Been a bit sick with a cough. My friend, Andrea Kuczynski recommended raw honey. So I gobbled all I had. Where to get more?

Another friend, Gar Thaddeus Gernstein told me it comes in little bears. So I went to get raw honey filled little bears.

That didn’t turn out well…

Spun into Mount Dora to drop off prints and attend a birthday party/music event. Thanks to Krista Joy, Peter Alden and Andrea Kuczynski for letting me trespass!

Andrea’s Caleb and I spoke a bunch about World War II history from Panzers to the Pacific theater to Maugham’s ‘Ashenden’.

Thus Caleb as intrepid WWII spy drawn during the conversation. Also a sketch of a winged raptor.

A Carol for a Corpse by Claudia Bishop

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


In that I had just read one of another series with similar aims of mystery, it was easy for me to recognize this had much the other didn’t. There was a very well set setting, distinct characters and dialogue. Also, the mystery itself was far more interesting. There are some stereotyped characters and the plot is more than over used, but the sum is good. I have a real problem of how the murder took place. The effort to accomplish the task is very to nearly impossible considering the outcome. There is a lot of assumption readers know snow skiing. Having a background involving construction development, there is also a problem with how part of the plot is written involving taking over and redeveloping land.

But really the mystery is secondary to the over all story of two sisters running an inn. I liked that part best.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 6 out of ten stars.



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Here’s the finished illustration of my 2019 Swampy’s Florida Christmas print. Lots included in this one.
The location this year being the 1957 Milton Bakery in Milton, north of Pensacola.

I hope to be hitting the road starting Wednesday to get the prints out personally to certain locations in Florida. If you would like one, let me know and I’ll see if i can drop one off to you personally or something like it. Mailing individual prints got rough to do due to expense and the damage done these days by the postal service.

This will be available soon via Fine Art America. That way the print can be received in excellent shape.

This time including my storytelling caricature-type work!See attached for special pricing! ONLY good through 11:59 pm December 1st.Please don’t post requests here. See at bottom of offer how to send in requests.If you want an even better offer, visit me and ask at KittyCon Tampa Bay 2019 this weekend.

The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A very tight novel that slices away to the core. Cracker jack writing and good plot. The characters are pretty stark, leaving the imagination to fill in a lot. Same true for the book itself. Even the settings, critical for parts of the book are pretty loose, but the writing

Two pages covers what could have been 100 pages. So much written in few words. Very impressive.

The tale unfolds with speed and with darkness. Written with skill hardly seen these days.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 8 out of 10 points.



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Hilarious Fishing Cartoons by John Troy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is an excellent collection of gags and cartoons involving fishing. Most all expertly artistically executed. Here, I think i know who most major cartoonists are and stumble across this a few weeks ago. Cartoonist Troy seems to keep to himself and not part of any of the cartoonist organizations I’ve been with or know of.

His skill is great. i spotted a number of conscious or unconscious swipes of technique and style of others. To a professional, he does have his weaknesses and some gags are misses.

A tiny quibble is that Troy’s fishing experience seems to be in the northern US. Here, in Florida, we have all sorts of funny instances involving the challenges here.

Overall, this collection is excellent and, at the time should have been in consideration for our National Cartoonists Society. But i was there when this book came out and it wasn’t present. If I had known about it, I would’ve entered it.

I should write, i can’t stand fishing and Love this collection.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 9 out of 10 points.



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Fun evening with, my pals, Andrea Kuczynski and Caleb, who seems to have seen photos of me before….
Did some live video with more to come in January.

There, as a guest on Andrea’s ‘Voice of Hope’ program, I’ll talk about the mess of my first marriage and the destruction caused by the “Evil One” and where so many involved ended up after. I’m sure to lay out my views of co-dependency, alcohol and drug use and abuse among other subjects along the way. I’ll post a link here after the broadcast.

Asterix and the Chieftain’s Shield by René Goscinny

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Note: I’m trying to read various stories of sequential story telling. Trying to read one a week. This is the first in two months. Oops!

This is a very good story by Goscinny and seems very well drawn. It’s hard to tell. The 2004 hard bound print I have is poorly printed and hard to see and read in places.

The pacing of the story seems at points a bit drawn out, but the conclusion wraps it all nicely. The page layouts are excellent. Design aspects are excellent. Just wish i could see it better. i’ll have to seek a better print.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.



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After working at home today, wandered to a dinner party a bit down the road.

Got to see Sally and Randal White and their two children, who I haven’t seen in three years since the last dinner I attended. Great to see them again! Randal is a celebrity in these parts with his cooking wizardry. They prepared the feast tonight and it blows away the slew of places I’ve recently stopped to review across the state.

Also got to talk to a person important to so many charities and public policy issues in Central Florida, B.J. West. We spoke of mutual and sorely missed friends like Bill Coleman, Andy Serros and Duke Crittenden. Hope to do an oral history of her sometime soon. She’s a 5th generation Floridian who grew up in a one time significant farming community in Lake County.

Putting it all together was Donna Dollar Wilson and Ed Wilson, who did another tremendous job assembling the event!

(My ‘Meow’ cap is to remind folks I’ll be at KittyCon Tampa Bay 2019 November 30th and December 1st.  )

Tomorrow: A trip to Sanford for another meeting! Hope to get a bit of hiking in along the way.

The Warrior by Frank G. Slaughter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was given to me by my good friend Whitey Markle. He knew I was a fan of Slaughter’s Florida history books and I didn’t have this one. This one covers the time of the Seminole Indian War along the Ocklawaha River and includes a fictional story with a good deal of what is believed known to have actually to have occurred during the crucial time of the war where Osceola and Seminoles had their major battle with the US military. A few names were changed, but Micanopy, Alligator, Morning Dew, Cooacoochee, Thomas Jesup, etc. are all included. Slaughter well depicts each character as is known about them in real life.

Slaughter takes the history believed to have occurred and, as he has done in so many of his books, strips in a love story and other melodrama to create a compelling book that generally teaches the history and great to read.

At times Slaughter seems to get bogged down and overwrites parts. I’ve found he’s done this in other books. Seems an editor might have stepped in about this. Problem might be that, though over done, the writing is still so superior, it’s hard to request an edit.
Another issue are some glaring inaccuracies. In that this is fiction and Slaughter is trying to create a readable, fictional tale for the general public, that is his trap door to escape out of.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 8 out of 10 points.



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