Alligator Alley in the Everglades

Hello everyone, well this park can sure keep you busy.

Wednesday we had a red hat luncheon party, it was a hoot.

Thursday we got together in the clubhouse kitchen and baked, dozens and dozens of cookies so that everyone could have a good variety of each.

So today we thought we should get out and see a few things and headed down toward Ft. Lauderdale where we connected with the road they call Alligator Alley. We did see a few dozen alligators along this stretch but it is a four lane road and so hard to stop, we also saw big turtles sitting out sunning today as it was 80 degrees.

Lots and lots of birds, of all shapes and sizes.


The fellow below had such green legs but they did not show very much in the picture.

This is a picture of the start of the everglades, they say no where in the marsh is deeper than two feet.

Look at how this fellow can crank his neck, he was getting a little flustered that we were getting so close.

But this is my favorite, he was so animated, was such a character.

He certainly was trying to tell me something.

After we turned off of I-75 and onto 29 heading toward Immokole we finally got to see the gators close up and all over the place.

We also stopped at the panther park but we were not about to do the hiking trail so did not get to see the panthers

They love to sun them selves it was a perfect day for them.

Oh, grandma what big teeth you have.

What do you call 5 in a bunch?

Ron watching the gators on the other side of the canal.

Now we came across a place where there were lots of these little fish just turning up the water. Three latinos were throwing out a net and scooping them up. The fellow I bought my watermelon from down the road said they were catfish, but he was quite a character himself so not to sure if I would believe him.

Doesn't the bushes behind look like something out of an eerie movie.

Anyway it was a spectacular day and we had a great time.

We want to say hello to Donna and Don who just found our blog, say hello to Sue for us when you are in Cranbrook.

As you can tell we did not freeze to death and the whinning paid off, nice and warm now.

Freezing in Florida

Haaaa....Haaaa....Haaaa They are never going to ask us to come to Florida again if we keep bringing this lovely Canadian weather. Most of Florida froze last night, we have not heard how the strawberries and tomatoes did but cross our fingers they were okay. It is just amazing that it can get so nice during the day and then dip so low at night.

Yesterday we went to Clewiston which calls itself the Sweetest town in America because of all the sugar cane. A couple of blurry pictures of the burning, they say it burns so hot and so fast so it does not harm the cane but gets rid of all the debris and then they harvest it.







Otherwise not much else for news, Ron is enjoying his music at the clubhouse and I have been working on sorting through the massive amount of pictures that someone took these last few months.

A day trip to Fort Myers

Brrrrr...... Florda is having record colds, they are worried about their tomato and strawberry plants freezing...
Yesterday on our way into Fort Myers we stopped at a fruit market and her tomatoes and strawberries looked wonderful but she was nervous about what the tempatures would get last night. When we woke up this moring there was a little white on the truck, it does not last long but it still was there.

Here is a picture of her tomatoes, don't they look so healthy. Also along the way were orchards and orchards of ripe oranges. The market lady says the strawberries will be ready anytime mid Dec. and will go until April.

Our main objective to going to town was to look at our next park and it is going to be okay, it isn't fantastic but okay, I like it where we are but I think Ron does not have enough to do here.

On the way home we stopped at the Manatee Park which is right across the road from the Hydro Electric Plant that provides warm water in the little channel. The manatee gather here when it is so cold to keep warm.
They were a little hard to see what here is what we got for pictures.

The park was very cute with lots of information about the manatee, gators and butterflies.
It only cost a dollar to park and go see.

Yes they make the manatee look so cute and friendly, he does not quite look like that.

Ron bought me a book rack so he is putting that up and he has to change a water fitting outside so he will have a couple chores this morning.

It is supposed to be 65 today but back to 75 tomorrow, at least we can hope.

The M Resort, Moore Haven, Florida

Hello everyone, just a few days late but not much to report.

December 3rd we made our way down from Port Canaveral to Moore Haven, a really nice drive.

Going through Okochobee we passed lots of fruit trucks, here is one making the corner now.

Our park is quiet, just what the doctor ordered. It is about 1/3 full and we are here for two weeks, they say they have lots of room if we decide to stay longer but we are booked in Fort Myers, perhaps we will go have a look at that park and if we like this better we will stay.

This park has lots of activites which we like so it is kinda tempting. We have about 4 of these

ponds and right on the campground and in the rules it says do not feed the gators and by every pond there are signs no swimming but still we have not yet to see a gator. Lots of different looking and sounding birds and bugs.

The pool is lovely we went for a swim this morning before lunch, felt wonderful. Today it was 78 degrees, just nice.



Very clean park with pool tables, shuffle board etc. even a kitchen that serves pizza, dogs, hamburgers etc.

We are surrounded by fields and fields of sugar cane and they trucks are going constantly with the loads, here in the picture below they are burning it off first.



Oh the picture of the sign did not turn out very well but here are the prices, at these costs we can afford to stay.

Front entrance.

And of course our spot, we are all set up for the next couple weeks.

Unless exciting things happen my blogs might be a little sparse but will keep everyone updated, hope all is well with everyone.

Last day on the beach

A lazy day, went to town and got my hair cut, did a little shopping to get ready for our move.

In the afternoon we went for our last walk on the beach for a couple weeks and then out onto the pier. The dolphins were really acting up.

Then at the end of the pier one of the fishermen caught a fish, took him a fair time to get it in but when they finally did they say they caught themselves an ocean trout.

Just as we turned to go back down the pier, Ron looked over and three manatees went by, I was so excited I could not get the camera set in time.

It was a tad windy today, the waves looked lovely.

We had four cruise ships in today, 2 Carnival, 1 Royal Caribbean and a Disney, here comes a carnival one now.

And there she goes.

Next to follow the Freedom of the Seas

And out to sea.

Kennedy Space Center

It has been almost 14 years since we were last at the Kennedy Space Center and it has changed alot, I was kind of worried I was going to be bored and following Ron around but it was very interesting.

They first took us to the Launch Complex 39 observation site where the shuttle is getting ready to go Dec. 17th. Some people had planned their holidays just to see the launch which was supposed to be Dec. 2nd but we were just excited to see it getting ready.

So 30 days before launch the crawler seen below brings the shuttle which is already attached to the big fuel tank and the two rocket motors out to the launch pad. It travels about 1 mile an hour so takes all day to get there.

Once they get it there it is surrounded by a work station for final procedures and protection. When the day comes that big grey structure swings open and they get ready for blast off.

From the launch site they took us to the Apollo/Saturn V Center which featured the huge 363 foot moon rocket. There was also a theatre that took us to the moon.

The lunar lander.

The Apollo 14 Command Module.

From here they shuttle you back to the main visitor complex, first thing we did was an Imax showing of the Space Station 3D, felt like you were right in space.

This is called the rocket garden.

Back to another Imax showing this one the Hubble 3D telescope, oh my goodness it was really amazing seeing some of the pictures it is taking in space, talk about feeling very little.

This is the hubble telescope(picture of), which is just about finished and going to be replaced by

the following picture, they say it will take so much better pictures, that will be amazing.

Had a look through the Explorer spaceshuttle and then they had a new simulator ride that showed you what it felt like during take off, it feels like your face is going to be ripped off but was very exciting.

Our final show was a Star Trek adventure (audience involved), the little girl in front of us was chosen to participate, once on stage the Vulcan took the little girl in the space tube and of course they disappeared and on a side screen it showed them on a beach. When she came back to sit down her little sister (about 6) says "Did you really go to the beach? Was it hot there?" Was so cute.

Got home and heard the cruise ship blow its horn so ran out to watch it go by.

Good day.