Back in Florida

Bird spotted on our swamp tour in Louisiana

I did an eleven hour day on last Saturday, driving from Big Lagoon State Park near Perdido Key on the western side of Pensacola.  Since I didn't have a reservation for Friday night (never a good idea on a weekend), I stopped at Welcome Florida to ask their assistance re state parks.  The gentleman phoned a number with negative results and then tried the closest to their location.  It was a very nice park with lots of families preparing to enjoy the weekend.  I walked their extensive boardwalk but could locate the beach promised on the signs.  At least it gave me a chance to stretch my legs.  I had been traveling from Louisiana after a coffee stop with Baton Rouge friends, Skipper and Bryan.  We caught up a bit on each others lives before I headed out into storm warnings.  Fortunately they were all about 100 miles north of me and I even seemed to be following any rain. Some of the area affected would have been along my route the week before.

Today I am trying to finally put some order to my photographs in hopes of resets some of the camera memory sticks and removing some photos from my hard drive.  It's amazing how they accumulate.  I love the digital photos but they are a challenge to manage.  Deleting seems so permanent when there are no negatives. Part of my purpose is to post some albums on line that I have been promising in my blog over the years.  The link above is for Picasa and will take you to my photos from the Disney Spring Garden Show I saw earlier this month.  I also plan to add albums on Vicksburg, Natchez and surrounding areas and the Louisana swamp tour. By clicking on the Title to the Blog "Back in Florida", the disney photos should come up in a Picassa album.

Spring South Tour

A quick update on 2 very busy days written from Natchez State Park 10 miles north of Natchez Mississippi. Today (4/11) we left Grand Gulf Military Park where we had delightful camp sites on top of a hill a short distance from the Mississippi River and near the town of Port Gibson which General Grant is credited with saying "it was too beautiful to burn. " Still full of antebellum homes and interesting churches including the Presbyterian one whose steeple is adorned with a gigantic hand, finger of which points up, the town also is known for it's quilters. There was a wonderful exhibit of their work at the Southern cultural center. It is very much an inter-racial activity. The magnificent ruins of a once thriving plantation which survived the war but fell to fire caused by cigarette is in the photo above. Lunch at The old country store in a130 year old building featured wonderful Southern cooking. I properly stuffed myself including blackberry cobbler a la mode. We attempted exercise with a visit to Rosswood plantation, now a bed and breakfast. A fascinating tour led by the owner kept us alert and on our feet which was good after the heavy meal. The house built in 1858 is filled with exquisite furniture and artwork. Sunday Judy and Chris drove the Natchez Trace Parkway while I returned to the Vicksburg Military Park for some more touring of areas in which the Mississippi troops played a role, one of which was my great great grandfather.

April 7-9

April 7 Falling Water State Park was today’s destination. I left Tropical Palms in Kissimmee about 11:30 but was challenged finding the way out toward the turnpike. It seemed I was going in circles, the GPS didn’t match the street names and I kept going pass various Disney facilities. Finally I found Turnpike signs and kept following them. I really pushed to arrive here in 6 hours but fortunately I also gained an hour as I am now on central time. This is a another great Florida State Park, said to be one of the highest points in Florida. A piney woods that appears to have had a recent fire. Hopefully a controlled burn but the campground was spared and is excellent. I love being back in the woods.

The Tech rally was very informative and I made lots of notes. It’s also a great social occasion and I met a number of women who are “solos” traveling alone. They (we?) are a special breed of adventurers. I chaired a special interest group on creating blogs and now will have links on mine to some of their blogs. It should send the readers to a number of travel adventures. Tomorrow my destination will be Vicksburg Mississippi. We are concerned that if the threat of a government shutdown becomes a reality, the battle ground park may be closed.

Vicksburg Monument

April 8 With the new time I was awake before 6 and on the road by 7:30. There were stretches of fog particularly crossing over the various bodies of water around Pensacola and Mobile. I didn’t like Greta’s (GPS) ideas for Mobile and stopped at the Welcome Alabama for some advice. It must be a common question as they had pre-printed instructions for the route to Jackson Mississippi where I would pick up Interstate 20 to Vicksburg. Judy didn’t have much service on her phone so our only communication. We decided since there was a possibility of a government shutdown on Saturday which would include national parks, we would visit the Vicksburg Military Park this afternoon. They arrived first and saw an introductory movie before I pulled in. We gathered information, maps, and a CD quide ($12) and set off on the self guided tour through the park. Chris went solo since she had concerns about her dog. Judy and I caught up a bit between the sights. I had been through the park two other times, but the CD really enhanced the tour. I wasn’t able to locate the marker for my ancestor’s 36th Mississippi Company though the park ranger circled the area where they were located. We were pressed for time with a 5 p.m. park closing and still didn’t complete the route before the gates were shutting. One great thing about the park was the number of people using it for exercise, whether walking, running or bicycling.

We decided to use the Ameriastar Campground which was centrally located and had a reasonable ($22.50) rate for full service (water, electric, sewer) and laundry facilities. They had a shuttle to their casino and we opted to go there for dinner. Cigarette smoke hit us as we walked in the door. Fortunately no one was smoking in the restaurant. The food was ok. Chris stayed awhile to try her luck but Judy and I shuttled back and continued catching up on each others lives.

April 9 The weather has been beautiful with clear skies, a nice breeze, and above normal temperatures in the 80’s. I suggested we get an early start in the cool hours of the morning. Yesterday we had gathered information about the spring “pilgrimage” house tour called the Vicksburg Tapestry. Five houses were open today each for an hour. Tickets were $15 per house or 3 for $30. Chris decided to take it easy, so Judy and I set off in her van to find the first house, north of the downtown area of Vicksburg. The original house was built in 1825, and was used by the confederates for cannons to defend Vicksburg from Grants campaign. Evidence of a cannon ball strike could be send in one of the beams. It has been lovingly restored and furnished by a local doctor. Named for one of the previous owners, Mary Harwood, it sits overlooking the Mississippi River. The guides were very knowledgeable and informative. The house has been part of the tour for more than 25 years and most of the guides had been involved the entire time.

Next we visited Anchuca, the Choctaw word for home, built in 1830. It is famed for the final residence of Joseph Davis, the eldest brother of Jefferson Davis, the president of the confederacy. Now a bed and breakfast as well as café, the owner has done extension research on the Davis’s and we were treated to his presentation while seated in the lovely drawing room. The history of the Davis family is the history of the country with service in a number of wars including the revolutionary and 1812. Following the talk and examining the beautiful furnishing and features of the house, we had a delicious lunch in the café.

Our next house was at 2:30 so we visited the museum in the former court house. The collection has been donated by people in the area as well as others who have memorabilia from events relating to Vicksburg. We returned again after the last house tour as there was so much to see. The final house we saw was the Blum Levy house built in 1903 and desiged by St. Louis architect Theordore Link who was working on a number of Mississippi buildings at the time including the state capital. He also designed Union Station in St. Louis. This was the first time this house had been on the tour and the owner was our host and guide. Beautifully constructed and furnished with fascinating light fixtures that were both electrified and gas illuminated

Spring Excursion Begins

April 4 (4/4) I departed Stuart with the odometer on Big Mama reading 40444. I drove almost 144 (139 actually) to the Tropical Palms Camp Grounds in Kissimmee Florida where twice a year our Roadtrek Chapter meets in a Tech Rally which translates to socializing, eating, and struggling to learn all the electronic gadgets in our 21st century world.

Epcot "Bedding" Plants

Ginny arrived shortly after I did and we settled into Big Mama enjoying a dinner of leftovers, a delicious tomato sauce and spaghetti created by daughter in law Karen on their visit. Today we were up by 7 and off to Epcot before 9 with a wary eye on some very threatening clouds. Judy called from Oklahoma concerned that we were experiencing tornados. “Not that I know of” was my reply but it made me wonder what she was seeing on the weather channel. We had just reached the “bag search” area of the park when torrents of rain let loose and everyone scrambled into ponchos or other types of rain gear while searching for cover. As it turned out, the rain was off and on, never again that hard, and the thunder only in the distance. As is often the case when events force a shift in plans, we visited some inside exhibits that we had not seen in January and might have missed again this time and they were enjoyable. The topiary were amazing and the flowers, while a bit beaten down by the storms were colorful. We had a delightful lunch at the Mexican Pavilion and they even gave us another birthday salute since we explained this was the end of our celebration that had started in January. First time I’ve been serenaded in Spanish for my birthday, but Ginny a former Spanish student and teacher knew the song.

She headed home to Stuart and I registered for the Tech Rally and renewed acquaintances with those from past rallies as well as met new people. We shared a delicious potluck supper (amazing what these cooks can turn out from our tiny galleys!) Tomorrow we’ll get to work with laptops, Kindles, IPads and their programs. Meantime I’ve decided to head west Thursday afternoon and reach the Vicksburg MS area Friday evening when Judy and Chris think they’ll arrive

Where did the last two months go?

I'll have the fish fingers please

Feeding the Rays at Florida Oceanographic

My house suddenly feels very empty since son Michael, his wife Karen and the three children headed back to Chicago. Even though their visit consisted of four nights here and four in Miami (which granddaughter Katherine calls MY Ami), we packed a lot into the time. While I am surprised how tired I was, I really enjoyed their visits. All three children are fun to be with and seemed to really enjoy being here, even the food which was my biggest worry. The one thing I regret is that I didn’t take hardly any pictures but hopefully Michael and Karen did. Karen and I took Katherine to the Florida Oceanographic facility while Michael and the boy had a thrilling visit to Kennedy Space Center on the day the Astronauts had their first rehearsal for the April 19 launch.

Their visit was the culmination of my house guests that began the beginning of February with my cousin Kevin who I said was “breaking me in” as I had not hosted overnight visitors in a while. He was also put to work with some repairs to the condo and the van. After his visit I was off to Mt. Dora for my second Dulcimer Workshop. It really helped to have a year of playing behind me though it was still overwhelming to have so many new techniques presented in two days. I’ve decided to take a week’s workshop in North Carolina this summer. I still feel the need to get some more basic strums into my playing as well as increase my finger picking. Our local dulcimer group of 5 has been very diligent about our Wednesday afternoons with new pieces to learn each week. We are concentrating on our timing as well as just enjoying playing together.

Other visitors have been high school classmate Marlette, long time friend from Chicago days, Judy, sailing friends Elizabeth and Don from Pennsylvania. I also attended Wilfest, one of my favorite March events. It is devoted to Florida folk musicians performing and workshops on playing and specific instruments.during the 3 day weekend. I camped with several friends and we did a bit of dulcimer playing together. I always return feeling uplifted.

Now I am headed out again. This time I’ll attend a Tech Rally held by the Florida Roadtrek Chapter in Kissimmee. Ginny and I will also use our final Disney Day for the Epcot Spring Flower show. After our wonderful resort accommodations in January, it will be a come down to experience our economical camping venue. From Kissimmee I’ll head west to rendezvous with my Alaska adventure buddy Judy and her friend Chris who are driving their Roadtreks from California to Georgia. I hope to join them in Mississippi, Louisiana and Northern Florida. You can see where they’ve been by checking Judy’s blog which is linked from mine.

Cedar Key

White Pelicans on sandbar of Gulf of Mexico near the Suwanee River Mouth

The second winter trip took place the first week of February across the state to the small fishing town of Cedar Key.  Neighbors Ike and Doris wanted to return there after their visit in 2010 and invited Ginny and me to come along which was also a way to celebrate Ginny and Doris's birthdays, 5 days apart.  Leaving on Tuesday morning with a stop for lunch at a local diner in Williston starting our sampling of wonderful local fish and seafood (local oysters!) we reached the State Reserve with a boardwalk through the marsh to a viewing area of the Lower Suwanee.  We saw birds and turtles and cedar trees with multiple knees. We then visited a shell mound and hiked that area and I was able to investigate the county campground which looks like a good option.  A national stargazing group was using that area to study the stars that week but unfortunately most evenings were cloud covered.  We lucked out on Wednesday with weather permitting our boat ride through the Gulf of Mexico and up the Lower Suwanee River.  We saw many varities of birds including Eagles, Osprey, Egrets, and Cormorants.  In addition we briefly saw dolphins and an alligator lying still in the grasses along the shore.  The white Pelicans were numerous and very large in flight. Our lodging in the 1858 built building now the Island Hotel had mixed reviews but overall very satisfactory.  The second night we had the 10 room establishment all to ourselves.  We enjoyed games of dominoes when not out dining, touring, or encouraging the musicians in the hotel bar. Thursday we visited the Museum State Park which gives the amazing history of the area.  Cedar Key was a major port in the mid 1800's when the state's first railroad terminated there. A major industry was pencil manufactoring.  Now clam farming is aiding the economy of a much less populated area.  It is  a popular tourist destination for the Gainesville/Ocala area and is becoming known for artists as well as water related activities.  The oil spill though is blamed for the current downturn which undeservedly decreased both tourism and sale of seafood.  For us it was another relaxing get away and we left hoping to return.

A Trip to Disney

Last Fall, after being a resident of Florida for 12 years, I decided I wanted to visit the place most people seem to associate with the state, outside of the beaches, Disney World.  I was last there in the mid 80's.  Part of my interest was due to a friend's experience staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge where the likes of zebras, giraffes and other African Savannah inhabitants could be seen in a somewhat natural environment from your room window, I did some research and learned of the discounts available to Florida residents and the possibility that my friend Ginny, a part time resident but property owner, could qualify as well.  Always game for a Disney experience, Ginny agreed.  Our birthdays are a month a part at this time of year, which added to my excuse. We chose mid week, mid month as the time frame that would work and fortunately Florida discounted room rate was available.

I researched all the travel books and came up with a game plan for our 2 1/2 day adventure.  Disney World is a 2 1/2hour drive from our condos and we promptly departed at 8:30, were checked into our room and after marveling at the animals out our windows, headed for the shuttle bus before noon. Epcot seemed like the best plan for this late start and we would stay through the 9 p.m. Illuminations show featuring lasers and fireworks.

A delicious lunch at the Japan exhibit was followed by watching the terrific Japanese drummers and the artistic candy designer making an amazing variety of animals in the bubblegum like substance. We watched films at the China and Canadian Exhibit;  I was disappointed the Canada film didn't show Newfoundland or the Yukon. The Imagination pavilion didn't live up to either of our memories of previous visits but we enjoyed a tour through the experimental labs of hydroponically grown fruits and vegetables, and tanks of farm raised  fish. We had great meal at Marrakesh Restaurant complete with belly dancer at the Morocco pavilion before getting our spot along the lagoon for the show.

The following day we caught the shuttle bus before 9 and immediately headed for the Safari ride in the African area of Animal Kingdom.  Warned we planned to get a fast pass setting a time for our ride.  Instead we were able to board almost immediately.  This was true both days.  No waiting. Light crowds and for us wonderful weather, confirmed the decision to try January. Our seats were directly behind the Safari driver, so when she spotted a Rhino or a lion we saw it too.  It was easy to imagine you were somewhere other than the middle of Florida. Hopefully I can post a link to more photos of the day which included a wide variety of wild animals in much more open environments than I've experienced at zoos.

Our last two events of the day was the Lion King Performance which I suspected I was the only one who never seen the movie or play before: most seemed to sing along with the music.  We were out in time to catch the last of "Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade.  I think this the first time we'd seen the iconic character.

That evenings meal was to be our big birthday splurge dinner at the highly rated Jika restaurant in the Lodge.  I questioned the server about the items with cilantro to which I have a strong sensitivity.  The result was a personal chat with the Chef who explained to me that practically everything on the menu had cilantro or coriander which he said was typical of African food.  He could modify some of the entrees and omit some of the sides but the $38 price for only part of the featured dish did not seem wise.  I was able to have a delicious salad with candied walnuts, pomegranate seeds, greens, and apples. My entree was a wood fired flatbread pizza with a four cheese Kalamata olive topping.  Pale green leaves were on top which the server assured me was celery, not cilantro.  I think it was parsley.  Our dessert complete with birthday candle was a wonderful sponge cake with a scoop of mango sorbet topped with a cookie in the form of an antelope horn.  The service was wonderful and the meal very enjoyable despite the restrictions of the menu.

Part of the experience at the Lodge in addition to beautiful surroundings, African artifacts, and ability to see Animals and birds from a number of viewing areas, was the time to visit with some of the native African young people who were working there as interpreters for a year long program that began in August.  They were eager to share information about the various species but also about their country and lives.  One young man from the Congo has worked in a Preserve counting the animals and monitoring the effect of the poachers, a job with a certain amount of danger.  A young lady told of her plans to work in tourism in her native South Africa.

It was a very enjoyable visit and so different that I returned home feeling as though I'd really had a week's vacation.