Keeping Your Cool When It’s Hot Outside

By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy flickr

If you haven’t noticed, we’re finally in the dog days of summer here in north Florida.  With the thermometer at or above ninety degrees nearly every day between now and September, I thought I’d take the time to show you a few ways to keep you and yours cool.  The last few weeks I’ve noticed the unusually high temperatures that many parts of the northeast and Midwest have been experiencing.  While I understand how they feel, what they go through for a couple of weeks every summer is what we Floridians deal with on a normal basis from June until September.  Heck, I can even remember several years when the ninety-degree heat started here in May.  Unlike in more northerly climes, in the deep south it’s a rarity to see daytime temperatures during the summer in the eighties. 

Be Better to Your Boat

By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy Pixabay

One of the great things about living in Florida is the fact that you can boat practically all year long.  If you own a boat, you know the pleasures that a day on the water can bring.  At least it does if you can get your boat to start, or if you don’t experience a problem on the water.  Believe it or not, much of the joy of boating can disappear faster than a puddle on a sunny summer afternoon if your boat isn’t looked after.  To help you enhance your boating experience, I have created a short list of things you can do to make sure your vessel is up to the task the next time you decide to head out on the water.

Buying and Selling a Bike

By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy flickr

It’s said that the two happiest days in a boater’s life are the one when they buy a boat, followed by the one when they sell the same boat.  While bikers don’t exactly phrase the transaction that way, having bought and sold a few motorcycles over the years, the emotional attachment formed and the anxiety incurred are pretty similar.  Since Florida is one of the few states in the Union where you can pretty much ride a motorcycle year-round, I thought I’d dedicate this week’s blog to the ins and outs of buying and selling a bike. 

It’s the Lease You Can Do

By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy Picpedia

When it comes to car ownership, there are good things and bad things.  Owning a car means you get to sell it somewhere down the road.  Depending on the miles, years and conditions, this can help you recoup some of the money you put into it.  It also gives you the option of driving as many miles per year as you desire.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that you are also on the hook for everything from routine maintenance and tire replacement to the down payment and sales tax paid when you purchase the vehicle.  This leaves some motorists wondering if perhaps leasing a new car every three years makes more sense than buying.