Lament of a Hamburg girl

No nibbling, Earl!

When Ms Mangrove finally decided to get a manicure, I was more than happy to help.

When Robinson Crusoe returned, he found that someone had gone through his stuff.

Robinson rubbed his eyes. Wasn't that his Encyclopedia Britannica? And there: the rare recording of "Relax – Wagner for meditation", sleeveless in the sand! He sprinted towards the palm trees, where he had built his studio apartment.

Oh no! The place was a mess. His collection of vintage plastic bags, his disposable coffee cup lids, and the shirts he had carefully woven from coconut fibers and monkey nose hair - all one big clutter.

The worst sight was the office: ransacked drawers, his goat leather couch dirty with chocolate, his typewriter gone. Robinson closed his eyes and took a deep breath. In, out, in, out – relax. At least they hadn't taken his record player. 

Somewhere there's a pool dreaming of my return.

Florida virus warning: Trojan crabs attacking computer systems in Martin County.

I got home just in time! The little hacker had already gained access to my computer system and uploaded some crabby files. I wonder how he could get past my firewall. Fortunately he didn't do any real harm. But it sure feels strange to know that somebody was snooping around your hard drive.

Too hot to move out of the sun

Sittin' on the dock of the bay... Don't make me move more than five inches a minute! 

Dragonfly squadron practices for 4th of July airshow on the beach.

No girl is an island.

Lillian was an island girl. She loved the sea and its temper, its mood swings in spring, and how it changed color with the approaching storm. Every afternoon she walked down to her favorite spot on the dock and watched the sun set. Lillian was happy. Until one day she wasn't happy anymore. And since she was not only an island girl, but also the only girl on the island - and more precisely: the only person on this deserted, godforsaken piece of rock amidst the waves - she had the freedom to make a quick decision. She would leave. No discussion.

Lillian was a hands-on girl. The very next morning she built a boat from a coconut shell and a mangrove root and sailed out to sea. This afternoon she wouldn't watch the sunset from the dock. 

Lillian was venturous, but not always lucky. Before night fell, her boat started taking on water. Within an hour it was gone. Again Lillian was alone with the sea.

Lillian was drifting on the open ocean. For days and days and nights. For the first time in her life she felt absolutely helpless, completely at the mercy of the sea. For the first time in her life there was nothing she could do. She had to surrender. On the third day she started liking it. 

Lillian was washed up on a beach after two weeks. She was too weak to get up. All she could do was lift her head a little, so she could see the sun set over the ocean. She smiled and coughed up a gallon of salt water. Then she fell asleep for a night and a day.

Lillian woke up in the afternoon. Although she still felt dizzy, she realized that somebody was watching her. Lillian looked up. In one of the palm trees there sat a girl. 

Leilani was an island girl. She loved the sea and the wind and the pattern of the palmetto shadows on the sand. When she saw that the strange dead girl on the beach had opened her eyes, she slowly climbed down her tree. It couldn't hurt to sit with her for a while. 

Home is where the dock is

Now that we finally found a place that is warm and safe enough to stay, I have to leave. But not without seeing the Keys first! Maybe I can manage to lose my passport and ticket within the next two days... 

If you bless me, I'll bless you. – No, no, you first!

I'm getting confused. Can I bless God? Or does he have to bless me? Does he bless America? And what if he doesn't? Would I even notice? Can I recall my blessing? And if he doesn't want to be blessed by me, will he ever tell me? Does God read bumper stickers? Is he the guy who passes me in the right lane at 100 mph? Does he ever run out of gas? Is fuel a gift from God? Hummm. I'll have to think about this more.

Fort Pierce, FL: Oceanographers discover new species of marine sausage.

The sausage approaches diver John Aquaviva.

A sausage surfacing for air off the sea wall.

The latest addition to the museum.

A team of Fort Pierce, FL, based marine scientists literally came up with a groundbreaking discovery earlier today. While observing the growth of man-eating barnacles on boat hulls, diver John Aquaviva noticed a strange shape approaching him under water. "First I thought it was a shark, but then I realised it was a giant Italian sausage", says Aquaviva, still totally mesmerized by the encounter. After taking measurements and meat samples the scientists believe they have found a whole new species of marine mammal. Unfortunately the sausage died in the process and is now on display in the National Museum of Prehistoric Sausages. Italian Ocean Sausages are thought to have evolved from four-legged land sausages over 60 million years ago, with the closest living relatives being the Proboscidea (elephant sausage) and Hyracoidea (hyrax sausage).

Can you feel the heat? Fort Pierce, Florida, on thermal cam.

After a full year of applying photo booth's bulge, twirl and squeeze to my own face (and loving it!), I finally tried the thermal camera effect. And yes, the colors are cool. But what I like best is zooming into the photos. Big, colored pixels. Could there be anything more beautiful than this?

Pick your own: New method of "no-pole-fishing" leads to first results.

The all new painless approach to fishing is leading to instant successes: 36 year old Stephanie V. from Hamburg, Germany, caught her first fish today. "Why carry around a heavy tackle box and a couple of fishing poles when you can pick the fish right from the dock?", asks Stephanie. She might be right. The new method of "no-pole-fishing" works with elements from transcendental meditation and telepathy and makes the fish jump right into the hands of fishing enthusiasts.

When the sun goes down over St. Augustine Municipal Marina...

... the noise of the construction work from the Bridge of Lions slowly dies off. But honestly – we don't care about traffic sounds or cranes moving giant pieces of metal three feet from our boat, we finally made it into Florida and we! really! enjoy! the warm weather! Being so close to a major building site is a little bizarre but also pretty interesting. I even found a website that shows the progress of the bridge work with photos from different angles: www.fdotbridgeoflions.com/progress.html 

The site also gives information on the operating hours of the temporary bridge. From 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. it opens every half hour, except it does not open at 8:00 a.m., noon, or 5:00 p.m. After 6:00 p.m., the Bridge of Lions temporary bridge opens on demand until 7:00 a.m. So while you're waiting to get through, just enjoy the picturesque view of the city and the Castillo de San Marcos and try not to run aground!

Caught red-pawed: neighbor identifies mysterious car burglar in Stuart, FL.

A resident of NE Ocean Blvd provided Stuart Police with the description of a person that broke into a car parked at the beach fleeing the scene of the burglary on Saturday 27th at 3:17 p.m. That description led to the suspect's arrest at 5:12 p.m. the same day when the suspect was seen at a Pink Peanut Restaurant at 384 Oak Street by Officer John Mueller. Officer Mueller placed the suspect at the crime scene and recovered personal property belonging to the victim from the suspect.

Officer Mueller arrested Furry Jim Nibbler (DOB 8-15-2008) of Jupiter, Florida. Nibbler was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and nuts, burglary and possession of stolen property. He is being held in the Martin County Jail on $ 16,980 bond.