Mother's Day, May 9, 2010

Mother's Day we went to the annual Symphony Under the Stars at the city golf course. Carolyn rode with us and Nancy met us there. The Ocala Symphony plays this event every year presented by the Fine Arts For Ocala organization. We bought our tickets a few days earlier to avoid having to stand in line to buy them there, and so didn't get there until just about 6pm. When we arrived we were a little dismayed that there was nowhere close at all to park unless we used the VIP parking, which was $5.00. Not too bad for a parking space very close to the venue. Not so easy, however, because not one of us had a dollar with us. So, quickly to the ATM and back to park. We had planned everything so well, we thought, but no one expected that we would need any money!



LOTS of folks go, thus the difficulty in finding a free parking space. The gate was advertised as opening at 6pm but many of these people must have arrived as early as 4pm because as you can see from where this picture was taken, the lake was pretty well encircled by the time we got there.



Regardless of the number of people already there, we got what turned out to be a perfect spot. It was directly in front of the speakers so mom had no trouble hearing the music (and the rest of us didn't either!) and we quite close to the orchestra tent. It was the furthest spot to walk but we didn't have any trouble. Nancy got there after us and actually got a golf cart ride.












We had a "little red wagon" to carry our chairs and food but this wagon was so much more than your usual. The slatted sides let down so that the metal bottom made a table on which to lay out our gourmet picnic. Kim, you will be proud to know that we thought of absolutely everything, from the wine opener to wet wipes, toothpicks to fresh-picked gardenias in a basket. Nancy and Carolyn brought their own sandwiches and we had Cuban poboys from Publix. We had chips, a veggie tray, olives, cookies, brownies, and more. I also made some chocolate-dipped and some sugar-dipped strawberries, which were delicious! We had a real banquet and it tasted all the more scrumptious eating it outside and being serenaded all the while.


I should also mention that we brought two bottles of good Chardonnay, which was rather quickly consumed and thoroughly enjoyed.

Storm Roberts from WKTK, a local radio station personality, was the emcee.






























The sun was shining brightly when we arrived but later, as the sun set, the mood slightly changed and most people settled down to just enjoy the music. We weren't so close as this picture implies; Britt took it with a zoom lens.

The theme was The Beatles (!) and I knew every song, of course. There was also a little of The Carpenters and Simon and Garfunkle as well, and I loved all of the program.



The finale of the night was a glorious fireworks display. This organization really went all out on them because the display went on for at least five minutes and was magnificent. So many different types and colors of explosives! I'm afraid of handling fireworks but I do love to see them. These pictures are beautiful but they can't possibly capture the wonderful show.













Britt had packed up most of the food while it was still light because there were no lights after dark. When the show was over we were a little surprised that none of us had thought of how we would get everything together in the dark. Lo and behold, Britt brings out four flashlights, one for each of us! That's a bit of planning I would never have thought of. To top it all off, he had put lights on the wagon that attached magnetically, two in the front and two on the back. We heard several comments on our walk back to the car about the "grooviness" of those lights (I am in the nostalgia of it all). I'll bet we'll see more lighted wagons next year! We all enjoyed ourselves tremendously and are already looking forward to the next picnic, which will be July 4. It was an almost perfect day, not perfect because my kids weren't with me, but it surely was close.

Rainbow Springs May 1, 2010

What a wonderful way to begin the month of May. Mom, Britt, Joyce, and I went on another trip, this time to Rainbow Springs. Rainbow is the fourth largest springs in Florida and certainly one of the most beautiful. It's located just north of Dunnellon.


















For many years, Rainbow Springs was operated as a privately-owned attraction. Now it is a state park and has been largely given back to nature. There used to be animal exhibits, for example, but all that remains are the enclosures where the animals were kept.


Britt recollects from when he was a kid, a "leaf ride", in which three or four riders sat in a "leaf" and were taken on an elevated ride up and through the trees and around the park. I wish that ride was still there; it would be a lot of fun!




Here we are with the swimming area right behind us. The water remains a constant 72 degrees year round, and this day was very hot, about 95 or so. Many folks were in the water, although 72 seems a little cool to me. But it might feel really great when it's 100 degrees! Also, in some of the pictures, the water appears to be dark green and murky, but the whole springs and the river (as in the top picture) is a gorgeous blue-green and perfectly clear. The lighter colored areas are sand with the darker areas vegetation. It just makes you want to jump in!


Can you see the fish in this picture? The water is about three feet deep here and just like crystal.

This headsprings and the Rainbow River is well-known for swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, and canoeing. Just a little while after these pictures were taken, there were about ten canoes right around the swimming area, the passengers paddling lazily, but also trying to avoid one another. I'm surprised we didn't see a couple of tipovers, haha! You can also tube down the Rainbow River from another location. I just know that would be so much fun.



Joyce was kind enough to take a picture of the three of us.













A fellow "tourist" was kind enough to take a picture of all of us in front of one of the waterfalls. The waterfalls are actually man-made, left over from the attraction days. They are soothing and nice to look at and, if you don't look too closely, quite natural-looking. I sat on a rock (in my white pants) beside another waterfall and dipped some cool water to splash my face. Felt good!

Just a couple more pictures....


































Joyce snapped this when we stopped as we were leaving the park to get the picture of the sign. You might be able to tell that we were hot and sweaty!


And of course, lunch! We went to The Front Porch, a little country-style restaurant just down the road from Rainbow Springs. I had country-fried steak, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, and fried okra. I had enough to bring home and have the same thing for supper. It was very good!


We had a good time. Wish you could have been with us.

April 30, 2010

I've missed a couple of days. No problem, because nothing much happened. Wednesday I was not feeling well and went to bed right after supper. Thursday I felt fine. We did nothing yesterday and nothing today except eat and do crossword puzzles. Britt worked on getting his new computer up and running. He bought a "super" computer that will handle his architectural renderings and other stuff much better than his old one. He bought it in pieces to suit his needs and put it together himself. Oh my, I can't imagine having to do that. He could make good money doing this for other people.
We walked around the circle after supper with the dogs, or rather I should say I was dragged around the circle by Tommy. There is a steep hill on the last portion and he literally pulled me up the hill, thank goodness. We must start doing this on Thursdays and Fridays when the dog park is closed. By the way, we volunteered to help clean the dog park one day a week on a rotating basis with other volunteers. This probably won't start until August or so. It's a small price to pay for having a place to take the dogs so they can play.
We were supposed to get rain today and it was mostly cloudy all day but we got only a little sprinkle. What a disappointment because we need rain!
Tomorrow we are going to Rainbow Springs and then to lunch somewhere. Joyce is going with us. She is on disability, like me, and about my age. She's had such an interesting life, growing up in New York with horses and spending many years working at the racetracks. When she came to Florida, she drove a school bus. She is truly a trip and I enjoy being with her. She and I went to a flea market a couple of weeks ago and we had a great time. We were talking about whether or not she and I would be able to do the walking at Rainbow and once we found out there were plenty of benches, we said, "no problem!" I hope I'll have pictures and lots to say about our day trip on tomorrow's blog.

Paynes Prairie March 19, 2010

Welcome to Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

Paynes Prairie is biologically, geologically and historically unique. This park became Florida´s first state preserve in 1971 and is now designated as a National Natural Landmark. Noted artist and naturalist William Bartram called it the great Alachua Savannah when he wrote about his visit to the prairie in 1774.



Over 20 distinct biological communities provide a rich array of habitats for wildlife, including alligators, bison, wild horses and over 270 species of birds. Exhibits and an audio-visual program at the visitor center explain the area´s natural and cultural history. A 50-foot-high observation tower near the visitor center provides a panoramic view of the preserve.














There are more treasures in this welcome center, fossils and animal displays that are native to the area. One table caught my interest. Various fossils and other natural items were jumbled around on the table and there was a list - find this fossil or find that jawbone or find these eggs - it was there for the kids but I wanted to find all that stuff, too!


























Here we are up in the observation tower. It was quite a climb for a couple of us (Carolyn and I) but we made it and it was quite a view. It's an old wooden tower with about three long flights of steps. There was a family having a picnic lunch at the top of the tower and it made me wish we had thought of that. It was a gorgeous day, warm and sunny.

We had lunch at Blue Highway for the first time today. I've got to get Brad down here to try this pizza - it's quite likely the best pizza I've ever had. Also, we had key lime pie that is just to die for. This was a great find!

Homosassa Springs January 4, 2010

Homosassa Springs as a public attraction has been around since the 1960's. Homosassa as a town has a very interesting history and particularly during the Civil War.
It's worth going to the Homosassa website and reading.

Now, of course, it is best known for the "Fish Bowl" and the manatees that come to the springs for warmth during the winter.



It happened to be feeding time just as we arrived at the Fish Bowl. Whole heads of lettuce and cabbage are thrown into the water and the manatees swim lazily around sucking in the food.














Here we are inside the fish bowl looking at manatees up close and personal as well as the hundreds of fish - crevalle jack, snook, ladyfish, redfish, tarpon, sheepshead, sea trout, mullet, and black drum. I can remember coming here when I was a little kid and it is still an astounding sight. You can see how we are bundled up - brrr! By the way, you should read about how the fish bowl was built and installed - can you say lots of bananas?




It was so cold, we didn't stay long and only saw the fish bowl. We are planning another trip soon to see everything, including Lucifer, the 46-year old hippo, the last remaining non-native animal in the park. Luc, as he is affectionately called, was issued a special citizenship by the governor.















No trip is complete without the requisite photos of the participants. Here we are!!!