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 do the longer walks but are happier just taking a short loop then 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 and 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. Right now, 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 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, radish and 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 had 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 oats with raisins and nuts for breakfast before taking the dogs on their morning walk.

We loaded the fronds from the palm tree that we trimmed last week 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 then the other recycling went to the county drop-off where we put the other 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 then 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 this morning 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. There was a lot of road dust on the car 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 would prevent 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 car for our outing and left by 8:00 AM for the J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge that specializes in bird viewing. The visitor center had been nearly destroyed by Hurricane Milton two years earlier but was in the process of rebuilding and 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 doing our morning 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 and we were looking forward to walking along the trail and looking for wildlife. However we saw that 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 but stop at the other visitor centers in the Everglades. 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 although it 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 because of the strong cold weather that had 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 could be returned to their home country. We pulled off Rt. 41 to take a snapshot of the sign and a law enforcement officer blasted a horn at us 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 as in previous years. 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. There were a number of visitors at the boardwalk, but it was not crowded and 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 heroin with the fish caught the attention of an alligator that came under the heron in the water and 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 took the dogs for a morning walk and left for our drive south.

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 getting in the car and driving to Sarasota. 

Ringling Winter Home

We went to Ca' d'Zan, thewinter 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.

Trimming the palm tree

Neither of us slept well last night although we really don’t know why. At 4 am, I thought Mary was reading since I saw the light on her phone come on and heard a beep like she had sent a text. It turns out that the light and beep were alerts from the security cameras signaling a possible person, but it was just the thick fog that covered the area. However, we were wide awake by then, so we used Zeam to watch the WKYT news from Lexington then did our morning language lessons while we had our morning hot beverages.

Once downstairs, we had Great Grains and Wheat Chex cold cereals and chatted with Mark and Cindy. We took the dogs on a longer walk through the neighborhood. There was a lot of standing water from last night’s heavy rain. Mark went across the street to meet the new neighbor and his wife who are from Washington state and will be using the house here in Homosassa as a vacation home until they retire.

We needed to clean the gutter on the front of the house since it overflowed during the rain last night. We also needed to trim the palm tree at the front of the house before the house is lifted. We suspect that much of the problem with clogged gutters comes from shed material from that palm tree. Since the palm fronds were very tough, we would need a chainsaw to remove them. Mark’s cordless Milwaukee chainsaw had finally quit working after years of hard use, so we ran into the nearby Ace Hardware to replace it.

Palm tree with "hurricane trim"

Back at the house, Mark and I took turns climbing the ladder up the tree and removing limbs. Here in Florida, that is called a “hurricane trim” since most of the fronds are removed reducing wind resistance and preventing as much damage during high velocity winds. It took a little over an hour to remove all but the top fronds so the palm tree shouldn’t be in the way of the house lift which everyone hopes will be very soon. The cut material for the tree is piled beside the garage. Because of the President’s Day holiday, the landfill isn’t open today, so we plan on loading it into the pickup truck and hauling it to the transfer station later this week.

Mark and I used the Milwaukee leaf blower to remove as much of the sawdust from each other as possible then came in for a lunch of deli turkey on sourdough with Ruffles potato chips and apples. After lunch, we watched the US women’s curling team lose badly to the last place Italian team in the 2026 Winter Olympics. We were disappointed that the team didn’t play well at all. Mary and Cindy met to make plans for our visit to the eastern Everglades area including Bonita Springs and Sarasota. There are several places in that area that we enjoy visiting.

In the afternoon we watched some of the Winter Olympics then enjoyed some tenderloin steaks that Mark fixed on the charcoal grill with roasted new potatoes and green beans. Everything was very good. After dinner we took the dogs on a short walk in the neighborhood, then Kenny and Jodie from across the street came over to play cards.

We turned in early because we knew we would want to leave early for our trip to the Everglades on the Gulf Coast.

Ellie Schiller Park and Three Sisters Springs

I woke up at 4 am and went into Cindy’s office to read and do my morning language lessons. Mary got up at 6 am and had tea as she read and caught up on what had happened in curling matches the night before at the Olympics.

Underwater viewing window at Ellie Schiller

Mark got up and made bacon, sourdough toast and omelets for breakfast. We took the dogs on a short walk around the neighborhood after breakfast. We could tell that both dogs are showing their age. Mark said that they can no longer tolerate a longer walk every day, so they do shorter walks every other day now.

We watched a little more of the Olympics on television then had a snack before going out. I got binoculars and a camera from our car then moved into the space under Jimmy’s house next door. We took Mark’s pickup and drove to Ellie Schiller State Park. The park sustained a lot of damage from Hurricane Helene in late 2024 and is still rebuilding some of the exhibits. The park was offering free admission today, so we walked around and looked at the exhibits. We especially enjoyed the underwater viewing in the clear natural spring where we saw snappers, snook, gar, needlefish and other native fish species. There were several alligators sunning themselves and a number of manatees in the warmer water of the springs.

Manatees at Three Sisters Springs

After leaving Ellie Schiller State Park, we drove the short distance to Crystal River where we visited Three Sisters Springs. We had never been to this park but had kayaked within a few feet of it on the Crystal River several times. The National Park pass got us in the park half price and, as local residents, Whittingtons got an additional discount on admission. A boardwalk surrounds the spring where many manatees congregate to escape the cold water in the Gulf of Mexico. The crystal-clear water in the spring made the large manatees very visible and easy to photograph. Because it is a holiday weekend, the area had more visitors than a typical weekday might have but it didn’t seem crowded.

After watching the manatees, we walked a mile long trail around the park and back to the truck. We drove to Home Depot where we bought a 12-foot 4X4 to replace the support for the sign at the entrance to Standish Road.

Back at the house we had a lentil curry soup that was very good along with a Caesar salad followed by one of Cindy’s homemade walnut brownies. As we were cleaning up after dinner, Whittingtons neighbors, Kenny and Jodie from Minnesota came over to play cards. There was a heavy rain that produced 2 ½ inches of rain within a couple of hours. The heavy rain and thunder frightened the dogs who hid in the bedroom. Since I don’t usually play cards, I went up to our room to read and catch on this journal.

Leaving for Florida

After three weeks of terrible winter weather including snow, ice, wind and temperatures near zero we left home to spend a few weeks in Florida. While we were in the deep freeze, Floridians had temperatures at or below freezing for a few days and even a coating of snow in northern Florida.

We enjoy our Florida trips more than just the warmer weather. There are great places to hike, interesting plants and animals to see, beautiful landscapes, fishing and, best of all, hanging out with family. We are very fortunate that Mark and Cindy enjoy doing the same kinds that we like so we are very compatible travel companions.

We had loaded the car on Friday night packing not only clothes but a lot of gear including binoculars, electronics and some food. We only had to load frozen food into a cooler before leaving. We had set alarms for 4 am, hoping to leave by 4:30 but we were already awake before the alarm sounded allowing us to get on the road by our target of 4:30.

There was little traffic as we headed south on I 75. Traffic for the morning shift at Toyota usually starts around 5:30 am so we wanted to beat the traffic as we left Georgetown. We drove through darkness until we were nearly to the border with Tennessee. We stopped at the second Tennessee rest area on southbound I 75 where we got the sandwiches of deli turkey on homemade sourdough bread and snacked on Aldi pretzels. We ate as I drove continuing to make our way south.

Surprisingly, the drive through Atlanta wasn’t as bad as usual. Driving south on Saturday of a three-day weekend May be the reason. There was a lot of traffic, but we really didn’t slow down much at all. We gassed up just south of Atlanta and got the rest of the turkey on sourdough sandwiches then snacked on apples as we drove. By the time we were near the southern border on I -75, we were very thirsty and stopped at a Marathon station to get drinks. The station had the least expensive gas we had seen on the trip at $2.34 so we topped off the tank and got 36-ounce fountain drinks for $.99 each.

After crossing into Florida, we took the Williston exit and took Rt. 121 and made it to Mark and Cindy’s house in Homosassa around 5 pm. The drive took us just over 12 hours including all stops along the way. We were happy to see the Whittingtons as well as Sage and Jade. We unloaded the car into our second-floor bedroom and visited while we had fish tacos from some of the red drum that Mark had caught earlier in the week.

We watched a little of the Winter Olympics on Peacock TV then watched two episodes of Clarkson’s Farm on Prime TV. Since we had left home at 4:30 this morning we were tired and turned in at 9:30.

Returning home from Oregon

Whittington's House near Eugene, Oregon

We woke at 3:30 and dressed for the flight home. Robert was up and ready to leave for work as we were leaving at 4 am. Cindy took us on the 45 minute drive and dropped us off at the Eugene airport. We made it through security with no problems although I was pulled for a screening of electronics since I was carrying a laptop.

Our short flight from Eugene to Seattle didn’t take long and was smooth. There wasn’t an opportunity to gate check our carryon bags so we would carry them to Seattle then to Cincinnati airports. We had a couple of hours in Seattle so we picked up breakfast sandwiches from Wendy’s then a deli turkey sandwich from Pike and Pine to split. We would eat the sandwich for lunch during the flight from Seattle to Cincinnati. We were pleased to get exit row seats and there were only two seats in our row. The flight was a little late leaving since the water to the galley wasn’t working and took about 30 minutes to repair. Although the flight left late, we arrived in Cincinnati on time at 5:30 pm Eastern Time.

We called the Hilton to get the hotel shuttle as soon as we deplaned and were told that the van would arrive in 10-15 minutes. Mary called the hotel again after 6 pm to see when the van was to arrive. She was told that the van had just left for the 5 minute drive to the airport. The van eventually picked us up at 6:35. Needless to say, we planned to give the service a poor evaluation and no tip for the driver.

On the drive back to Georgetown, we stopped at Sam’s Club to buy a few of the Member’s Mark Southwest Salads and some fresh grapefruits, We ate the pizza combo from the snack bar in Sam’s then drove home where we unpacked, turned the water heater on and adjusted the heat.

As always, we enjoy spending time with the Whittingtons.  We all enjoy the same kinds of things: hiking, spending time outdoors, listening to music and enjoying each other's company.  We look forward to seeing them soon at their Florida home.