The Villages and running an electrical raceway

Mary and I were awake by 5 am, so we did our language lessons on Babbel until we heard Mark and Cindy moving downstairs. We had Wheat Chex for breakfast with yogurt and banana. The morning was warm but a little foggy when we walked the dogs around the neighborhood. We wanted to take the longer walk early before the rain that was forecast for later in the day.

Electrical raceway

Mary and Cindy left for The Villages at 9 am. They planned to take Mark’s sister, Jodie, to the beauty shop then shopping at Costco and out to lunch together. Mark and I went to the Crystal River Home Depot to get supplies for adding a receptacle for the television in Cindy’s office. We ran metal surface conduit from an existing receptacle to a new outlet behind the wall mounted television. Since the television had built-in Roku, we didn’t need to get a USB receptacle. The project went well until we tried the television as we were finishing. A light came on in the rear of the television, but we were unable to get it to turn on. No matter what we did the television didn’t come on. Mark suggested that we check to see if the batteries in the remote were dead. When he popped up the battery cover, we were surprised to find that there were no batteries in the remote control. After swapping the batteries with the remote in our room, the television worked as it should. Mark texted Cindy to pick up AAA batteries from Costco.

After finishing the installation, we had cheese and Canadian bacon quesadillas with tortilla chips and salsa. I called our friend, Joann Potter, to confirm their visit to Homosassa on Monday and Tuesday. We took an afternoon break until Mary and Cindy returned. Mark watched ESPN and napped while I caught up on this trip journal and napped. The weather stayed warm, but there was a very light rain. We took the dogs for a short walk before the rain picked up.

Mark has been wanting to get into making sourdough. I brought a jar of starter from my sourdough to Florida with us. Mark some of the starter in a bowl with water, flour, salt and a little oil. The sourdough sat in a warm place to be kneaded and eventually baked tomorrow.

Mary and Cindy arrived back at the house around 5 pm with Cindy’s new haircut and items from Costco. We warmed up the Schmitt’s meatloaf, cooked some sweet potatoes and broccoli for an excellent meal.

Whittington’s friends, Kenny and Jodie, came over at 7 pm to play cards and visit. I went upstairs to do a few lessons on Babbel, read a little, then watched an episode of Landman on Paramount. After the card game was over, we turned in for the night. We were considering going to Homosassa’s mullet festival tomorrow which is always fun.

Merritt Island & Orlando Wetland

The bed at the Titusville Hampton Inn was very comfortable, so we slept until 5:30. We did a couple of language lessons on Babbel before going to the breakfast area with Mark and Cindy. There was a selection of muffins, bagels, toast, Belgian waffles, potatoes, cheese omelets, sausage, boiled eggs, fresh fruit, oatmeal and an assortment of cold cereals. There were several choices of coffees and juices as well.

Grackle visiting Mark

Cindy checked us out online, and we left for the Black Point Wildlife Drive again. Because the air was still cool in the early morning, we saw fewer alligators than yesterday but many more birds. In some areas many varieties of heron, egret, ibis and storks were congregated. As we neared the end of the loop road, we stopped to observe some wading birds. A large grackle landed on the hood of the car and looked at us through the windshield. It jumped to the mirror on the driver’s side of the pickup and looked in at us while vocalizing. Another grackle landed on the roof of the pickup. We suspected that people had been feeding the birds, so they were trained to mooch food from passersby. We started to drive away slowly but the two grackles stayed on the pickup’s roof for a time hitching a ride.

Osprey with a fish

Our next stop was back at the Merritt Island visitor center where we asked about bird viewing opportunities nearby. The volunteer suggested we go out Peacocks Pocket Road, a short drive from the visitor center. After turning off the road, we drove out the gravel access to the locked gate at the water’s edge. We walked along the elevated path for a little over a mile seeing a lot of grackles, ibis, herons and egrets. The only things that we hadn’t already seen were some of the small wading birds resembling sandpipers. We walked back to the pickup and drove to the Orlando Wetlands.

Purple Gallinule

The Orlando Wetlands is an impressive site. Treated wastewater from the city enters the site where plant life continues the purification process. This 1600-acre wetland is home to huge numbers of waterfowl, wading birds, songbirds, alligators and other wildlife. The visitor center is less than a year old and is well laid out and inviting. Staff and volunteers were very helpful. Although there were many visitors, including tour buses, the facility didn’t seem crowded.

Roseate spoonbill feeding hatchlings

We walked across the boardwalk to a place where roseate spoonbills, wood storks, and herons were nesting. The hatchling spoonbills, called “teaspoons” by some, already have the characteristic pink color of their plumage. As we watched the parent birds tending the young, we observed several turtles of all sizes swimming in the clear shallow water. We stayed at the rookery for some time then continued the boardwalk to the trail through the marsh rejuvenation. From the signage we learned that wetlands will eventually become clogged with debris. About every 30 years the area must be drained so the composting material can be hauled away for recycling as agricultural supplement. As we were finishing the trail and nearly back to the visitor center, we observed a sandhill crane on a nest in the marsh. The bird was well camouflaged, so we nearly missed seeing it.

Basking alligator at Orlando Wetlands

Back at the pickup we had a snack of rice cakes, peanut butter and trail mix before driving back to Homosassa. When we got to town, we drove the pickup through the car wash then to Walmart.  Mary and Cindy picked up salads for dinner while Mark and I topped off the truck's gas.

At the house, we unloaded the pickup and talked to Mike and Pam about the possibly rabid raccoon that was in their yard, It had fought with Bubba, one of their dogs. Mike killed the raccoon and turned it over to animal control for testing. Their dogs would have to be quarantined for 10 days until the raccoon’s rabies test results were in, even though both dogs had been vaccinated against rabies.

Turtle swimming at Orlando Wetlands

Mark and I took his dogs for a quick evening walk while Mary prepared dinner of salad and a turkey breast that I had smoked in December. Everything was very good.

Black Point Drive at Merritt Island

Neither of us slept especially well last night. Me, because of sciatica pain, and Mary because I was flopping around trying to get comfortable. We went downstairs at 6 am for morning beverages and to wish Cindy a happy 68th birthday. We got her a Blenko glass hummingbird and a bird identification book by Stokes. Unlike the Sibley book that use illustrations of birds, the Stokes books use photos of each bird including juveniles, various morphs, and other variants.

Mark made breakfast burritos, which were very good, then we gathered the things we thought we would need for our two-day visit to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore. We left the house at 8 am for the nearly 3-hour drive to the Space Coast. Other than around Orlando, traffic wasn’t too bad and we made good time.

Painted buntings at the Merritt Island Visitor Center

Our first stop was at the Merritt Island visitor center. The volunteers there were exceptionally helpful giving us maps and advice on where to see interesting wildlife. They even gave Cindy a guide to birding in Eastern Florida. We had heard that painted buntings could be seen at feeders behind the visitor center, so we waited out back. We were rewarded by seeing several beautiful painted buntings and other songbirds. As we watched the buntings and took some snapshots, we chatted with a couple that we had met at Myakka River State Park last week while looking for caracara.

Common gallinule

Using the maps and information from the volunteers at the visitor center, we drove through the 15 mile Black Point Wildlife Drive. We have taken this route several times in the past, but we still enjoy this drive every time we are on the Atlantic Coast of Florida. We stopped so many times that it took us three hours to take the 15 mile drive. We saw many types of egrets, herons, ibis and other wading birds and waterfowl. There was a debate over a frequently observed bird whether they were common moorhens or common gallinules. Different print and online guides gave us conflicting information. We eventually learned that the birds had been called common moorhens, but they are now called common gallinules. We saw more ospreys that we could count.

Roseate spoonbill at Black Point Drive

When we left the Black Point Drive, we drove to the Scrub Ridge Trail. We parked at the trailhead and walked the one-mile loop through palmetto and other scrub. We didn’t see the variety of birds that we had seen at Black Point, but the walk was interesting and we were happy to move around which seemed to help my sciatica pain.

Our last stop for the day at Merritt Island was at the Bio Lab drive where we saw large flocks of glossy ibis, egrets, skimmers and terns. We also saw congregations of large alligators along the banks.

Steve & JD Maue at Dixie Crossroads

After leaving the Bio Lab drive, we drove to the Hampton Inn in Titusville where we checked in and freshened up before dinner. We only had a few minutes before we left at 6 am and drove to Dixie Crossroads where we met my friend and former coworker, JD Maue. JD is the STEM coordinator for the public charter schools in Brevard County. It was great to see JD and catch up on our lives as we munched on the sweet hush puppies on the table. We all enjoyed our meals. JD and I had flounder stuffed with crab. Mark and Mary had coconut shrimp, and Cindy had a crab cake. As we prepared to leave, our waitress brought Cindy a slice of key lime pie in a to go box as a birthday gift.

After paying the bill and saying our goodbyes to JD, we drove back to the Hampton Inn. We were all tired and turned in by 9 pm.

Wallace's at the Greenhouse

When I woke up at 5:30, I felt much better and had slept well. After breakfast we took the dogs on a longer walk around the neighborhood. We can tell that both dogs are showing their age more because they no longer seem to want to walk for very long and are happier just making a short loop then going back to the house.

Mark has been considering a motorized fishing kayak, so we drove up to Riversport Kayaks to learn about available options. The dealer had several motorized kayaks from Old Town and other manufacturers. Some have dedicated built-in electric motors, while others have the capability of attaching a separate trolling motor. Still others were foot pedal operated with a motorized assist similar to many of the electric assist bicycles. We learned that all motorized watercraft in Florida are required to carry a state license even if they have a small electric motor. We asked about the motors that can use an internal GPS for Spot-Lock to hold the boat in one spot. The dealer didn’t seem especially impressed with the feature. He told us that the motor constantly worked to hold a position, which can quickly drain the battery. All the motorized kayaks are very heavy as well as expensive.

Chef Wallace

Back at the house we had deli turkey sandwiches with chips for lunch before going up to our bedroom to see what we needed to do to get a receptacle behind the wall mounted television in our room. Fortunately, there was a socket near floor level under the television. The cords for the television power and power for the Roku device hang down from the television. Unfortunately, the television is mounted on an outside wall meaning that we would have to run the wire up the wall through insulation.

Glazed pork ribs

We drove to the Crystal River Home Depot to get an old work electrical box, outlet, box cover, and a fish tape to pull the wire from the existing outlet five feet up the wall through fiberglass insulation to the new outlet. We opted for an electrical outlet with USB outlets in addition to the 110 volt plugs so the Roku could be plugged in without an adapter. We cut the opening in the drywall using the old work box as a guide then ran the fish tape up from the existing box to the opening and ran 14 gauge wire up to the television where ere installed the box and outlet. When we turned the breaker on everything appeared to work.

Mark enjoying his meal

When we finished the electrical work we cleaned up, put the tools away and showered for dinner. Cindy had made her birthday dinner reservations at Wallace’s at the Greenhouse Restaurant for the special event. We dressed up a bit and drove the short distance to the venue.

The meal was five courses, each paired with a wine from Boutz Cellars, a Paso Robles, California winery. Before each course Chef Wallace would explain the dish, the ingredients and how they were prepared. Then James Boutzoukas, the winery owner, would provide background on the wine paired with that course.

Mary with dessert

The first course was a crab cake on sweet potato, feta and whipped goat cheese with radicchio, heirloom tomato, pistachio, cucumber, and radish  served with a dill vinaigrette. The wine from Boutz Cellars Winery for this course was a 2024 Assyrtiko, The second course was roasted red pepper agrodolce and cheddar grits with roasted quail and a citrus glaze. The wine with the second course was 2022 Sunset Red. The third course was everyone’s favorite featuring guava sriracha glazed pork ribs with corn puree and Asian slaw. The paired wine was 2021 Sirah. The fourth course was braised oxtail and short rib ragout with wild mushroom, capanelle pasta, toasted pine nuts and Pecorino Romano. The wine for this course was 2021 Cabernet. The final course, dessert was a chocolate mousse that was a nice ending to a very elegant meal.

James Boutzoukas of Boutz Cellars

Mark and Cindy bought several bottles of wine especially since Boutz Cellars was near their home when they lived in Coalinga, California. The meal was a really fun way to celebrate Cindy’s birthday a day early. The meal was by far the most expensive meal we ever had, but we enjoyed it so much that it was well worth it.

Back at the house we chatted for a bit then turned in after getting a few things together for our visit to the Space Coast tomorrow.

Trip to the Citrus County landfill

I didn’t sleep well because of sciatica pain, so I got up around 4 am. We had oatmeal with raisins and nuts for breakfast before taking the dogs on their morning walk.

We loaded the fronds from the palm tree into the pickup and took them took the Citrus County landfill transfer station. While we were loading the palm cuttings, I found a small anole that appeared to be affected by the temperature in the low 40s. I held the small lizard in my hand and tried to warm it, but it never revived and had died from the unusual cold weather.  

Since we were going that way, we loaded the recycling to drop off as well. We stopped at Acres of Glass to sort and drop off glass bottles and jars for recycling. The other recycling went to the county drop-off, where we put the unsorted recyclables in the bins. The palm fronds went onto a general container at the transfer station. We paid a $6 fee for the drop-off after weighing out following the dumping.

As the morning continued, I felt worse and worse. I went back to bed for most of the day hoping that it a nap would perk me up. Around 3 pm I got up and had to throw up. After recovering from throwing up, I began to feel better. My back still hurt but I didn’t feel like I needed to be sick. Mary and Cindy worked on a few projects and knitting.

By dinner time, I felt like eating. Mary made her Schmidt’s meatloaf with sweet potatoes and green beans. Everything was excellent and there was enough of the meatloaf left for a meal next week.

After dinner we watched an episode of Clarkson’s Farm on Prime then turned in.

Lazy Sunday

We woke at 5 am, had our morning beverages, did our language lessons and went downstairs where Mark was making scrambled eggs with Tillamook cheese and Canadian bacon. As always, breakfast was delicious. Mary, Cindy and Jodie, Kenny’s wife, went to the Seven Rivers Presbyterian Church at 8:30 then stopped by Publix for a few items on the way home.

Mark and I took the dogs on a longer walk then went out so Mark could get a birthday card for Cindy, and we could get a few more lag bolts from Kane’s Ace Hardware in Homosassa. The bolts are to secure the cross arms to the posts for the sign at the entrance to Standish Drive. We put some deck screws in the horizontal boards to hold them to the posts until we could get larger lag bolts. Mark also got two rubber plugs to replace the ends of the rails on the spiral staircase. Since we had brought an impact driver and sockets, we put the bolts in quickly.

Back at the house we watched a few videos from Project Farm evaluating gas and cordless chainsaws. We then watched some videos on installing home hot water recirculation systems. When Mary and Cindy returned, we had sandwiches of deli turkey on homemade sourdough bread.

Mary, Cindy and Jodie went back to the Presbyterian Church at 3 pm for a movie that everyone enjoyed. Mark and I straightened some things in the garage that we had out from earlier projects. We walked back out to the signs that we replaced yesterday to shovel soil back around the posts once the concrete hardened.

Dinner was leftover lentil curry from last week which was even better than it was before. After dinner we watched an episode of Dark Winds on AMC before turning in.

Repairing the sign on Standish Drive

We slept well back at Mark and Cindy’s then had our morning beverages, did our language lessons and went downstairs. Mark made blueberry and pecan pancakes with bacon for breakfast which was excellent. We took the dogs on a longer walk since Sage was feeling better and the wound on her ear was starting to heal after being treated with antibiotic salve.

Mark and I took tools and materials to repair the signposts at the corner of Mason Creek and Standish Road. There is a collection of signs at the intersection with the names or logos of families on the street. However, a 4x4 post had been broken during the Hurricane Helene flooding so we decided to replace it.

Signs at the entrance to Standish Drive

We photographed the signs so we could return them to their proper positions when we were finished. All the signs were removed, and the structure was disassembled, which was difficult since nails and all types of screws were used to hold it together. We dug around the concrete around the post hoping to be able to remove it. The roots around the concrete and the weight of the concrete prevented us from doing that. We were finally able to crack the concrete with a heavy hammer and remove large chunks of concrete.

Once the old post was out, we could put the new 4x4 in that place. We attached the supports and replaced the signs and even the solar light on top. Mark called his neighbor, Kenny, who was in town and asked him to pick up two bags of Sackrete to anchor the post. I walked to the house to get a bucket of water, a wheelbarrow and a shovel for mixing the concrete. We needed a few lag bolts to better attach the cross braces to the posts, but the deck screws we used would suffice until we could get to the Ace Hardware. Everything looked great so we decided to come back after dark to see if the solar light worked.

After a lunch of turkey sandwiches on sourdough bread, we took Mark’s pickup to Beth's Car Wash. It was covered with road dust from the unpaved roads in the Everglades and state parks. The automated car wash did a good job of cleaning the truck’s exterior, and there were stations outside equipped with vacuum hoses, clean microfiber cloths, glass and interior spray cleaners to get the inside of the pickup clean. We were especially happy to get the sand out of the floor mats. Mark & I worked with vacuum hoses and cleaning solutions like a NASCAR pit crew and had the pickup looking clean. After leaving the car wash we went across the road to Walmart to restock on soft drinks and snacks.

Back at the house, we pushed Mark’s boat out of the garage. Since the driveway is downhill, it was easy to push but we attached the cable from the trailer mounted winch to an eyebolt in the garage floor. This prevents the boat and trailer from going down the driveway too far and too fast. Kenny saw us working and came over to help. Once the boat was out of the garage, we chocked the wheels and attached the trailer to the hitch on the pickup. However, we allowed the trailer to roll backwards and break the plastic chocks.

Kenny drove the truck and trailer with the boat to the Mason Creek boat launch. Mark and I took the boat around from Mason Creek to the canal behind the house and tied up to the dock. Kenny brought the truck and empty trailer back to the house and unhooked the trailer.

We chatted with Kenny for a while then showered before dinner. Mark grilled some marinated chicken breasts and made a salad with leaf lettuce that was very good. After dinner we walked to the corner of Standish and Mason Creek to find that the solar light worked very well illuminating the signs.

We watched an episode of Clarkson’s Farm and a little of the Winter Olympics before turning in for the night.

Myakka State Park

After waking, we had morning beverages, did our language lessons and reviewed the protocol for leaving the Airbnb. After showering, we put all the towels in the washer, stripped the beds and put the linens in the hamper. We took the garbage and recycling curbside then loaded the dishwasher after our breakfast of cold cereal.

We loaded the truck and left the house a little after 8 am driving to Myakka River State Park. Mary and I had been here in 2021 and really enjoyed it. Unlike when we were here five years ago, we were too late to get passes to the Deep Hole, a remote lake with limited access where a lot of wildlife can be spotted. Only 30 passes per day are issued for the 4.5 mile hike out and back to the lake at Deep Hole.  A helpful volunteer at the visitor center gave us great tips on there we might have the best chance of seeing wildlife.

Mary & Cindy on the Canopy Walk

We started at the Canopy Walk Trail where we went across a suspended walking bridge between two towers. We found a couple of “gadget geocaches” that require some problem solving to access. At the weir area we saw several wading birds including three roseate spoonbills. We also saw a wild pig along the edge of the water. We drove on to Lake Myakka near the end of the road where we walked along the edge of the lake where we saw thousands of dead armored catfish, like the algae eating Plecostomus found in many freshwater aquariums. We later learned that cold water temperatures in early February had killed these invasive fish.

Cindy with a geocache we found

As we were leaving the park we decided to check the area near the park entrance where we had learned that caracara had been spotted. We walked around the area with no luck. We chatted with a couple who were also hoping to see and photograph the caracara. After about an hour of looking, we gave up and walked to the truck. As we were pulling out of the parking lot, a caracara flew over the truck. We were thrilled to see the large bird.

As we left the park, we decided to drive through Sarasota National Cemetery where we heard that sandhill cranes were seen. While taking a loop drive through the grounds we saw several small groups of the cranes walking through the gravesites and wading in the pond.

Sandhill crane at Sarasota National Cemetery

Our time in southern Florida was over, so we started driving back to Homosassa, arriving around 6 pm. We had garden salads with strips of steak leftover from Monday’s dinner. Mark’s vizsla, Sage, hadn’t been feeling well while we were gone. The dog sitter, Ian, said that she has been a little lethargic. It turns out that she had a badly infected right ear. Mark treated the ear with antibiotic ointment and drained the sore. We watched women’s curling at the Winter Olympics before turning in.

J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge

After our cold cereal breakfast with morning beverages and doing our morning language lessons, we packed the truck and left by 8:00 AM. The J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge specializes in bird viewing. The visitor center had been nearly destroyed by Hurricane Milton two years earlier but was in the process of rebuilding. Most of the roads and trails had reopened.

Great Blue Heron

The drive from our AirB&B in Bonita Springs to Ding Darling Preserve on Sanibel Island took less than 30 minutes. The National Park pass got us into the area at no charge. Our first stop in the wildlife refuge was at a bridge where many birds were wading in the shallow water. A helpful volunteer told us that we should be able to see rosette spoonbills, night herons and many other wading birds. We saw several yellow crowned night herons and many of the usual herons and egrets in the warm shallow water. We were disappointed that the trail to the shell midden was closed due to hurricane damage, but we continued to make our way through the preserve. We stopped at the visitor center on the way out of the preserve then drove to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort. Myers.

Statue of Edison across from his winter home

When we pulled into the lot for the Edison and Ford homes the attendants directed us to a lot adjacent to an elementary school where we found a parking space in the shade. We had a quick lunch of rice cakes with peanut butter and mixed nuts. As we left the truck, we noticed that we would be unable to leave the lot between 2:45 and 3:45 because of dismissal of the adjacent school. We were concerned since that would have been about the time we might be leaving the area. Mary spotted a shaded parking space in another lot, so we held the space while Mark moved the truck.

Edison's winter home

We purchased admission tickets for the gardens and homes, downloaded the app for the audio tour and admired the banyan tree that is believed to be the largest in North America. After walking across the road, we walked through the many gardens and structures on the property. The swimming pool is well over 100 years old and was constructed from a monolithic pour of concrete. Only the diving board was damaged by Hurricane Ian  in 2022 as was a 400,000-gallon cistern that provided fresh water to the Edison and Ford properties. Several of the plantings on the properties were trees that Ford and Edison hoped could cost effectively produce latex for the manufacture of car tires.

Mark in front of Ford's winter home

As one might expect, Edison’s home was very thoughtfully designed, although not especially grandiose. The house was purchased as a kit from Maine and assembled in Sarasota. Each board was cut to size and labeled for assembly. Adjacent to Edison’s winter home was a guest house of nearly equal size. Also nearby was the winter home of Henry Ford’s family. Like the Edison home, Ford’s house was very functional but not overly ostentatious. As we left the property, we stopped by the plant sale where Mary bought a pink canna that she will plant with the other cannas at our house.

Mary's seafood salad

We drove back to the AirBnB in Bonita Springs where we cleaned up and drove to the Fish House Restaurant. All the restaurants in the area were very busy and parking was difficult. We were fortunate to park at the auxiliary lot about a block from the Fish House. We got on the list for seating and were taken to our table after only about 20 minutes. Mark, Cindy and I had margaritas that were excellent as we waited for our meals. Mary had a Cobb salad with shrimp, and I had the grouper basket. Everyone enjoyed the meal.

Mark, Mary & Cindy on the beach at sunset

After dinner we drove a short distance to a beach where we watched the sunset, which was very nice. We went back to the B&B to watch the Winter Olympics until we turned in early.

Tamiami Trail

We had a quick breakfast of cold cereal after our morning beverages and language lessons. Traveling with Mark and Cindy is always a pleasure. We don't know anyone else who enjoys the same nerdy things that we like.  The four of us can have a great time looking for hours at a pond filled with birds, alligators, snakes and wildflowers.  We were in the car and headed for the Tamiami Trail by 8:00 AM on our way to the Everglades. As we drove east on the Tamiami Trail (Rt. 41) we saw a lot of wildlife along the way and even accidentally struck a black vulture that flew along the highway.

Baby alligators along the Shark Valley Trail

When we arrived at the Shark Valley Visitor Center in the Everglades we saw that it was fairly busy, but the day was nice. We were looking forward to walking along the trail and looking for wildlife. However there seemed to be fewer alligators and far fewer birds than we had seen in our previous visits to the area. Previously we had seen purple gallinules and many herons, egrets, and other wading birds along the trail. This time we only saw a few great blue herons and several alligators. A highlight of the visit was a few clutches of baby alligators near their mothers. There was even one baby alligator perched on its mother’s back. We took care not to get close to the baby alligators as we walked by.

Green heron in the Shark Valley area

Unlike previous years we only spent a little over an hour walking the Shark Valley Trail before returning to the visitor center. Had there been more birds and other wildlife, we would have spent most of the day there. After walking, we spent some time speaking with the rangers and volunteers in the visitor center regarding some birds we had seen as well as the fruit of a mahogany tree in the visitor center parking lot. As always, the staff and volunteers were very helpful and knowledgeable.

Alligator with a dog

We decided to slowly make our way West on the Tamiami Trail and stop at the other visitor centers along the way. Our next stop was at the Oasis Visitor Center, which includes a boardwalk that parallels a stream and always holds a lot of large alligators. We did not see many birds at this visitor center, but there were a fair number of alligators. Again there seemed to be fewer than in previous years. We also saw a few of the armored catfish in the water. These catfish appear like the Plecostomus aquarium algae eating catfish. In some years the catfish were very plentiful, but there didn't seem to be as many this year. We guessed that this was due to the very cold weather that hit most of Florida in early February. We still enjoyed looking at the alligators and appreciating the beautiful day. As we were preparing to leave the Oasis Visitor Center, we saw a large alligator swimming in the stream with something in its mouth that we presumed was a deer. However, as the alligator neared, we saw that it was a dog that was dead in the alligator's jaws. We did not see a collar on the dog or any indication that it had been someone's pet, so we presumed that it was a stray dog that the alligator had killed.

Alligator Alcatraz

As we drove West on the Tamiami Trail, we saw a sign for "Alligator Alcatraz", the location for housing criminal illegal immigrants until they can be returned to their home country. We pulled off Rt. 41 to take a photo of the sign, and a law enforcement officer blasted a horn, so we moved  on.

Anhinga with a fish

After leaving the Oasis Visitor Center, we drove to the HP Williams Roadside Park where we watched a few birds feeding then drove along the Turner River Road where we had seen numerous birds and other wildlife in previous years. As with the other stops, we did not see as much wildlife. We watched an anhinga spear a fish then turn it to swallow the catch. We did not stay long at this area but returned to the Tamiami Trail driving West. Our next stop was at the Nathaniel Reed Visitor Center in the Big Cypress National Park. From the deck behind the visitor center, we were pleased to see four manatees and several alligators. A number of visitors were at the boardwalk, but it was not crowded. It was a pleasant stop, but we did not stay long.

We continued West to the Marsh Trail of the 10,000 Islands National Wildlife Refuge. After parking we walked out the trail toward the observation tower where we saw many more birds and other wildlife than we had at any other stop today. There were lots of wading birds in the shallow water and alligators cruising in the deeper areas.

Great blue heron with a fish

We were amused as a great blue heron tried to swallow a large fish as it sat along the edge of the water. The heron with the fish caught the attention of an alligator that swam under the heron in the water. It waited for the bird to drop the fish. The heron and the alligator stared at each other for a long time while the bird attempted to swallow the fish. When the heron dropped the fish into the water, it wisely chose to not go any closer to retrieve the fish but stared at the alligator for quite a while. We walked up the steps to observation tower where we used our binoculars to observe even more wading birds. We agreed that this was the best stop of the day where we saw the most wildlife.

Mark enjoying his meal at Lapa's Bistro

We returned to the B&B to freshen up for dinner. Mary remembered Lapa’s Costa Rican Bistro in a nearby strip mall from our previous visit to Sarasota. We were seated near where we were on our previous visit and were amused by three men talking loudly and bragging on their business successes. I had a chicken tostada meal that included black beans and rice, tostones and pico de gallo. Mary had La Gallina, which is a sandwich of chicken and black beans. Everyone enjoyed their meals, and Cindy took part of her rice meal back to the B&B for breakfast tomorrow.

Because we were tired, we turned in early and looked forward to going to Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in the morning.

Sarasota, Florida

I woke around 5:00, did my language lessons, made morning beverages then we started getting ready to leave for the Gulf Coast. Most things had been packed in Mark’s Dodge Ram pickup last night, but we loaded the cold items and food items into the truck. Then we took the dogs for a morning walk before heading out.

Robinson Nature Preserve

After driving south on I-75 for about two hours, we arrived at Robinson Nature Preserve where we hiked, looked at birds and enjoyed the beautiful weather. By noon we were hungry for lunch, so we drove to Anna Maria Island. 

 Our friend, Steve Minor had recommended that we go to Coquina Beach on Anna Maria island. We enjoyed a picnic lunch of rice cakes and peanut butter and sat on the beach then walked along to the restaurant and rental area before  driving to Sarasota. 

Ringling Winter Home

We went to Ca' d'Zan, the winter home of the Ringling family where the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College was. We walked around the grounds after paying our entrance fee and looked at the well labeled plants and enjoyed the beautiful day. We sat on the veranda behind the house and looked at birds flying over the water. We especially enjoyed watching the osprey catching fish.

After leaving Sarasota and the Ringling family winter home, we made our way to the Airbnb in Bonita Springs. The three-bedroom house we had rented for the week was very nice in a good residential neighborhood. There were large TVs in the living room and every bedroom, and the Internet was fast.

On the veranda of the Ringling house

For dinner we decided to go to JR’s Old Packinghouse in Sarasota. We had been there at least twice on previous trips to the area and found the food to be delicious and inexpensive. When we arrived at the restaurant we were seated quickly. The decor of the restaurant was not fancy or elegant but was very comfortable. We remembered that the Cuban sandwiches at this restaurant were very good and the portions were large. I had a Cuban sandwich, and Mary had picadillo, which is a Cuban dish consisting of spiced ground meat with rice. Mark and I had margaritas with our meal, which were also good. We got peanut butter pie to have back at the B&B.

After leaving the restaurant walked to the nearby beach for sunset then we returned to the B&B to watch the Olympics before retiring for the night.