Trip to the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary

On January 25th Linda and I took a trip to Indian Shores (not much a drive) to visit the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary. It was started in the the early 70's to help save birds. I wish I could have gotten better pictures of the pelican nesting on top of the pelican cages. The best view of them were facing the sun. No pictures turned out. As you can see, the wild birds such as this Black-Crowned Night Heron seem to like hanging around the place.

The name is sort of a misnomer. They take care of more than just seabirds. You can see hawks, owls and wood peckers. Recently they took in a Bald Eagle that was shot in Seminole. Unfortunately, they weren't able to save the bird.

Speaking of eagles, I was downloading some pictures of the eagle, who I photographed over Lake Seminole, for K.D., when I noticed this picture.

Road Trip

Yesterday started out normal enough. We’ll maybe not too normal. It was 43 degrees when I took the girls for their morning walk. By the afternoon, Linda and Harriet, a former HR person where I work, were having the day of their lives.

While Linda and I were driving back from Longboat Key a few weeks ago, we were taking the Tamiami Trail back, when we passed Jungle Gardens. It’s just south of the John and Mable Ringling Museum. I showed Mayra it on the internet, and the two of us decided to explore another part of “old Florida”.

(While were on the subject of Old Florida, I’ll tell you something about the Tamiami Trail. It is a highway that was built to connect Tampa and Miami. It was supposed to help everyone along the highway, but it was finished in time for the stock market crash of 1929. It took a little time for prosperity to be found, and then came interstate highway system under Eisenhower’s administration. And like most highways, the businesses along the highway suffered because of the freeway.)

Jungle Gardens is the “Area’s only zoological garden”. We arrived when most of the exotic birds were in covered cages, with heaters. It was so cold, not much was moving.

We stopped at the flamingo café for hot chocolate, where we met a friendly flamingo. According to the woman behind the counter he usually comes up to get popcorn. We didn’t have any, but that didn’t stop him from trying to become chums with Linda. We stated on the patio for a few minutes watching this guy. Then we decided it was time to go. He followed.

Actually he followed Linda, which kept the woman at the café from having to take him back to the other flamingos. Once we reached the pond, you can buy food to feed them. Mayra tried to feed him and others tried to feed him, but he didn’t want any. Guess he’s a popcorn addict.

Mayra did finally find flamingo plus another that would eat out of her hand. She was so exited.

After the flamingos we continued to walk around the garden. This place would be great in the spring or summer, because to the shade. We hit the bird show. The parrots to tricks. Most of the shows are geared more for children.

As we were headed home, the decision was made to stop at Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish for lunch. (It isn’t much to look at, and if you eat there, be sure to bring cash. They don’t take cards or checks. ) As we sat down, Linda and Harriet were all aflutter. “Guy Fieri from the Food Network is over there”.

I asked, “who?”

Mayra and I refused to ask for a picture, until he finished eating. Once he stood up Mayra, Harriet and Linda headed towards his table. I finally recognized him, but had no interest in meeting him. His assistant used Mayra’s camera to take the picture.


Harriet kept trying to get Mayra to stop at a Walgreen’s to download the picture. She wanted a 8X10. I’ll find out tomorrow if she got it. I’ll have to upload the picture Mayra emailed to upload to Walgreens for Linda. I’m sure everyone at her work will her about this. She was kept saying all the way home, “we have to call your Mom. She’ll know who Guy Fieri is.”

We got home to find another surprise. Mom’s goat Lady had given birth to two kids. Their picture is on “Trips Away From Florida”. The link on the right.

Looking Back

We don’t know when Charlie was born. I found her on the street in May of 2007, and she had a mouth full of puppy teeth. She has this mischievous personality, much like a certain Cookie Elf we loved, and gave her the birth date of January 31, 2007.

Joan would have been 75 today.

Saturday, the 25th of February 2006, we received a call from Art, telling us to meet him at Morton plant Hospital in Clearwater. Jo had taken a turn for the worse. The doctor told us that she most likely wasn’t going to make it through the night. Art, Linda, and I stayed all night in that hospital. We didn’t want Joan to die alone.

As I sat with Linda in the ICU, listening to the ventilator helping Jo breath, I asked myself, “am I only going to remember her like this?”

Sunday afternoon, Art told the staff to remove the ventilator. He went home. Linda, Nancy and I stayed with Joan as she took her final breath. I found the answer to the question I had asked, as I held Joan’s cold hand. Things from the past came rushing back to me, as if they happened yesterday.

We went to Disney World in 1998. Joan screamed all the way down Splash Mountain. When we go to Space Mountain, I assured her she had nothing to fear. “It’s like a child’s roller coaster in the dark.” She believed me. The first few seconds of the ride scared her. Then she was told the ride was just beginning. She yelled at the top of her lungs, “I want off.” In between the blood curdling screams, she pleaded for the ride to stop, s she could get off. She then vowed she was never going to listen to me again.

She trusted me enough to have me drive her to Clearwater Beach one afternoon. As we were leaving, I took a wrong turn. Instead of going home via Gulf Blvd., I took US 19. I new that largo was in between Clearwater and St Petersburg, and so I followed the sign to St. Peterburg. I explained my strategy to her, and she started in on me, “You’re going to St. Petersburg! We’re lost!”

“We not lost. We’re sight seeing.”

“We’re lost!”

I turned onto East Bay and asked, “do you know where we are now?” She instantly transformed from Chicken Little to Captain James Cook, navigating us safely back to her home.

Her kids like to give her Life threatening surprises. It is a wonder the woman didn’t have a heart attack in 1999 or 2001.

In 1999, Linda didn’t tell her we were moving from Washington to Florida. When we arrived at Steve and Lisa’s Seminole home, Steve called his mother and told her and Art to come over for dinner. Linda waited at the side of the road for them. When Joan seen Linda, she jumped from the moving car. (I correct myself. We shouldn’t have worried about a heart attack. We should have worried about her becoming road kill.)

In the fall of 2001, Bruce and Rose came down for vacation without giving her warning. Her son knocked on the door, like he lived down the street fro her. She made us all promise her that we wouldn’t spring anymore surprises on her.

She was a bit too generous. She almost lost her fingers to a ferrous beagle one Thanksgiving. She dropped her roll, ans Susie immediately snatched it from the floor. Joan tried to retrieve it, and Susie snapped at her. I asked, “what are you doing?”


She replied, “I wanted to butter it for her.”

She was the keeper of dates, the letter writer, the foundation of the family, the cantankerous cookie elf with a very forgiving heart. (See the smirk on her face. She was telling me, “I’ll get even with you, you little shit.” And she did, I picked up one of her rum balls. I don’t drink.)

Now I’ll put on a Garth Brooks DVD and I’ll cry. She loved that man. She almost wore out the video she had of him in Central Park.

Yes I still remember her struggling to breath on her, during her final minutes on this earth. But I also remember that smile, the laughter, her ribbing me, and the way she felt when she hugged me.

Bald Eagle at Work

I'm sitting at my desk, engrossed in my work. I didn't even see K.D. walk up to me. I hear, "do you have your camera?"

"Huh?"

"There's an eagle outside the front door. Get your camera."

I reached for the camera, and tried to digest what she was telling me, when I said, "hold on, I have to put myself on break." (When we leave our phones, we have to click on a reason.)

Katie tells me, "don't worry about it, Go!"

I followed K.D. out the door. And as you can see, what was going on over the lake was impressive.

Red Tailed Hawk at Work

Katie did it to me again. Just like Thursday, she came back from break all excited. "Pick up your camera. The hawk is on the light pole in front of the building." (I knew what pole she was talking about, because usually it is where the Osprey eats.) I grabbed my camera again.

I knew going out the front door wasn't an option. That would get me there faster, but it would also scare him off. (Osprey down here, will sit on a pole an look at you like you are what is to be observed. Hawks aren't like that. These guys are very skittish.) I headed out the lunch room door. Turned the corner, and again he wasn't where Katie said he would be. I then looked at the tree that he likes to perch and no luck.

I seen Kim and Angie smoking, and wandered over to them to talk. "Katie did it to me again. She tells me there is a hawk out here, and he's no where to be found." Then for whatever reason, I looked over my shoulder, and there he was, in his favorite tree.

I usually see him in the tree, when the sun is directly behind him. But at 3:30 PM the sun was headed to the west, and I could get a few shots of him. As you can see from the above I got him screeching at me or the little birds trying to get him out of the area.

Trip to Anna Marie Island

Linda and I had planned to take a trip to Honeymoon Island, not far from Clearwater Beach to check out the owls. They should be nesting now, but we decided to make a trek south instead. At first I was a bit apprehensive about crossing the Skyway bridge. No, I'm not afraid of heights. We had fog this morning, and I was afraid visibility would be low. Strangest thing. It was one of the few areas that didn't have fog.

There isn't much to see on Anna Marie. Like most of Florida, the rich have been allowed to build gigantic condos and homes that block the view of the road. It was too early to stop and have lunch. So we decided to head little bit further south.

John Steinbeck was right. In his book, Travels with Charley written approximately 1961 or 62, he wrote that one day we wouldn't be able to tell one American Town from then next. Longboat Key wasn't any different from any other coastal town in Florida.

We found a nature preserve on out way out of town. Not much nature going on in it. A Blue Heron and another bird in the mangroves. That was about it.

I have to admit it was a nice Sunday drive.

Florida Botanical Gardens

Linda and I took off for the Botanical Gardens last night. I couldn't stop her from wanting to have her picture taken. Usually she hides from the camera. I even told her there was a rat in the bushes, when she posed in front of the heart. It didn't stop her from wanting to be in the picture.

Click on the picture in the slide show,and you will be directed to the album. On the top left hand side it will read slide show. Click on that and see bigger pictures.

Linda wanted me to use the flash and take a picture of this plant. I have no idea what it is. Might have to go there in the morning, but knowing Katie she'll tell me. She's the one that told me the green grasshopper is named Katydid.