Florida: Visit to Winter Park
Our dive buddies, Glen and Norma, came to stay with us. We had planned to ride/walk the beach and bird watch at Canaveral National Seashore. The weather was sunny and warm but the Red Tide came and stayed right off shore at New Smyrna. While driving the beach...with the windows up...we saw many good sized dead fish washed up on the beach. The newspaper reported 6 dolphins and 4 large dead turtles were found as well as sea birds. The air quality was so bad that it was difficult for us to breathe even on the short walk to the car without coughing.
Instead of birdwatching, we decided the next day to visit Winter Park, near Orlando where the air quality would be better. On the narrated boat tour we saw the homes of the rich and famous from the past and present...as well as some egrets, cormorants and anhinghas. An opportunistic blue heron stood on shore to pick off the fish that the cormorants and anhinghas drove to shore.
A rose between two thorns? Sandra, Paul and Norma. Is Sandra checking Paul's "flatter" tummy?
Instead of birdwatching, we decided the next day to visit Winter Park, near Orlando where the air quality would be better. On the narrated boat tour we saw the homes of the rich and famous from the past and present...as well as some egrets, cormorants and anhinghas. An opportunistic blue heron stood on shore to pick off the fish that the cormorants and anhinghas drove to shore.
A rose between two thorns? Sandra, Paul and Norma. Is Sandra checking Paul's "flatter" tummy?Glen, Norma and Paul. The mansion across the lake is in the next photo.
One of the many beautiful mansions with its boathouse on Lake Osceola.
On the boat trip we visited three of the four lakes that are connected by canals. This is the Venetian Canal between Lake Osceola and Lake Maitland.
On the boat trip we visited three of the four lakes that are connected by canals. This is the Venetian Canal between Lake Osceola and Lake Maitland.A Winter Park "Christmas tree" (a cypress tree full of anhinghas and cormorants plus a few red balls)
Cormorants and anhinghas were both swimming in the lake and resting on the cypress trees.
The street corners in Winter Park have "artialligators". Just as in Toronto, where we had decorated moose, Winter Park has alligators made to a pattern which are painted and glazed by local artists.
The street corners in Winter Park have "artialligators". Just as in Toronto, where we had decorated moose, Winter Park has alligators made to a pattern which are painted and glazed by local artists.
Comments