(April 2013)
A calm, peaceful, tranquil month!

After nearly 26 years I'm free from McD's! The work itself was pleasant, and actually quite fun, and for many years I felt I was good at what I did there, as it was my profession..... but with the changes there since August I had to finally get OUT of there...... and I'm now at Arby's! To me this is temporary, and long to get into something working with animals preferably...... or practically anything that pays better! Arby's is fair, but not many hours there....... and for me, the excitement for camp and Quebec is very REAL! As always, I'm very eager to get there :-)

Also there's been a few improvements in my "Archive" page, and my updates in general. I'm now adding the twelve best pictures for each month, and sometimes the choices are a bit difficult, and are chosen from the number of "likes" they get on Facebook, as well as other factors, and with many pictures being added, I'm making some changes to my "Archive" page to make room there for all the additional pictures! Speaking of pictures, here's the top choices for April!





(May 2013)
Highs...... lows...... and a beautiful ending!

In May I tasted poverty, and saw an abrupt end to all hopes of returning to Michigan! Poverty....... it's when for every dollar spent, only a tiny fraction of that comes back to you...... and that's not a good thing, for those who have been there! Now for the shocker! Now on the Michigan-front, for reasons totally-unknown to me, that door was suddenly slammed shut! I believe this is a work of the enemy, trying to discourage me so close to camp, and on top of that, almost $500 was needed for little "emergencies" the very week before my journey...... and God in His goodness led me to the house of a friend, and my joy was strengthened (Thank you Cheryl...... and Jeremy!), which made for a wonderful, refreshing trip to North Carolina just as the month came to a close...... with big dreams of camp, and longings for the much-needed affection of beautiful Quebec!

As the month ends, I am so excited to "escape" to Quebec, and June's pictures will show some of the delights of this beautiful place...... but first, here's the best of May!





(June 2013)
A "Fantabulous" month!!

A great month! Right from the beginning it was great as I arrived here (camp) from North Carolina, stayed for a few days, set things up, then I was off to the land of dreams...... sweet Quebec! It was the best time EVER up there, and there was never a lonely moment! So many great memories....... feeling like I truly belong there..... and on a Michigan-note, since 2006 things looked possible for me going up there, but that door suddenly closed...... and Florida now looks certain after camp. My highlight will be to see Georges there and escape from "reality" for awhile, in our own little world called Inverness! Speaking of camp, we're blessed with a really great staff this year - a staff which bonded quickly, and the froggage has been excellent as well! I've been able to get out just about every night, and am eager to return to Pohoqualine! Also with the rough weather experienced here with "Superstorm" Sandy, very little damage is noticed on the mountain, except for a few fallen trees. Again, a great month, with promise of a great season ahead :-)

With the busy camp schedule it has been difficult to update the naturejoe.com project, but I'm happy to say I do have Internet here, and am able to update my Facebook Timeline daily! Also I have a new species about to hit Fabulous Froggage! Coming soon...... Hyla crucifer!

...... and now..... here's the Top-Twelve for the month of June!





(July 2013)
The perfect month of a lifetime!!

Quite a wonderful month! This is the perfect year here at camp, and we had a staff that bonded well, and besides one week where the temperatures really sizzled, July had been dominated by cool, dry weather, and no activities were cancelled due to rain. A rainy year?? Yes! All the rains were perfectly-timed to fall at night mostly, thus bringing up lots of froggage! Also as the month came to a close, my beloved group Church of the Saviour was here, and much-needed affection. Also my beloved Georges got his ticket to come and see me in Florida!

On a prayer-note, I'll be pretty much unemployed upon returning to Florida, and I need something that pays well, so I don't struggle-along from one tiny paycheck to the next, and I'm trusting it'll be a fun workplace with friendly people, and there's even a chance (??) of coming back up here very early next year to another camp until June, working in outdoor education. Just a chance....... but it's my heart's desire to do so :-)

...... and now..... here's the Top-Twelve for the month of July! The choices were tough, since there were many great pictures this month.





(August 2013)
A month of many changes!

The month began with me being surrounded by what must be some of the most beautiful people in all the WORLD! I was with Adventure Camp, and there in the midst of them, and feeling the love..... and in the weeks to follow I was at camp, savoring some great groups of people, and was so blessed to stay there for several extra weeks! The weather was sheer delight in August, and besides being out of water at the nature center, and having to tap-into water in ways not pleasing to them...... it was the very best year EVER there! :-)

As the month went on, then came time for my long journey South! After a wonderfully-interesting night in North Carolina it was off to Florida, and wow what a shock it was to walk into a "sauna" after such cool weather in the North! Sharon and Cheryl eagerly-awaited me, and both were in touch with me every day thru the time at camp, and my Michigan friend Rebecca was there for me as well..... and Arby's happily took me back! I do need something with better hours though...... and as far as workplaces go, working at Arby's is VERY pleasant, and the people there are great to work with, working conditions are pleasant, and every customer is served with love :-) We take great pride and care at Arby's to make sure you the customer get the very BEST.... and we really are "Slicing Up Freshness" with each and every order! :-)

...... and now...... here's the Top-Twelve pictures for the month of August!





(September 2013)
A taste of "poverty"..... and a vacation of a lifetime!!

September began kinda warm and rainy, and after returning to Arby's I was getting very poor hours, despite the fact it's one of the friendliest, nicest workplaces I have ever experienced! A great workplace....... but on the scary side, for every dollar I spend, only pennies come back to me, and I'm digging deep into money that I hoped I wouldn't have to touch! I've been diligently searching daily, and have many applications out - along with the prayer that God puts me in the right one!

As September came to a close, what a DELIGHT it was!! I was with Georges in the Inverness area of Florida, totally-forgetting the sorrows of financial difficulties for awhile, and enjoying literally every moment! This is perhaps my most-anticipated time of the entire year!!

On a picture-note, normally with each month I include twelve photos. September was simply an incredible month for pictures, and twelve wouldn't be fair....... so this month there will be 25!







(October 2013)
A beautiful month - of vacation...... and much-needed work!

The month began while literally "living a dream"..... with not a worry in the world..... as if God was telling me "Everything will be alright"! October began while I was enjoying the vacation of a lifetime! It literally seemed worlds-AWAY, even though we never left Florida...... and what a beautiful time it was! Every second was special, and it was a time much-needed!

After vacation it was time to face reality, and returning to Arby's for mere pennies, and watching myself slip into a hopeless financial state....... then just as it was getting really scary financially, I was rescued! I spent several hours per day filling out online applications, and some were quite brutal - with timed math tests, IQ tests, etc, and with hundreds of questions..... and my phone never rang! Then came something I came across on Craigslist. I saw a simple ad saying "Dishwasher wanted - S. St. Augustine" plus nothing more. No name, no number, no location, "no nuthin'"! I Emailed a short note saying I have some experience, thinking I'd hear nothing from them..... and just then the phone rang, and they said "Get here NOW, the dishes are waiting!", and thus I was blessed with immediate work! I work as closer at Romano's Italian Restaurant here in town, and still work at Arby's also, since Arby's looks good for me concerning crossing the Canadian border! Romano's supports the idea of camp, and am already getting excited about camp, and beautiful Quebec!

Despite many hours of work, there were still very many cool and wonderful pictures! Here's the top-25 for the month of October -











(November 2013)
Work....... and MORE work (and a few cool pictures besides!)!

Working six days a week....... and realizing just how precious off-days are! November started with a beautiful sunrise at the beach in an effort to catch the partial solar eclipse, and even though the eclipse was not visible in any of my photos, the sunrise itself was quite stunning..... and the best pictures are included here in this month's gallery..... and thanks to Georges for calling me early enough to get there in time! He got some great pictures in Montreal at the same time! Otherwise Sundays have been my one day off each week, and things like sunsets are rare..... and thankfully some nice ones have been seen on Sundays recently!

On a work-note, Arby's is a great place with some great people, but Romano's unfortunately allows swearing, which is a huge bummer, but thankfully the sound of the music and the dish machine drowns out a good bit of it, and I need prayer for a better workplace, with a friendlier environment...... and a place that won't freak out when I tell them I'm going to the Poconos in the springtime! Camp and Quebec are my greatest desires, and I will stop at practically nothing to get there! :-)

God has closed the door to Michigan. That door remained open since 2006, and it is now closed..... but for every door He closes another one opens!

........ and now.......... the pictures from November! Enjoy! :-)









(December 2013)
December - The year in review.

Wow what a year!! 2013 was not the best financially....... but it was the best year ever at camp....... and Quebec is truly the "dream land", as well as my Florida vacation! In many ways 2013 was a "lifetime HIGH", despite being broke much of the time it seems, but the warmth and affection I have been so richly blessed with has more than made up for it! The greatest gift of all is to love, and to be loved in return....... and having my nights free again has made life much more pleasant! Please read on......

"Merry Christmas, and you've all been fired"!

Without a single word of warning, (my night job) Romano's sold the place back to the original owners, and when I went in to work the day after Christmas, the place was gutted and the doors were locked, and a person who I did not know came to the door and let me in, and he shared that he let the whole crew go, and wanted to hire a whole new crew..... and at the same time Arby's has expanded my hours just as the year came to a close! At less than a half hour before 2013 went forever into the history books, I asked God to give me a job which has the sweet spirit of Arby's, and the friendly people there...... and immediately this prayer was answered! I went from only a few hours per-week there to a more normal schedule, and Arby's is now a beautiful "reality" to me between now and camp! :-) Also on a weather-note, December has been incredibly warm! A lot of froggage and other cool stuff all month long!

......... and now...... here's the photo gallery for December! Enjoy :-)









(January 2014)
Life (and freedom!) beyond Romano's....... and a really cold Florida January.

(For a note, the new year is just another month for me, as my real "new year" begins in April - as I diligently prepare things during that time for camp)

This has been a great month, and a cold one! The month began with the Forgotten Favorites Music Program being moved from Flagler Lounge to Arby's! One door closed just as another one opened, and after two years of the program being a success at Flagler, part of the new "remodeling" was to yank the tunes! Concerning Arby's I do get a bit nervous when Corporation visits, always fearing they may want to return it back to the "regular radio" format with the swearing and the chatty DJ's and long periods of commercials, which was never too popular with the customers there, being mostly an older crowd.

BRRR! January was a chilly one, but still a lot of great pictures were taken, as you'll see below, and thankfully Arby's expanded my hours (even though I could sure use a lot more for financial survival!), and concerning Romano's..... I haven't been back. It's no fault of the new owners, and I still speak highly of the restaurant...... but I only wish the old owners would have given me a warning letting me know I would be jobless the very next day! I worked with them daily - and not a word was spoken concerning the sudden change at the very end of December! On a brighter-note, there was a lot of time to get out, and I am happy to have my evenings free to see the sunset......... and here are the pictures!











(February 2014)
A frigid month........ and the "woman in black"!

February was a great month, and a bit on the chilly side, and overall a colorful month - as the top pictures from the month will clearly show! Also I'm thinking of selling some of my photos as framed, mounted pictures, with a portion going to charity, and the rest going back into the cost of production of more mounted photographs. Sounds good so far..... but right at the beginning I encountered a strange experience as a woman dressed in black approached me as I was bringing some pictures into church with donations going to the "RJ Fund", where they're raising the money to adopt a baby. Right in the crowded area of the church she singled me out, approached me and said "Thou shall not make the house of the Lord into a house of merchandise" and ordered the pictures to be removed at once. I almost didn't go back...... and strangely this strangely-clad woman wearing all black was not seen again, and here's something REALLY strange - nobody else saw her either! Others came to me afterward and saw me bringing the pictures in, and wanted to see them, and others saw me taking them away, and even thought I had a buyer! Anyway she was not seen again before or after this, and it gave me the creeps, and I even avoided going back the week after that...... but the week to follow all went well. I guess "angels unaware" works the same for "demons unaware" too!

My last words to this woman concerning the pictures was when I promised "There will be no 'next time'", and since then I decided wisely to give to another charity instead -


This is a charity which seeks to end childhood hunger in America, and again, a portion of each picture sold will go this organization.

Speaking of pictures........ February offered some really splendid delights, and here you will see the top shots!











(March 2014)
Brrrr....... and a whole new Arby's??!

An unseasonably-cold month! Not just for Florida, but for practically everybody! The entire month was spent locked into a frigid January-type setting...... and at the same time there were days when the temperature would soar into the 80's! An amazing month! Despite the chill it didn't freeze here, and as the month comes to a close, many of the trees are a bright beautiful "Spring green"! Also as April approaches, it has the promise of bringing warmer temperatures with it!

A startling encounter happened just as the month came to a close (this is one reason why I don't like to update any particular month until the "old" month has already fallen into the history books!), as right at the very end the Forgotten Favorites program came under attack. For those of you who have followed me here, the program was started in the 1980's and first played at R.G. Barry Corp, in Columbus, Ohio, then it ran in some of the McD's in Indianapolis, Indiana, and more recently it ran for nearly three years at Flagler Lounge, and was only recently pulled when the new mgt. of Flagler Lounge didn't want ANY music........ and like Bean Street Coffee Company, Target stores, most of the McD's, and all KFC locations across the US, it's now a sad place with no "atmosphere"...... except for crying babies, gangstas and grumbly old men uttering giant cuss words, and an occasional ringtone! Anyway since January the Forgotten Favorites have been alive and well at Arby's, with a professionally-operated automated system playing a mix of tunes heard absolutely nowhere else! The management at Arby's (at St. Augustine) will be changing hands at the beginning of April..... and will the tunes last??........ Hopefully so...... but only time will tell! All I know is it is much-loved by all who hear it..... with the sole exception of young folks who swear and curse their life away, and thinks every business should play either rap or heavy metal - much to the dismay of the customer.

March will be the last month posted here before the past year is archived, and things begin afresh with April 2014, and Arby's IS pleased with the pictures! I'll display them and sell them there, and a portion of each will go to the No Kid Hungry charity, and the rest will be 100% returned to the "Nature Joe Picture Fund" for the production of more of these incredible works........ and speaking of pictures, here are the top picks for March! Enjoy! :-)