Good morning and happy Fourth of July weekend!  Am I the only one who finds it ironic, that a country from which we declared our independence 240 years ago tomorrow JUST voted for theirs???  I read a Washington Post article a few days ago which pointed out apparently the UK didn’t learn from the lesson of 1776.  John Adams amongst others began working on a Constitution in November 1775, and New Hampshire passed theirs in January 1776.  The lesson was, if you’re going to vote for independence, then you probably should have a plan in mind as to how you plan to govern going forward.  Now most likely they intend to revert to pre-EU governance with some exceptions, but the financial markets could stand a little forethought.  Oh well, it probably means low rates even longer and a great time to travel to Europe on US Dollars!!!

Last week we had the pleasure of hearing from former Jaguar and local celebrity Jeff Lageman who shared his outlook for the Jags 2016 Season.  If you missed it, he told us this is the first year, in many, that he’s felt excited about the team’s prospects for winning.  He gave a disclaimer, “now I’m not saying they’ll make the playoffs,” but he said we finally have the players we need; it’s up to them and the coaches to make it happen.  As “THE Outdoorsman,” Jeff also shared some hunting and fishing stories.  He had to refer to his girlfriend, our own Tera Williams (Thanks Tera for bringing him to speak), to confirm some of his “greatest catches…” pun intended.  Tera was kind enough to introduce him with a more personal introduction.  In planning she asked her daughter what she thought she should say about Jeff.  Tera’s daughter said, “Mommy that’s easy!  Just tell them he’s the love of your life and you kiss him all the time!”

Also, Donna Day gave a fantastic spotlight speech for us a week early, and she donated a piece of her own artwork: a hand crafted jewelry/display box.  The bidding was fierce, Jepp was auctioning and participating, but Tera ended up taking it for nearly $100. This was an incredible piece; you should check with Donna if you have a beach décor, or simply enjoy art with shells.   Bob Ascher sent me a text upon returning home Tuesday, he graciously offered to sit last week out and give some others a chance to win the 50/50.  Bob is recovering well and looking forward to returning as soon as possible.

This week, we’re back to politics with our long awaited debate for FL House District 16 (Charles’ Seat) between Jason Fischer and our own member Dick Kravitz.  Channel 4’s Kent Justice has agreed to moderate and Bill Bishop crafted some great questions with help from a few members.  Also, both candidates will get an opportunity to ask each other a question at some point during the debate…..that’s where it will surely get interesting.  We won’t have a spotlight speaker or Candidate Corner this week, but we will still have door prizes so please bring plenty!

 

Please be safe tomorrow, as the 4th falls on a school night and we’ll have to squeeze 5 days of work into 4!  Hopefully the weather holds out, and we all have a wonderful time celebrating OUR independence.