My family rarely has the means for decent travel vacations, but once in a while we luck out. Some of our favorite outtings have been right around where we live. I was thinking how many save up to come to this location for vacations and here we were worrying about getting away.

A few years ago we started going on boat trips around the Bellingham Bay and the Islands. These have been fun and the kids look forward to these especially when they get to see Orcas , seals, eagles, sea otters, etc.

This year we were so low on funds we were not able to go on our favorite whale watch cruise. But, we were fortunate to be invited to go out on a friend's catamaran named Rapscallion.

This sail boat will charter out of Blaine Marina probably by next season. Captain Steve and his lady, Eileen, will soon be able to take people on affordable day cruises and the captain can even perform wedding ceremonies at sea.  I made a website for them at www.rapscallionsailcharters.com  On the site you can see photos of the boat.

This bartering of websites for services has been working out rather well. I did one for a massage specialist to work on my ruined shoulder and now this one for future boat outtings. I look forward to being able to make a site for someone who works on roofs and then a painter so we can have help sprucing up our home a bit. 

Dad was fairly well known in our region as a photographer, but I felt he was an artist and defintely a poet at heart. He loved to hike and just be outdoors. He took many photos of trees and other of nature's aspects, sometimes waiting hours or coming back another day to get just the right lighting. I loved the names he titled his photos...(his art). Names like:  "The Three Graces", Mystic Forest", the "Silver Path", "The Harp O' The Winds" ... To me, dad was both an artist and a poet.

I placed more information about dad on this webpage: www.clydebanks.com/about.html

Today a friend suggested I create a photo gallery webpage and add a few more of his photos. So I will try to do this soon.

Got this little dream of  making some sort of living by making websites for people. No work for injured ex-custodial workers in this area so I just keep trying for secretarial jobs, but with no luck. This area is a college town and they're no lack of bright, trained, talented types all competing for jobs I might qualify for. The wages are low, rents are high.

Someone told me that the business of webdesign is iffy.The main problem I see is instructing possible clients on what is involved to get started. This turns them off as they want no complications. Many also have no idea of the amount of work and  time that goes into the building a good basic website.

I did add to my work site that I would be willing to hire out as a tutor and virtual assistant as well as the website creation. If someone out there has an elderly parent who wants to learn how to do email, let me know! Or anyone needing  part time on-call virtual secretary, I am available for this as well!

I have a domain name I bought a couple years ago thinking I might build a webdesigner directory website using it. But never did so will sell the name. It is findwebwriter.com and if anyone is interested in buying this from me - make offer over 75.00

This week I have been updating my website at www.custodian.info. I added an rss feed script that shows a feed from an affiliate site featuring worker safety articles. Yes, i did get permission from them first. They were great and answered my query quickly.  And the forum on my site is doing pretty well, bringing in lots of great folks who have lots to say and a wonderful exchange of information has been taking place. Makes me feel good they are using the site and that maybe it's helping people. Lots of time and work has gone into it...sigh.

When we were snowed in last month I put up 2 new websites with amazon stores [[iframe]]d in. One is for Tarantula enthusiasts (I am one of these) and the other is called Spudpuppy and features everything spud ...you know....potatoes! Has a huge number of potato recipes and a store that has a broad selection of items related to spuds from Mr Potato Head to a potato masher. All in humor, but practical humor. I do love potato salad! If you want to see these sites here are the urls:

www.tarantulapages.com

www.spudpuppy.com

My next idea is to add more to the recipe site at www.recipesifter.com   It has been moved twice in 2 years because of server probs and is a headache to move and test because it has a db and is in php which is still not my forte. I got into it as a learning thing. What I have learned is fortitude, patience and a very small knowlege of php with lots and lots more to learn.

Having had so much trouble again and again with my billings with Cingular I thought I would paste this following information I just found posted on the Craiglist. And wish to thank whomever the author is. Thanks!

How funny that I saw this today, as yesterday, I was browsing the net, and ran across the very site that the guy in the other ad listed.
The ring tones aren't really free. Ok..maybe the ringtones are free...but the service that you have to sign up for (at 5.99 and 9.99 per month) makes it NOT FREE.
The site tells you to put in your phone number to see if you are eligible for ringtones, and then it starts sending you text messages with a PIN number that you are supposed to enter in order to get the free ring tones. But unless you read the terms and conditions VERY VERY CAREFULLY (which you should do anyway) that pops up AFTER you enter your number (which you have to do before it even gives you ANY information) you don't know that you, entering that PIN number is stating that you want to subscribe to the service.


So, please be aware. They aren't free. And the text messages haven't stopped yet.

Just thought I would give people a head's up!