Spent a few days in the land of trees, lobstahs, and signs admonishing "No Parking", No Trespassing" and "No Turning" either.  Looking forward to returning to the land of ocean, quahogs, not many trees, and signs admonishing "No Parking", No Trespassing" but turning is ok. Plus there are lobstahs there too.

Home Again Means No AC

Coming home to lots of snow. A big thanks to our neighbor Terry who cleared the way to house and driveway. 

Visiting Nephew Chris in NJ

A nice thing about traveling is being able to see relatives and friends. We enjoyed a nice visit with nephew Chris and his son Christopher.

Kiwi at the National Zoo

A highlight of any trip to DC is always seeing the Meet a Kiwi program at the National Zoo. Keeper Kathy Brader explains all about this very unique New Zealand bird. Here is Koa busy feasting on worms. btw Kathy has just been honored by the New Zealand government for her contributions to the conservation of the Kiwi.

On to DC

Leaving soon for DC :-)

Hi Savannah; Bye AC

After a really fun time visiting Marilyn and Dan we are back to Savannah where the weather is mild, but not hot. We love Savannah with its pleasant river front walk, pecan pralines, and Wiley's BBQ. Here is the view from our room on the 7th floor at the Inn at Ellis Square.

No Snow

Finally relief from the heat. As New York and Boston prepare for the blizzard, folks in Naples, Florida cool off in their pools.

Everglades Egret

At Shark Valley, located on the northern edge of  the Everglades we saw many beautiful such as this Snowy Egret.

Sweltering in Florida City

Blizzard on the way to Boston and we are sweltering at the gateway to the Everglades where the huge alligators are lolling in the sun. The American Crocodile is in the bay in salt water 35 miles further into the park. What a difference a couple of thousand miles makes.

Florida is AC

It is weird seeing on the weather sites the below freezing and blizzard weather forecasts for New England when you are always busy finding ice for your cooler and searching out shady spots for your car or yourself.

 Everglades in February

Back to Florida City

Bye bye Key West and its kitch and honky tonk. Great place, like everywhere Hemingway ever lived. Going to Key West always makes me want to reread Hemingway. However I am happy to be back to Florida City and Homestead with its Key Lime Milk Shakes, citrus fields and alligators :-) in the nearby Everglades. Below is one of the many trailers ready to go off to an orange juice processing plant. I prefer making fresh-squeezed orange juice every morning. See "Florida is Orange Juice!" More work, but tastes so good. The best juicing oranges come from Florida.

Orange Fields in Florida City, Florida

Fort Zachary

We biked over to Fort Zachary this morning. In addition to the fort dating from the 1820's which remained in federal hands throughout the Civil War, the site offers nice beaches and picnic tables. We watched cruise boats go by and collected coral.

Bikes Rule All Over Key West

Best way to get around Key West is by bike. The terrain is flat, the climate is mild, and it does not cost very much to rent one. I believe that Key West may be the only American city where it is legal to ride bikes on the sidewalk. There is one exception to this privilege. It is forbidden to ride a bike on the sidewalk of busy main commercial Duval Street which is always filled with pedestrians who are shopping or enjoying the many bars and eating places.

122 Miles, $$, SuperBowl in Spanish on a Tiny Square Screen

We are now in Key West. The long ride down from Florida City was so much fun. I love the long stretches of aqua water on both sides where you see sport fishing boats and pelicans. The fauna of Key West is very different than that of the Everglades, but just as wild. It is Superbowl Sunday so the streets near our rather expensive motel are pretty quiet. People are all somewhere watching the game. Bruce and I are watching it in Spanish because I can not figure out how to switch the antique TV to English. The ads are in English. Neither of us know much about football so it does not make much difference. Isn't it all about the ads?? We are thankful that it is not pouring rain. Last year we were here in the same hotel with same tiny screen (English) for SuperBowl except there was a torrential rainstorm and our room was flooding.  So I am content to be dry munching on chips and cubanito take-out sandwich accompanied by a Harpoon IPA.

Florida is Agriculture!

Never think for a minute that Florida is just sun and fun and where all the frozen orange juice comes from. That is just a small part. Florida is cattle, cowboys, and farms. I love to see the fields. Here in the morning the irrigation trucks are shadowed by rainbows. The markets have so many varieties of high quality fresh local produce.

Nesting Birds in Everglades

Thousands of birds nest in the Everglades. This Wood Stork was spotted at Paurotis Pond collecting branches to build a nest.

Alligators and Crocodiles

Florida is alligators and crocodiles. There is no place I know where it is easier to view alligators in the wild than at Royal Palm in the Everglades. So many of these fascinating ugly brutes all gathered together among lovely egrets and herons. If you take the time to go another 35 miles into the park down to Flamingo you will find the American Crocodile, not to be confused with the Alligator which is a very different fresh water beast. The Crocodile lives in salt water and shares his space with the Manatee. With luck you will spot both next to the dam near the Marina.

The American Crocodile at Flamingo in Everglades National Park.

Florida is Key Lime milk shakes

Right outside the Everglades is Robert Is Here where you can pick up all sorts of  fresh Florida produce. One of the big draws is the Key Lime Milk Shake. We get one every day :-)

Florida is Rosita's Taqueria

Fresh healthy Mexican food! Nothing is better than Rosita's in Florida City at the gateway to the Everglades. My rule is simple. Look for the place where the newspaper on the table is in Spanish.

Florida is Everglades

Tourists from all over the world come to see the birds and alligators in the Everglades. The seldom seen  Florida Panther is here too. We saw these guys late yesterday. We will spend the day here and hopefully see many more.  We never tire of watching them.

Florida is orange juice!

Fresh orange juice every morning is cheap and easy. All you need is a knife and juicer.

In Florida the highway is the BEACH!

Of the many great things  to do in Florida one of my favorites is driving on the beach. You can go for miles along the beach in Daytona. Park if you like and take a swim or a walk. And oh yes it is a highway. You have to stay in your lane and obey the speed limit. Bruce got pulled over by the Patrol for exceeding the 10 MPH limit :-)

Bye bye Jekyl Island

We are off to Titusville and more Shrimp and Grits.

Sunny in Jekyl Island

Another warm day and we are off to get grits and eggs for breakfast. Life is sweet in Georgia.

Jekyl Island Evenings

After a day of walking the beach we watch the sunset then eat seafood fettucine at Latitude 31.

Jekyl Island, Georgia

Quiet and pretty with a long beach outside right beyond the green lawn.
We're pretty happy here at the Beach View Club.

Cousins in Savannah

Here is Bruce with his cousin Steve.  Their connection goes back to southern New England way before the Revolution. Steve and his wife have been living for a long time in Savannah. They lived on their boat for year touring the eastern seaboard. We had so much fun meeting them and talking about genealogy and our adventures. To me the location of their house is unbeatable, not too far from Wiley's BBQ :-)

Wiley's Barbecue in Savannah

Ribs and Pulled Pork with beer. Nothing is better.

Savannah has history and BBQ :-)

Lovely Savannah where it is warm and friendly. Nathaniel Greene is buried here. Savannah honors this Rhode Island general, who was George Washington's right hand man, with a massive memorial in one of its squares. At the end of the Revolutionary War Savannah rewarded him with a very generous land grant. What else would lure a Rhode Islander away from the "Ocean State" ?? Actually, it may have been Wiley's BBQ. So, today we will pay homage at the grave and memorial of Gen Greene and then think of him while we feast on ribs and brisket :-)

"Delie" Cheese Steaks

Not "Phillie", but definitely delicious. Especially with Milwaukee draft. SO MUCH FUN! That's how we would describe last night's dinner in Wilmington, Delaware, with Dot, Bob and Lee.  Great food and great company. The only problem with seeing Dot is being reminded about how much we miss her. It has been  about 15 years since she lived next door. They have to come see us!

Coffee Press, Citrus Juicer and Philly Cheesesteak

The coffee press and the citrus juicer are packed. Bathing suits too. Goodbye winter. IF we do not get snowed in, we start driving tomorrow to Florida. We look forward to warm weather, alligators, beaches, especially South Beach Miami, Latin music, enchiladas in roadside taquerías, citrus groves, barbecue at Wiley's in Savannah, mangrove swamps, shrimp, and seeing family and friends. We are also looking forward to "Delie" Cheese Steak.

Our first stop is Wilmington, Delaware. Our usual first stop is the City of Brotherly Love for a "Philly" Cheese Steak, but our friends in Wilmington swear that "Delie" Cheese Steak is even better! We'll see. I have never had a Philly Cheese Steak which topped what they serve in Philadelphia. Maybe it is the atmosphere of being so close to Independence Hall and the hallowed Liberty Bell. Somehow I truly believe that lunch break back on the sweltering fourth day of  July 1776 our forefathers found the strength to go for it after they feasted on a genuine Philly Cheese Steak.

I have been obsessed with Philly Cheesesteak ever since I had my first when I was in Philadelphia for the first time for an Army-Navy football game. It was so good and when I discovered that what other places might label "Philly Cheese Steak" is not it, I spent long hours trying to duplicate the real thing. Not easy. You need the right buns, the right meat, the right cheese, and the proper technique. I have been able get the meat and cheese and I have the technique, but I still have not managed to either buy or make the de rigueuer Amoroso buns. Googling brings up a lot on line about Philly Cheese Steaks. I was amused by CNN blogger Matt Sloan's post "Three steps to cheesesteak supremacy". 

Meanwhile the snow is falling. We may not make it after all. We do not have a snow scraper for the car. And then there is the steep hill which is now all slippery.

Protecting the US/Mexico Border

It costs more to protect the US - Mexico border than it costs to fund all other US police operations combined. The video "Over the line: Fighting corruption on our border" televised today on CBS Sunday Morning on January 13, 2013 shows what it is like down there.
See the video at this url http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57563687/over-the-line-fighting-corruption-on-our-border/  accessed 1/13/13.

Meanwhile the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will open  an unmanned, computerized, pedestrian-only, crossing station in Big Bend National Park.  So inhabitants of the small Mexican town of Boquillas del Carmen will again be able to come across to shop in the park store as they did before 9/11. The crossing will be open only during daylight hours, and it will be "staffed" by scanner-equipped, remotely operated kiosks and it will be monitored by surveillance cameras.
Read the article at http://gcn.com/blogs/pulse/2013/01/cbp-remote-tech-unmanned-border-crossing.aspx accessed 1/13/13.