Wilderness Canoeing

One of our neighbours at the campground belongs to a Florida canoe club and invited along on one of their trips. We were excited to go until he told us that they usually see over 200 alligators along this stretch of river. Not wanting to miss such a great opportunity, we called the kids, put our affairs in order and signed on.

We went through a canoe rental company and they outfitted us and dropped off at our starting point. Our friends had not yet arrived so we decided to get the rust out of our canoeing skills. After all, these guys belong to a canoe club! You will notice that in all the photos of us we are wearing our life vests. We are trying to set an example for any grandkids who may check out our blog. Also, we figured that it would be awful hard for an alligator to swallow us with out of these huge things on. A hundred meters up the creek (I'm not sure I like that expression), we spotted our first wildlife, a great Egret. Thats the white dot in front of Grammie.

Around the next turn, we hit the jackpot. Just over Grammies right shoulder is a blue heron, large and majestic. All the other black fowl (or should I say foul) are vultures. Either they heard we were coming or they migrate here for the winter. We later found out the latter was true, but we were on edge till then.

I might as well kill the suspense right away. The temperature was about 40F for the day and apparently alligators don't come out when its cold. We did see a small one swim in front of us but, by the time I got the camera out of its water proof bag, it was long gone. That's all we saw was one scrawny alligator. After worrying about being attacked by hordes of bloodthirsty reptiles, it was a bit of a disappointment really. We did see this and from a distance it looked like an alligator skating across the frozen pond. But, the pond wasn't frozen and that was just a fallen tree trying to tip us over.

Well, our friends and the other canoe experts finally arrived and off we went. This was true wilderness canoeing. We didn't see anyone else or any sign of humanity along the Hillsborough river. It looked like it must have 200 years ago. We spent most of our time weaving around fallen trees, dead heads and sand bars. We soon found out that the average depth was about 3 feet but by then it had started to rain and the life vests helped us stay warm, so they stay on.

Around every turn there more birds to see. Because this area is a wilderness park, few people venture in here so lots of birds roost here for the winter. We saw a number of flocks of white Ibis like these ones.

This is a Roseatte Spoonbill. Their beak does look like a spoon and they are pink because they eat mostly shrimp. Only saw 2 of these; must be uncommon. The shoreline around him was pretty standard, Trees growing in the water and marsh plants everywhere. Probably perfect for shore dwelling birds such as these.

The trip we took was divided into 2 sections, one 2.5 miles and the other 2.4 miles. Because of the winding overgrown nature of the river, it took us about 3 hours to get to the midway stop and have our lunch. It had rained most of the trip and we were just glad to eat, stretch our legs and have a whiz.

After a nice break we headed out on the final leg of our adventure. You will note by the clothing displayed, that it continued to rain as we continued.

Heres a better picture of a great blue heron. He looked as wet as we did and decided not to move allowing me to get a nice close shot. The river was very windy and as it narrowed, the current picked up. Sometimes we wiggled through a blockage only to be pushed onto a fallen tree by the current. I've never paddled such a constricted route and by the end was getting pretty proficient at almost, but not quite, tipping over.

As we neared the end, the rain stopped and the sun tried to come out. I swear steam was coming off our life vests. No alligators, no dunkings, and no serious disagreements, I'd call that a darn good trip. As we paddled up onto the beach, the truck arrived to take us back to our car; perfect. One of the other canoeists, a canoe instructor, said they were worried we'd be able to keep up and not long into the trip felt we were pushing them, so he felt we could fit into their rarefied level of canoeists. Just another canuck in a canoe, nothing special.

Starting 2010 in Florida

After Christmas the weather was beautiful and we did a little exploring which, of course, includes checking out more of the local beaches. New friends from Saskatchewan are taking a stroll with us.

This is Siesta Key beach, just south of Sarasota. According to the locals, this has been voted the most beautiful beach in the world. The sand is a white powder, unlike the other beaches around, and is quite dazzling to the eyes in the sun light. Our resident pirate, Yosemite was impressed by the power of the vast ocean, but his vessel, not so much.

We did go for a drive to see what was in St. Petersburg, or as us locals call it, St. Petes. This is the skyway bridge to Tampa and St. Petes. The bridge is very high to accommodate any possible ship entering Tampa Bay.

We had lunch as the Docks at St. Petersburg beach. We tried the shrimp patties which our friends recommended; they were delicious. This is seafood country so you have to try everything. Dolphins were jumping just beside this boardwalk. I took at least 10 pictures and never got a shot of one, so you'll have to take my word.

All our friends are moving to other campgrounds on Dec 31st so we decided to go out for one last supper before everyone heads out. This was a good Mennonite restaurant in Sarasota, with food that schmecks. Although we couldn't find pig tails, the food was just like at the Stone Crock in St. Jacobs, back home.

Its the new year and we're on our own at least for now. Its a good opportunity to review whats happening at the campground. Its just big enough that it takes us about 45 minutes to walk all the streets and trails.

As in Yuma, there are lots of fruit trees planted on the sites. Its considered bad form to go onto someone else's site to pick fruit, but we did find this grapefruit tree that was unclaimed and we managed to pick a dozen or so over the weeks before the site became occupied.

One morning around 8 AM, Carmen said she saw a lot of smoke so I went to see what was up. A few rows over from us, a trailer was fully engulfed in flames. I got there just after the fire trucks. It went up like a torch and most of the water was sprayed on nearby trailers to keep them from burning as well. Apparently, a young guy (about 22) was living there. He had no money and his hydro had been cut off. He was using candles for light and one fell on his pillow. He grabbed the pillow and threw it into the bathtub, unfortunately the bathtub was plastic and it burst into flames. He ran out without time to even put on shoes. He lost everything. The campground has a used trailer for sale so they let him move into there and most campers donated money to help him out. When you think you're having it tough, just think of this guy. PS. The truck in the picture is not his, its his neighbours; he rode a bike (which he lost as well).

If you've been following Florida weather at all, you know its been cold down here. Last night it froze so Yosemite, being a good Canadian, decided to go ice skating on our car roof. Just a bit smaller than the ponds of our youth. Yesterday it never got above 35F with a cold wind and rain. Apparently this is the coldest for this time of year in over 25 years. Good timing on our part, huh. Every Canadian you talk to down here says the same thing; at least we don't have to shovel it.

Twas the Night Before Xmas-RV Style

To everyone who enjoys our blog we want to wish you the Merriest of Christmas' and hope you have a happy and prosperous New Year. Carmen and I are enjoying our time in Florida and are glad that you take the time to check in with us. Its like having friends and family along for the adventure. I have attached a photo of our highly decorated (sounds like a war hero) motor home. If you followed our adventures last year we had few gifts under the tree. This year is different. The Wii game is from our daughter Michelle and her family. We bought the Wii Fit+ as a gift for ourselves. The liquor is cheap here so Santa splurged.

After the photo is a poem I hope you enjoy. Again, have a happy and safe holiday season.

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the RV

Not a sound could be heard except for the TV

Why it was on I really don't know
There were only reruns of our favourite show.

Mom said this is boring, I'm going to read
So I locked doors and windows and followed her lead.
Reading in bed helps keeps her wise
I lay trying to sleep with her light in my eyes.

Suddenly up on the roof there arose quite a din
It sounded like hyenas trying to get in
Our fiberglas roof can amplify noise
I said as I struggled to maintain my poise.

Get out there and check it Mom said with chagrin
If you don't I'm sure they'll claw their way in
I ran for the door with nary a glance
Then returned to the bedroom and put on some pants.

I exited slowly and looked far and near
Up on the roof was what caused our fear
I took a step back and focused my gaze
A form slowly appeared as it moved through the haze.

It scratched at our roof and clawed at our vent
A creature to fear wherever it went
It was covered with fur from its head to it feet
It grabbed a roof vent and started to eat.

Our Krocs were lined by the step with care
So when we go out, we know they are there
I grabbed one and threw it, with all that I had
It flew like a rocket, boy, was my aim bad.

I missed by a mile, it was easy to see
The Kroc bounced off the skylite and stuck in a tree.
I grabbed another Kroc, this time he's toast
But the creature had vanished just like a ghost.

After waiting a while it was obvious it'd left
So I replaced my missile feeling bereft
I locked the door and went back to bed feeling blue
How do I tell Mom a squirrel stole her shoe.

Ringling Circus Museum

Sarasota was the winter home for John and Mable Ringling, the owners of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, the Greatest Show on Earth. By 1925 he was considered to be the richest man in America and he decided to build a grand home on his land in Sarasota. He loved the Venetian style of architecture so he designed his mansion around that style and called it Ca d'Zan ("home of John" in Venetian). This was the main entrance you would go through if you were visiting them.

He made his fortune building a small family entertainment troupe into the worlds largest circus. On the 66 acre estate are circus museums and one of the largest private art collections in America. This building houses the largest miniature circus in the world.

This miniature shows the layout of a fully operational circus. It includes everything from balloon sellers to the freak show to the crowds of people. Every person was hand created and unique and stands about 3" tall. The total display took over 50 years to finish and covers an area larger than the 3 rings of a full size circus. Zoom into these pictures if you can; the detail is incredible.

This picture shows the areas behind the tents where the public didn't go. Every detail of their day is shown. There are barbers working away, men showering in canvas tents, acts putting on their costumes and makeup and the men who worked all night putting up the tents are sleeping in workers tents. All of circus life is represented. All of the tents, vehicles, costumes and animals, like the people, are hand made.

Just to give you an idea of scale, the area at the top of this picture is the entrance that I showed in the first miniature shot. From there you would buy your tickets and then go to the tent at the top left of this shot. There you could see all the animals. Then you would leave that tent and go out the wide alleyway in the lower left corner toward the main circus tent at the bottom of the picture. No detail has been overlooked. The 2 square fenced areas off the main alley are the washrooms, men on the left and ladies on the right. It even shows men lined up at a urinal ditch dug in the ground. The big top is at the bottom of the picture but I couldn't fit it in. Inside it are bleachers and hundreds of portable seats, most of which have people sitting in them. The 3 rings are in full operation with trapeze artists, elephants and clowns performing. Its absolutely breathtaking.

After finally leaving the miniature display we went to the building housing actual circus items. Whenever a circus came to town, there would be a parade through town to create excitement and get the locals out to the circus. Colourful wagons carried animals, bands, clowns and lovely ladies like this one.

Dozens of these wagons along with acrobats and walking animals such as elephants and giraffes wending their way through town to the sounds of bands and circus music would be hard to resist.

The next stop is the mansion itself. At the end of a 1/2 mile drive is the front of the mansion.

With the mansion behind her, grammie is sitting and watching the waves of Sarasota Bay. This patio steps down to the waters edge. John used to have his yacht park just off the patio and the band would be on the upper deck playing music for his guests.

Isn't the design unique? The inside is beautiful but we couldn't take pictures. Perhaps they are worried we would build a copy.

All his life, John Ringling collected art and has hundreds of the old masters. Walking through, we saw Rembrands, Picassos, Gainsboroughs and dozens of other well known masters. He built this building to house his art collection. The building is U-shaped with the wings filled with beautiful art; again, no pictures.

The central courtyard is filled with statues and fountains they brought back from the old world. Notice along the upper wall, these statues are antiques from Italy and are placed along the full length of the 3 walls.

The central courtyard alone has more statues and fountains than most museums.

Also on the museum grounds is the beautiful historic Asolo theatre. It was originally built in Asolo Italy in 1798 and was transported to here after the original building started to crumble. It has been completely restored and is a gorgeous visual and auditory treat.

Of all the amazing and beautiful things to see here, Grammie was dazzled by Mable Ringling's rose garden. You can take the girl out of the garden but can't take the garden out of the girl. We spent as much time here as we did admiring the art. Hundreds of different types of roses in a myriad of colours and exotic scents did make it a lovely place to spend some quiet time.

The end of the story is kind of sad. Mabel died in 1929 at 54 and John lost his fortune during the depression. He refused to sell any of his art and pushed ahead to build the art museum. He died in 1936 and had only $311.00 in the bank. They had no children so he bequeathed his estate to the state of Florida. By doing that his home, lands and art have been saved from creditors and being broken up and sold. It is an amazing place to visit and it would have been a shame to be lost to condos and strip malls. We highly recommend it!

Christmas Parade

Just west of Sarasota, on Lido Key (a Key is an island just off the coast) sits a shopping area called St. Armands Circle. There is a giant traffic circle and around the perimeter sits about 200 shops and cafes. Very high end; we didn't buy much. Its a lovely place to walk around and is well decorated for Christmas.

There aren't many trees here shedding their leaves so when we found this one we were impressed. Leaves weren't falling, it was the flower petals falling so the ground was covered with soft aromatic petals. Paradise!

After spending most of the day wandering around not spending money, we met with some new friends from our park for the evening. We are sitting in a Tiki hut beside the marina in Sarasota. Here we had a few refreshments and something to eat before wandering over to see the Christmas parade.

Once darkness fell, the parade started. Now, you must remember where we are. Sleighs cutting through a soft blanket of snow just doesn't fit the climate so they do parades a bit differently. Over 30 boats of all sizes decorated for the season paraded past large crowds standing on the banks and sitting on boats in the marina.

Although it was a Christmas parade, some boats (yachts) had a theme as well. This was the Elvis boat with Elvis waving from the upper deck with Santa as his music blasted over the water. There was lots of clapping, cheering and singing as this one went by.

This beauty was about 50 feet long and I would say the best decorated. It has thrusters instead of regular propellers so it stopped and spun completely around in one spot as everyone cheered. Quite a display.

This little boat seemed to have the most fun. Lots of singing, waving and shouts let us know that the Christmas spirit was alive and well on this vessel. How much Christmas spirit was hard to tell, but it made them quite jolly. It was a lovely warm evening and walking back to the car past all the yachts amongst all the merrymakers made for the warmest and most unique Christmas parade we've ever been to.

Home Sweet Florida Home

Well, after many stops along the way, we have finally arrived at our winter destination, Bradenton Florida. Its only a couple miles from the beach and within 2 hours of Disney World. There seems to be lots to see around here so hopefully we won't be spending all our time just basking in the sun.

Housekeeping never goes away so its time to do the laundry and get some general cleaning done. Most RV resorts don't allow clothes lines so we were surprised that this one provides them. Its very handy and the clothes seem fresher off the line. A neighbour was kind enough to point out that the loose sand under the clothes line was caused by fire ant hills and that you need to keep moving as you hang up the clothes. I followed instructions with nary a problem; apparently I have a new job.

We are well and truly settled when Grammie drags out her craft material. I think its a surprise for Brad and Karen so don't tell them!

We have gotten the flea market bug and have been to the local one already. We are starting to get the Christmas spirit by buying an RV sized Nativity Scene. Grammie also has an Amaryllis she picked up earlier which has almost opened up. Any day now we will be setting up our other decorations for the season. A lot of RV's are really decked out with outside lights and lawn ornaments. We aren't that dedicated yet.

Even with all the work we've been doing, we have managed to get to the local beach and enjoy a bit of sun n fun. I hate to keep harping on the great beaches we see but, too bad, we're here and you're not.

The sand is white as snow and powdery like flour. But, you don't have to shovel it. The city in the background is Sarasota and I am standing on Longboat Key. What more could you ask for on the 1st of December?

We have made a few new friends at the campground and one of them suggested supper out at Pasta and Pipes. Its not a fine dining experience but quite unique. In the background as you eat, an entertainer plays a huge pipe organ. Its hard to describe, but attached to the organ are trumpets, xylophones, drums, cymbals and other interesting musical instruments. These are arranged around the room as well as overhead so you never know where the music will play. He plays some of the old traditional organ music, but you haven't heard the theme from Star Wars until you've heard it here. The food was so-so but the entertainment level was great.