Super Saturday!

Friday afternoon, Matt and Tom arrived safely from London after an uneventful flight. The Orlando airport was another story however, with long lines for getting through customs. In part, apparently, because they have removed the handy machines that allow for quicker processing. Then too, there are a lot of folks coming to Orlando for the holiday. Just ask Nancy who endured a harrowing, traffic chocked driving trip from Atlanta, with an 11 mile backup from I-75 to merge onto the Turnpike. Unimaginable really.

The agenda for Friday evening was for them to begin the adjustment to EST, five hours behind their time.  Mission accomplished, following dinner at Tijuana Flats, and watching a movie at home. Still, they woke very early, before us, and in what was the start of a big birding day, Tom pronounced that he'd seen TWO owls out back. Not that I've seen any lately;  I guess it took a British man for them to grace us with their presence.

Following breakfast, we got off to an early start to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive with the plan of Matt being able to put his birthday gift from Tom to good use. You guessed it, binoculars! Bird watching runs in the family. We took some lovely roads there, and once in the gates, we began both, hearing and seeing, plenty of birds.

In spite of the heat, not as bad as earlier in the week, (thankfully) there were plenty of other folks making the 11 mile drive to see what they could see. Once before we've been, however, as far as I can recall, we did not see nearly the amount of gators as we did on this go round. We had not gone far on the ground limestone road when we saw our first gator. It became a bit of a sport, with tally marks used to keep track. This guy was, I believe, #2.

Sometimes they were a bit camouflaged, whereas other times, as you will soon see, they were right out in the open.

I've tried doing some research on this red algae, however, I'm coming up short. Found only in one area, I've no clue if it is good, or bad. The above algae, from prior information, is just fine, providing food for fish.

We know that there are fish because we saw one.

You may think I know a bit about birds and you would be right about that. A very little bit is more like it. It gets very complicated sorting out the males and females as well as the age range. Turns out, after Matt consulted his bird application, that the above is a Juvenile Female Anhinga.  Here's another example....I was thinking that I was seeing a new bird, only to learn that these are Juvenile Common Gallinules.

And while I don't take this birdwatching hobby quite as seriously as some, it is always nice to see something you've never seen before, like this Black-Necked Stilt.

Additionally, this duck looks new to me, but the identification escapes me.

Because there are so few big trees, Raptors are few and far between, however, we did see an Osprey. The flying bird is a mystery.

I had a little chat with an English woman who was out with her husband, both with serious long lenses, who visits frequently. She explained that the heat was not helping our cause, with the bird population diminishing as the temperature rises. So, instead of birds, as mentioned earlier, it was mostly about the gators. Bruce pulled over for us to have a better look, although don't worry, we were across the canal!

Uncertain if it were real, I assured Matt that it was, although they do stay mighty still. That is, until they don't!

This huge gator slid right into the water as we watched.

With a speed limit of 10MPH it is slow going with plenty of time to observe the scenery made up of marshy areas, and canals.

And the awesome clouds! That crushed limestone threw up plenty of dust on Bruce's freshly washed car. 😞

And while I miss the mountains of Vancouver, this was pretty nice too.

How many gators did we see? I think this big guy was our final one, with a final tally of 25!

Of course that pales in comparison with a visit to Gatorland, however, seeing so many in their completely natural habitat was amazing.

Because we weren't far from there, and it was something I'd been wanting to do for a while, we drove over to the the Avian Reconditioning Center to check on the baby American Kestral Bruce rescued. If you missed it, the story is here. While the wildlife drive was wonderful, our visit here put icing on the cake. The owner, shown below, gave us a little timeline of their large property, beginning in 1998 as an Audubon alternative.

We learned some things, including it is illegal to pick up downed bird feathers, a fact that blew me away. The hawks were not nearly as cooperative as he expected, but we did see a little bit of action. Astro is the name of one of the hawks, something that definitely caught our attention as that is name of one of Carol's dogs, or I guess now we have to say Hank instead. Who, btw, called us as we were leaving and he is doing well. The Harris's hawks were not as cooperative as he was hoping, but it was still cool seeing them.

Finally we learned what we'd come there for. A very helpful volunteer gave us all the information we were seeking. This little gal,

was Mothered by this big gal for about five weeks before returning to the wild of Lake County!!

Her name is Moira!! All Schitt's Creek fans will love that. Here's a close up,

and here she is from the back, which I just had to show you because of the polka dots!

Another helpful woman came in to the trailer, adding to the story...incredibly, she was in contact with biologists from across the state looking for a nest with chicks about the same age as "ours". With no matches available, it was up to Moira to feed her until she was fit for a more natural habitat. Aren't you just dying over this? So good. All for one little chick Bruce found in the grass alongside Michigan Street.

The coral clad woman was all set to take Moira outside for us, however, stomachs were seriously growling, so we took our leave, stopping at Chipolte on the way home. Later on, Bruce joined David and Bill, along with three other guys, to attend a wrestling show nearby. As some of you know, David is a walking wrestling encyclopedia, owning the largest collection of wrestling cards in the US. Maybe even the world. Probably. Matt and Tom began work on the unopened puzzle I received for Christmas which has been waiting for their expertise.

Meanwhile I walked down to the lake, thinking I detected a bit of color in the sky. Yup...a tiny bit.

Indeed, it was a super Saturday, from beginning to end.

your friend,

Gail

Thanksgiving Week

Oh what a rain we had!! My, oh my, it rained, and rained, and rained. Monday and Tuesday were not the kind of weather days you like having when you have family visiting. We did get out, but not much. Tuesday we'd planned on going to Lakeland to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings at Florida Southern, but wisely we shifted that activity to Friday due to the inclement weather. After spending more time on I-4 than I would have liked Sunday night following the show, I did not relish the possibility of doing so two days later. After it was all said and done, just about 5 inches of rain fell, filling both the pool to the brim, and any other open container outside. Bruce loaned our wheelbarrow to Nadav, later getting a text that it was in front of the garage. The next morning it looked like this:

While Bruce was doing the outside clean up, he emptied the brimming pool onto the already sodden lawn.

Meanwhile, after multiple shopping trips, the inside preparations began in earnest. Finally the sun came out casting some lovely light on the dining table. Not to mention, highlighting the dust!

Those are the leaves B brought home from Virginia!

Did I mention it was such a pleasure working in our newly painted kitchen? I should have! I love Tom for lots of reasons including that he loves to cook for Matt, something I've struggled with for years. You can't imagine how helpful this is for the main cook not to have to dream up vegan dishes, even though they are becoming more popular all the time. Although Pat said this year that he's fallen off the total vegan bandwagon, he still makes it his primary diet, as does Ruth. So, we all shared the kitchen, divvying up duties--Tom for vegan, Matt for bread, and me for most of the remaining dishes. Let the hummus making begin!

And the rolls....

It is always interesting for me to watch Matt making bread; particularly the shaping, and baking. Because I now have a pizza stone, he used that to bake the rolls on.

They came out cute as little buttons.

When the oven became free, I cooked the pies. Saying that neither pie looked magazine worthy is an understatement, however, reports on the apple pie were positive. Same goes for the pumpkin.

A big gathering like this includes all of us pitching in one way or another. Lisa and Danny sent the flowers. And although I ask folks not to bring anything, they ignored me, bringing additional pies, and a beautiful orchid from Pat and Ruth. Cheryle and David joined us this year, with David using his wonderful voice to sing the Doxology before we ate.

But most of that occurred later. Tom cooked up a storm Wednesday, making lentils and rice along with a complicated kale salad.

It's almost ridiculous making that one sentence long because just the fried onions on the left took about an hour and a half to cook! The rice dish was to be prettied up with pomegranate seeds; after watching a video on how best to remove them, Matt proceeded to do so with great success.

If only I'd given him a deeper bowl he would have completely avoided the juice getting on anything!
Baxter kept us company in the kitchen hoping we would drop something!

Happily, by Thanksgiving, there was nary a cloud in the gorgeous blue sky with sun shining all day long. The temperature was on the chilly side for Floridians, but infinitely preferable to the temperatures earlier in the week which hovered in the low 80's.

Early Thanksgiving morning Matt and Tom drove to Lake Eola to participate in the 25th running of the Turkey Trot, a non-competitive 5K. You've heard me say it before, but it bears repeating, that Orlando is at heart, a small town. In a crowd of nearly 5,000 they ran into Matt's cousin Katie!

Once home, and cleaned up, Tom went to work once again, topping and tipping, in his words, the green beans.

At the same time, I peeled eight pounds of potatoes, and the stove was ready to go, with an empty pan for the gravy and corn.

We used every available hard surface for the food and dining! Maxing out the kitchen table...

the dining table...

and the patio table...

which is where I eventually settled down. The expanded dessert selection...

and there you go. After days of preparation the feasting was done. The fire pit kept folks warm under a beautiful winter sky.

Bruce, along with Matt, got the kitchen in as good shape as possible, and after all left, we collapsed on the couch, watching an episode of "Game of Thrones" before bed. Needless to say, we all slept well that night.

We indeed have much to be thankful for this year. That said, it is always a pleasure to join with our family and collectively be grateful for our many, many blessings.

Milestones

In a matter of days our family will be celebrating a milestone. Yes, the day is nearing when our eldest son is getting married. And, in an even bigger milestone, he is marrying a man. I know this makes some readers uncomfortable, and I respect that, but seriously if you could see the love these two have for one another, you too would want them to make their relationship official.

Well, now you have seen it, haven't you? No one, looking at the photo above, even the hardest-hearted person, could deny that there is love exuding from this photo. I can't really explain sexual attraction, can you? Nor can I explain why God makes some folks prefer their own sex, however, I do know that in the animal kingdom it is widespread, so make of that what you will. For me, I think of it like this: I don't know what goes on in the bedrooms of heterosexuals, so why should I concern myself with the same for homosexuals? Agree?

It will be the first day that England officially recognizes that "all men are created equal and deserve the same rights as others." Such as marrying, which despite what some folks claim, at it's simplest, it is a legal agreement that many folks choose to celebrate in a religious setting.

Isn't it so darn easy to be high-minded about various social issues until you've actually been up close and personal with someone who exhibits the behavior you so loudly protest? I know I've been guilty of that crime. However, once I have seen through my prejudices, I quickly realize being judgmental is not only a waste of time, but just plain wrong.

Every parent, no matter the age of their child, wants them to be happy, or so I thought until the other day, while doing the photo shoot with Kelly, she told me the story about how her cousin's mother would not attend her son's wedding. Seriously? Is she crazy? Her own son? How devastating that must have been for him. In our little world, where Tom's parents are also thrilled that their son has found a life partner, it is easy to forget some folk's attitudes have not changed with the times, a deeply depressing thought. Tom and Matt couldn't be happier, and so are we. I know there those amongst you who send all your good wishes for their lives together, and I will be happy to pass those along. :)

Another milestone passed with no mention from me, until today because I finally scanned this photo Bruce recently found:

Although mighty weary, do you see what I see? That would be Gail on the end at her graduation from x-ray school in 1973. Don't we all look so neat and tidy? Keep in mind, pants were not allowed in those days. I can remember thinking perhaps I wouldn't go to x-ray school because I would have to wear stockings every day! Let me tell you, those stockings cost a fortune, and ran like you wouldn't believe. I was always having to scrape money together to buy new ones. The taller man is the radiologist who was in charge of the school, Tom March. If you can imagine, before Christmas, a youngish woman came into my booth, and after some conversation, I discovered she was Tom March's daughter! Maybe I've told you that story--at any rate, it was a pleasant surprise. So, what does the picture have to do with current milestones? I finally, in December, let my licenses lapse after 40 years. It was painful and practical. Never again will I legally be able to get behind an x-ray machine. Of course, at my age, who was going to hire me anyway????

While at Bill's the other day, Herbert looked at me quizzically, finally saying, you look different. Indeed I do. My friend Jim, Ken's partner of 40 years took this of me at the market on Sunday because he wanted to turn the camera on me for a change.

I still had not washed my hair at this point, despite getting it all wet at Bill's house on Saturday. In another first, I used our pressure washer on the moldy wall in his backyard.

That amazing transformation comes with a price--sore arms and wet hair and clothes, however, I was happy to do so because I was more than tired of seeing it! Later on Bill used it on his pool deck, while Herbert is seen carrying away the old toilet.

Before the toilet went away for good, I photographed the inside lid:

I suspect, one of the dates is the manufacture date, and one is the installation date. I also suspect that there is not much you can purchase today that will still be functional 55 years from now! Herbert put it out by the road, hoping someone would want/need a gray porcelain toilet. The old dishwasher as well as some cabinets found new homes that way.

Well, we are leaving on a jet plane, and I do know when we will be back again, but this being the internet and all, I'm not divulging the dates. Check back now and again, and you'll find me writing in this same place soon. After all, where else on the world wide web will you again be treated to a photograph of the inside of a toilet?