Florida 2019

Once again, Larry managed to locate a classic car show.  This one was at a Muscle Car museum in Melbourne so Larry, Dorie and David spent a happy hour and a half looking round.  David saw his first Crosley, a tiny car made in Ohio before and after World War 2. The Crosley is between the red E-type and the Minor Convertible.  The Jag was unusual in that it still had the original paint, and the original owner; he bought it in 1965.  The two pickups are actually right-hookers; a 'bakkie' from South Africa (complete with AA badge) and a ute from Australia.  

Today's highlight was an airboat ride in our usual place. We always refer to it as 'the airboat ride where the pig is.' He’s called Porkchop and is 13 years old. Isn’t he cute? The boat driver and guide was more academic than usual and we learnt a lot about the geography and the wildlife that we didn't pick up from previous rides.  We also saw some different birds and few of Florida's many alligators; over 1 million at the last count (2018).  Here are some photos of our 'cruise'.  In the tree photo on the right you can see the water line quite clearly showing how high the water level can get. It can also get to be just a few inches above sea-level which happens when there’s a very dry spell.  Alligators always make good subjects for photos! And this trip was no exception.  We saw some interesting birds as well as alligators. Above is a Great Blue Heron and a flock of 'Black-necked Stilt' birds which have extremely long legs. 

Yesterday Larry and David were invited to an Air Warfare Symposium by a colleague of his from back in New York.  It was sponsored by the American Airforce Association and held in a monster hotel in Orlando.  All the big names were there, like GE, Boeing, Lockheed Martin etc etc.  There were lots of electronic gizmos, a lot of servicemen - and some women - in fatigues, and salesmen in suits, as well as a couple of aircraft models.  David borrowed a blazer and tie from Larry for the occasion, to blend in with all the salesmans'suits.  Here he is having a go at a virtual reality headset; something wasn't set up right!  Most of the people on the stands were very helpful, considering that we were never going to buy anything.   While this was going on Carolyn and Dorie put in a little light retail and lunch therapy.  

American B&Bs are nothing if not full of character and the one in Plant City was no exception. We went there after our visit to Bok Tower house and gardens.   The theme of the house was strawberries, and they were everywhere. This area is famous for strawberries, and an annual 'Strawberry Festival'  begins tomorrow and lasts for 11 days! Larry and Dorie had a Western saloon-themed room, complete with a cowboy outside the swing door.... And ours had a slightly unusual table lamp cum  decoration.   What you can't see is that when the lamp is lit the locomotive wheels turn! Outside the house was an unusual garden decoration. Talk about quirky! After breakfast we went to Hollis Gardens which were small but lovely situated on Lake Mirror. On the lake were a couple of 'wood ducks'. Very attractive they were. Oh, and a cute lizard.  The next place we visited was Florida Southern College where there are several buildings that Andrew Lloyd Wright designed back in the...

Just in case you think it's all wine and roses here, this is the view from the balcony this morning; and it's only 20 degrees! Tough eh? And, this was Carolyn's view from her car widow in the afternoon! However we did manage to visit Bok Tower and Gardens in between showers. Here is what I learned about the place.... "When Bok Tower Gardens founder  Edward W. Bok  immigrated to America from Den Helder, Netherlands at age six, he did not understand the language, customs or culture. Through determination and hard work, he became a highly successful publisher, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, respected humanitarian and an advocate of world peace and the environment. Bok’s grandmother told him to “make you the world a bit better or more beautiful because you have lived in it,” which he did throughout his lifetime. The tower has a carillon which has 60 bells in it which were made in England in 1928 and is played by a chap you can watch via a video-link. The gardens are full o...

Our stay in Savannah ended yesterday.  We packed up and went for breakfast at a local café, made famous by a book and subsequent film; famous in Savannah anyway.  The place is very down-to-earth and popular; people were queuing for tables though we managed to grab one on the pavement almost immediately.   The plan was to kill a bit of time before visiting a botanical garden which didn't open until mid-day.  We still got there before 11:30 but while we were waiting it started spitting, then is started raining, then is started bucketing down so we gave up and hit the road South.  Apart from a bit of congestion near Jackonville and the odd fender blender it what cruise control all the way to Cocoa Beach, arriving around 4:30.   We were cocooned in air conditioning but watched the temperature climbing the further South we drove, peaking at 89F before dropping back to 87 as we arrived.  To-day it was much cooler, comfortably so, or even a bit chilly in the ...