Southern Florida

We found Southern Florida…

…to be a vast and varied landscape! The key ingredient: water. It is not just a peninsula surrounded by water, it is a land covered in water! It doesn’t just have rivers as we may think; it is a land covered in sheets of moving water, inches to feet deep, flowing from north to south.

Everglades National Park

This is an amazing ecosystem of birds, mammals, fish and reptiles which call the Everglades National Park their home. Marshes, sawgrass prairies and forests fill the views in every direction!

Flamingo Gardens

Built in 1933, the original weekend residence of Floyd and Jane Wray has since been restored to provide visitors to Flamingo Gardens a glimpse of life in South Florida in the 1930s. In addition to orchids and gardens the site is a wildlife refuge for native Floridian Birds and animals that are unable to survive in the wild.

We saw some beautiful flamingoes, some turtles, an alligator and even a Florida Panther.

 

Buffalo Tiger Jet Boat Tour

An unimaginable labyrinth of waterways unfolded before us in our 45 minute jet boat tour of the “River of Grass.” Our driver/guide knew just where to find the gators, and how to navigate this unmarked landscape that all looked the same in every direction!

Big Cypress National Preserve

Big Cypress National Preserve is an expansive part of the natural and protected lands in South Florida. With 729,000 acres of hardwood hammocks, pine lands, prairies, cypress swamps, and mangroves. 

In the 1960s, plans for the world’s largest Jetport, to be constructed in the heart of the Greater Everglades of south Florida, were unveiled. This project, and the anticipated development that would follow, spurred the incentive to protect the wilds of the vast Big Cypress Swamp. To prevent development of the Jetport, local conservationists, sportsmen, environmentalists, Seminoles, Miccosukees, and many others set political and personal differences aside. The efforts of countless individuals and government officials prevailed when, on October 11, 1974, Big Cypress National Preserve was established as the nation’s first national preserve.

A 27 mile drive along a dirt road set off from the highway brought us in sight of  gators and lots of different wading birds.

We are heading further south to enjoy the sights on the Overseas Highway as we make our way to Key West.

More Adventures to come on the Road! And then on the sea!

🦩🦩Lori and Steve🦩🦩

Florida’s Gulf Coast

Adventures in Florida

 

After an overnight “red-eye” flight from LAX, we arrived in Tampa, Florida at dawn. We were welcomed in the airport by this “official greeter,” a hungry flamingo of epic proportions searching for food!

We collected our rental car and headed south to St. Petersburg. After obtaining an early check in at our motel, we took a much needed nap before beginning some sight seeing in the area. First on the list was an art museum.

The Dali

This museum, from the artwork to the architecture is all about Surrealism, an art movement which sprung up in the aftermath of World War I. Influenced in part by the theories of the sub-conscious developed by Freud, Salvador Dali focused his art on the world of dreams. Art, math, science, and history also blend in the surreal genius of the well known artist. The museum houses the largest collections of the artist’s work

A central staircase to the third floor is styled in the shape of a spiral DNA molecule, a nod to the artist’s fascination with the scientific discoveries of his time.

After our time at the museum, we enjoyed a sunset stroll along St. Pete Pier. A beautiful sunset was a great close to our first day in Florida!

Continuing on our road trip toward Ft. Myer’s we stopped at The Ringling in Sarasota.

This is the home of John Ringling, who was known as the “king of the sawdust ring” and described as the most ambitious and daring of the Ringling brothers. He was recognized for his business acumen and his great skill at routing the circus by train to minimize competition and optimize ticket sales. It was John who suggested the brothers purchase Barnum & Bailey Circus, creating what many will remember as the “Greatest Show on Earth”, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus!

In 1925 John was featured on the cover of Time and his personal wealth, holdings and companies were valued at nearly $200 million.

Our visit to the Ringling included a tour of the magnificent bayside home that John Ringling had built. He unfortunately died a year after his home was finished.

The entire back wall of the house is a series of arch shaped colorful stained glass sections from floor to ceiling, allowing the light to enter. Beyond is the amazing terrace overlooking the gulf.

A Circus Museum housing many artifacts of the circus, including costumes, wagons, and the Ringling’s Pullman train car are located on the property. Perhaps because of fond memories of times visiting the circus with Steve’s Mom, this was a nostalgic experience!

While the circus is not operational as it was in its heyday, there was an extensive scale model of every detail of the circus, created by Howard Tibbals over a period of 50 years. It is the largest miniature circus in the world, providing the feeling of being at the circus in the days when it arrived in small towns by train, set up a tent city overnight, held performances for one day and left the following night!

Ft Myer’s

Our trip to Florida brought an opportunity to visit with our missionary friend, Becky. She allowed us to stay for two nights and we had a great visit with an afternoon outing to  Six Mile Slough, a 1.2 mile boardwalk trail through a cypress swampland. 

We saw an amazing array of wildlife with the help of our great spotter, Becky. Wading birds including Great heron, yellow crowned night herons and many more were seen and heard. We even enjoyed the antics of a river otter!

Family Reunion in Georgia

A weekend flight to Georgia provided time for an extended family gathering for my sister Janie’s celebration of life. This was a great opportunity to reconnect with my nieces and nephews, and their families.

Our time together was short but precious. It was a good time of healing for the family to be all together. 

Here is a picture of Janie's husband Fred with their children, Katie, Heather and Walt. Above are pictures of them with their children, Janie's grandkids.

From the gulf side of Florida, we are headed east to enjoy Southern Florida.

Thanks as always for praying for our safe travels and health.

Lori and Steve