Hockey Goalie Mikayla Demaiter Pivots To Basketball, Will Clark Still Has His Sweet Swing & A Mardi Gras Fight
Mardi Gras with Dawgs fan Sam L. who didn't disappoint in the t-shirt department
• Sam L. writes:
Mardi Gras (if you haven't been before or in a while) and New Orleans have changed a lot. The reputation is wrong.
Its pretty much taken until now for the city to repair/replace the hurricane damage. Of course, it doesn't help that their elected officials have been corrupt and/or stupid. Current mayor is a doozy of dumb.
It also took until recently for the younger females to realize with all those smart phones, Grandma and future employers were going to see their boobs. So, there's not much flashing anymore.
If you are in a Krewe parade, you get to give little kids that are just absolutely enthralled to get some beads. Its very cool. And, at the end of the parade, you may end up at the Convention Center and watch a concert with Sting and Flo Rida performing. So, that's good.
Exotic Wood Mike WAS NOT murdered in an African jungle…he's alive
• Exotic Wood Mike reports:
Saw the mention. I am following along everyday to be certain. Next trip to Africa will be later this year, I'll make sure to avoid the blow darts, I can't miss a day of 'Caps.
I enjoy Mike and Cindy's pics - they've given me (and I am sure plenty of readers) ideas for future travel! I think Adam and Kerri took it a bit far.
I planned a trip with Mrs. Exotic Wood to the Olympic National Forest because of a 'caps IG embed. I purchased the Stihl - mini chainsaw (it is addicting!) I bought a host of car care products, and the Oculus 2 and Golf+ game - all because of the 'caps column and community.
Where else can you go to get such a broad range of diverse offerings ?? I don't think you'll find another place.
That being said, my trip to Fiji in search of Monkey Pod has been postponed due to the rainy season. As soon as the rains stop I'll be on the way, with updates coming your way.
In the meantime, how about Wine Barrels, and new Staves and old Staves - the stave is the individual piece of oak used to make the barrels. The stack of new staves is produced in Pennsylvania, and they are headed to Spain and Chile to make barrels. We bring back old deconstructed barrels (staves) and I have a customer that makes flooring from old wine barrels. That picture is the actual floor - no color or stain added. That's the red wine color that has soaked into the Oak.
I asked for hidden beaches around the world and Screencaps readers had a few hidden gems to think about on your next trip
• Tim in Texas City, Texas always has great intel for the community:
My brother used to rent a house in Granada, Nicaragua for a month in the summer (he lives in Colombia now). Back in 2010 or so, I flew down to meet him, my folks followed me soon thereafter, we all rented a car and travelled to a west coast town called San Juan del Sur. A little ways outside of town, there was a resort called "Mango Rosa". It turned out to be run by a couple of Americans, one of whom was from Dickinson, TX, which happens to be a neighboring town back home in Texas. One morning, we hopped on a rickety, old shuttle bus down to this hidden (at least it felt that way to us) little beach with a hostel, surf rentals and a bar/grill. To this day, my mom will claim that Leonardo DiCaprio was sitting at a table behind us while we ate lunch but I can neither confirm or deny...
I'm not sure what the current state of San Juan del Sur is but I highly recommend it if it's anything like it was then. It had bars and restaurants laid out along the beach. There was a hotel called "Casa Azul" that served one of the best breakfasts I had ever had and kept a fridge stocked with beer by the pool based on the honor system. It had a pen and a pad hanging on it and every time you'd grab a beer, you'd put a tally mark down under your name. There was a hole-in-the-wall (literally) taco place around the corner that was absolutely legendary. Best of all, at least at that time, it wasn't a tourist hot-spot yet.
I included an aerial and a picture of my Dad and I on the beach.
• Steve in Georgia writes:
Checking in on a couple of topics…
Greatest sporting event attended in person was the Miracle in South Bend. It might not be a blip on the national psyche but is huge to Vol Nation. Still the greatest game I’ve seen in person and one of the greatest comebacks ever. I even stood in line wearing my Orange (with a large coat covering it as it was November) to rub Knute’s nose before the game for luck. Take a look at the rosters from both teams - they were stacked with future NFL players.
Hidden beaches…
Spent a week in Lanzarote, Spain (one of the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa) many years ago. First picture is Playa Papagayo which we reached by water taxi. That view is from the bar up top. Next up is Playa Mujeres which while it does have a car park, we took a taxi and then hiked to. No services whatsoever so it was BYOB.
It being Europe many of the women are topless and with the seclusion of Mujeres it attracted several nudists as well. Won’t ever see that at Destin, but then again to each their own.
• Jeff B. in Colorado writes:
It's not a warm, tropical, exotic island vacation, true, but Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area on the border of Wyoming and Utah is spectacular. On a clear night, you've never seen so many stars. And you can camp right at the water's edge, affording you views like this.
The citrus lady at the central market in Valencia, Spain
• From Mike T., who somehow knows I'd eat 80 of those oranges and regret it in the morning:
And what in the world is going on here! Mike T. reports: "TGC and I have stayed at hundreds of Airbnbs over the years, but have never seen a combo range top, oven and dishwasher!"
And the view from the new T Airbnb in Valencia. Mike T. reports there were "millions and millions of orange trees on the way here from Malaga."
It's not bragging, it's content!
• Adam W. sent this at 7:25 AM ET which tells me that Adam was/is up late last night/this morning:
Aloha from Kona, Hawaii
Have a good one!
I asked ChatGPT to write me a Valentine's Day poem for the TNML community:
Who's hungry?
• J.B.F. in Tampa always sends me TikToks of grilling and smoked meats. Today he might've outdone himself. I can actually smell those steaks through my Apple MacBook Pro:
If you think travel baseball is expensive, girls' volleyball would like to enter the conversation
• Mark B. in Northern California writes:
Surprised no one has chimed in regarding Volleyball. If people think travel baseball is crazy they haven't even sniffed the surface compared to volleyball.
Got into this a couple of years ago. Thought it would be a fun activity for my daughter, who likes to compete. I was overwhelmed.
To me every town in America seems to have a volleyball club. None of them are "Rec" leagues they are all BIG business. Tournaments, league play, some boondoggle the coaches want to go on. It's non-stop.
It is not cheap either. Have not made any fundraising requests, yet, but I'm sure the clubs are warming them up. One club in the area has annual fees for each player starting at $10,000. This is before adding in travel costs for the kids and the parents. Add on top, the players are expected to hit the gym outside of practice for "hitting clinics", "setting clinics" or "serving clinics" which are additional costs of $30-$150 per hour. It should be noted most clubs have 3 teams for age groups from 11-18 years old. Easy math, which I know how to do, tells me a lot of "cash" is being generated by these clubs.
Then you go to the tournaments and there is a parking fee, an entrance fee (no free entrance for the parents), and $20 plates of chicken strips for lunch. Meanwhile, the days can be 10-15 hours.
The girls LOVE it and the parents manage it.
Did a little looking around and found out the hardest college scholarship is ... Volleyball! If the girl is not close to 6 feet or doesn't have a vertical jump she is playing intramurals volleyball for her sorority in college.
May have to sell a kidney to keep her doing this. Guess it's better than her losing her mind looking at the latest social media thread.
Be interesting to see if other girl dad "cappers" have volleyball stories.
'The Battery Daddy's Daddy'
• Mike N. sent in this one and took a shot at our beloved Battery Daddy:
Kinsey:
Mike N. is a valued member of the community, but I cannot take the Battery Rack seriously. I don't want to go to the garage to grab batteries off a wall when I can walk around the house like I'm Mike Holmes on HGTV with my Battery Daddy tackle box just switching out batteries like a madman.
Plus, the organization from the Battery Rack doesn't have the same asthetics as the Battery Daddy. You can take that tackle box with you on trips. Just think of how big of a Total Dad Move it would be to head out on a camping trip and someone needs batteries.
BOOM, you pull out the battery tackle box and you're a hero.
The Battery Rack will never be an off-the-grid hero.
A message to Gary who said he's leaving OutKick
• Mike N. says:
Gary may be reaching out for some response (or just venting and is long gone never reading this) as evidenced by him taking the time to pen the note and list the merits of Screencaps...
I read Screencaps (part of Outkick, owned by Fox) on an Apple phone, via Twitter, that interfaces with FireFox - 4 distinct entities... The only consistency with the ads, formats, interface, interactions, and links: change. Would I like to not have to click the "x" on the ad video at the top of the screen each time, sure. Would I prefer the ad not be an erectile disfunction promo with two guys, absolutely. Did the "view more" button irritate me, of course. But then the internet gods came and wiped that button away (as least for now...).
We Do Hard Things, that's just who we are. We bought a little time with Joe's new fancy promotion and title, but he too will be gone someday - more change - enjoy while you can.
Gary, why don't you signal your response with a simple photo: Sunset, we know you are gone. Sunrise, and we know you're back...
How would you accessorize this garage cave?
• Greg B. in suburban Dayton, OH writes:
This week, I am going to close on a dream - literally. No, I'm not giving up on the dream. Rather, the dream is coming true. You see, for years I've been on the hunt for property on which to build a barn where I could tinker and store all my tools and toys in one location. I could never find a property that checked all the boxes (size, price per acre, proximity from the house, wife willing to build a house on it some day). Back in September, I stumbled across a garage suite community. Think of it as a condo community of garages. Garage-o-miniums, if you will. Within 24 hours of finding the community and meeting the builder with the wife in tow, I signed a contract. It truly was a win/win for me and the wife. We stay married, she doesn't have to move to the country, and I get the garage I always wanted.
The builder said there was a chance of getting it built before the end of 2023, but due to scheduling conflicts with subcontractors and government bureaucracy (no surprise there), construction fell behind by 6 weeks. This Friday, I am finally closing. Attached is a picture of the blank canvas I'm stepping into.
The reason I share this with you and the SC/TNML community is that I'm looking for some inspiration on how to accessorize and, dare I say, decorate my new space. I've always been a bit of a minimalist, but the blank walls scream for something. I have an 11-piece garage cabinet set from Costco on order and will have various pieces of equipment (air compressor, power washer, welder). My goal is to not have clutter visible and for the space to resemble an operating theater. Still, it could use something on the walls.
I'm interested to learn how the SC/TNML have decorated their garages, barns, and other man-spaces. I'm not interested in spending a lot of money on "wall art" and don't want anything that would chew up floor space. I need to leave room for a fridge, sofa, and HDTV - you know, the essentials. Perhaps other SC/TNML members could share pics their happy spaces. The wife suggested Pintrest, but I don't know anything about it and refuse to participate on sites that require me to sign-up.
Thanks for creating a community where I feel I belong.
Kinsey:
Guys, you heard the man, where would you start with this blank slate? Greg has the 11-piece cabinet set on its way, but that's just the basic cosmetics.
What are the must-haves from there?
Those of you who have garage-o-miniums, what do you like to do in your condo? Do you have guys over to hang? Pool tables for guys' nights?
Here's what I'd be thinking about:
1. Garage fridge (a must)
2. Audio
3. Pool table
4. Are you allowed to hire painters to modify the space? If so, I'm hiring street artists to paint something cool on that long wall.
5. Golf simulator
6. 85" TV
I know Greg says he wants to tinker, but I think what Greg really wants is a cool place to have a few friends over to do cool shit like crank up the radio and wipe down a ‘69 Camaro or something similar. I don’t know if he's a car guy, but it sounds like he wants the ability to pull a car into this space and detail it for eight hours.
Help Greg!
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That's it. The sun IS OUT AGAIN – the weather guys announced Tuesday that we haven't received precipitation yet this month and there's not much in the forecast.
Good luck to those of you who have to put on a show for Valentine's Day.
Go do work.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com