AUGUST 09 Final

RANDOM NEWS AND TIPS AROUND THE ISLES AND BEYONDBy JK and Steve McCrea

SORT PHOTOS, THEN TITLEDigital photography makes it almost too easy to shoot hundreds of photos.  The downside is in finding a particular photo or remembering a place that looks like other photos. If you’ve deleted photos in the camera, the order may be scrambled. The easy way to sort your photos is to organize them by number sequence, size or date.  Go to the top TOOLBAR and click LIST under the thumbnail icon.  Click DETAILS, then choose any of the four choices at the top of the photo layout; name, size, type, or date.  The photos will be rearranged numerically or your preferred choice.  The sequence choice can be changed at any time. Add titles and coordinate the numbering anew after deleting the bad photos.

COOL DIVERSIONSDrive 2 Hours for Great Snorkeling Not everyone is aware that some of Florida’s best snorkeling is only a two hour drive from 7 Isles.   Leave Pennekamp State Park to the tourists and instead visit the barely touched reef of Biscayne National Park.  Biscay National Park allows only two regularly scheduled boats, a sharp contrast to the much-visited Pennekamp State Park that allows 50 licenses charter boats daily.  The best way to see the park from underwater is to take a snorkeling or diving tour operated by Biscayne National Underwater Park, Inc. (tel. 305/230-1100; www.nps.gov/bisc). The diving conditions and snorkeling are almost equal since the reef ranges from 6 to 20 feet down.   Snorkeling tours depart at 1:30 pm daily, last about 3 hours, and cost $37 per person.  This includes good sanitized equipment. There are also weekend two-tank dives for certified divers for $54, including two tanks and weights. Make advance reservations. The shop is open daily from 9am to 5pm.Read more www.frommers.com/destinations/biscaynenationalpark

The Deep South Via Inner TubeAbout three hours north of Orlando, two hours from Gainesville, is a clear lazy river made for inner tubing. The Ichetucknee River is the Deep South of Florida, ready-made for a cool relaxing day with shady trees and slow currents.  A favorite of Gainesville residents, it’s always crystal clear and 72 degrees year round.  Follow the signs, rent a tube, park in the lot and drift away.  An open trolley at the end of the ride takes you back to the parking lot. The day’s not complete without pigging out at The Great Outdoors, the best restaurant in nearby High Springs (greatoutdoorsdining.com - (386) 454-1288).  The healthy whole-wheat pancakes, wheat berry salads and creative natural delights will taste even better after an afternoon spent cruising under the Spanish moss.  For more information about tubing, go to www.ichetucknee-tube-center.com

7354 SW Elim Church Rd, Fort White, FL 32038, (386) 497-2929.       

TRY SOMEPLACE NEW -- AUSTINThe Bat Experience in Austin, Texas, has become one of the most spectacular and unusual tourist attractions in Texas.  It’s educational and unusual. The Congress Avenue Bridge spans Town Lake in downtown Austin and is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America, estimated at 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats.   Each night from mid-March to November, the bats emerge from under the bridge at dusk to blanket the sky as they head out to forage for food.  The most spectacular bat flights are during August and September nights, when multiple columns of bats emerge.  There are several points from which to view the event, and an information kiosk is located on the north bank of the river, just east of the bridge.  (austincityguide.com)

DID YOU KNOW THIS?Bats are good. A single bat can eat up to 1,200 mosquitoes in one hour. Fewer than 0.5% of bats have rabies, with only 40 reported cases of humans getting rabies from bats since 1960. (www.eparks.org/wildlie protection facts/bats) Florida has 68 species of mosquitoes. Florida ranks third in state insect populations, after California and Arizona. (The Florida Quiz Book)

REFRIGERATOR FOODWhen the power goes off, the food in your refrigerator will stay cold 4-6 hours if you don’t open the door. Items in a half-full freezer are probably safe for 12 hours, a full freezer for two days. (Prevention Magazine)

WHAT CAUSES ICE CREAM “BRAIN FREEZE?”Have you ever gotten a very painful headache after eating a hard frozen dessert? This is caused by blood vessel spasms which are triggered by the intense cold from the dessert. The resulting headache is much the same as a migraine - the spasms interrupt the blood flow and cause the vessels to swell. To avoid this, just eat the ice cream more slowly.

THINK YOU WANT ICE?There are more bacteria in ice machines at fast-food restaurants than in toilet water.  In 2006, ABC news reported that a seventh grader in Florida won her school science fair by proving this by investigating five South Florida restaurants.  According to ABC medical contributor Dr. Robert Katz, ice is likely dirtier because machines aren't cleaned and people use unwashed hands to scoop ice. But toilet water is surprisingly bacteria-free, because it comes from sanitized city water supplies.”  How bacteria free?  We didn’t see the newsman drinking the toilet water.  (ABCnews.go.com)

The AuthorsJK and Steve Mccrea are professional writers, marketing consultants, educators, photographers and lecturers. When we can’t sleep, we do websites:  RoadLovers.com;

TeachersToTeachers.com; FreeEnglishLessons.com; JKmccrea.net; and Cruisetalks.net.Use SendRandomTips@gmail.com for suggestions, praise and party invitations.  Criticism will be ignored.