An Anniversary

No, it is not my wedding anniversary, although it would have been Carol's, which I am trying hard not to think about as you can well imagine. Indeed it is the 13th anniversary of this little space on the gigantic world wide web, although when I began, I am thinking it was far smaller. Anyway, it's been fun to write about most anything you can think of all these years, however, it began with THIS very short post. Re-reading it just now, which takes all of about 30 seconds, I see things have not changed much as I am still "camera crazy!"

Let's see what caught my fancy this week, shall we?  Oranges, that's what. Ever since Red Hill Grove closed up a few years ago, I've relied on supermarket juice, but when I saw some juice oranges at Clemons this week, well, I've still got my juicer.

It was like having an old friend back in the house! Pretty much without fail, I begin each morning with orange juice, much of it not great, but this stuff.....heaven!!

We are both very tied up all of next week with the rummage sale, or at least that is what the schedule looks like right now, so we just had to get out and about while we could. Nothing too far afield, in fact, one of our excursions was fairly close to home, and that would be walking around Lake Baldwin in Baldwin Park. We did that years ago for a fundraiser Michelle was involved in but have never returned. The weather this week has been crazy warm, yet without the humidity, it is bearable. I am SO dreading summer I don't even know how I will manage it for another year. But, I digress.

On this day we saw a variety of landscapes from this,

to this...

Although the first one is pretty, I much prefer the second one. I was delighted to see a Cormorant up close and personal on one of the dock roofs there. When the packs have come to our lake they are generally too far away for me to see how interesting they are.

Bruce was ready for lunch and although we discussed different places to eat, in the end we went somewhere new to us, Fish on Fire located on the corner of McCoy Road and Daetwyler. Some folks recently told me it was good, so we decided to give it a try. I learned that the restaurant used to be called, Fish, however, that building burned down so they changed their name.

While fairly quiet while we were there, I suspect it is jumping on the weekends. The food was super yummy which I can't say for every restaurant we go to!

I visited Maureen one morning and she is much the same, no better, but fortunately no worse. She managed to stay awake my entire visit, always a plus.

The quilt I've been working on has been mostly neglected until one day this week, I got to it for some hours, putting the pieces together, one by one.

Making a scrappy quilt is kind of fun because, as you can see, nothing matches although I am trying to mostly go with predominately blue. I am particularly delighted to be using some of the Liberty fabric Matt gave me eons ago, as well as some he brought home from Japan. One of the things I most like about this type of quilt is that I can reminisce about how I acquired each fabric. Then too, it reminds me of life, one day at a time, some the same, while others not so much. Each row has 128 pieces which is a bit daunting but, as I say, one piece at a time. As you can see, I've got a very long way to go.

Last week we took our bicycles to Orange Cycle for tune ups. Bruce's had sat around, unused for years, whereas the green one I am using has been ridden more recently but it, too, had sat for some years. Anyway, yesterday we picked them up and they look and act like brand new with new tires, brake pads, and a new, more comfortable seat for Bruce.

Next up a place to use them....the West Orange Trail in Winter Garden was the place, and what a place it is!

Years ago we rode the other direction so it was all new to us and we were very impressed with everything. That said, there is change afoot in Winter Garden with so many people recently discovering its' charms. For some of the ride, and I suspect most of it used to look like this, the scenery was wooded.

We rode by some small orange groves where the scent perfumed the air. Further down we saw a solitary orange hanging on.

This was a fun sighting.

So, there was forested land, and then there were new houses and plenty of them. Very pretty, but it looks as if the land was completely cleared as there were few trees.

That said, the remaining oak trees out that way are magnificent, including this beauty on a small lake in an area called Oakland Park, filled with new homes and more under construction.

Speaking of Oakland, we cycled to the real Oakland, a tiny town that still has primarily dirt roads. We rode down to the Lake Apopka shore where it always amazes us with how huge it is. Water as far as the eye can see in one direction.

I guess chatting with these fisherman inspired Bruce as he just returned from a couple hours on the lake, pleased with his outing. For the most part, I am fine living in a condo, but when I see a place like this one in "downtown" Oakland, well I have to wonder how long I will feel this way.

On our way back towards town, Bruce had a little chat with some fellows who work in this place.

As the sign is small I will tell you it says that they build church furniture, however, apparently they will soon be moving as the area is slated for, you guessed it, development. When I first went out to Winter Garden, as described in this post from August, 2011, I mentioned seeing potential out that way, and boy was I right for a change. That said, I suspect all of the original Winter Garden people are nary too thrilled with all of the new folks coming to town. In fact, when Dana first mentioned WG to me, I thought about how it was always a farming kind of town. No longer is that the case, and in ten more years it will be unrecognizable. Because it is so cute, I can't blame folks for moving there.

Another awesome thing we saw was an Eagle's nest!!! It's been a long time since I've seen one, so I was thrilled and thankful that I noticed a woman intently pointing her camera upward. She was kind enough to share her discovery. One eaglet is calling for food!

We enjoyed a nice lunch here.

All this to say that we are trying to live our new motto---"doing all that we can, while we can!"

Speaking of that motto, I just got off a Facetime chat with Matt and during our lengthy discussion the subject of traveling came up. Matt and Tom know a thing or two about traveling but next month they are embarking on a journey the likes of which they've yet to experience before. Heading West those two young men are, seeing all of the natural beauty there is to see on a road trip! Matt rarely drives so it will be quite the adventure of which I have to admit, I am a little jealous about. Seeing the Grand Canyon is just one of the highlights. I can hardly wait to see the photographs!

What's our next adventure? Tune in again to find out. In a few years I will wonder about what we were doing at this time of our life and with any luck, I'll have this blog to remind me.

your friend,

Gail

A Short Trip and a Long Goodbye

Overnight Thursday there was a huge wind and rainstorm, however, by Friday morning, the day of Jeff's memorial, the skies were clear. After coming home from the service and celebration, we met up with friends at the lake. It may very well have been mostly clear earlier, but as sunset approached, the sky began putting on a show with very interesting cloud formations.

Because it was so chilly after taking the above shot, I rode home in Gayle's golf cart, with Sandy bundled up on the back. As we turned the corner, oh my gosh, what was interesting before had turned to one of the showiest skies I've seen in a long time. We were freaking out,

immediately heading right back from where we came, arriving in time for a true "fire in the sky" show. Earlier Thomas, one of the fellows who heads down nightly for sunset photos, said it was going to be a beauty, and in spite of our earlier skepticism, we acknowledged how wrong we were!

We called out to him as he was on the dock shooting photos apologizing for doubting him. I could not help but think of Jeff in his new heavenly home.

The service was wonderful, held at All Saints Episcopal Church in Winter Park. I can't say enough positive things about The Reverend Russell Wohlever. Although Jeff did not attend the church, about a month ago his brother, while down from Annapolis, visited the church and asked Rev. Wohlever if he would visit his brother in the hospital, to which he agreed. According to the Reverend, they hit it off right away and he was happy to be the one to hold Jeff's service. Seeing so many faces Bruce had not seen since his days at Darden was a welcome sight. Contractors, project managers, college friends, and of course his family, all were there. Jeff was a huge Florida Gator fan, so while choosing what to wear, I made sure that I wore my sweater in Gator blue.

Following the service, everyone gathered for a catered lunch from Cecil's bar-b-que, a big favorite of the guys. There was a slide show and testimonials as you would expect. Here's Bruce with his former boss, Briggs, who was both his college roommate and eulogizer.

It was good seeing Jeff's sister Linda again, although I'd forgotten I had. Years ago, when my business was new, Jeff brought her to the market to meet me and see what I was up to as he was always a big supporter of "Out & About Photography."

The reception was held in Tim's "warehouse", Tim being the brother of Jeff's deceased wife Cathy, whom he remained close with until the end.

One thing I forgot about the service that never fails to move even the hardest heart, was the playing of Taps for Jeff's time in the Army. The bugler was fantastic.

Farewell our friend, until we meet again.

Earlier in the week we had a visitor from Canada. Giovanni called saying he was going to be in town and wondered if we could meet up on Wednesday. You bet we could! He came to our place and then we took him downtown for lunch in order for him to see the real Orlando. After a nice long lunch at the Stubborn Mule, we came back here and went down to the pool for him to enjoy the fine weather. Dave came down to meet him as well and they hit it off right away.

Thursday we took a day trip to preview another campground. The weather was dull, so it was good to be on the road to keep our minds off the following days event. You know how it is, if you are not busy, your mind dwells on the negative. Our travel this time took us to the west coast of Florida to a place called Chassahowitzka River Campground. The boat launch area was wonderful, lined with colorful rental kayaks,

along a beautiful stretch of the spring fed river. See the lighter part? That would be one of the places where the spring bubbles up into the larger river.

Three pelicans adorned some of the tree branches. Unfortunately for us, they do not allow tents amidst the RVs, of which there were tons, relegating the "tenters" to a dreary spot with Port-o-Lets. A few people have told me they are impressed with me sleeping in a tent, which seriously is no big deal, but I do draw the line at using those nasty things! So, we crossed that one off of the list.

Before we got there two things beg to be mentioned, one of which is there were slight hills on SR50,

and a town that when I saw it on the map I could not believe the name, but sure enough, here it is.

Almost missed it as we were zooming by! Driving home a different route in order to go to Silver Lake, another potential camping park, was a blessing as the scenery was very nice indeed.

As it was past lunchtime. and the options were almost nil, we pulled into a quaint little spot.

The deli part they got right, the mall, well you would have had to have been there! We enjoyed our sandwiches and the whole very small town atmosphere where the tea was kept in the fridge for folks to pour their own.

Silver Lake Campground proved to be another one we probably won't be visiting, in part because the campground is a stone's throw away from the constant traffic noise from Interstate 75. The lake there is nice however.

We've not completely ruled it out, but we think we can do better. Sometimes you have to take what you can get, and then other times it is probably best to just stay home. That said, I found a few nights open at Manatee Springs State Park, but we haven't pulled the trigger just yet as Bruce is unsure of his church commitments for the last week of February. Of all things, our neighbor Bill is heading there in the morning, so we are looking forward to hearing his firsthand experience.

Stopping into a little county park for Bruce to have a cat nap, I found my favorite scene of the day.

And yes, that is a Cherry tree in full bloom, something we rarely see in our part of the state! There were tons of them around Brooksville, a quaint town we passed through on our way. One of these days we will have to experience a more thorough look-see.

I suppose it has been a long goodbye to dear Jeff because the very moment we learned of his diagnosis, just about one year ago, I knew there was little to no hope for a recovery. You prepare yourself the best you can, but it's darn hard isn't it?

your friend,

Gail

Never Without Challenges

Should you have ever wondered what we looked like when we were first married, wonder no more!

Although I find it hard to believe that we both once looked like this, and that we took our cats for a studio portrait, the photo evidence is clear that we did!! The Siamese is Benny, named after Elton John's hit, and Wally, whose name I can't begin to remember the reference. And how is it that I am sharing this today? That will come later, but for now, let us return to O'Leno State Park where the weather was mostly gloomy aside from one day that was perfect, albeit cold.

That would be me first thing in the morning after a chilly night. Our tent, on the other hand was cozy and roomy. Note the floor space at the end of the mattress, something we were sorely lacking in the other tent.

Another great feature, just barely visible, is the pockets lining one wall that you attach by clips. It was there that I put my glasses, toothbrush, hairbrush and that sort of thing. Every time we go we learn something new, and in this case it is the rug inside the tent which came in very handy, trapping most of the sand. Bruce found the shelter in the storage unit, and it is great too. We just bought some market lights for this shelter which I suppose we'll have to go camping again soon to test out!

On the one sunny day we rode our bikes to the other campground in the front of the park, glad that we ended up in the one we did as that one is about 1.5 miles from the river, unlike ours which was very close. Following the bike ride, we locked our bikes and hiked on the River trail which circles, well you figure it out. And how is that possible? Well, amazingly, the Sante Fe River flows underground for three miles and here's where it stops before heading underground.

Can you imagine? Seems like a wonder of the world to me, but maybe others do the same? One minute it looks like this,

And then it stops.

That would be Duckweed on the surface of the river and here's something else:

Although we did not count this amazing amount of turtles, a very nice Canadian couple we met did so, and the man counted 50 using binoculars. We traveled through the forest and it always amazes me the downed trees. This one is called a Loblolly Pine with the bark stripped. That link includes an interesting fact sheet with the history of the tree's part in American history.

Speaking of trees, and of course how could you not after having spent three days in the woods, but I digress....the contrast between the live trees and the color of the changing Maples was a scenic highlight for me.

Another beautiful sight is when the sunlight streams through the trees...just magical!

That night I made two small meatloaves in our wonderful camp oven. The sides? Why mashed potato and corn of course; one of Bruce's favorite meals, so much so that if asked what he wants me to fix for his birthday dinner, that's the one!

Note the potato peeler and the larger knife, two items I added to the box. Although Bruce already had both, neither were up to my standards. An OXO potato peeler is the absolute best! I was unsure how the potatoes would turn out using just a wooden spoon, but by golly, they were super good.  We totally snuggled up in our sleeping bag with an extra blanket that night as the temperature dropped to 36! It worked perfectly! As we are learning from experience, the right equipment makes a world of difference.

The following morning the sky looked like this,

and that cloud cover never went away. Reading and walking occupied our day with the reading occupying most of our time for reasons beyond our control. We also did more exploring of the buildings and the museum which was very informative.

One of the neatest things I learned there is that Raymond Burr of Perry Mason fame was a CCCer. The town used to be called Keno, however many years ago that was replaced as they did not want to be known for the gambling game of the same name. Before the name change, there was grist mill that used the power of the river with the remnants displayed under a shelter. Seeing these I now understand the term-stone ground corn meal much better.

There are tiny rapids on the river that perhaps are bigger when the water level is higher?

After our nice long chat with the forest ranger we walked back to our site. Another thing we learned from him is that the Park service is the state's only money maker, however, unfortunately they don't re-invest the money in the parks, rather giving it to other departments. If this makes no sense to you, my previous post mentions our conversation and you can read it here. 

Before long, the predicted rain began and unlike our normal summer storms, this was more than three hours long with a steady rainfall. The good news is that our tent stayed completely dry as did we because it is large enough to bring our chairs inside!!

By the time the rain finally quit, it was after 6:00 and we were glad to have leftover meatloaf to use for sandwiches. Because I was wanting something hot in the chilly, wet weather, we ended our night with roasted marshmallows on the fire.

Still gloomy Thursday morning, we made a hearty breakfast followed by breaking down our site. In most of the campgrounds we've visited the check out time is one o'clock which was more than enough time. You would be surprised how quickly it all packs up. 11:00 and the last step is putting the bikes on the back, and that is where things became challenging. Oh my! The next two hours were tense because the back gate of our new Subaru would not latch. Okay, now what? Try again. No luck. A call to our dealer was not much help. Bruce took the rack off as I was using the iPad for locating the nearest dealer located in Gainesville. Calling them, he explained the problem. Somehow, after that conversation, he got it to latch. Whew!! Thank you Google!

Except then it would not OPEN!!! Unreal, right? Here we are two hours from home with two bikes on the ground and a gate that would not open. Meanwhile, I'm roaming with my camera in hand, surprised I'd not noticed the fantastic display of mushrooms on a downed log by our site.

Super cool, right? The symbiotic relationship in a forest is so fascinating! Being in nature just can't be beat, especially if the stars are out at night, which they were for two nights and it was breathtaking!

Okay, back to the matter at hand. Turning back to Google using different search words, I learned that if you held the button in for thirty seconds it would open, and by golly, it did! Hurray. Would it shut again was our next question and somehow it did. You know how long all of this took? More than TWO hours!! By now it was well after lunchtime, so we stopped in nearby High Springs for lunch at a cute place where the food was good.

Had we not spent so much time with the car business it appeared to be an interesting place to mosey. Our sister-in-law sent a message regarding some photo albums she'd been storing that belonged to Mom Peck. Did Bruce or his sister want them? Michele said no thanks, so I said yes which meant driving a convoluted way home to drop by Debary, meaning we got home so much later than we planned, however, it was worth it!

It was a darn good thing there weren't any more albums because the car was jam packed already! Also during our absence a package from Matt was delivered and picked up by our neighbor Connie for safekeeping. Holy Cow, how cute is this?

I'm going to venture a guess that I've not ever had five boxes of Girl Scout cookies at one time, that is if you don't count the time I sold them as a girl! Yum, yum!

During the very gloomy Saturday, I spent hours going through the albums, reliving some of the things she'd done, one of which was swim in the Panama Canal with the certificate to prove it! There was also an album containing photos of the year we lived in California when Matt was a year old and those were sure fun to see. Removing all the ones I thought anyone would want, the rest found their way into the dumpster, a sad ending for sure.

And that, my friends, is how you are seeing the very, very young, Mr. and Mrs. Peck.

your friend,

Gail

p.s. Bruce is at the Subaru dealership as I type. Say it ain't so!