Wordless Wednesday - Turtles Sunning Themselves

Turtles Sunning Themselves

May 12, 2013

Wordless Wednesday - Sandcranes

Morning Visitors at Our Vacation Home

May 20, 2013

The Cottonmouth

The Cottonmouth Snake

May 12, 2013

We spent most of May at our vacation home in sunny Florida.  As is customary, I go for a golf cart ride around our resort after dinner.  There are many interconnecting small lakes and ponds so there is an abundance of wildlife.  One evening, my husband and I decided to take the ride together.  A few roads from our house we spotted a snake.  I'm not fond of snakes by any stretch of the imagination especially any larger than about six inches long.  I immediately knew this was a poisonous snake but wanted a picture anyway.  Let me tell you, it was hard for me to get a picture because I was shaking, hoping we would not spook it enough that it would strike.  The picture was taken from inside the golf cart about twelve feet away from the almost four foot long cottonmouth snake.  Needless to say we gave this snake the respect it deserved, took our pictures then scurried off looking for more photo opportunities!

Turtles!

Turtles Sunning Themselves

May 12, 2013

My camera is always close by.  Since moving into town almost two years ago, I have had less photo opportunities for wildlife.  It's not that I don't have photo opportunities, just not as many involving wildlife.  However, there are endless photo opportunities for wildlife at our vacation home.   During our spring visit to our vacation home, The water levels were the lowest we have ever seen them drawing wildlife out from their hiding spots.  We spotted several turtles sunning themselves on the banks of the many ponds in our community.  Normally, we only spot one or two so this was a rather nice surprise!

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - Home From Vacation

We spend a considerable amount of time between September and the end of December at our vacation home in sunny Florida.  We flew out to Florida on October 2 and returned home on October 23.  It was wonderful to get away!  Family joined us for the first week followed by friends the second week then we spent two days at Disney World with our oldest and spouse before finishing up our vacation by ourselves.   We arrived home in the early morning hours of October 24, happy but beyond exhausted.  It had been a funny vacation in that we were on the go almost non-stop plus we had to deal with a couple of problems there but that is to be expected any time you own property.  It didn't help that I was physically under the weather most of the three weeks.

At any rate we had a wonderful time.  We spent time with family and friends, ate a lot of great food and just all around enjoyed ourselves.  We are very much looking forward to our return to our vacation home shortly.  For now, we are enjoying the peace and quiet of being home.  Both of us are exhausted but we have a couple of weeks to recoup before heading back to our vacation home.

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - A Wonderful Vacation

We left on May 8 with another couple on our spring vacation.  We arrived at our vacation home in the sunny south late that night then did a bit of relaxing and sight seeing until May 12 when we flew out to Aruba.  After a wonderful week spent in Aruba we flew back to our vacation home.  Our friends left the following day so we had about ten days of togetherness.  All in all, it was a wonderful vacation filled with laughter, giggles, good food and amazing eye candy!  Over the three week period of being away, we took almost 1,500 pictures!  I'll share some of those pictures here over the next couple of weeks.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Bok Tower Gardens in Wales Lake, Florida

Bok Tower Gardens Entrance

December 16, 2011

We enjoy doing a bit of sightseeing each time we stay at our vacation home in Florida.  During our stay last December we visited Bok Tower Gardens located at 1151 Tower Boulevard Lake Wales, Florida. This beautiful 250-acre botanical garden and bird sanctuary is a must to see when traveling in the Central Florida area.  The crowning feature of the gardens is the 205 foot neo-Gothic and art deco Singing Tower carillon, a national historical landmark designed by famed architect Milton B. Medary and ornately crafted by noted stone sculptor Lee Lawrie.  The singing tower is located on Iron Mountain which is about 295 feet above sea level making it one of the highest peninsular points in Florida.  Construction of the tower began in 1927, taking almost two years for completion.  The carillon house 60 bells that perform daily at 1 PM and 3 PM.

It was a beautiful warm day, perfect for enjoying the many beautiful plants and lush growth in the gardens.  We visited the Exhibit Hall and Museum as well as the mansion built by C. Austin Buck , vice president of Bethlehem Steel Company in Pennsylvania.  The 22 room mansion sits on an 8-acre parcel of land known as the Pinewood Estates within the gardens.  It was built between 1930 and 1932 as a winter home for the Buck family.  The Bok Tower Garden Friends had decorated the mansion for the holiday season.  It was spectacular to say the least!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Wordless Wednesday - Florida's Natural World Headquarters Sign

Land of Oranges

December 16, 2011

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Sightseeing in Florida

Marshland Near Our Vacation Home

December 13, 2011

Florida really is a pretty state!  There is an amazing abundance of waterfowl to enjoy that attracted by the many ponds, marshlands and larger bodies of water.  We had to go to the post office shortly after arriving at our vacation home.  When we finished, instead of taking the city streets back home, we found a little, meandering road that followed the water's edge from where we connected about a block from the post office to where we connected back up with the main highway.  It was a gorgeous, scenic and relaxing drive!  There were pockets of marshland between the water's edge and the larger body of water so we had ample opportunity to take a few pictures of waterfowl.  On the other side of the road where heritage homes although they may not have had the actual designation.  They were quaint, unpretentious and full of character!

Getting off the beaten track has always been important to us.  It is the only way to see some of the more interesting sights regardless of where you are visiting.   It is also a wonder break from the hustle and bustle of urban areas but even in urban areas a bit of exploring can easily yield a plethora of amazing sightseeing opportunities.  It is surprising what gorgeous little pockets of wonder are tucked into urban areas!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Gators at our Vacation Home

Small Gator Sunning Himself

December 9, 2011

Our vacation home is located in a beautiful park-like setting, gated resort with two award winning golf courses.  There are many natural and man made bodies of water that attract a wide variety of waterfowl and wildlife.  One of the most commonly seen is the alligator.  In most cases the gators will not bother humans unless they are provoked.  It is possible to get fairly close to them especially on the golf courses but it is very important to remember these are wild animals that will not hesitate to attack if they feel threatened or are provoked.  Problems do arise if someone has been feeding a gator then the park has to remove it for the safety of the community.  Homeowners and most of their guests know not to feed the gators but some like us rent our vacation home out when we aren't using it so occasionally a renter will feed a gator.  There are signs posted to not feed the gators and we included the same instructions in the informational binder we leave out for our renters.

I personally have a healthy respect for gators much the same as I do for other wildlife.  I love taking pictures of the gators from the safety of our golf cart or car.  I don't go close to the edge of the water either.  Quite often a gator is resting just below the surface of the water with only his eyes showing.  When I go for my daily walks I stay in areas that don't come close to the water either.  Other than that I enjoy the gators and always look forward to a photo opportunity with them as the subject.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Wordless Wednesday - Vacation Home Oasis

Vacation Home Oasis

December 7, 2011 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Arrival at Orlando, Florida for Our Winter Vacation

Tram View Heading from Gate to Main Terminal

(Orlando International Airport)

December 6, 2011

We arrived at Orlando International Airport for the second leg of our winter vacation a bit ahead of schedule as they put us onto an earlier flight.  It is a good thing we arrived at the airport in Milwaukee earlier.  We would have had time for a leisurely breakfast had our flight not been changed.  As it was we ended up with just enough time to grab a coffee and board the plane.  The flight was pleasant with a smooth take-off and landing.  We arrived in Orlando about 4:30 PM then once at the gate took the tram to the main terminal where we headed to the car rental area to pick-up our rental car.  We have got it to the point that we can fly between home and our vacation home with no checked baggage as well as print our tickets ahead of time so we only have to head to security when boarding then straight to the rental car area after landing.  This saves a considerable amount of time.  It was a beautiful late afternoon, perfect for picture taking.  The sky was a gorgeous azure with fluffy white clouds marking the promise of a wonderful and pleasantly warm winter vacation to unfold.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Over the Wing

Over the Wing

December 6, 2011

My husband and I left here on December 4, flying out of Detroit into Milwaukee for the first leg of our winter vacation.  It really wasn't all that cold when we left but I will tell you Wisconsin was cold.  We spent a couple of days there then flew out from Milwaukee to Orlando, Florida.

It was a good thing we arrived at the airport early as the flight we were supposed to be on was cancelled and they bumped us up to an earlier flight.  We had time to grab a quick coffee then board the plane.  The flight was uneventful so I amused myself looking out the window and playing with the television.  We few Delta so they had individual televisions for ever seat but we only had one set of headphones with us.  My husband was interested in the golf and I was so, so about HLN so decided to snap pictures out the window instead.

Flying above the clouds is always quite nice.  I so love their fluffy, comforting look!  At the same time they hide what is below and since the cloud coverage was rather heavy most of the trip, I didn't get a lot of good shots out of the window.  It was a very nice flight though with a smooth landing.  And so our winter vacation in the sunny south began...
 
Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Old Fashioned Work Ethic

The old fashioned work ethic is putting in your everything, going the extra mile, giving anything you do 110%. Folks cared about the job they did because it was a reflection on them as a person and their personal values.  Sadly this philosophy is going by the wayside in our modern society.  Folks tend to work simply for the paycheque not caring whether they do a half-ass job or not.  They simply don't care how it reflects on them and quite frankly in some respects it is almost a competition to see who can do the worse job.  It's rush through the job putting in the bare minimum of effort then act insulted if asked to do a little extra.

It is so refreshing to encounter someone with an old fashioned work ethic.  Our vacation home is in sunny Florida.  We rent it out if possible when we aren't there.  Since we don't live there on a permanent basis we are have no choice but to hire out yard care.  The lawns are taken care of by the park but gardens surrounding the house are our responsibility.  During our visit in September we hired a gentleman to do the gardens.  He arrived at quarter to eight in the morning but assured us he didn't start charging until 8 AM.  He worked very hard working through until 1 PM.  He repeated this for several days.  When he was finished he had a full accounting of his hours and even docked any breaks he had taken.  It was amazing.  After all this work his total came to $120 and he felt bad that it was that high.  My husband gave him $200 because quite frankly the work he did was well worth the higher price.  He was very excited with the tip as he could take his wife out for dinner for their anniversary.  Sadly this wonderful gentleman who was in his 70's could not continue looking after our gardens on a monthly basis.

We made friends with the bartender at the club house.  He lives two doors down from us and recently won the Yard of the Month.  I put out a request for garden help in the community forums and he was highly recommended.  We had a few others saying they would be interested but we decided to ask our neighbour first.  My husband talked to him about looking after our gardens and he agreed.  He too has the old fashioned work ethic.  He is very meticulous, tending the gardens with as much care as we would if we were here doing it ourselves.  He is also very careful about being accountable for every expenditure.  Talk about finding a gem with a true, old fashioned work ethic!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Boating on Tampa Bay in Florida

Rental Boat Wake

September 27, 2011 

We have a boat so do a lot of boating on the Great Lakes waterway including Lake Huron, St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair and support tributaries.  When we bought our vacation home in sunny Florida in March of 2010 talk quickly turned to boating there even though we did not see our new acquisition until May of the same year.  Trips there during 2010 were a combination of work and getting to know the area.  We bought the house specifically to rent out when we aren't there so there was a fair amount to do.  The spring trip in 2011 was fraught with complications from my husband being sick before, during and after the trip.  Our fall trip is a combination personal vacation with part of the time a golf trip where a few of my husband's friends come down to do more golfing in a day, every day than any wife could ever understand.  While they were down in September we rented a boat to spend a day exploring the Tampa Bay area by boat.

It was a wonderful way to do a bit of sightseeing.  We putzed around then stopped at Cha Cha Coconuts at the St. Petersburg Pier to wait out a couple of nasty storms going through.  We took a lot of great pictures of waterfowl and dolphins off the pier.  The dolphins followed the boat to which was rather neat even though we did't get clear pictures of them closer to the boat.  The manatee were in the area but we didn't get a good picture of them either.  All in all it was a great day, well worth repeating during a future trip to our vacation home.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Wordless Wednesday - The Magic of Micky

The Magic of Micky

September 19, 2011 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Oh Good Flipping Gosh!

I have always marched to my own drummer.  So we are down at our vacation home and your's truly won $50 in a hoola hoop contest.  My husband has the $50 and my arm is bruised to the point I'm getting it checked tomorrow.  Anyway, years ago when I was a somewhat wee little one we had clackers that where basically two large, hard balls on attached strings that you had to get going then keep the momentum somewhat like hoola hoops.  Then there was that ankle thing that swung a huge ball for the other foot to jump over.  In hind sight the clackers and ankle thingie weren't available so this old lady did the hoola hoop.  And I did do it nicely if I don't say so myself.  I'm actually kind of proud because I've never been much of a physical person to the point of ever winning anything but I could always out perform in terms of academia.  This was just a hoot!  I had a lot of fun too.  It was definitely our of character, surprising our guest but I had a good time.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

A Bit of Telemarketer Fun

We spent a bit of time at our vacation home from September 19 to October 6.  Considering we spent the first two weeks of September moving into our new home I was beyond exhausted so believe me was in no mood to deal with telemarketers, let alone American telemarketers who are considerably more forceful, abrasive and down right rude in comparison to Canadian telemarketers.  Anyway, a roofing telemarketer called and unfortunately I answered.  This person insisted the roof inspection was a mandatory one so I went back and forth a couple of times but was just too tired.  They insisted we be at our home on at 4 PM a week ago Monday.  Hey, no problem because we come all the way from Canada to get a sales pitch.  They told me to be sure I called the guard house to let them in.  That gave me a brilliant idea.  Since they didn't want to take no for an answer I called the guard house and told them what happened.  G who is a real sweetheart said don't worry, if you don't want them in, they aren't getting in.  He also told me this particular company was well known in our resort for the heavy handed sales tactics and shoddy workmanship.  So, they didn't get in which is one nice feature of a gated community.  Hopefully now they comprehend the meaning of the word no!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

I Fixed His Golf Cart

It turned rather cold while we were at our vacation home.  Now, I tend to be rather observant so our neighbours put the covers down on their golf carts.  I hauled out our golf cart, unzipped all the covers, snapped them into place then pleased with my work waited for my husband to call for a ride.  He was down playing cards with his entourage.  When he called I tossed a couple of jackets in the golf cart, zipped it up then headed out to pick him up.  I don't walk anywhere here after dark as there are gators and reports of a cougar.  Being small, old and not prone to running without them there adult diapers means I like using the golf cart!  Anyway, you should have heard my husband when he saw the buttoned down golf cart.  He was in serious fits of laughter before I even got the cart stopped then was doing that laughing through his teeth thing that only he can do while tears streamed down his face.  He wasn't buying the fact the neighbours did that to their golf cart so I did it to ours.  Oh no, he just laughed harder. I tried to redeem myself by pointing out that unrolling the covering and using it occasionally would prevent molding issues.  Ok, at that point he seriously lost it!  He could not stop laughing!  Hmm, and I was only being helpful...so I thought!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

The Creek

September 19, 2011

Our vacation home is located in a beautiful resort with many, many gorgeous bodies of water.  This small creek is a short walk from our house so I visit quite often during my walks.  I love how the sky and trees are mirrored in the still waters.  The water is quite clear revealing fish lazily swimming by.  I haven't seen any gators at the creek but the nearby larger pond is known as a popular gator breeding area.  Part of the pond is shown at the top of the picture but it expands quite some distance to the right (not shown).  It's quite common to see gators sunning themselves along the shore of the pond.  There is also an abundance of waterfowl at the pond.  I always take my camera with me when going for a walk as there is just so many wonderful photo opportunities.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011