Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Merry Christmas from the Schraders

















Merry Christmas from Jeremy and Sonya!
We’re ecstatic to share some big news with our family, friends, and colleagues: our first child is on the way. The baby is progressing well thus far - in fact, a faint heartbeat was detected during the latest doctor’s appointment - and Sonya’s projected due date is June 15, 2009. Indeed, we are truly blessed and look forward to being parents.
Sonya and I busied ourselves this year with travelling, on-going home renovation, and fishing. We spent a frigid week in Minnesota and Wisconsin in February. Day time temperatures did not break 0 degrees and night time lows plunged to near -20 degrees. Throw in wind chills of approximately -50 and you find yourself asking why any sane person would spend time in the tundra. Our answer came in the form of crisp blue skies and beautiful photographs.
The month of May took us to the Dallas / Fort Worth area to attend a railroad conference. While in the Lone Star State, we visited the President Kennedy assassination site in Dallas, attended a rodeo in aptly named Muleshoe, and dined at the legendary Big Texan Steak House in Amarillo (where one can get a 72 oz. top sirloin steak and the trimmings for free if it is eaten in an hour or less). We also explored and photographed rural eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle.
We returned to nature this year and spent a few weekends and holidays camping in northern Ohio. Roughing it with a tent and campfire was a fantastic experience made all the more unforgettable by the folks we met along the way.
Jeremy got back into fishing this year and Sonya joined in on the action. We relished numerous summer and fall evenings together fishing for perch and bass off the dock on Tawas Bay. Much to his surprise, Jeremy caught a 24-inch walleye and a 27-inch catfish one afternoon while simply waiting for a few perch and mosquitoes to take the bait.
The front of our house received attention in August. Precarious cement steps and an aged wooden door were replaced with a decked porch and a modern entry. We are now in the process of converting the guest room for the baby.
We just returned from our last major vacation before the baby is born: a weeklong roadtrip to Florida. Not only were we treated to record high temperatures, but we also went deep sea fishing in the Atlantic Ocean 20 miles off of Cape Canaveral, visited the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine, and spent a day with friends from Tawas who have a home in Arcadia. We wish you and your family and happy and healthy 2009 and hope to connect with you soon!
May God bless you …
Jeremy and Sonya Schrader





Monday, December 15, 2008

Fun in Florida

My wife and I spent a week in Florida, visiting locales such as Arcadia, Lake Okeechobee and Port Canaveral. We were entertained by friends from East Tawas, MI amid 70 and 80 degree weather and sunny skies. Cold beers, frequent trips around the park on a golf cart and steaks for dinner made for an experience we will soon not forget. We spent our time away from friends exploring the sugar cane fields of south central Florida, Deep Sea Fishing 20 + miles into the Atlantic Ocean and fresh seafood at sea side restaurants. The following are photographs from our latest adventure.

Stan and Indian discuss the finer points of Florida while enjoying a cold beer. Indian (Dick is his real name) is the owner of this fine home in Florida. In this photo, Jeremy (the author) wife Sonya, Clare and Indian.

Stan shows his appreciation of borrowing the authors hat.A train with cars ready to be loaded with sugar cane cross the Caloosahatchee Canal in Moore Haven, FL. The train is headed into the sugar cane fields near the south shore of Lake Okeechobee. Fishing boats and a scale rest under a setting sun in a harbor at Stuart, FL.

Jeremy runs out of the Atlantic Ocean, fearing the size of the next wave. Some have said I look like a Jelly Fish. What do you think?
Black Fin Tuna are amongst some of the fish caught aboard our fishing trip. While I did not catch any fish this large, I was happy with the smaller fish I caught and the time spent with my wife aboard the Atlantic Ocean.

One of the nicer fish I caught aboard the Miss Cape Canaveral was this Red Snapper. While not a legal size to keep, it did look nice the few moments I had it on the boat.

While our family was freezing under more than a foot of snow in Michigan, I was enjoying an ice cold Heineken, fresh shrimp and pepper crusted Tuna.
Lake Okeechobee, while at the shores of it banks resembles more of a swamp, is indeed classified a lake. Recent years of drought has lowered the water level leaving Lilly Pads sticking out of the water in a rather defiant way.

Watching trains with Dad

Watching trains with Dad
Christian gazes out the window at a passing train

McKeesport, PA

McKeesport, PA
Reaching to the heavens above

California Bar

California Bar

Marquette, MI

Marquette, MI

Ore Dock at Night

Ore Dock at Night
Marquette, MI

National Mine

National Mine
Michigan's Upper Penninsula

LS&I Ore Dock Marquette, MI

LS&I Ore Dock  Marquette, MI
A great lakes ore carrier loads iron ore

Lonely Cemetary

Lonely Cemetary
A lone cemetary sits in the middle of a field near Maple Grove, Ohio.

Kentucky Barn

Kentucky Barn
A barn sits silently northeast of Louisville, Lentucky.

Frank and Teressa's Anchor Bar

Frank and Teressa's Anchor Bar
Buffalo, New York, the home of the Original Buffalo style chicken wing sits at the corner of Main Street and E North Street.

Cadillac Ranch Amarillo, Texas

Cadillac Ranch Amarillo, Texas
West of Amarillo, Texas off I-40 sits the Cadillac Ranch, a tribute to some of Detroits finest.

LIKE A ROCK!

LIKE A ROCK!
Posing in front of our new Chevrolet Silverado during a torrential rain storm.

Flat Tire

Flat Tire
An old bicycle rests outside an abandoned building at East Jordan, MI

Spinning in Space

Spinning in Space
The earth is at a constant rotation and never stops. As viewed from North Findlay, Ohio, the earth shows its' motion under clear skies.

Todays forecast; 88 degrees with snow

Todays forecast; 88 degrees with snow
Snow covers the tops of mountains north of Nipton, California while ground temperatures are near 88 degrees, at 1PM.

Mojave Refuge

Mojave Refuge
The Mojave Desert occupies over 22,000 square miles of the southwestern United States. It is a typical Basin and Range topography, as witnessed from Ivanpah, California. Looking northwest up Ivanpah Road, the basins and ranges are clearly visible.

Valley of Fire

Valley of Fire
A road passes through the Valley of Fire State Park, located north east of Las Vegas, Nevada. April 2006.

Waiting on a Friend

Waiting on a Friend
An unsuspecting passenger awaits the arrival of the next train from Chicago, IL on a cold Thanksgiving evening. The train is operated by the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad. Photographed at the tiny depot at Beverly Shores, Indiana, November 2006.

STOP WAR

STOP WAR
"Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind." ~John F. Kennedy, 1961 Photographed in Teutopolis, Illinois, April 2008.

Inauguration Day

Inauguration Day
Michigan Governor, Jennifer Granholm, accepts the oath of office on the steps of the capitol in Lansing, Michigan, January 1, 2007. Jennifer is serving her second term as governor of the state of Michigan.

The Cowboy Way

The Cowboy Way
Cowboy boots, leather straps, a horse and spurs are all that's needed at the Muleshoe Roping Club at Muleshoe, Texas. May 2008.

Bumble Bee Buzzz

Bumble Bee Buzzz
A Bumble Bee goes about his chores on our Japanese Barberry bush. May 2008, northern Michigan.

Flower Garden

Flower Garden
A light water vapor falls through our backyard flower garden, August 2005.

Lightning Crashes

Lightning Crashes
A severe thunderstorn has brewed over central Kansas and is now unleashing its fury in downtown Kansas City, MO. April 2008.

License Plate Collection

License Plate Collection
Located near Hope, Arkansas 2007

Standing Out Amongst Others

Standing Out Amongst Others
Many birds of a single feather do not distract Seagull from taking a break in the upper Mississippi River valley near Bettendorf, Iowa.

High Falls District

High Falls District
Evening sets in Rochester, New York. Earlier in the day, bird watchers gathered to view Falcons fly over the falls. August 2006.

Children of the Mud

Children of the Mud
Two young children splash in a puddle of mud after a recent rain-storm in a non-prudent manner in Streator, Illinois, April 2008.