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.