Lazy Today

 I used the wrong picture yesterday regarding my big Super Bowl win.  I should have used this one which includes one of the major donors.

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Today we headed to the Lazy River for the first time in several days.  A lot of the shrubbery on the resort is looking pretty sad.  Hopefully it will eventually recover.

After once around the river and some time in a hot tub we headed home and I took pictures of the 10th hole which we see from our back door.  Matt will remember this one.

From the tee, just try to keep it in play.  Our place is centre distance, past the sand traps.

If you made it that far your next shot is over the ditch.  Keep it right.

Because there is quite a bit of water to the left.  The pin is in front of the two tall palms.

And, if you see someone feeding the Sandhill Cranes, aim the ball at them ( the dope doing the feeding, not the Cranes).

We go on a new adventure tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

And stay well.

Bad Bunny

 A slow day to start - we are still recovering from our trip yesterday.

Tonight we were invited to Lori and Frank's for the Super Bowl.  But first a wonderful dinner and drinks.

The half time show was incredible and even though we couldn't understand the words which were in Spanish (although he did mention Canada) we enjoyed it.

Bad Bunny had some guests, such as Lady Gaga, as well as a large ensemble of dancers and musicians.

But the highlight of the night for me was winning the pool for having Seahawks win with a score that ended with 9.  Thanks to Mardi for setting up the pool and to Lori and Frank for donating their life savings!

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One last comment on the water situation.

Orlando takes millions of gallons of water from the aquifer but their treated water is piped to the wetlands and ends up in the ocean.  Add that factor to the drought and you can see why water levels are being depleted so dramatically.

Although we really enjoyed the Orlando Wetlands and its bird life and the thought behind it, we are left with every mixed emotions because, sadly,  it is doing more damage to the environment than it is fixing.

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Stay well.

A Dry Bar

 Today we headed back to the Circle B Bar Reserve.

The water level is down about three feet right now, and some marsh areas are totally dried out.

Which has led to a kill off of some fish, like this one that the racoon is working on................

...................and this Anhinga that no alligator has found yet.

And it has resulted in several hundred black vultures on clean up duty.

They were everywhere.  Covering the sky, perched in trees and on the ground.  Like a bad movie.

There weren't a lot of alligators to be seen, but those that we did see were pretty big.

We were surprised to see a couple of Spoonbills, not a usual visitor at the Circle B Bar.

And dozens of Great Blue Herons, many more than we usually see here.

There are signs that read "No Fishing", but some can't read.

Guess where that fish is now.  The neck is a bit thick isn't it?

We even saw a snake.

After 6,500 steps and a quick lunch that Mardi had brought along we headed home.  An interesting day!

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Tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday and we'll be watching the half time show featuring Bad Bunny.

But, since that is a "woke" show, the Republicans will be streaming an alternate show titled "Faith, Family and Freedom".

Let me know what you get to see back in Canada.

Stay well.

Horny Owls

 The bird we feature today was heard but not seen.

Last night we heard two owls hooting at each other.  One was in the Live Oak near our patio door.  The other was across the way.  Love was in the air.

We didn't see either one, but Mardi's phone app said that they were Great Horned Owls.  Wow!

I did see a couple of Great Horned Owls about 50 or 60 years ago on a trip through Yellowstone Park.  It was dark and I saw four bright yellow lights on the road ahead.  It was my headlights reflecting in their eyes as they consumed their prey.

A special moment seeing these huge birds, as was our experience just hearing them last night.

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We had rain this morning, then chilly and windy.  And that's about all the news for today.   

But I have big plans for tomorrow.  I'm going to beat Mardi and Lori at cribbage while Frank works out at the gym.

Stay well.

Manny and Minny

 Mardi and I played the Cranes Bend course today, but I'm not talking about it.

Then we were invited by Lori and Frank to join them for dinner at Manny's (2 for 1  drinks and fajitas).  We headed to their house and then had a ride in Lori's Mustang convertible.

The others ordered the fajitas but I had shrimp.

For dessert, Lori decided that it would be Mardi's birthday so the staff sang to her.  But she did share!

Following our feast we headed back to their house for a game of Uno.  

As you can see, Minnie Mouse was keeping an eye on us.

A good time was had by all, including those of us who didn't win.  Next time!

Stay well.

Ponce De Leon

 Today's excursion took us to De Leon Springs Park, just over an hour's drive to the north.

Our first goal was to head for the old Sugar Mill.....

.............where we ate pancakes off our own griddle.

  
Mardi chose blueberries as her side.  I picked crispy bacon (candy!).

The pancake mix comes in a big jug.  More than you can eat.

After the meal we headed out on a boat ride.  The boat captain on the left had eagle eyes and saw bird and animal life long before the rest of us.  The guide on the right pointed out features and explained the history of the springs, which date back 6,000 years to the Mayaca people.  He explained how those folks used all of the various types of vegetation in their daily lives.

The springs come from a 30 foot deep swimming hole behind the wall below.

It exits at 72 degrees year round.  Which makes the waters below ideal for Manatee who need a minimum 68 degree water to survive.  So over the past week or so they have congregated in the area.

Unfortunately, this one didn't make it and was about to be removed by the conservation folks.

A Limpkin on a branch, centre left.

And an Anhinga.

Following the boat ride we did a short hike to Old Methuselah.

And so another day in paradise came to an end.

Stay well.

Fixin" Things

 The chill persists, and some of the plants are showing stress.

We'll keep an eye on them and see how they recover.

We had a couple of issues with our new location.  The patio screen door wouldn't fasten, so in breezy conditions it would slam back and forth.  And the mattress in the master bedroom had a cavity that made it difficult for we old people to move once trapped.

Called Resort Services and they sent a guy who replaced a part on the door frame that solved the screen problem.  Then he called on his workmate to help him flip the mattress.  They even remade the bed -  I promised not to tell their wives.  Great service!

Then I called on the housemaid to clean the patio door windows.

I think that she's apprenticing for a job in A.J.'s window cleaning business. 😁

And I had to send her out again when more streaks were discovered.

OK there is a price that I have to pay for those lies.  So I let Mardi win at cribbage and at mini putt golf (tough course and note the winter vest under the jacket).  Plus 12C high today.

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Finally, Mardi headed out to find golf balls again.  Just 21 of them today.

Hope you all saw lots of groundhogs frisking in the snow.

Stay well.