During our first day in New Jersey, the only thing more frigid than the New Jersey weather was the relationship between the cousins. My. oldest nephew came to visit us in Tampa a few months -back. It was the first time he- met my new family and I hoped he and my old- est son would quickly become best friends. They are the same age and they are both boys, so I pictured them eas- ily getting along. That was not the case. They were cordial but there was a definite di- vide. In retrospect, it is easy to see why. They are completely different people. My nephew is from New Jersey and cold weather. My oldest is from Florida and warm weather. My nephew plays soccer, which uses feet. My oldest plays bas- ketball, which uses hands. My nephew is quiet and shy. My oldest is the loudest most out- going boy I have ever known. My nephew is a daddy's boy. My oldest is a mamma's boy. My nephew is too cool for school. My oldest doesn't even know what cool means. For most of my nephew's visit to Tampa, he bonded with Ben, who looked to him as though he was a God when he saw him kick a soccer ball., For the entirety of my neph- ew's trip, Ben, followed him around like a dutiful dog. My nephew relished the atten- tion, spending most of time trying to make Ben laugh, which isn't very hard. Ben will laugh at anything, even the TV show'"Guys With Kids;" terrible. I preferred my oldest bond with my nephew, but I let it slide, figuring they had Christmas to get to know .one another. New Jersey began as a continuation of Florida. I was so close with my cous- ins when I was a boy and I wanted my kids and my sis- ter's kids to have the same relationship, even though we live 1,200 miles apart. During our Christmas Eve dinner at a restaurant in Trenton, howev- er, the older boys stared into space whenever they were in any situation in which they were forced to engage one an- other. It was not going well. 'Our middle child and my youngest nephew had a simi- lar relationship that night, which is odd because outside of their sex 4my middle is a girl and my youngest nephew a boy), they are exactly alike. They are the same age. They both tantrum over anything. They are both so attached to their moms you would think they were still in the womb. They are both shy. They both like to dress to the nines, even for a simple trip to the conve- nience store. My younger nephew didn't come to Tampa a few months ago, so this was the first time he had met my family. Hell, I hadn't seen him since he was a baby so in a way it was the first time he met me. It made sense that he was shy around us; we were absolute strangers. Throughout Christ- mas Eve dinner and continu- ing into Christmas morning when we visited my sister and then into Christmas Day din- ner at my parents' house, my daughter and youngest neph- ew stayed so far away from one another you would have thought one had cooties and the other didn't know about cootie spray. However, my youngest nephew and my daughter soon found out they shared one major similarity their love of cookies. Following Christmas Day dinner, my daughter and my youngest nephew kept disap- pearing into the bathroom to- gether. At first, this concerned me. They are both mega-at- tractive and, though cousins, they are not blood related be- cause my daughter is techni- cally my step-daughter, which means they could date outside The South and it would be ok. Then I remembered that they are only 4, which meant only one other thing COOKIESI My daughter is a junk food ninja, constantly pocketing whatever sweets she can get her hands on and sneaking to solitude. My youngest neph- ew has an equal affinity for sweets and thievery. On their fourth trip to the bathroom, I followed them, gave a good 10 count once they closed the door to give them a feeling of safety, and then burst in. They .were caught red handed. They had so many cookies on them they couldn't even eat the evidence. I couldn't get mad; I was actu- ally elated that they were con- cocting plans together. My oldest son and nephew finally followed suit two days later when they learned what all boys learn in time they both love video games! After days of awkwardness, they started playing video games together and were instantly BFFs. Boys are so easy. The next day, with. the four kids all getting along, we headed out to the coolest place of all time. I have no idea what the name of the place was. Normally, that would mean the placed SUCKED. Not this time. It was so damn cool I never had time to look at the name on the door ... it was an indoor carnival! It was Chuckle Cheese on ste- roids. More importantly, it was .Chuckie Cheese without the adults with tear drops tat- tooed on their faces! It had all the normal games any such place would have- the moving basketball hoop, the dance revolution thing-a-ma-jig and all the stupid games that spit out tickets you trade in for cheap prizes. What set this place apart was that it had an, indoor Merry Go Round and MAGIC MOUNTAIN! What is Magic Mountain?! Only the great- est thing in the history of mankind! It is a five story obstacle course for kids that has Nerf guns shooting balls, tubes that need to be crawled through, walls that need to be scaled and net bridges that need to be braved, all culmi- nating in a slide that twists and turns down five stories faster than Walt Flanagan's dog can runl The only downside was that an adult needs to go with the kids and none of the ob- stacles are large enough for anyone larger than an Ewok. Time and time again, my back seized up as I squeezed myself through tiny corridors. Why would they have a rule that adults need to accompany the kids yet not make it adult friendly at all?! I kept pray- ing that someone would pass me a cake that said "Eat Me." I have to admit, though, the slide was epic. The fofir kids went up Magic Mountain at least half a dozen times, helping one (continued to page.17) The stillness of the South- ern forests is a remarkable phenomenon. The norm in these primitive and secluded haunts is a soul calming qui- et. One's footsteps walking along a forest trail, at times, seems such a contrast to the enveloping tranquility. To some of us, it appears as if each step sends an alert to the entire animal kingdom. In the still of a frosty morn- ing, while sitting on a hunting stand, the whirling of wings of the smallest bird can be clear- ly perceived even when not paying attention. The hoot of an owl, just before day break or during early dawn, will startle even the most experi- enced woodsman. Come February, March and most of the seasonal Spring, the pervasive quiet ceases to be the norm of the forest. It is so because wild turkeys, one of the .major inhabitants of our wilderness begin to chant their amorous songs. This is the; mating season for the gloriously beautiful Florida Osceola wild turkey. During the next few weeks, the flocks of turkeys begin to regroup. The males, usu- ally traveling together,- sepa- rate from the hens the poults. They begin to break away from the male groups beginning the courtship with the hens. That. period, is when the most thunderous, animated and vulgar come-ons take place. While turkeys use a vari- ety of vocalizations, in early spring, male turkeys an- nounce their presence to fe- males and competing males by gobbling. Depending on lo- cal circumstances, gobble can carry for up to a mile. Males also emit "clucks," "putts," "purrs," "yelps," "cutts," "whines," "cackles," and "kee- kees." At times, they emit low- pitched "drumming" sound; produced by the movement of air in the air sack in the chest. In places where large num- bers of wild turkeys dwell, the woods come alive with the sounds of amorous gobblers seeking willing hens. In addition to their melodi- ous chants of lust, male tur- keys also engage in magnifi- cent displays of the feathery beauty. They spread or fluff every feather in what is com- monly called struts. While in strutting form, they lower their wings along- side their bodies, feathers fanned-out and dragging the ground. It is truly a sight to behold. Hens "yelp" to let gob- blers know their location. The sound the hens emit seeking the company of toms, is also the most common sound cre- ated by turkey hunters to attract males. It is sort of a cruel joke no doubt. But one that has been the undoing of turkeys of all types; includ- ing those of elevated military ranks and socioeconomic lev- els. Savvy turkey hunters learn the use of the various calls for their purpose. The tradi- tional box turkey call employs a paddle attached to a cedar box. A sound similar to that made by a turkey is produced by rubbing the paddle on the sides of the box. There are also mouth calls consisting of latex diaphragms attached to a semicircular frame. Mouth calls require lots of practice and are not for the novice. They advantage of mouth calls is that they leave the hands free to manage the usual accompaniment of the turkey hunter; the shotgun. That accessory will' greatly shatter the stillness of the for- est. Now is the time to begin your next turkey hunt. Pre- season scouting is. an es- sential element of the sport. Walking the woods quietly, listening and looking for the signs the turkeys leave in the forest is a game of patience and knowledge. At this time of the year, the tell-tale signs that turkeys are in a region can be found in oak groves, sandy spots along bodies of water or in clearings along or among pine stands. Scratch marks made by the turkey's, long-nailed toes, feathers and droppings can ADVERTISEMENT OF SALE APOLLO BEACH MINI-STORAGE, INC 313 Apollo Beach Blvd. Apollo Beach, FL 33572 813-641-0200 Fax 813-649-1819 February 2, 2013 @ 9:00 AM Notice is hereby given that WBB Inc. DBA Apollo Beach Mini-Storage in- tends to sell the property under Florida Self Storage Act Statutes (Section 83.801-83.809). The owner will sell at public sale on February 2, 2013 at 9:00 AM at 313 Apollo Beach Blvd., Apollo Beach, FL 33572, the following: Esteban A. Varela Household Unit 1314 David Stroud Household Unit 0239 Sale is subject to cancellation in the event of settlement. Should it be im- possible to sell the goods on the day of the sale, the goods will be disposed of at the tenant's expense, and/or the sale will continue on such succeeding sale days thereafter as may be nec- essary to complete the sale. 1/18-1/25/13 2T all indicate the presence of turkeys and their sex. Whether one decides to take a turkey or not, call- ing them and observing their behavior is an exciting past time. When a male turkey is excited, its head turns blue; when ready to fight, it turns red. The wattles and the bare skin of the head and neck. all become engorged with blood making them all the more "beautiful" for the ladies. -Long ago, I decided I had taken my last turkey. I still love to call them, observe their antics and take pictures. Especially when using de- coys, it is fascinating to watch them come to fight that fake rubber turkey that appears to threaten their amorous en- counter with some flirty hen. They flare their feathers, spur and peck at the decoy and ultimately depart in total frustration. A few more yelps and cack- les and they return for more uncontested fighting. Wild turkey Spring Season opens in Zones B, C and D on March 16 with one turkey per day bag limit. No limit for camera shots. BE A GOOD SPORTS CITY OF TAMPA PURCHASING DEPARTMENT INVITATION TO BID Pursuant to Chapter 69-11t9, Special Acts, Laws of Florida, sealed Bids will be received by the Director of Purchas- ing, City of Tampa, in his office until: 2:30 PM ON 2/21/13 OVERHAUL OF MAIN ROTOR COMPONENTS FOR BELL 407 & 206L-4 HELICOPTERS then and thereafter to 'be publicly opened and read. Bid documents are available at the Purchasing Depart- ment (Phone No. 813/274-8351). It is hereby made a part of this In- vitation -to Bid that the submission of any Bid in response to this advertised request shall constitute' a Bid made under the same conditions for the same contract price and for the same effective period as this Bid to all public entities In Hillsborough County. Dated: 1/25/13 Gregory K. Spearman, CPPO, FCCM Director of Purchasing City of Tampa, FL 306 E. Jackson St., Tampa, FL 33602 1/25/13 1T p=09 Page 14/LA GACETA/Friday, January 25,2013 The Guzzo's Christmas Vacation, Part IV Outdoor Sportsman's 3 Report By Richard Muga Shattering the Quiet of the Forest A subscription to La Gaceta makes a great gift! - 1-v-