagine a better setup for us this summer. She's just great, and we are very lucky and excited to have her. I think she'll need some boogy board and body surfing lessons, but I know just the right little guys to teach her. Tough job, huh?

Paws-On Opens!

After nearly two years of planning, fundraising and construction, the Zoo's refurnished children's "playground" opened to the public today with great fanfare. The area now makes up a small representation of the Florida coast providing a beach area where kids can dress up as sea turtles and crawl through the sand afterward they can slide into the belly of a whale. We then move to to the lagoon where kids can fish from a shrimp boat (no real hooks, or course), play in the "lagoon flats" right next to the 20,000 gallon aquarium that holds all sorts of coastal fish. Finally we move into the uplands area where you can build forts, camp out, crawl through tunnels and visit the contact yard to get up and personal with armadillos and gopher tortises (along with the standard goats and deer). The boys loved it and it appears to be a big hit with the rest of the children that made it out today. Come visit us and take a look!

Raptors at the Zoo

Two weeks ago the Zoo hosted a traveling Raptor exhibit. The boys and I went over to check it out and were very impressed. Brayden is a huge bird fan as many of you know. It has generally been expressed through his stuffed animals, but it appears he's equally fond of live feathered friends. Here are a few pictures he took (he used an entire memory chip!)

The Cheek Creep

Call it creep, croup, colds or whatever. I think when a cold mutates through 4 family members it get's a special spot and name in the "make you feel bad" Hall of fame. Struggling to get through a cold that turned into a fever that turned into runny noses and has now placed a firm grip on "dry cough". Amazing how difficult it is for everything to adapt to less than 150% humidity down here. We go below 100 and skin starts cracking, plants die, grass curls up and everyone walks around drinking water to stay hydrated. Doesn't help having a cold. Must have been those 3 days of "cold" weather....I know, tough life. Hopefully everybody will perk up and we'll have some new hockey videos to post this weekend.

Mr Jack Frost

Not sure how I feel about being friends with jack again.Pretty sure I'm not happy about it....If he kills any of my plants, I'll be very upset. Global Warming, huh?

Still no connection!

Can't quite get the Wii up and running for friend matches. Whenever Lauren and Mike find us, it kicks them off the WFC? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Showdown low-downs....

Couldn't quite get hooked up to challenge the Mario Masters of Chicago last night. The boys were genuinely disappointed the link didn't work and this morning, in his first scratchy throat voice, Alex wanted to know if Aunt Lauren ever got online. Brayden had a similar question as he awoke (an hour later....he's our sleeper). Not sure what it means, but kids' attention is at such a premium it's rarely held for more than a fleeting moment, let alone through the night. Usually onto the next thing. In this case, they were looking forward to the clash with Aunt Lauren and Uncle Mike with great anticipation. I think there will be serious battles on Sunday outside of the realm of the NFL. Stay tuned for Keach v. Squakasaur! The line has Keach favored by 15, but Squakasaur could easily provide the upset if they drive maple treeway or mushroom gorge. Stay tuned

Mario Cart Showdown

Wednesday....Is that it

How it can only be Wednesday is far beyond my realm of understanding. Long...Long week as the family struggles to catch up with the reality of life again after the holidays. The boys are right back in the thick of it. Brayden goes to Hockey again tonight and remains excited about hitting the ice. Alex is biding time until soccer starts in February with some swimming lessons. Much like his father, he will likely see far more success in sports that don't require a great deal of hand eye coordination.
I'm back in the thick of work and managing through this crisis in real estate. Thank goodness the bank is sound and I am still employed. (check back tomorrow, just in case!), and staying very busy at the Zoo and with my newest endeavor of starting a kayak fishing tournament here in Melb...yes, I'm a glutton for punishment.
Jennifer is back at work and tonight finishes a marathon 3 on, 1 off, 4 on shift. You can only pull so many 12 hr shifts before you lose it.

On a side note, I finally took the advice of numerous friends and family to join facebook. You really should look into it. Fun for all ages and simple to use. You can catch up with friends from years and years ago in 10 minutes. What may be more fun is peeking in friends that you haven't thought of in 15 years just to see what's going on in their life.

That's it for the morning. Way behind on the morning routine.

Happy - 2008 Year in review

Sailfish 12 08

Fish On!

The elves dropped off an early Christmas present for me this year. What a day!

Santa's Workshop

Sorry, but we're all a little busy here in Santa's workshop getting ready for the Holidays. I'm putting together the now annual "year in review" picture show and it's taking up a great deal of time....what little I have. So, picture updates are few and far between.

We had a great visit from Grandma and Grandpa Cleghorn just before Thanksgiving...has it been that long already? We're looking forward to the Cheek family reunion this week where we heat the pool and defrost all the poor cold bodies from the great white north. It's quite a sight.

The boys are as excited as ever this year. They've watched Polar Express three times and rode the "Pole Ex" at Sea World with Jen's Mom and Dad. A great day that ended with a ride on the Journey to Atlantis, yes a water ride, flume or log ride to be exact. And although it's a balmy 80 here today, it was not a degree above 60 when we shot down the ramp and gallons of water spilled in our car that day. Needless to say, we didn't stop to see our picture on the way out. And doesn't it figure, the boys stayed fairly dry and Grandma got the brunt of the wave! Sorry Grandma.

The boys final hockey practice for the season is Friday. Brayden will continue with Hockey in January while Alex heads back to soccer. Don't worry, he's already informed me that he wants to get back on the ice as soon as soccer is over. Dad is encouraging this as the indoor, air conditioned skating rink (that also serves beer) is far better than the soccer field in July!

Take care and Merry Christmas to all.

Trick or Treat!

Pictures won't be necessary

Last winter Greg and I decided that we had spent enough time on boats watching others catch sailfish. It should be out turn. So with that we studied the fish and took to the seas. Unfortunately, like any new undertaking there's much to learn, and we found ourselves empty handed at the end of the winter.....
Many people in Florida are remiss this time of year as the leaves in the NE turn and the wind turns crisp and cool. Others of us have found a replacement for leaves cool Canadian air as we eagerly anticipate the schools of mullet traveling down Florida coast. It means the Sailfish are close behind. After hearing good reports from the fleet last weekend, we made our seasons first trip on Saturday equipped with lessons from last year and determined this would be the day. We fished out of Ponce Inlet on "My Escape" a twin engine, 266 Sailfish with my good friend Greg and our buddy Cpt Fricke. The day began with high expectations as flyers were darting everywhere and birds were diving. The bite was slow, but we managed three skipjack tuna before we found our fish. They were circling a spot that gave no indication of gathering outside of a lonely bird circling overhead. No temperature changes, bait flying, weeds or color changes. Just one lonely bird. I was lucky to be on the reel for the first knockdown as it turned out to be the only hookup of the day. It wasn't much of a fight as the fish wrapped the line around his bill and made quick work of getting free. She jumped at least three times before we lost her and another two after the line broke as if to say, "nice try, rookie!". We fished that spot for another 2 hours with 6 knockdowns, but no more hookups. You read this and may think we experienced a huge disappointment. For those that wonder why anyone would spend hours trolling the open sea, reading magazines, practicing knots and rigging ballyhoo (often with little to show) those 15 seconds made up for as many trips as it took to get us to that point. For the brief moment when you get to tangle with the spindlebeak, when you set the drag, rear back and feel that fish, you find humility. You remember exactly what it is that drives you to come back again. That moment you'll have forever imprinted as a memory as fond as any others you'll share. I can only imagine what it will be like when the fish is alongside the boat and I'm holding the bill, watching the color return to the fish as it finds it's strength and swims away. I'll have a camera at the ready on that day. But for now, pictures won't be necessary.

Crazy Circle Skate

Alex's shot off the Post

Hockey Video

Hockey!

Here we go! I'll work on getting some video up later this week. It was quite a day at the rink. The boys are well on their way to becoming superstars!