Author Archives: owner

I never know what we may catch when I go fishing with my friend Mike. Sunday May 12, 2013 Pete, Mike and I were fishing in the Boca Grande area of western Florida.

Pete and Mike caught “Jacks”, I caught the only keeper, a 25″ trout.

It was a great day fishing.

Now it is back to work as a dentist in Palm Harbor.  I derive much enjoyment from dentistry.  If one loves their job, they never have to “work” one day in their whole life.

Having Graduated from Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery, I am very accustomed and comfortable sitting in the doctors stool and offering advise to patients.  I deliver my findings in honest calming tones offering options and alternatives to both good and bad situations.  Ultimately the patient and I reach some conclusion.  Twice this month I had to take off the doctor hat and wear the patient/parent of child hat.  It is so different.

Practicing dentistry, with a focus  on dental implants has given me enormous knowledge and insight into bone physiology as well as other more standard types of dental procedures.  This knowledge has not saved me from having a root canal on a front tooth fail.  The dental knowledge lets me know my choices.  Apicoectomy for tooth #10 or extraction, bone graft and dental implant.  The quick and most common solution would be the apico – but I feel this has a poor long term prognosis.

On Friday, April 19, 2013 I presented to my dentist’s office and while under oral conscious sedation, I had tooth #10 removed, bone grafting with a Peri-cardium membrane and interim replacement with a removable tooth.  Pain and swelling has been minimal.

The good old days, an expression used by many of us as we age, but were the old days any “gooder?” I think not.

In this first picture one can see the view from the back of the courthouse in Colonial Williamsburg.  This is a small room by today’s standards, but finished in magnificent detail.  As in any situation, it depends on which seat one sits in as to ones perspective.  During the pre-Revolutionary War era, someone appointed by the British Government would preside over the trial, but amazingly the person on trial might have been awarded many of the rights we all have come to expect – trial by jury, the right to confront our accuser, the right to an attorney.  Trials only took place every 90 days, this courthouse, in the Capitol of VA at the time was only for felony crimes, and the conviction rate was 54%.

This was a fun way for me to spend the spring break with my children, the first part of the trip was enlightening, in my opinion, Case Western Reserve University is truly an incredible university, but unfortunately the city of Cleveland has not pulled itself out of what appeared to my to be a deep depression decades ago.  The re-growth appears painfully slow, I needed to see that for myself.  My son will probably go to Boston University, or if accepted to Johns Hopkins.  The second part, Colonial Williamsburg was very educational for my son and I, but, it was torture for my daughter.  I was very unsettled, but enlightened by the horrors of slavery.  The public talks with Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry were awesome, I am just sorry we did not catch the public audience with George Washington.

In the jail

This is where those awaiting trial stayed, the jail, not a pretty place, but a jail is/was not meant to be a comfortable place.  Life in this era was harsh, inside the legal system, as a free person especially so as a slave.  Even though the conviction rate was 54%, many convicts got pardons.  A pardoned convict got branded on the left hand, very painful, but most convicts got hanged.  It was almost guaranteed that a branded, pardoned convicted that was tried again for a felony was hanged – two strikes and you are out.

We heard an actor playing Thomas Jefferson speak the first day, today we heard an actor playing Patrick Henry speak, as I mentioned above, I quite enjoyed the first presentation.

I love traveling, learning and spending time with my children, but I am looking forward to going back to real life being a Palm Harbor Dentist!

A circa 1920′s wedding gown

Every year since 1996 I have enjoyed a spring break with my children.  In 1996 there was just one, then in 1998 came the second bundle of joy.  As time marches on, my first child is 18 and will be heading off to college next year.  Next year he will probably want to spend his spring break with friends, normal and natural.

For this years spring break, I began planning approximately 6 months ago, trying to poll multiple personalities, to find some common happy median.  It was a futile effort.  Either we could not agree, or no one wanted to discuss it “now,” after all, it was months away.  After painful negotiating, I was somehow able to choose Colonial Williamsburg.

About two months ago, after my son, Mathew, was accepted to Case Western Reserve, I decided to include an excursion to visit the school in Cleveland, OH in this vacation.  Pictured is one of the wedding gowns displayed at a Case Western historical gallery exhibit.  This gown caught my daughter Kendall’s attention.  It very shinny and just what a “flapper” getting married might have worn.

After a very early flight yesterday and a 9+ hour drive from Atlanta to Williamsburg, we will tour Williamsburg for the next three days before getting taking the AutoTrain back to Tampa on Monday.  Then Monday afternoon I see a patient for extractions, dental implants, immediate temporary fixed bridge work and under sedation.

I hope to blog a little about history after immersing ourselves in the Colonial and pre-Colonial time periods the next few days.