We did some organizing of our new home, coughed, washed Big Red & the APPLE, coughed again, did a few minor fix-ups, coughed some more, took a couple walks, sneezed for some variety, petted the resident pony and donkey, and invested in the pharmaceutical companies. We had 13 cardinals sitting by Big Red the other day. I think they thought he was their BIG brother since he's the same bright color! Watching them was a pleasant diversion in the sick ward.
We're trying to make a positive difference here--mostly by keeping to ourselves so we don't spread our germs. We took some digital pictures of another guy's rig one day for him to load on his computer. We sincerely hope the digital pictures are all we gave him.
The weather has been pretty good here. It rained Wed. & Thurs., but has been 60-70 and nice the other days. I hadn't known that fall/winter affects the trees in central Florida. Many trees are bare during this time of year. Oak and other hardwood leaves cover the ground. There is an interesting mix of vegetation with live oaks draped with hanging moss, tall skinny pines that remind us of the lodgepole pines of the mountains, and then the palm trees for contrast. Throughout this part of Florida, there is standing water everywhere. The record rainfalls of the last few weeks have created lakes and ponds where they never were before. It's pretty hard on the farmers in this area. This is big-time horse country around here--many beautiful thoroughbred farms rimmed with board fences everywhere you look.
We finally went exploring on Friday in the Ocala National Forest. It was sunny
and in the 60s, and we had enough of being 'cooped up.' We pulled over to
observe about 300 migrating sandhill cranes in one field.
Then we parked along a dam to gaze at hundreds of ducks on Lake Oklawaha. Near the Salt Spring Run,
we watched the roadside clean-up committee hard at work (a.k.a. buzzards
eating road pizza). The day was definitely filled with birds. We were glad we
'flew the coop.' It didn't take much to entertain us.
Today, Sunday, we went exploring to Cedar Key on the Gulf Coast. It's an artist colony and tourist area, but very crowded and somewhat depressed
looking. We walked the beach a bit and watched the gulls. Then we headed south
along the coast to Crystal River, home of the manatees. We didn't get there
early enough to take a boat to see the manatees. We'll save that for another
time. We found a quiet white sand beach on the Gulf and took a walk. We saw
several small fish jumping straight up in the air. Tom thought they were
feeding on bugs, but I think they just wanted to show off for us and give us
something to put into our travelogue. It was pretty entertaining. It felt good
to stroll along the water's edge and to smell the salt air as the breeze
caressed our faces. It was a peaceful scene-that is until one of gulls
targeted my jacket--ick!
While we were out exploring on Friday, we checked out several campgrounds in the Ocala National Forest for our next possible neighborhood, and we found a beauty. We'll move to the Juniper Springs Recreation Area either Monday or Tuesday. It's located about 20 miles east of Silver Springs. It is very wooded and each site is private with individual fire-rings and picnic tables. There are no electric or water hookups, so we'll get a chance to see just how self- contained we are--I sense another learning opportunity on the horizon.
We hope to have a healthier week next week so we'll have some real adventures to tell you about…and save you from our sick humor. :-)
Love from the wanderers...as the journey continues...
Kay & Tom
