Blogs from Sarasota, Florida, United States, North America

Then who (then who), tell me who (tell me who) Tell me who was this neighbor kind and true? From Jerusalem to Jericho we're traveling every day And many are the fallen ones that lie along the way -Hank Williams If I have my way, this will be the last long driving trip I ever take in my life. We left Apocalypse State Park (Motto: Enjoy Our Rotting Cactus) late Wednesday morning and made our way south and east through the heart of Texas (Motto: The Really Big State) down to Austin (Motto: The Dark, Blue Rose of Texas) to finally meet in the flesh our good friends Carol Anne and Jerry. We had a lovely evening with them, speaking of the world, and ourselves, and our paths through this world, and our paths through ourselves, ... read more

Sorry I didn’t get the word out fast enough. You would have enjoyed our side trip to Sarasota. Don’t feel that bad, though. You weren’t the only ones who didn’t join us. Lulu was feeling subpar so decided it was best if she stayed back at the RV. She is SOOoo considerate! She’s rallied back around since our return today. Hallelujah! Our oldest daughter, Lory, has come down to Sarasota, Florida for a week. She is here gaining more business training for her company, ARVOS LJUNGSTROM ( Air Preheater Co.). It is related to her job as a system analysts. It is a very detailed and complex course related to the deep internal working of computers. Far more that I can explain let alone understand. Duh! We decided to spend some time visiting with her in ... read more

18 Birds! at least Some We arrived in Mayaka River State Park after a lovely ride through some of Florida back country. Orange groves with that smell of orange blossoms, cattle ranches and lots of "old Florida". What a refreshing change. It was pleasing to see we had a nice large site quite close to the restrooms with lots of shade. The whole campground is in an old oak forest with the trees towering over us. There are palm trees mixed in and the ground cover is palmetto palms. Pictures. Camp was set up in about an hour and dispite the fact that I was tired Watson really needed a walk so we hiked up the road til there was a glimpse of the lake. We sat on an old tree limb, Watson sits up there ... read more

We're home, we're well, and we're wishing you a very Merry Christmas.... read more

March 10th – Myakka Park On Monday we visited Myakka River State Park, one of the oldest and largest parks in Florida. The river itself is designated a Wild and Scenic River. The park is a wildlife sanctuary, not a zoo or a botanical garden, so it is not outwardly beautiful, and animal sightings are not guaranteed. We took both the guided boat tour and the tram tour and we learned a lot about the native plants and animals as well as the history of the area. Originally, the 28,000-acre tract was a fertile prairie, ideal for cattle ranching. Today, due to various factors, most involving human intervention, the area is quite different. So now the State of Florida has several programs in place to either reverse the changes or at least maintain the status quo. ... read more