February 1: Ding Darling Ditto

We ran some errands and dined at Sonny's Real Pit BBQ for lunch. Our errands included picking a spot to live in April. It's expensive here in Florida ($1,050 per month!) but we have a big discount offer for April and/or May of $169 plus electric. That should drop our average cost per night some. We could have stayed right where we are but we are planning to move to a sister resort called The Groves in Fort Myer. It will be back to The Groves for Ron, he lived there for a couple of years previously!

A loyal reader who shall remain nameless but whose initials are "Heide" asked about Ding's nickname. Here's a quote from his biography by David L. Lendt: Darling signed his creations D'ing, a contraction of his last name. "The apostrophe stood for the 'arl' which were left out in order to make a funnier looking signature and in addition to conceal my identity," Darling explained. The name had been used by his father and by his brother Frank before him.

We visited Ding Darling again. This time we found a Snowy Egret having a bad hair day.

The Blue Heron looks as if it were photographed with a flash, but it wasn't. The sun was getting low and caused this lighting.

Joyce is not good at in-flight pictures. She blames her camera. Ron is good at it but when Joyce gets one, she wants to post it. Hence this Brown Pelican flies into the blog.

Ever wonder what it looks like when a White Pelican yawns? It's a pretty scary sight! This pelican tipped his head back and opened his mouth. The membrane in his lower jaw is so thin, you can almost see through it.

The White Pelicans are the largest birds in the Refuge (and the second largest wingspan among U.S. birds following the Condor) and the Snowy Egret is not the smallest, but it sort of looks that way. Later we attended the Audubon lecture series featuring nature photography. [Just for the record, one woman recognized Ron at the RV park and another at Ding Darling, plus the couples he (and I) know from the camera club -- I can't take him anywhere!]

January 29: Ding Darling

Today we made our first visit to J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island. Ron has been to Ding Darling many, many times but it was Joyce's first visit. We saw an awful lot, especially considering it was cool (by Florida standards) so a lot of birds were hiding in the bushes for warmth. Here are some of the creatures we saw (many with comments thanks to the brochure from the visitor center!):

The Roseate Spoonbill is a large pink wading bird. They feed by swinging their flat bills from side to side, using them to filter out food. When this bird hatches it is nearly white and gets pinker with age.

The two in the back are brown pelicans. Their white cousins get more attention, but they are nice, too. Joyce doesn't know the name of the guys in the front.

This guy is a Mangrove Tree Crab -- yes, I know it's a very bad picture but it turns out exceedingly difficult to take a picture of a tree crab, especially when you can only see two and you know the hundreds of others are probably heading for the warmth of your ankles! And that is a mangrove tree that the tiny beast is clinging to.

This Great Egret's larger size, yellow bill, and black legs and feet distinguish it from the snowy egret. Like herons and egrets, this bird holds its neck in an S-shaped posture in flight.

The White Ibis will never be confused with another when seen at close range because its orangish red face and curved bill are unique. Immature birds are all brown or brown turning white. The immature plumage is kept for one year. That's a crab the ibis has caught and is about to eat!

The Anhinga is often called the "Snake Bird" (although Joyce did not hear that once all day). It swims underwater and then uses it's sharp beak to stab fish. Afterward they dry out their wings showing the feathers that resemble white piano keys on its sings. The female has a light brown head and neck.

This is a Gulf Fritillary butterfly. We spotted four along a path.

After Joyce recovered from her tragic trip over a root (at which time she fell so completely down that she hit her nose and forehead on the ground!), she was rewarded with the sight of a mama raccoon and her four babies. This is one.

We took a lunch break to a restaurant called the Bubble Room. It was really cute with literally thousands of things, mainly old toys and movie star photos. The food was good (but they charge full price for a Diet Coke refill). After lunch we visited a couple of beaches on the way back to Ding Darling. One that used to be solid shells isn't anymore. Another did have a lot, repeat lot, of shells.

The tide was coming in so there were a few dramatic waves but the tides are less extreme here in the south than they are up north.

Back at Ding Darling, this Snowy Egret paraded back and forth. It is similar in appearance to the Great Egret but is often called the "bird with the golden slippers" because of its yellow feet. Again, Joyce did not hear this reference all day. These birds can be identified by the black bill and legs and yellow feet.

This was an exciting find, according to the birders standing there and also according to Ron. This is an immature Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron. It is a medium-sized, stocky gray herson with a black head and buffy-white crown. It feeds mostly at night. The juvenile bird is grayish brown overall with fine white streaks on its breast and dots on back and wings. This immature plumage is kept for two years.

These white pelicans are seasonal visitors to Ding Darling. This large white bird with up to a ten-foot wingspan, the largest birds to visit Ding Darling. They winter here and summer in central Canada. Using teamwork these birds swim and encircle their prey together while scooping up their meals. The four airborne birds above are landing in unison, demonstrating the vaunted teamwork.

This is a Tri-Color Heron. This bird is bluish gray with the distinguishing mark of white underparts and a rust stripe down its white neck.

The last wildlife was this three- to four-year-old alligator. Supposedly there are many more there but the cool weather kept them away from their usual haunts.

On the way home we paused at the beach in Fort Myers Beach. It was a lovely end to a delightful day!

January 27: Six Mile Cypress

Today we walked around the boardwalk at Six Mile Cypress Preserve. There was not as much wildlife visible as Ron expected but anything is more than Joyce expected, never having been there before! We didn't bring our "real" cameras, just Joyce's little one that lives in her purse. We'll be going back for more serious photography a little later in the season.

The boardwalk goes over mostly swampy ground. There are a couple of ponds and a little drier ground. There are lots of cypress trees, some palms, plenty of ferns, and lots of little plants. The palm above was very attractive to Joyce's eye.

As we walked along, Ron kept peeking into the woods. It turns out that he was looking for his tree with the pink lichen. When he found it, they had trimmed around it a little so it was easier to spot.

These are not partially decayed stumps in the swamp water, they are called cypress knees and the cypress grows them on purpose. No one really knows what that purpose is but perhaps it's just none of our business! Some of them provide homes for ferns and perches for birds.

This stuff was growing in one of the ponds. Joyce isn't sure if it is trying to take over or if it stays contained to the edge of the pond.

We weren't really that close to this egret, zoom and cropping at work here!

This is a resurrection fern. Ron says in dry weather they fade away to nothing -- all brown and thoroughly dead looking. Then it rains, as it recently did, and it puffs right back up again!

January 12 to 26: Tampa and Naples

After leaving Disney World, we spent two nights at the Rally Park at Lazy Days in Tampa. We had dinner each night with a different friend and visited the Camping World and RV dealership there. What a huge operation! Initially we pulled into the wrong spot and instead of being where one checks into the campground, we were where one turns in one's trade-in to get a new RV. A salesman came by, admiring our rig, and wondered what we were trading it for. Joyce, honest but not clever, said we were just in the wrong spot. Shortly thereafter she realized she should have told him we were trading it in on fifty pop-up trailers!

Then we moved down to Lake San Marino RV Resort and settled in for a couple of months. After realigning our expectations with reality, we like it here (we were expecting a cement parking pad rather than grass and to fit between the patio and the hook-ups). There are lots of activities to not go to: So far we have not gone to karaoke, water exercise, or the luau dinner dance. Joyce has watched the fun shuffle and the competition shuffle with another park (shuffle = shuffleboard), helped assemble a jigsaw puzzle, chatted with the wood carvers, and helped set the lights for karaoke night.

We have been visiting many of Ron's friends from when he lived here. Joyce can see why he was eager to return for the winter -- he gets way more hugs per event here! We have been to a number of lunches, two camera club meetings (two different clubs), and visited several people in their homes. We have committed to entering images in both camera club competitions and putting two prints up for sale for charity!

There are two Costco's near here but we have only been to one so far. That's where we encountered the Costco liquor store! A separate entrance, sort of like the tire center. The single malt scotch above is Costco's brand from Macallan distillery, aged 19 years, and priced at $70! For comparison the Glenlivet and Glenfiddich cost about $35 a bottle.

We visited the local (sort of) casino but won't be going back. We don't have high standards but it was too smoky for Joyce and too high-priced for both of us (nickle minimum games which means mostly $1 a go). If it's not a "fun" place, we don't spend our money there.

Ron has been going to doctors for check-ups and is almost through with that cycle. Joyce did her first Volkswalk in a couple years and has the blisters to prove it. She took a little break at a park and saw these bizarre ducks (upon further review, Ron says they are TURKEY VULTURES!) begging for handouts from the picnickers. We went to the RV show on Thursday (free parking and half-price on the first day) to look at vendors and park models. The park models are different here than they are in the northwest, no loft models on display and more trailer-based ones. But, several had little dishwashers! We didn't buy a thing.

January 8 to 11: Disney World!

What did we do next? We went to Disney World!

We checked into Fort Wilderness for four nights and enjoyed ourselves at all four parks. One could say that Disney is wasted on children because adults enjoy it so much. We are very glad, however, that there were plenty of children there. They we so cute and fun to talk to. We enjoyed spotting the various princesses (they have complete make-overs including hair, make-up, fingernails, and outfits with shoes and everything for $175 and up!). We watched one little girl get her face painted and the surprise and pleasure in her face when she first saw herself was priceless. We talked to kids standing in line with us for rides.

The day we arrived we went to Disney-MGM Studios. Because we were staying at a Disney property we qualified for "Magic Hours" where one park a day is open extra hours. To tell the resort guests from the common riff-raff, we were issued bracelets. This entitled us to stay three extra hours after the normal closing at MGM on Monday.

We took advantage of our extra hours to attend the second showing of the evening fireworks and water and lights and live action extravaganza. Mickey is at the top of the island mountain.

Tuesday we spent in Epcot visiting Future World and World Showcase. We enjoyed it all. Ron didn't buy the pirate hat even though he looked quite dashing.

The country exhibits each featured various aspects of their cultures. We have always wanted to see the terracotta warriors of China. At least we saw the small version at Epcot.

Wednesday we went to the Animal Kingdom. This park was new to both Joyce and Ron. It was odd being lost and seeing everything for the first time because we were both at least somewhat familiar with the other parks. Above is Joyce's lunch of a BBQ sandwich and coleslaw (the Diet Coke is there but not pictured). We found all the food to be good, better than we had remembered.

You know you're not in Kansas anymore when the birds walking around the outdoor tables looking for crumbs look like this! And these were not robots but real, live ibis.

One of the hippos was active a little earlier than usual but was yawning.

Thursday we went to the Magic Kingdom, which is like Disneyland in California. This was the menu of the week -- at least at the Jungle Cruise.

The Spectromagic parade was beautiful. This peacock is just one example of the stunning floats.

These flowers are from another float. After the parade was over we took the boat to the parking area (some days we rode the park buses and some days we drove if we were going several places during the day). We watched the fireworks across the water and went home. Friday morning we packed up and moved on.

January 6 & 7: Madison, Florida

We were in Madison mostly because everyone has to be somewhere and that's where we were. We did go visit the Suwanee River at Suwanee River State Park. There's not a lot there but it is a lovely river (and one finds oneself singing whilst there).

January 3 to 5: Milton, Florida

Yes indeedy, we are in Florida! You can see the "Sunshine" state greeted us with gray skies but I'm sure they didn't mean it! That's our car and motorhome in the lower right.

Milton is near Pensacola in the tip of the panhandle. One day we visited the National Museum of Naval Aviation. It's on Pensacola Naval Air Station (which appears to be huge!) and is free (our tax dollars at work). It's a nice museum with nicely organized exhibits.

There is a life at home during WWII exhibit that included something that Joyce's Mom talked about but Joyce never saw: Three Musketeers Bars from the days when there were three bars in the package. We also had dinner with some friends in Milton.

January 2: New Orleans Day Trip

We made a day trip to New Orleans from our campground near Baton Rouge. Ron had suggested a Gray Line Tour and Joyce selected the Katrina Tour. A bonus from researching the tours was that the driving instructions included where to park. On the way we crossed Lake Ponchartrain on the 24-mile long toll bridge. For $3 we got to drive and drive and drive over water that often appeared to have no shore.

After parking and buying tickets for the 1:00 tour, the first thing that caught Joyce's lens (she brought her little camera with her) was this potted plant with a champagne bottle in it. It was in front of the Jackson Brewery Building. We must be in New Orleans -- their litter is much higher class! The note in the bottle turned out to be an odd little flier that we later learned was being passed out by the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum down the street (Joyce was hoping it was part of a treasure hunt or some other game).

We walked around coming soon to Landry's, a seafood restaurant that Ron enjoyed in the past. Here's Ron not going to Landry's today!

As we approached the House of Blues (this is a window display), Joyce congratulated a woman on her excellent trash tossing technique. The woman asked Joyce where she was from and when she heard "originally Seattle area" she hesitated only a moment before inviting Joyce and Ron up to her roof! She lives in an apartment over the House of Blues (we are still a little unclear about her relationship with the House of Blues, if any).

She introduced herself as Jackie and we introduced ourselves. We rode her elevator to the roof garden so she could share the view and tell us about the city. She said she was feeling good about life in the city today and wanted to do something nice for someone.

This is the view south showing the spires of the cathedral and the (light-colored on the right) Jackson Brewery building.

Looking west we could see the Mississippi River. There were dozens of potted plants on the roof. Jackie got three or four calls in the short time we were with her -- her grandchildren were in town and she was arranging events. She pointed out lots of points of interest -- more than we could visit. One of her recommendations was to go window-shopping. Then she said it in French (which Joyce can't even begin to remember!) and then, laughing, translating into English, said it means "window licking" -- don't you love it?

This metal sculpture was called "Reaching for Joy" but Katrina blew it completely flat (some workmen pulled it back up this far for her). When we told her we were planning on taking the Katrina Gray Line Tour to see the situation for ourselves, Jackie got misty-eyed and gave Joyce a big hug and thanked both of us for coming to New Orleans.

We walked around some more and grabbed a quick lunch before walking back to the Tour Office.

If you want to feel like a patriotic American, go to New Orleans and take a tour. We were thanked so many times for supporting New Orleans' attempt to get the tourist industry going again. At first glance around the French Quarter, one might think the tourist industry is doing okay, but tomorrow is the Sugar Bowl so there are LOTS of Notre Dame and LSU fans in town walking, shopping, and drinking. Next week they will be very lonely there.

We spent three hours touring some of the flooded areas of the city -- more than two of those hours we were on roads that had been under water anywhere from half a foot to fifteen or twenty feet deep. Some areas the water lines are clearly visible on the buildings but elsewhere there are no visible lines -- because the water levels were higher than the buildings are tall. The extent of the damage is astounding. The slow pace of help to those trying to clean up and rebuild is frustrating. The plight the people were left in for days after the flooding is embarrassing. But the tour leader said that as she makes the tour through the neighborhoods, each time she sees a little more progress on this house or that house and it encourages her. She has so much encouragement to come.