You Win Some, You Lose Some

After seeing the giraffe at Silver Springs, I decided to check out the Brevard Zoo website. Only last week I'd read in the paper that a new giraffe was born there, with the public showing scheduled for October. As well, the article mentioned that in April there was a birth.  Curious, I discovered the darling video I'm sharing with the above link.

I have to admit, I don't think I've given giraffe's their due. Once you are close to an animal, your appreciation skyrockets, as did Bruce and mines after our Monday experience. From the website I also discovered that for the month of September they are having $2.00 Tuesdays. Well, what was stopping me now that I've quit the Polasek? Nothing. So, off I went. Try as I might, I can no longer seem to embed the slideshow, however, if you want to see the sights, click please--I don't think you'll be disappointed.

A Morning at the Brevard Zoo

The weather was not too unpleasant and the crowds were slim. Bonus factor--only took me 45 minutes to get there. I was so impressed with everything. Now I know some folks have a thing against zoos, but I'm not among them. I was so very lucky because the giraffes come and go as they please, spending most of their time roaming the five acres allotted to them. I began my visit there, seeing five of the six giraffes, however, after roaming the zoo I returned and not a one was in sight. A big, big storm was moments away; apparently, according the volunteer, the giraffes were probably safely in their barn to wait it out. Fortunately, I was able to make it back to my car just as the torrential rain began falling.

Once I was in the car I discovered I had bird poop on my white shirt in two places, including right in the middle of the front! Sometimes nostalgia is a good thing, sometimes, not so much. In my case, as I was exiting I-95, I saw a Belk department store just off the interstate. Our mother worked at Belk after our father died, long enough to even get a small pension. During those years I shopped quite a bit at Belk, buying lots of the boys clothing there among other things. Because it was only a short distance away, I thought why not go over there and buy a new shirt to replace my soiled one? Bad move. I can't remember the last time when I've seen a more sorry collection of clothing. Absolutely everything was just plain ugly to me. They were practically giving away a bunch of clothes on the sales rack, yet I still had a hard time finding anything! Eventually I settled on a plain white v-neck sleeveless shirt for $4.50. After purchasing it, I went into the dressing room to change only to discover it was really too big. Angela is now the owner of said shirt.

After eating an excellent sandwich at Pita Pit, I made my way over to the ocean. The skies were dreary, however, I was so close I went anyway.

Driving along A1A, I pulled in a few places, to see what I could see. For someone who calls her business Out & About Photography, I've spent too much time at home this year, with the exception of our holiday. In the coming months, Bruce will be traveling most of the weeks which may translate into me doing the same. The scene below made me chuckle a bit:

No doubt, there have been some weird weather patterns of late, however, I'm pretty confidant that an earthquake and tsunami won't be coming our way any time soon. But then again, what do I know?

Taking the long way home, a stop in downtown Melbourne was a pleasant surprise. Lots of colorfully painted storefronts and restaurants. Very cute. The empty sidewalk may be the result of a rainy Tuesday afternoon. I sure hope the shops are doing well.

Baxter was very pleased to see me upon my return at 5:00. So here's where the title comes in. Checking my email I learned that I DID NOT get into the DeLand show in November. So what? As you may know I usually hope to do three shows a season--now I'm down to two. Plus I usually sell around $2,000 for the weekend. Bummer.

Soon thereafter though, my disappointment fell into perspective. While I was over delivering the shirt to Angela, Bruce was leaving a sad message. Apparently, his best friend Steve had what they think is a stroke yesterday morning. Now that is bad news. Bruce was hoping I could locate his whereabouts. After calling Orlando Health (it still galls me to use that stupid name!), the kind woman after declaring he was not in their system, transferred me to Florida Hospital. Although this kind woman told me he was not in any of their seven hospitals, turns out, upon further checking, he is in the main hospital on Mills. Calling his room was taking a chance and indeed, I did not get to talk with Steve, but I did talk to his brother who gave me the details. Both Bruce and I are surprised because in the last year Steve has lost a tremendous amount of weight, consistently exercising to keep it off. Furthermore, he's the happiest we've seen him in years after falling in love with Barbara. I suppose it reinforces what I already know--we can only control so much. After witnessing Maureen's recovery, not to mention Karen's, I'm thinking positive. Only time will tell.