Walking in a Wonderland

Hello everyone!

I am quickly getting adjusted to the new job, and Glenn spent most of the week in Orlando for his big Relay Summit, where over 500 employees and volunteers gathered to get motivated. So we've both been pretty busy.

While work has been good, I admit I don't like sitting behind a desk all day, so I have found a nearby nature preserve where I walk during my lunch hour. There is a lake with a 3/4 mile boardwalk around it, and the place is filled with wildlife.

Here's a little dock where the Anhingas and turtles hang out.

 

Speaking of turtles, they have lots of giant soft shell turtles swimming around. I call them pig-nosed turtles because they have little pig noses.

 

I also had never seen pelicans roosting in a tree before. Pelicans....IN A TREE!

Here you can get a idea of what the path is like around the lake. There are bells in the tower in the background.

Some of the animals seem to want to get their pictures taken.

There were also some very photogenic gators. I see them there every day.

They are pretty big - probably around 5 or 6 feet.



So that is a nice place for a mid-day break.

Meanwhile, back at the office, there are dogs!

This is Finn, hanging out in my office. He is a big goofball.

Our VP of sales sent me these additional pics.


This is Halle Berry, hard at work.



Halle Berry and Goose in front of the Xmas tree we put up last week.

Finn and friend.

So they add a bit of levity to the job. There are a couple others too not pictured here.

Meanwhile, back in Orlando, Glenn was hoping to see the launch of Orion. Sadly, he probably had a better view from his television.

Here is the live shot.

See the little plume at the bottom and the tiny dot in the sky? Historic!

He stayed at a really nice hotel near Disney, but didn't get many pics. Sunday night, we went to St. Petersburg for dinner out, and they had the whole area lit up for Christmas.

 



 

Very festive!

So that's it for this week. Hope you all are doing well. We'll be up to see you all soon. Love -

Happy Holidays!

Hi Everyone -

Sorry it has been a long time since our last blog installment. My new job is going to make it a bit trickier to post as regularly, or get as many pics so please bear with us. :-)

Hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving! Glenn and I took the dogs on a long walk at a nearby park - our new Florida tradition. It was a beautiful and sunny day here, and we were thankful for that.

We attempted a Thanksgiving family portrait, but didn't have much luck.

Mojo doesn't like to face the camera, so I had to force the issue.

Anyway, here are some pretty shots from the park.

We also had some great animal sightings, including this Anhinga, drying his wings,...

This is my favorite pic of the week!

and, of  course, a lovely Thanksgiving alligator.

That evening, I made a full Thanksgiving dinner for two - a turkey breast, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, rolls, etc,  Here, Deuce and Mojo watch Glenn carving the turkey.

Friday was a chilly day so we ran some errands and then decided to decorate the house.

Ta-da!

Friday night was cool enough that we decided to try our first fire in the fireplace. It turned out to be quite lovely.

We also got a little tree for the lanai and put some lights up outside.

It's all very festive.

Saturday, we took a long walk to downtown Safety Harbor with the dogs. It was another lovely day and we made it down to the pier.

Glenn also saw another Anhinga on a boat in the harbor.

Sunday, we went to Cooters in Clearwater Beach to watch the pathetic Steelers game (and also the pathetic Buccaneers game.) Afterwards, we walked down to the beach to say hello.

Anyway, that's about it for this week! Hope you all are doing well. We'll let a sleeping Mojo sign off for us.

Love how she sleeps with her tongue out!

Peace out, everyone!

Golfing and More in November!

Hi Everyone!

Well, it's November, and not to complain, but IT'S FREEZING down here! Ok, admittedly, probably our definitions of freezing are different than yours, but it's been in the 50s and 60s for the past few days. We are trying our best to cope, and have even ventured outside. At least it has been sunny.

Glenn once again went to Orlando last week, and is going again this week. I think he may just be hanging out at Disney World. Hopefully, soon his work travel will taper off a bit. Meanwhile, our trip to the Burgh is a mere 10 days away.

Friday night was Halloween, and it was very annoying. Children started showing up around 8 (long after we had given up on them) and kept coming. The dogs would just calm down and then ten more kids would show up. It was exhausting. Next year, I think we're turning off all the lights and going out.

On Saturday, we decided to go golfing. This is the second time we've been golfing since we moved down here (shocking, I know!). The first time was about 93 degrees and sweltering, and this time it was downright chilly.

The cool thing is that we went to Chi Chi Rodriguez's golf course, which is a 5 minute drive from our house. In addition to being convenient, it is incredibly cheap. $14 for an 18-hole round of golf, cart included. Naturally, we thought it would be terrible, but it was actually a very pretty course.

There were also some big Sandhill Cranes there.

Glenn played an excellent first and last hole, so, as he said, the guys at the clubhouse probably think he is amazing.

As for me, I did not totally humiliate myself. I got a lot of 6's, which is fabulous for me. It was a pretty short course, with a number of Diane-friendly holes. We played with a nice older fellow named Pat, who kindly didn't mock either of us.

I got some coffee at the clubhouse to stay warm. Brrr.

On Sunday, Glenn and I took the dogs to nearby Kapok Park. I went there last Monday on an early morning walk, and thought they would enjoy it.

Me and Mo. Go Stillers!

Honestly, how gorgeous is this?

Kapok Park is right next to another park where they have a tree-filled frisbee golf course. Seems like a bad idea.

You're supposed to throw your frisbee into that little metal basket in the foreground.

My bird guide suggests that this is a Limpkin.

Common Moorhen. Deuce wanted to chase a few of these.

Good ole Anhinga drying his wings

And, most exciting of all. Our biggest gator sighting to date...

We left this guy alone. Probably a 6-footer...

So that's it for this edition of the blog. Hope you all are enjoying November so far. We'll be up to experience it with you soon!