It's a Zoo Down Here!

Hi All -

I will likely have an unprecedented TWO posts for the blog this week. I want to catch everyone up on Glenn's adventures across the panhandle last week (traveling from Jacksonville to Tallahassee to Panama City to Ft. Walton Beach to Pensacola), but I will need his assistance identifying the photos.

So for now, I will entertain you instead with our recent trip to the beautiful Lowry Park Zoo.

We went first thing in the morning, so did not have to deal with crowds, and it was a cool, sunny morning.

This leopard came running over to greet us!

Tom, we know how much you like eagles - here was a beauty. As you can see, the zoo has a very natural setting. This pretty guy had been injured and could not fly, but he seemed to be in a nice spot.

We got to pet some sting rays who splashed us when they discovered we had nothing to feed them, and I finally saw some manatees, although the pics did not come out great of those. You can take my word for it.

One of our favorite things was watching the otters, as they put on quite a show for us, swimming and flipping around and just being all around adorable. Again, hard to photograph - they would not stay still!

Hello

And here is something I had never seen before-- the very rare Florida panther. This guy had  itchy ears and was rubbing his head on a stump. When Glenn and I stopped by, he gave us a loud, cat-like meow.

And of course, it wouldn't be Florida without these:

(Actually, we found out a while ago that there are no wild flamingos in Florida. It is a myth. The only pink bird that is native to Florida is the Roseate Spoonbill. This has been a public service announcement.)

So one of my other favorite parts of the day was going up onto a platform to get up close and personal with some giraffes.

They are so beautiful and strange looking, and their heads are gigantic.I felt like I was in Jurassic Park - they almost look like dinosaurs, but with very long eyelashes.

We weren't allowed to pet them, but they were close enough that we could have.

We also spent some time with a herd of elephants - including this little girl who was born on July 29th.

We also saw this crazy looking enormous bird called a Shoebill Stork. It was probably 4 feet tall.

So anyway, here we are on safari.

Our visit wouldn't be complete without a monkey, and this one was performing some death-defying stunts very high up.

We even got him in the background of our selfie.

So anyway, that's it for the Lowry Park Zoo. We liked it so much, we bought a season's pass. So maybe next time, you guys can come along.

See you animals later!

Making Strides in St. Pete

Hi All -

October is apparently now going to be our Making Strides Against Breast Cancer month. Last week, Glenn was in Orange Park and this past weekend we headed to the same event in St. Petersburg.

But before I get into that, I will tell you that we've had a new couple move into our neighborhood...a pair of what I believe to be Muscovy ducks. Glenn thinks they are ugly, but the dogs and I disagree.

Unfortunately, Glenn didn't get very close so you can't really see, but they are black with a red head, kind of like a buzzard.

"What are those things?!"

So anyway, on Saturday, we woke early and headed to Strides. It was a beautiful morning.

Great place to see the sunrise.

We met with a lot of people, and Glenn thanked a lot of volunteers. We talked with the reporter from the local news station, and saw a lot of people and dogs dressed in crazy costumes. Once again, the storm troopers made an appearance. (Apparently, this group of gentlemen dress up in costume and go to charity events all over Tampa - they were very nice to the little kids.)

It was the first Strides event I have been to, and I was very impressed by how many people showed up.

The walk was three miles long and went along the Bay.

We fell in with a group that called themselves the Hoochie Mammas. They did military type marching chants along the way, which was fun, although it was very hot and humid.

As we walked past the shoreline we noticed some commotion in the water, which ended up being a small shark going after a fish or something. It's hard to see, but perhaps you will note a small dorsal fin....

Anyway, it was a great day, although surprisingly tiring. We later went to Chad and Lisha's house to watch the Gators lose and eat gluten free cupcakes. Sunday, we were able to watch the Steelers win at home and watched an amazing documentary called Searching for Sugar Man, which we highly recommend.

So that's it for this week. Glenn is currently traveling across the panhandle (yesterday Jacksonville, today Tallahassee.) He'll fly home from Pensacola on Saturday. In the meantime, I am keeping myself entertained. With love from FLA--

In the Pink!

Hi All -

Its been a good and busy week here in Florida. The temps are much cooler in the mornings and evenings, the humidity has dropped, and it's just all around beautiful.

Glenn went to Gainesville this past Friday, and then headed to a suburb of Jacksonville called Orange Park where about 15,000 folks showed up for their "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" Walk.

It was a beautiful morning.

The walk was around a lake.

And there were some interesting characters at the event.

If all that wasn't strange enough, you should take a moment to read what was going on at the Strides event in nearby Ft. Lauderdale. It was all over the national news. Good grief!

On Saturday night we went and watched the Pens win at a bar called Hattricks (appropriate since Sid scored one). On Sunday, we returned to our friends at the Black and Gold Club to watch the first Steelers win of the season. Everyone was screaming and cheering and high fiving each other as if we had all won the lottery.

Sunday night, Glenn took me to the Salt Rock Grill at Indian Shores, near Clearwater. We sat on the deck on the Intercoastal Waterway and listened to some live music and had a lovely evening.

Sorry, we forgot to snap a "selfie" - you'll have to take my word for it, we looked radiant. :-)

Finally, I will conclude by showing a couple more nice pics from our nightly dog walks.

Lots of nice sky down here.

Anyway, hope you are all well and enjoying October. Time is flying.

Fore!

Hi All -

Tropical storm Karen fortunately fizzled out, and this morning just brought us a bit of rain. But this past weekend was beautiful and we took full advantage of it.

On Friday, we ate at a nice little restaurant called Cafe Dufrain on Harbor Island. Because we did not have reservations, we were banished to sit outside in the lovely weather instead of suffering in the frigid air conditioning. (yes, there is a dog behind me).

This is in a cute little area called Harbor Place which is right across the Bay from the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

On Saturday, we went golfing for the first time since we've been down here, and for me, the first time in over a year. We went to a nice little course called Northdale.

Glenn asked me to take this picture of him before he took his first shot, while he was still happy. :-)

Indeed, we did not play particularly well.

Bad form!

We did practically have the course to ourselves, which was nice. Except that the reason no one else was golfing was that it was about 92 degrees and very humid. We were completely exhausted when we were done. I think we may wait another couple months before we try that again.

Still, it was a beautiful day.

The storm that appears to be gathering here held off until we were driving home.

On Sunday, we returned to the rooftop pool at the Marriott Waterside for some rigorous lounging. It was much better than having to watch the Steelers.

That night, we went to a nice restaurant near Clearwater, and then headed to Jimmy's Crow Nest at the beach to watch the sunset. (Yes, I know, we are very into watching the sunset...it is good, free entertainment!)

Hello again!

They project the evening's football game onto their wall, which was kinda cool.

And here comes a pirate ship...

So that's about it for this weekend's adventures. Glenn also got a nice picture around sunrise as he drove past our chiropractor's office, so here's that random pic, just for fun.

Hope you all are enjoying October thus far! We sure are.