November 2010 - On the blog again - leaving Orlando

We ended our time in Orlando on November 17, 2010; as a recap, we both enjoyed the experience very much. The condo we rented ended up being perfect for us in the respect that the location was very convenient to all the theme parks of the area and to family. We were only 2 miles from the main entrance of Disney World. Our goal is to be back home by Thanksgiving.

For me the community where the condo was located had nice amenities like the small pond right next to the back door. I could keep my new fly rod right next to the back door and when I felt like it I could go out and practice my new hobby of fly fishing. I’m SO glad I packed the rod! I caught about 10  small blue gills and felt much more comfortable with casting and experimenting with different flies and techniques. I am now a master at untangling my line from weeds and bushes! Since the community was gated and had several ponds I didn’t need a fishing license and could fish at different locations on the grounds. I loved watching the variety of birds along the edges competing with me for fish; what a lesson in patience and stealth that was!

I threw him back and asked him to send his daddy!

There was also a nice clubhouse on the grounds with a pool and coffee served everyday. I got to know most of the staff since we stayed for a month so they became my temporary social infrastructure.

The weather was fantastic while we were in Florida; but probably the most important thing was to spend time with 2 cousins, my sister and my mom.

During this visit to Orlando I was about one hour from my mom who lives in an assisted living facility in Tavares, FL. I made a point of going there at least once a week while I was here. On one visit mom’s TV had gone belly up and we went shopping for a new TV. Mom was fascinated with the fact I could get her TV Ears working without the static. I got a really sweet voicemail from mom thanking me for spending the time with her while I was there. Such simple things that last forever.

My mother's hand at age 88

 

I haven’t posted photos for a while so here are a few of my favorites from the time in Orlando with a little explanation:

Here are the three kittens who stole my heart; through Craigslist they all have new homes and will not live a feral lifestyle. The two sisters (lighter ones) are in the same household.

 

I live in East Orlando now!

 

I couldn't help myself when it came to getting out my camera when I saw some of the gorgeous flowers and plants in the area.

Notice the butterfly to the left

 

I enjoyed so much watching the birds in the area; especially the ones who were able to catch fish when I couldn't!

One day I saw FIVE sandhill cranes in back of the condo. I wish I could capture the noise they made in this photo; they can be loud and they do a 'dance' where they jump in the air.

This bird is called a 'snake' bird because it actually swims and fishes underwater. From time to time it sticks out only its head and neck and looks like a snake. He is drying himself right now after taking all my fish!

I need a whole section for my Disney World photos:

I love to try on the funky hats at theme parks!



My sister should be in this picture with my brother in law and I since she also went on the Tower of Terror! What a fabulous ride!



This is my new friend on FB; his status is 'Mis-understood'

I got to ride my first segway at Disney; I would love to own one of these! Are you listening hubby; Christmas is right around the corner!

Here's my sister Jill on the segway

In 2000 Corrie and I had our pictures added to the wall in Epcot. I relocated the picture and showed it to my sister while we were there. It was a great way to commenerate the millenium after being a Y2K manager at work.

There's our picture on the wall

 

 

Here are some photos of family:

Sister Jill, mom and of course the dogs!

New grandson of my cousin Annie; welcome to the family little Gavin!

Annie, Jill, new mommy Carrie and me

Bill and Jill Johnson @ Epcot 2010

Mary Ellen (cousin) and Sammy

Sister Jill

 

We made it to Destin, FL the first day of travel after leaving Orlando. We stopped in Panama City along the way because they have a dog beach. The sand is so white on the beach that it almost looks like snow. However, there were some darker areas in the sand that made us wonder if this was a remenent of the oil spill in the Gulf. The dogs pretty much were camouflaged in the sand!

Oil residue?

Travel buddies!

 

Panama City reminded us quite a bit of Hunington Beach, CA. They have a great shopping and dining area right on the beach and there is a pier that goes out in the water. There were some great waves and some

The sun was setting as we made the trip between Panama City and Destin; a wonderful setting as we finish our time in Florida.

Today our destination is Cajun country in Louisiana; hubby has done research to find us a great place to eat Cajun food and to hear Zydeco music. Should be fun!

Orlando is popular with the British

I haven't written much lately because once we settle into a place, things become more routine. Seems no matter where you are, you need to establish some sort of routine.

In going around Kissimmee and Orlando I'm hearing a lot of British accents. Sometimes I strike up a conversation with a bloke and apparently it's a school holiday time in thier country. Anytime I go out with the dogs I attract people who are homesick for thier dogs. They want to pet Muffy and William and show me pictures of the doggy they left at home. We both enjoy the encounter.

Yesterday I met a lady and her son from the UK and it was her first time to our country. She said it was everything she had ever heard it was and she was very impressed. I welcomed her to our country and felt proud of the great things I was hearing. We can all be ambassadors in the right situation.

There are so many people from the United Kingdom here that at the clubhouse there is a paper printed here in Orlando but full of news from the UK. Here's a picture of the one from today:

Looks like the UK has the same problem with fraud and disability or incapacity claimants as we do.

It was in the 90's here today so part of my 'routine' is to sometimes sit by the pool in the morning with my morning coffee. That's the time of the day when it's not too hot and the humidity is lower. Boy life is rough.

An update on the kittens; they are safe, they are being fed and they are in an undisclosed location. They are part of the kitten protection program. Here's proof that they are alive and well:

 No, I'm not picking her nose.

At first they were unapproachable, but now they are very lovey. They will make great pets someday.

I am enjoying taking random pictures of things that catch my fancy. Here are some of the photos I've taken lately:

This looks innocent, but it is an ant hill for red ants and if you disturb them you will get bitten and it hurts! These ant hills are all over the place here.

This is a flower that has lost its bloom. I took this as it was getting dark and the flash makes this look like fireworks. Here's the same flower without the flash:

I love the contrast of the two photos.

Here's a picture of a favorite flower:

Amy plans to plant some of these Birds of Paradise at the house in California.

These are electric cars parked in the town of Celebration.

They have special parking spots.

I took this picture today because when I looked up I liked the way the lamp post was framed by the cloud.



As you can see, there weren't too many clouds in the sky today.

Don't worry Florida, I don't plan on feeding or harassing your gators!



Oh no, not kittens on vacation!

The dogs and I go on walks here in the resort where we are living everyday and one day I noticed some kittens; little kittens, adorable kittens like these:

So after I walked the dogs I went back and it's clear these kittens belong to a feral mother. What do I do? If you know me, you know I love animals and do not want these kittens to grow up wild and unneutered and unspayed.

So I tell the people in the clubhouse and they tell me I can call animal control to pick up the kittens. They also inform me that if the kittens are too young they will be put to sleep immediately. NO!!!!

So I call animal control to ask how big the kittens need to be before they will attempt to adopt them out and not kill them. The guideline is two pounds; these kittens do not weigh 2 pounds yet.

So I guess I will be feeding these kittens and when they are big enough I will call animal control. What I really want to do is catch the babies and keep them where I know they will be safe, but this probably isn't practical.

I have caught 5 blue gill fish with my rod; I threw them all back but here's a picture of my largest one:

Remember, my feet are huge!

As luck would have it there is a fly fishing expo near me so tomorrow I plan to take my rod there and get some tips from the pro. Never thought I'd be excited about going to a fishing expo!

I have seen my first gators! I didn't see them where I fish, I saw them in a pond/lake in the town of Celebration. I've been there twice and like it; it's like a poor man's Disney because it has these fakey pretty buildings but you don't have to pay admission. They have a great path around the lake where I can walk the dogs. Here are my gator pictures:

Don't worry, they are only about 4 feet long; they are babies.

On our walk the other day, I saw a beautiful flower and I'm a sucker for taking pictures of these beautiful creations:

I'm also including another picture of where we are staying; for a gated community there is a lot of wildlife; for example last night we saw an armadillo!



Gators = Florida's official critter?

Since arriving in Orlando, I feel like a lazy bum; the last two mornings I've taken hubby to Disney World and haven't picked him up until the park closes. In between I've been enjoying our new location and just taking it easy.

I have gone fishing twice in the small pond behind the townhouse. When I first asked about fishing in the pond, the lady at the desk in the clubhouse seemed appalled because she said 'There are alligators in there!'. Well, that could be a little bit of a deterrent; however, I decided to find out more.

I mentioned I was at Walmart in the sporting goods department talking to the employee who was at the counter. Now he was a great one to talk to because he has a lot of experience fishing in the area. If you ever look at a map of Florida you will see it has a tons of lakes.

So I asked the clerk about 'gators and he said you only have to worry about the gators in the spring when it's mating season. He said they get pretty testy at that time as they search and compete for a mate. The rest of the time the gators would rather not mess with a human. Well this made me feel a lot better about trying some fly casting in the small pond on the property.

I asked how I would know if the pond had fish or had been stocked with fish; at this the clerk chuckled and informed me that the whole state of Florida sits on reef type of material and that most if not all the lakes are connected underneath the ground. He gave me the example of the pond in his area being completely drained and when there was no water, there were no fish, gators, etc. According to him when the pond was refilled, all the aquatic life was back because they had an underground system to use to move.

He also said if I saw egret birds at the side of the pond that it's  sure sign of fish. They wait for the smaller fish to come near shore and the smaller fish come near shore to get away from the bigger fish. Here's a picture of my little pond and there are a lot of egrets fishing on the edge.

I then talked to a gentlemen here at the clubhouse about fishing and gators and he said he's been here over 2 years and only seen one gator in the area where I will be fishing. The gator was only about 4 feet long. So the good news is I'm not afraid to go fishing, but the bad news is I don't want to take the dogs because I've seen gators in the water and when the dogs get close to the water the gators start swimming closer.

I haven't caught anything yet, but I'm still experimenting with which fly to use. I could see fish nibble at my bait today, so I think it's just a matter of time before we have a fish dinner! I'm sure getting a lot of good use out of the rod I was recently given as a gift by the folks at Casting for Recovery.

Today the dogs and I saw 3 sandhill cranes calmly walking in the parking lot where we live. They didn't seem too bothered by the dogs, but the dogs were on leash.

I took my mom to lunch today and had a nice drive along the back roads from Orlando to Tavares. Mom is happy I'm in the area for a while.

Here is a picture of the gate where we enter and leave and also a picture of Muffy on the walking path here; I hope I don't lose her!