Birds and Otters and Boats, Oh My!

  Well, McGyver and I are closing in on our last couple days here in South Florida…We must be living right, because ever since we arrived it has been mid 80’s and sunny. I started working on my base tan and extended wrinkles , taking very special care to dose up my scar with SPF 30 a couple times a day…We leave Saturday AM for Lake Griffin State Park, near Leesburg and Ocala FL…As much as we have enjoyed this park, we are getting the hitch itch to move on…This year’s trip is a shorter one than usual, and we want to cover as much new territory as possible.

  I am never ceased to be amazed at the different and various wildlife where we end up…I am going to put quite a few nature photos on this blog, so if you are NOT a total Mother Nature Geek, as I am…well, you can speed read and call it a day…Up until last Sunday, I had been using the camera on my phone to take photos…I was feeling that our digital Kodak is just too heavy and bulky to haul everywhere, not to mention I have been fighting with the settings ever since we got it a couple years ago..Well, when confronted with the obvious difference in picture quality, I switched back to “heavy and bulky”…

 

We discovered that these otters are living in the rocks just above the water along our bridge….

This dude, I do believe, is a Snowy Egret…in Florida? Somehow “snowy” and “Florida” don’t fit in the same description… He was always in the same fishing spot and I never saw him catch one lousy fish….Might be he was a novice and we made him extremely nervous…Hoever, upon further investigation, we found that he did have some competition just across the stream..

Mr. Green Heron was catching little fish one after the other. No doubt intimidating Mr. Snowy Egret…I especially love the colors on this little guy…My nighttime ensembles could use some of the “plumage”  he wears. I AM a big fan of feathers….

Yesterday AM when we walked we had a foggy almost rainbow over the campground.  Fog is NOT uncommon around here in the morning..  When we walk early, Den and I get a sauna, and McGyver is such a “hairy” sasquatch, he catches a virtual rainforest on his arms and legs..This can become a problem with the little bugs…they make villages in his arms and legs..He is like a walking, talking, piece of Velcro…

You see just about everything here, and some really neat old RVs…This particular one is a vintage Winnebago Elandan…not sure what year, maybe mid 80’s…It is in great condition with NO rust..well taken care of.  I would love to know if it was restored on the inside….A really neat ride!

Yesterday our friends from Everglade City came to visit US..here at the campgrounds…They have been considering an RV in their future and they really liked our Hiker..Unfortunately, they are not making the Hitch Hiker II LS anymore…Trust me, that pisses us off too…We really love ours.  Anyway, Captain King and Sammye arrived late morning. We hung out, watch some beautiful pleasure boats lock through, along with some nice little fishing boats…Then, we broke out the beer, chips and dips, and great conversation….

What we have above are some rare “old birds”…They are known as the “Tan Bellied Beer Suckers”…They usually travel in pairs, and the big one on the left has a mate but she was busy “flitting” around taking photos…

So, as we get ready to pack up tomorrow for our adventures unknown, we must drive into LaBelle to say good-bye to the LaBelle Moose Lodge, where we have enjoyed much hospitality and libation the past couple times we went…and….cheap drinks..A HEALTHY Rum and Coke $1.50 and a can of Natural Lite Beer $1.25…Also, a cast of great characters you can only find in South Florida…Thanks for reading, and we shall see you in Lake Griffin…Please do NOT ask to stop at Perkins for breakfast on the way..I am bringing very nutritious breakfast bars in the GMC…Kenny and Angela….Don’t even start with me!!!