Mayport Naval Station, FL

I have more pictures to share - my fascination was with the tail images, and the pilots nicknames, as evidenced by this primarily photo blog.

This had special meaning to me, as I have a rescued cat named Gizmo. Not sure the LT would like the reference.

I can only imagine "how" these nicknames are earned!

Really, don't you think this is a very specific nickname?????

Lt CDR Chuckles......well, his plane on the flight deck at least.

We all loved this name!

Ok, there were probably a million other pictures, but I could not avoid the nicknames and the tail insignia...

The bronze statue of the namesake of the ship...This ship is unique in that their namesake is still living, has visited twice and writes personal letters to the departing sailors thanking them for their service.

And one of the seven dwarfs...I did not see the other six names anywhere that I recall..

And , of course, Uncle Pepe....who could fly without him.

I had this unique opportunity yesterday to tour the USS George Bush while in port, prior to continuing with their pre-deployment war games off our coast.

How? Being active in the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce has led me to be on the Beaches Chamber Board of Directors, and this invitation was directed towards the Board - and one I'm glad I did not pass up!

I have never been aboard an aircraft carrier, and they are SO HUGE! Floating cities is a good analogy; this one is probably bigger in terms of population than the small Northern NJ town I grew up in!

The entire experience was awesome, however, the "elevator" experience was probably the most awesome: it's a portion of the flight deck that acts as an open air elevator, capable of carrying 200,000 pounds, and moving with alarming speed (really!). There are four on board, and they can move aircraft from the hangar to the flight deck.

Here are some facts I learned:

• Approximately 6000 people serve on board, almost all of them under the age of 24.
• They can land another plane every 45-60 seconds.
• The tower "stack" was not built on top of the flight deck; it was built in a separate location and then welded to the flight deck.
• Nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall.
  

You can read more about the ship here on their official website: http://www.public.navy.mil/airfor/cvn77/Pages/USS%20GEORGE%20H.W.%20BUSH%20%28CVN%2077%29.aspx

Great plane shot on the flight deck. You can barely see the War Party on the fuel tank...

Bomb Mouse On Tail - part of the way the individual units are defined.

This is the "show" plane; you can tell because the tail insignia is in full color and not muted.

Repair Mouse - not clarified, just my interpretation.

This is the tower portion, built somewhere else, and then welded to the flight deck. The top row of windows is essentially the air traffic control portion.

The flight deck was impossibly long and I can only imagine what it is like to actually LAND planes on it...especially at night!

That WHOLE section is an elevator, designed to carry aircraft from the hangar level to the flight deck level. Maybe it doesn't move AS fast when it is carrying significant weight, but I can tell you: we civilians were totally surprised when it moved. Both times!

I had the opportunity to tour a ship at our local Naval Air Station, Mayport, in Northeast Florida last night. The Chamber of Commerce organized it, and, if you have never had the pleasure to visit, it is really a city within a city.

Our port is one of the largest, and most sought after posts, largely due to our ocean proximity (30 minutes to ocean), the low cost of living compared to other bases, and, of course, the fact that we are in Florida.

I've toured the base and ships before, but never at Christmas time. Below are some of my pictures.

Me in the captain's chair in the CIC area....

Big gun at sunset....

Group pic..yup, me in the antlers!

On ship consult..

Ok, the steering wheel? Is the tiny gold wheel you see in the center of this picture....REALLY!

Happy Holidays!

Beaches Area 2009 statistics

Here are the August 2009 stats and August 2008 for comparison -

2009

• 285 Homes Sold
• Lowest price: $44,900
• Highest price: $3,200,000
• Shortest Days on Market: 0
• Longest Days on Market: 1,247

2008

• 228 homes sold
• Lowest price: $40,000
• Highest price: $4,200,000
• Shortest Days on Market: 0
• Longest Days on Market: 717

The number of homes sold year to year is up, 24%, which is terrific news for anyone involved in real estate, whether is it buying or selling.

The prices are not off that much from last year, in reality, and the days on market, with the exception of the property on the market for 1200 days (a number I have never seen before, personally), seem consistent.

If you are ready to list your home, call me for a comparable market analysis to see what price range you should list in, and to learn more about what sets myself and Prudential Network Realty apart from the competition.

And, if you are a first time buyer, use your $8K tax credit before it's gone!

Carol Zingone is a Broker Associate with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Rating in Jacksonville Beach, FL with Prudential Network Realty. She helps buyers and sellers throughout the Beaches, Intracoastal West and Greater Jacksonville, FL areas. She can be reached at 904/993-9048 or via email at carolzingone@clearwire.net

If you are ready to buy your first home in Jacksonville, FL, here is some good information about new programs available.

The Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) is a city program seeking to purchase bank owned foreclosures, rehabilitate them, and then sell them at moderate prices to homeowners. This program is specifically targeting the following zip codes:

• 32206
• 32208
• 32209
• 32244
• 32254

The program overview is available on this website: http://www.nspjax.com/

This is a brand new program. so there will be more info posted to the website soon.

The other program you may have heard about is the Florida Homebuyer Opportunity Program. This is another city program offering downpayment assistance for first time homebuyers. There is a limited amount of funding for this program, and this program requires a Home Buyer Education session, which is 8 hours long. It's important to know the buyers that will benefit from this program are motivated buyers who are ready to buy in the next 45-60 days. Each buyer prospect will be given a letter after the education session, and this letter is First Come/First Served/First Closed.

The max purchase price for a property on this program is $247,500, and the property MUST be owner occupied-not an investment property.

Carol Zingone is a Broker Associate with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Rating in Jacksonville Beach, FL with Prudential Network Realty. She helps buyers and sellers throughout the Beaches, Intracoastal West and Greater Jacksonville, FL areas. She can be reached at 904/993-9048 or via email at carolzingone@clearwire.net