Tampa - Feb 19th

This was truly a 'goose-bump Sunday'!  Our stay in Tampa was blessed by yet another unexpected musical service at the 'closest Methodist Church to wherever we are staying'!  On the way to our RV site, Mom noticed the Palma Ceia Methodist Church - a very quaint looking church in an older section of town.  Jay looked it up on-line and found that the Bethune-Cookman University Concert Chorale was singing the service.  He found a link and they got a preview of what the music was gonna be like, and they both immediately decided it was someplace they needed to be on Sunday morning. 

The choir consists of about 50 students, accompianied by 2 guitars, keyboard and percussion.  The sound generated by the choir filled the church in perfect harmony, balance and composition.  Their repertoire ranged from classical to spirituals to contemporary Christian music.  The choir had the place rocking!!!  And the congregation rocked right along with them!  Mom and Jay said they both had goose bumps on their arms as they listened to the beautiful voices. 


If you are interested in getting an idea of what the music was like, try clicking on the link and see what you think! 

http://www.myspace.com/bcuconcertchoralealumni/music/songs/god-is-able-58697687

And as for me... it was same old, same old....  Had to stay at home.  They stopped at a fishing pier, hoping I would be able to accompany them on the next trip out there to go fishing - and as you can see - dogs are NOT welcome.  So they went fishing along the bank just outside the RV park.  And as usual, Mom caught the fish; and as usual, they were thrown back - hardhead catfish just don't make good eating!  

But all in all, they still had a great afternoon - sitting in the sun, watching roseate spoon-bills fly overhead, remembering the music they heard in the morning...  not a bad Sunday at all! 

And I was treated to some time at the dog-run in the RV park.  Even tho I'm almost 12, I can still catch a frisbee!  Altho I do get a bit more tired than I used to!!!

Dunnellon  Feb 12 - 15 - Rainbow Springs State Park

From the sounds of it, Mom and Jay had just the best day ever on Wednesday.  They went swimming with manatees on the Homosassa River!  After donning wet suits and taking a short boat ride, they entered the water and swam with the gentle giants for a couple of hours.  I guess its just as well that I wasn't able to go along - I'm not sure I'd look as good as Mom and Jay did in the wet suit and I sure can't swim all that well!

Being able to swim with the manatees is an awe-inspiring experience.  You enter the water with your wet suit, goggles, snorkel and swim noodle, and wait for the manatees to greet you.  The water is extremely clear, so you can see them as they approach.  Sometimes, they'll swim close and linger for a few minutes, perhaps surfacing for air.  Other times, they'll invite you to rub their back or belly - they seem to enjoy being touched and seek the interaction with people as much as people want to interact with them.  The extent of the encounter is totally dependent on the manatee.  You're a visitor in their domain and need to respect the manatee's comfort with you.  When it was time to return to the dock, a small group of about 6 manatees approached the boat as if to say farewell!

I was able to go along on alot of walks, most of which have resulted in new bird sightings.  Jay has identified about 100 different kinds of birds so far, and the number increases almost every day.  Mom is trying to learn them, but has a long ways to go till she remembers them all! 

Rainbow Springs is another beautiful Florida state park.  If there is a return trip to Florida, they'll need to be sure to get some reservations made in advance so they can take advantage of stayhing at more of the the facilities! 

I enjoy being out in the upland settings with moss draped trees and along the bayous and sloughs where we often find alligators and turtles.  I keep my distance from the alligators, though.   I just don't like the looks of them - they pretend to be sleeping but I'll bet they can be pretty darn quick!

Apalachicola/Carrabelle - Feb 9 - 12

I keep hoping that we slow down one of these days - I'm having a dog-gone good time but I'm dog tired at the end of the day!  We seem to have lots to do, no matter what the day brings!

We spent one night on St George Island at the state park.  Wish we had been able to get more than a night's reservation but one night was better than none!  (Florida state parks are beautiful!!!)  It's located on one of the barrier islands that form Apalachicola Bay and St George Sound.  It's relatively undeveloped (kinda reminds me of the way the Outer Banks looked before the commercial development got out there) with some homes and a very small town to provide some necessities for residents.  The sand dunes are beautiful!

I wasn't allowed to go fishing (again!) but I did get to taste a little bit of the whiting that Mom caught.  By the way, have you noticed that Mom is catching all the fish?  (that could be because Jay is having to keep the hook baited, and take the fish off the line as she catches them!!!!

We spent the next two nights near Carrabelle.  We got to go walking on the beach and enjoy the morning sun as Mom and Jay had a cup of coffee.  We did enjoy seeing the Bald Eagles soaring along the shore and even got to get up close and personal with one as it perched in a tree right above our walk path. 

 

The campground in Carabelle had a nice fishing pier that I was allowed to go out on. I got to watch Mom catch a fish (again!) Well... it was a small shark that had to be thrown back (again).   Sure would be nice if they would catch and KEEP and EAT more of what got caught!!!

 The seafood in the area is really good. Apalachicola oysters are great on the half shell with cocktail sauce, broiled with cajun seasoning and cheese, or made into stew... Yum. And the blue crabs were pretty tasty, too - altho I wasn't too sure about getting too close to them before they hit the stock pot to simmer!!!

I like the crabs better after they've boiled for a few minutes!

Panama City, Florida - February 1 - 9

We've been staying at Tyndall Air Force Base for the past week - just a little ways down the beach from Destin, FL.  The weather has been sunny and warm every day we've been here so there have been lots of walks (yay!), lots of golf, and visits to friends.  I'm not allowed on the beach here so I haven't gotten to lie on the sand and work on my tan, but Mom has.  She keeps saying she doesn't like her tan lines.... 

They've had some nice visits with friends - Jay has several friends who live in the area and was able to spend some time on the golf course, have dinner, and attend a Super Bowl party with them.  I was left home.... of course....  but it seems as tho a very nice time was had by all. 

 

The golf courses down here are beautiful - lined with palm trees, and live oak adorned with Spanish moss. There has been alot of wildlife to look at on the fairways - racoons, deer, turkey.... But the courses do present an unusual set of challenges.

There are warning signs near every water hazard - Beware! Be wary of alligators and rattlesnakes. And sure enough, on the 7th hole, they ran into an alligator each time they went out there. The first time, the ball was far enough away for Jay to take a swing and get it out of there. The second time.... well, look for yourself and decide what you would do! 

Do you take a one stroke or two stroke penalty for moving the ball!

 Fishing in the area has been great.... catching fish, on the other hand, has not been quite as good. They did some more surf fishing on a nite with a beautiful sunset and moonrise. Mom caught a really nice red fish - 30" long. Just one problem - they have to be UNDER 27" to keep them! 

One afternoon, they went fishing with Ernie and Sherry Rozelle. Again no fish - but it was a nice afternoon with friends!