What Next?

You might think to yourself that it is no ones fault but our own that creatures have been making their way inside our home and you would be right to presume that. Many years ago it would have been unthinkable to leave doors wide open, however, not because of birds, but flies. Oh my, they were, in the words of my late mother, "as thick as thieves" around these parts. For whatever reason this is no longer the case allowing me to leave both the front and back doors wide open during the lovely weather we've experienced this winter. Plus, the optimist in me thinks that rarely things go wrong. I'm not a complete fool, but mostly I look on the bright side of life.

I was not thinking bright and happy thoughts when I walked into the sunroom Friday morning and discovered a large toad on the floor near Bruce's briefcase. YIKES!! Quickly shutting the French doors so said nasty toad would remain at least in the sunroom, I went to get you know who. He was still showering but promised to get there ASAP. Although I proposed a jar to rid said sunroom of the toad, Bruce gently picked him up, even pausing long enough for me to take photographs.

According to Bruce the toad must have been burrowing in the dirt because he was covered in it, making him far less attractive than normal. I know some folks think toads and frogs are cute, and in fact, I do have the toad swimming in the pool photograph hung in our hall bathroom, but a photograph is one thing, in the flesh--not so much!

Once the toad was safely in the backyard, and the back door firmly shut, we finished getting ready for our day trip to Gamble Place in Port Orange. The weather was a bit dreary as we left but improved throughout the day. Because we arrived about twenty minutes before the gates opened we took a look around Cracker Creek, the adjacent property where they rent canoes and kayaks. As we got out of the car the first thing I saw was a male peacock on the front porch rails. As is often the case, once you have a pair, they multiply pretty quickly. We ended up seeing at least a dozen peacocks, or I should say mostly peahens, with a few peacocks showing off in the mix.

This peacock had such lovely coloration! They offer a one hour pontoon boat ride at 11:00 down Spruce Creek which we decided was just the thing to do after visiting Gamble Place.

GP was used primarily as a hunting lodge for the Gamble, of Ivory Soap fame, family. Apparently there was a mansion in Daytona Beach where they slept, making day excursions to the creek. At one point (1938), one of the heirs of James Gamble was so enamored of the new Walt Disney film, Snow White, that he had an architect build a replica of the Black Forest cottage as seen in the film.

To the left of the main building is a burned out cypress tree trunk used for the witches hut! As you can see the azaleas were in full bloom and not just adjacent to the cottage but huge bunches of them everywhere.

Bruce was amazed at the quality of the workmanship on the cottage which was much larger than I'd expected. A playhouse was it's function. Meandering the property, we took in what we could, however,  because the boat tour time was quickly approaching, we didn't see a lot of the place in depth,  but enough to imagine why he chose the location for a summer retreat.

The family that now owns Cracker Creek named it that because, as we saw in a demonstration after the boat ride, the sound of the cow whip makes a loud crack, and I do mean loud. To put your mind at ease, it turns out the whip was used not to beat the animals but to give them a scare so they would keep going during cattle drives. Captain Jim demonstrates the technique:

We learned that the incredibly loud crack comes from the whip breaking the sound barrier. And now you know the origin of the nickname, Florida Cracker! The boat ride was lovely with soft breezes under partly cloudy skies. We saw a few juvenile alligators sunning themselves on the banks much to the delight of the other guests who were visiting the area for Daytona Bike Week from parts up North.

At this size they look kind of cute don't they? As well we saw some newly blooming air plants clinging to the old oak trees amongst the Resurrection Ferns.

All those squiggly brown things are the Resurrection Ferns which according to our very knowledgeable guide turn bright green after a rainstorm.

During Kate's funeral Bruce mentioned he'd have to take more photographs of me if we were to do a slide show at my funeral. He started the project on the boat.

No makeup!!! Bruce convinced me I didn't need it, however, I think he doesn't see what I see. :-)

The azaleas were really breathtaking with a gorgeous shade blooming that I can't recall seeing before.

After lunch at their picnic tables we headed North towards Ormond Beach to visit The Casements, the winter home of John D. Rockefeller. Driving through Daytona Beach was pretty interesting with all the bikers just arriving. I asked Bruce, what exactly do they do for a week? It remains a mystery. By now it was raining so the volume on the streets was naturally diminished.

Joining a tour underway, we unfortunately didn't get as much background information as I would have liked, but that's why we have the Internet isn't it?

According to Wikipedia the house was named for the casement windows which are absent these days; mostly hurricane damage through the years. Amazingly the top floor holds a Boy Scout museum and a Hungarian Costume museum. Weird, I know.

The Boy Scout Museum was begun as an Eagle Scout project by a local young man in 1980 and it's been housed there ever since. The collection of memorabilia is really astonishing including this final letter to the Scouts from the British founder of the movement.

There were uniforms from every era prior to 1980, and when I tell you it was really well done, you'll just have to believe me.

Bruce was a Boy Scout for a long time and his brother Cris went onto become an Eagle Scout. Those knots Bruce uses to tie down my tent every week--the Boy Scouts. Being prepared for anything--that's the Boy Scout motto!

The other folks on the tour weren't as interested in the Hungarian costumes so we made a quick run through of that room.

Really beautiful hand made costumes.

So, all in all, it was a terrific day trip. Of course any day I get to spend with Bruce is terrific, but then again, that goes without saying.

When you've lived in Florida most of your life it is easy to take it for granted, however, there is so much to see and do that it's really no wonder people the world over come to Florida to both live and play. The last few years have really opened my eyes to the wonder that is Florida, despite the heat and live creatures that come into our home uninvited!

Did She, or Didn't She?

That is always the question right?

Having a super tiny master bath shower makes it somewhat difficult to find an appropriate shower curtain. Like most things these days, the typical ones are mostly made for full sizes. Last summer while Nancy was here we commiserated and decided that cutting my current one in half would do the trick. And, it almost did, but not quite. Just big enough to fit the space but not so much for keeping all the water inside. Another problem is using a liner which makes our tiny space even tinier. I'd purchased that one at Ikea because it is waterproof and is often the case with Ikea, you can still buy the same thing a year or two later. Apparently, others did not share my enthusiasm for the one I had because they no longer carry it. The new one is dull but functional.

While there I thought perhaps the guest bathroom could do with a little pizazz. You know I'm a sucker for pizazz! I bought the wild shower curtain, thinking it might be just the thing. Here's the one I was thinking of replacing,

Don't you think it's a pain to put curtain hooks on? I sure do. Instead of doing that I hung the new one over the rod to take a gander. Just as I was backing up to get the shot it fell, however, because the camera was still set on the super fast speed, I got it mid-fall.

So, what do you think? Did I keep it, or is repackaged to go back to Ikea???

I don't know about you but I have plenty of clothes. Probably too many. As is often the case at this time of year, people write about organizing. This blogger read one such article and thought she fit the case study, primarily the ill fitting clothes waiting to do what? Go to Goodwill, that's what!

I began by pulling everything off our closet shelf, both sides. Bruce's side was worse than mine!

Poor image quality due to blogger's poor skills at using phone camera. Sorry. Actually this picture is my side. Too many jeans that make me miserable when I wear them. When I took down Bruce's side he had twenty!! t-shirts scrunched up there, some of them dating back quite a few years. I spent the entire afternoon redoing our closet shelf AND all our dresser drawers.

The best part about doing that is you find stuff that hasn't seen the light of day for some time, including this little gem:

Yup--that's the twins on the first ultrasound that showed them. Because ultrasound was so new back then, mistakes were made. I'd had one a month earlier when Connie could not see two babies despite the fact that I was about three months pregnant and miserable I tell you. Just miserable. Even with my poor memory I doubt I'll ever forget the moment when my friend Connie said, "Gail, I'm seeing two babies." I grabbed her arm exclaiming it couldn't be true! We all know it was and even though at the time I thought I'd never live through those days, I'm here and none the worse for wear. Our finances were drained after the move to California and back, not to mention we had one rambunctious little boy already. And then we up and did it again, having our little Jonathan, whose picture of his first day heading to kindergarten also turned up.

Good grief he was a little doll! At least to look at. In fact he was quite the rascal but you'd never know it from looking at this! When I showed Bruce last night he was wondering what the red thing was on the porch. After inspecting the photo I remembered it was his little home-made sleep mat made from red corduroy with what looks like little elephants on it?

Bruce's t-shirt drawer now looks like this--for how long is anyone's guess.

Rolling clothes is the way to go because you can fit so much more in that way. When it was all said and done, all of our drawers now look like this. I was pretty ruthless, weeding out twenty shirts of my own. Plus a few dresses, shorts and pajamas. All still in good condition but just don't work for me anymore. I had to make room for a few new things. As if I needed any!

While in my bedroom I kept hearing my cardinals. The weather was glorious by the way. I know I sound like a broken record, but this winter is a typical Florida winter---marvelous. Once again because the camera was set on Shutter Priority with a very fast exposure time I was able to get Mr. Cardinal scratching himself.

I don't know why it surprised me that song birds scratch themselves like shore birds but it did. Not bad for through the window. Which reminds me, if you want to do the same, just put the lens directly on the glass--works much better that way.

Staying inside all afternoon was hard because of how beautiful it was outside. Plus, this time of the year the azaleas are blooming! Pink, pink and more pink.

The garden side is looking pretty good as well although the grass still has a ways to go after the few cold days.

See that little bit of yellow on the right above the blue pot? Indeed, it is my tabebuia tree, blooming it's little, and I mean little, heart out. I wish I could say the same for my tulip which has pretty much bit the dust. Perhaps next year I'll have success. The caladiums are coming back up amongst the yellow pansies. You can always count on caladiums.

In fact, once the fog clears and I have some breakfast, I plan to work in the yard, trimming and weeding, both of which are sorely needed. I wish that's all I had to do, but alas, it is not. Before Bruce left we pulled the fridge away from the wall to see if I could find any reason for the leaking that has been going on.The web is your friend with all kinds of repair info. Now, if only the web could help me clean up the area.......

In the Blink of an Eye

So, there I was, sitting on the couch, loving having company (Dana) in our beautiful new space, enjoying a left over crab cake, and a glass of cool white wine, when I began to notice some abdominal cramping. I won't go into the gory details, because Lord knows, you don't want to hear them, but let's just say it got real messy before it got better. I felt bad for both Bruce and Dana. Bruce, because he was the designated clean up guy, and Dana having to be sent home abruptly.

Before you go diagnosing a case of food poisoning, Bruce and I shared the crab cake. At any rate, it was a sad ending to a lovely weekend. Yesterday was spent in bed for the most part, sleeping, dozing, and occasionally talking on the phone. Another casualty was poor Matthew. He called in the afternoon for a chat, between the phone going out, and my belly pains, I had to quickly say goodbye. He was naturally worried, going so far as to phone me from his office today seeking signs of improvement. And he got them.

Bruce was petrified leaving me alone, but I knew if I was desperate, my neighbors and family would come to my rescue. Used to be he never left on Mondays, but it seems like this whole year, he's had no choice. He was on his way to New York for his job in Syracuse, as well as to meet up with his cousin Karen in Watertown. Karen was the daughter of Mom Peck's sister who was killed in a car accident years ago. Always close, they became that much closer in their grief, thus, there were provisions in the will for some sentimental items for Karen which Bruce delivered. It made him very sad. There were things he would have liked to ask his mom, however, those days are now in the past. He mentioned how easy it is to take things for granted until they are gone. Isn't that the truth?

For a little change of pace I'm posting a couple of cheerful photos from the outside of the houseI took this after the sprinklers were done one morning. The azaleas were especially beautiful this year, but they are now fading fast. I liked how this little branch peeked out from between the tree branches.

When, and for that matter how, did these little yellow ducks become so popular??This little guy is floating around in the pool just like I will be doing in about a month--CANNOT wait!

The temperature is heating up fast now, with gorgeous, and I do mean gorgeous, blue skies. What we are enjoying the most I'd say is the low humidity. As everyone knows, we need to enjoy the perfect weather while we can.

Friday I spent the day in the kitchen, working on the birthday dinner, which, if I do say so myself, was a success. Please note my new French apron (a Christmas gift from Matt) which was so light and comfortable. The dishes piled up as I made one dish after another, loving every minute. David and Michelle were so excited about our wonderful new space. Bill had already had a sneak preview!

This may be the last picture I post of the remodel--this one is for Nancy who thinks I've neglected the bathroom. It's nice, albeit a little hard to photograph.

Ever the optimist, I'm hoping this little bout meant nothing, although my doctor would like to see me this week. We shall see....