Southern Bits and Pieces 2017-2018: on to a New Year....

I hope everyone had a good Christmas and Happy New Year. The holiday season for us was full as we celebrated with old friends and a few new ones. Christmas eve was spent at our condo with friends and we had a wonderful night of laughter, reminiscing of old times and sharing delicious cocktails. Christmas Day brought more festivities ending with a full turkey dinner at our friends Karen and Terry’s condo. The evening ended with music and dancing and of course much laughter as we jived and did the hula dance!

We have been fortunate to have Gavin, our grandson, with us since the 30^th of December. The first couple of days we had warm weather but since we seem to be in a cold snap. That has not dampened the visit though and we have been out and about seeing the area. He did get in a couple of pool days and did some late night swimming and hot tubbing! The New Year’s Eve was a party at our condo with a good crowd reveling in the New Year. It was champagne all around as we toasted in the New Year vowing to make it the best one ever! The morning brought the “Turtle dip” event. Like the polar dip except a dip into a 88 F. heated pool!

This week we have been to the Navel Seal museum, which was right up Gavin’s alley. He watched all the short documentaries and was very interested in the history of all the wars. The island where we live was the training base for the naval seals during WW2. They trained in underwater explosives. It is where the term frogmen came from. There are many interesting artifacts and equipment to see, as well as helicopters and boats to explore. To see how the Navy Seals have evolved over time is quite amazing. We then spent the afternoon exploring different beaches and seeing the area along the coast. To finish off the day we went to the movie “Jumanji”, and had a late supper of Pizza and Strombolli!

The next day we were up early and off to the Kennedy Space Centre. It was really rainy and cold in the morning but it did warm up a bit later in the day. Most exhibits were inside so after our initial arrival we managed to stay out of the rain. We did get soaked going from the car to the ticket booth and on the run to the first building. Another bad hair day!!! Lol. It was a very fun day though and the new Atlantis building, housing the space shuttle, was really a highlight. There has been quite a few changes and upgrades at the Centre since we were there last and I was impressed with new presentations. The cinematography was unbelievable. Roger and Gavin went on the take-off simulator which apparently is very realistic according to the astronauts. I opted to browse the gift shop since I am prone to motion sickness! All in all it was a fabulous trip. We ended the day with a stop at Bass Pro so Gavin could buy a hat he has been coveting online. It was a quiet trip home as this happy young man promptly fell asleep and did not stir until we arrived at the condo. I do believe we wore him out!

The next day was a chilly one outside but we bundled up and headed out for the airboat ride on the Florida swamp land. It was a 1 ½ hours long and well worth it. The alligators were a bit elusive with the cold weather but we did see some really old large ones basking in the sun. The bird life was very active and we saw many beautiful species flying, perching and fishing for food. The green heron was so gorgeous and I was happy to see it as they are often hard to spot as they blend in to the environment. The ospreys were nesting and roosting in the cypress trees and as usual they display themselves as proud regal birds. If you come to Florida I would highly recommend the swamp tour. Skimming across the swamp seeing the natural Florida environment including the plant life is amazing and a great way to view the native birds of the area. The pond lilies, the water irises, water lettuce to name a few flourish here and cover the swamp in beauty! After a shrimp supper, Gavin and Roger went to see the latest Star Wars movie while I caught up on some needed rest!

Friday we gave Gavin a morning to sleep in to catch up on some needed sleep! Actually Roger and I slept in a bit too as the busy week was catching up to us. At noon we were all rested and ready to head out to the Oceanographic Center of Florida. It is located about 25 minutes away along the A1A coastal highway. Gavin really enjoyed the time spent here as it provided some interesting information much to see. First was the sting ray exhibit where you can pet the stingrays and feed them. The presentation was informative and fun. The turtle exhibit was interesting but we were not able to see all the live species of turtles due to the cold weather. Apparently the get “Turtle stunned” if exposed to much cold weather. All the turtles are rescue turtles at the Centre and have had issues where they cannot be released back into the wild. Gavin enjoyed the nature trail down to the lagoon and saw snakes and other interesting things he stopped to take pictures of. The trail walk was followed by a presentation and feeding of the fish. There are many natural Florida fish species in the man-made lagoon area, including sharks. The presenter was very knowledgeable and also spoke about the pollution of the area and the effects of the water flow and run off from the farms and Lake Okeechobee. He was available for questions at the end and Gavin talked with him for a while. He was able to ask him about the pictures he took and what they were and the different types of algae he saw on the lagoon. The afternoon was a great experience and very informative for all of us.

The week flew by and we hated to see Gavin go home so soon but off to the airport we went. It was a wonderful week and we enjoyed having Gavin all to ourselves. I wish the weather had been warmer but we made the most of it and so did he. I know he will be back!

Most of the snowbirds have arrived back here and all the winter activities start this week. The weather is promising to warm up to normal temps and activity at the pool will resume.

Here’s to a new year filled with happiness and good health!