The Old and the Restless

Daren (our nephew) and Kyla brought over their triplets to have a pool party at our condo. Jack and Callum get sunscreen applied before going out to the pool.  Jack and Callum are identical. William (in black) is a non-identical triplet.  Jack and Callum headed right into the pool with Kyla while William hung back. Kyla and Paul took turns throwing Jack and Callum into the air between them. While the Presidents' Day wedding on the beach was not in our family, it was a noteworthy "family occasion". Megan and Thomas ended their visit to New Smyrna Beach with a sunset dinner at the Riverview Grille. And here is the picture of the sunset from our table.  The morning of their flight home, Thomas enjoyed another day walking in the surf. At the beginning of the week, he was skittish about getting in the waves. By the end, he liked the waves to splash over his thighs. Time to go back to the condo to get dressed for the flight home. Thomas is still happy!

The morning of February 24 started auspiciously. Clear skies and a brilliant sun with just a touch of sea fog as the sun rose just before 7 am. Four hours before the launch, the southbound traffic was extremely heavy in front of our condo as a steady stream of people sought good vantage points from which to watch the take-off. By an hour before the launch, people were beginning to get their spots on the beach in front of our condo. By ten minutes before the launch, the beach was getting crowded. When the shuttle cleared the hold on the launch with seconds to go, people streamed onto our condo deck to watch the take-off. There were so many spectators (est. 300,000 vs. a previous high of 150,000) that the interstate became a virtual parking lot for those who arrived at Titusville just before the launch. Sandra set her camera on automatic shoot and tried to keep the camera focused on the fast moving Discovery. Note how the crowd on our deck grew in the last 5 minutes before lift-off! Wi...

On Saturday morning, we decided to go birdwatching and playground hunting at Riverbreeze Park.  Unfortunately, since it was the start of the three day Presidents' Day long weekend, the local Boy Scouts' troop decided to invade the park first. About 20 boy scouts all in red T-shIrts indicating their troop name (from Edgewater) took over the pier! [Is there a Boy Scout badge for fishing?] So, we beat a hasty retreat to the playground in the park which contained a huge "jungle gym" featuring brightly coloured gears for little kids to turn. Since Thomas had already opened every cupboard door, pushed the buttons on every computer and remote control and played "drums" with every pot and stirring instrument in the condo, it was natural to let him try the gears. It occupied him for 10 minutes. Then, it was time to try the slides. Since they were all too big, he rode down them on Megan's stomach. That was fun! Then, we walked back to the car to get the stroller...

Beach Walk

River Breeze Park has a lovely quiet setting with a large dock that extends out into Mosquito Lagoon. At low tide there is a good view of shore birds on the exposed mudflats. Although we were not there at low tide, it was still an interesting visit. Watch out Glen! Actually it's just as well that this black vulture is somewhat nervous and is not guarding its carrion food. The nugget of information that I gleaned today from my Tuesday morning bird watching guide is that although the legs of a vulture look white, they are not really white. (You might not read the rest of this.) As they are eating they are "pooping"on their legs. However, because their droppings are high in acidity, they are very effective in killing bacteria. Although a vulture will not attack, it can become very aggressive if it is guarding its food. Its projectile vomiting is something you would then not like to encounter. If the vulture starts hissing, beware! Is Norma the food it is guarding? T...

The Viera Wetlands are about and hour's drive south.  It's a series of 4 ponds of different water levels surrounding a lake. One reaches thi spectacular birding area by driving through the water treatment facility (sewage plant). Below are some of the easily seen birds. I've decided to get another lens for my camera so that I can increase the distance for photographing the more distant birds such as the crested caracara which I could not get. The White Ibis is quite numerous in Florida, although its population has been declining because of the loss of wetland areas for nesting. Apparently the population of the Glossy Ibis has been increasing. The Ibis are noted for their curved bill. The Great Egret is similar in size to the Great Blue Heron. Egrets used to be slaughtered for their plumes which become more enhanced during the breeding season. The Little Blue Heron is also suffering from habitat loss. The limpkin is not a common bird but they were easily seen here...

When Maureen and Ramsay stayed with us for a few days, Maureen suggested going on an air-boat ride. We were excited to see a bald eagle, although I have heard since, that the Volusia Dump is a really good place to see them. Sandhill Cranes are always interesting to see. Anyone for a swim?  The bare forest was a quiet, interesting area. Ride over. She can't bite! It's just a big snooze for the pet pig.