 |
| Blue Spring |
From up by Lake City, then down to Bushnell in a park for all of December. A few weeks in the Tampa area, a few weeks on Key West. Assorted week long stays in state parks near the east coast.
Blue Spring by Orange City, Jonathan Dickinson by Jupiter, & Sebastian Inlet where the Spanish 1715 treasure fleet sunk in a hurricane. We stayed at a couple of county parks, a county fish camp and out by Lake Okeechobee at a water management district camp.
 |
| Hibiscus flowers |
We've seen turtles, raccoons, alligators, manatees and dolphins. Horses, cattle & goats too ... don't want to forget the cattle & goats....
There is a LOT of cattle in Florida
 |
| An alligator |
 |
| A dolphin |
More birds than I can count, and chickens too!
 |
| Fishing for lunch |
 |
| Hanging out |
 |
| Circling. waiting for lunch |
Plus trees, trees all over the place. Date palms, coconut palms and palms that I was not able to do more than tell they were palm trees. Oaks with moss hanging from the branches, pine trees & evergreens I couldn't identify. Papaya trees, Mango trees and Orange trees.
 |
| An Osprey |
 |
| Palms on a beach |
I've always known that I liked palm trees, something from my Hawaii days when I was a kid, but I never realized that I liked all kinds of tropical plants. I get a kick out of driving down a road and seeing banana trees just growing in the ditch or in a stand across a field. The flowers too, hibiscus all over the place and I'd swear I saw a Plumeria the other day.
Florida is a neat place, lots of tropical plants, flowers & warm water.
 |
| Bananas by the roadside |
I hadn't realized how much I like the tropical plants. I knew I liked the warm water and the sea shells but I didn't realize how much I enjoyed seeing the tropical plants.
 |
| Florida |
It hasn't been just plants & animals I saw here in Florida this winter. I saw in-laws too! Father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law. All great people I'm pleased to say!
 |
| A good place to be in the winter |
--------------
I can't talk about Florida without mentioning Spanish treasure.
 |
| For 16 years everyday Mel Fisher went out treasure hunting and everyday he said "Today's the day!". On the 20th day of July in 1985 it was! They found the Atocha, 40 tons of gold and silver and emeralds. Somewhere around $450 millions dollars worth. |
Glad you enjoyed your winter in Florida! Many people don't get to discover all that it has to offer because they're only there for a short vacation trip.
ReplyDeleteWhere are heading next?
Heading to Washington state, some baby sitting duties in July & a daughter's wedding in Aug.
DeleteI worked in SE Washington state for 5 years and loved the whole PNW. My work location was in Richland.
ReplyDeleteThe PNW is great in the summer!
DeleteI'm in Florida or Arizona or Texas in the winter because I did get tired of the gray & damp of their winters.
I am so glad you and your wife enjoyed your stay in Florida and got to visit at many different locations within the state.
ReplyDeleteSpecially nice that you got to meet your in-laws better yet that you liked them.
I learned something new...had no idea they had cattle in Florida.
Lot's of cattle!
DeleteGreat photos. We still have two feet of standing snow here in western Maine. Did spend some time in Florida in the Navy. Did some diving. Careful of the snakes as there are a lot of them down there - more dangerous than alligators.
ReplyDeletethe Ol'Buzzard
Thank you about the photos!
DeleteDuring my 6 years in Minnesota Lake Bemidji was ice free by the 28th of April. One year the ice had washed just onto the shore around the lake... but it was ice free.
The only snake I've seen was on a beach/brush area, it was brown, long and really fast! I was glad it wasn't coming towards me!!