Since my last posting, we had a visit from a dear Alaskan friend, Maureen Moore for a couple of days. The next day, we drove south to St. Petersburg and visited my nephew and his family, then down to Palmetto to see my cousin Madelon and her family and celebrate my Aunt Lou's 91st birthday. Madelon and I spent an afternoon kayaking near the Sunshine State Skyway. On the way back to Cedar Key last Tuesday, we visited another cousin, Sandra, and her husband Frank in Tarpon Springs. Frank took Van for a boat ride and to the marina where he works and Van was happy. We enjoyed a delicious meal in one of the Greek restaurants there.
Van put the final finish on the rowboat just before we went south and we finally launched her in the canal on the high tide on Wednesday. Van is happy again. We rowed around the bayou that day. He will raise the oar locks so he can row more comfortably.
Here he is rowing forward. I sit in the back. Wind came up at the end of the week, finally the first real rain (badly needed) and a thunder storm Saturday night. The wind is finally down today. We took a short trip out of the bayou yesterday. Van got a fishing rod and a liscense and some lures and went fishing today but didn't get anything. He's not quite sure what kind of fish he is fishing for.
We are still enjoying all the birds. This osprey didn't like us coming so close to his nest as we rowed by. There are lots around, some in trees. I was reading about one of the outer islands, Seahorse Key where 600 cottonmouth snakes live. They thrive, scientist say, mostly from scavaging the fish scraps that the birds drop.... birds thrive there too, and are not bothered by the snakes because they get so much from what the birds drop. Read about it here.
My Alaska friends might enjoy seeing these guys..... in the parking lot at Lowes in Lake Wales.
On Friday, I made a delightful trip with Peggy Hendricks to Gainesville and Melrose. Melrose is on Melrose Bay and Melrose Lake and has some beautiful homes. Seems most had fences and some interesting gates...another sandhill. We stopped and painted until it rained.
Another gate in Melrose
I have been amazed by this wisteria plant. It was a stick plant when we got here a month ago.I will be going back to Palmetto with another cousin, Jill from California, tomorrow. We will be getting together with Madelon again and yet another cousin. Will try to get back here soon after.
