1/17/11 (Monday):  It's a rainy day here in Florida--perfect blogging weather!  Here's a picture from Saturday morning (which was a nice, sunny day) at Canaveral National Seashore.  I took a little walk on the beach before I went in for my volunteer stint and found this ghost crab hunting for breakfast.

This guy (a little blue heron?) was also looking for breakfast.











My son in New Zealand is negotiating to buy the house they're now renting.  Fingers crossed that they get it.  It would be a shame if they have to move again so soon after moving half way around the world less than a year ago!  It's a very nice house and they like the schools the boys are in.  They're planning a trip back to the U.S. in (hopefully) April or July.  Thank goodness for email, Facebook and Skype--I haven't seen them for almost a year now!

We'll be in Michigan in April for Wiley's surgery and a visit with my older son, Tom, and his family.  I haven't seen them for 6 months, either.  The girls are growing up fast.  It'll be nice to spend some time up there.  We're taking the little camper and will stay for a couple of months.

We spent yesterday in Winter Park, celebrating Wiley's father's 80th birthday.  Wiley, Wally, Cathy and the lovebirds, Mag and Wiley Senior, are gathered in front of the fireplace in this picture.  We had a wonderful lasagna and salad from their favorite local Italian restaurant and then helped them clean out the attic so some work can be done on the ducts and insulation.  A good time was had by all.

1-11-11 (Tuesday):  It's been a LONG time, and I apologize.  I guess I've been busy living the adventure instead of blogging about it.  Let's get up-to-date!

We enjoyed Christmas in Florida.   The weather was nice and we had a couple of really nice gatherings at the campground.  We went to Winter Park for our regular gathering with Wiley's family on Christmas Eve.

Lily thinks this Christmas gift from my sister-in-law was hers!  It's a bird feeder with a one-way mirror.  She and this yellow-throated warbler spend a lot of time admiring one another!

 

 We spend lots of time with friends here in New Smyrna Beach, too.  Frank and Nancy joined us at one of our favorite hangouts in Oak Hill, Goodrich's Restaurant.  Great seafood and a spectacular view of the Intercoastal Waterway.

 December is autumn here in Central Florida, and the color has been very pretty this year.  This hickory tree is in the parking lot of Wiley's neurologist's office.

Another fun trip was a visit (again with Nancy and Frank) to Sugar Mill Botanic Gardens in Port Orange, just north of the campground.








In addition to some beautiful old live oak trees, there are the ruins of an old (1800's) sugar mill and a 1950's tourist attraction featuring some pretty sad looking dinosaurs.









Due to several recent freezes, there wasn't much in bloom. We'll have to go back in Spring (which is often late February or early March in this part of the world).










Today, Wiley and I went exploring.  We wound up in DeBary, where we discovered Gemini Springs.  This is a gorgeous Volusia County park--totally free! The springs are breathtaking.  Two very small springheads spill out of the ground to make a respectable spring run.  The water is very clear.  We could see fish swimming and there were lots of birds.  We'll have to go back with our kayaks!

The water was such a gorgeous color--and the reflections were magical!

I'm not sure what kind of snake this is--it was in the water with just its head showing.









This great blue heron is fishing under a bottle brush bush.

Also in DeBary is DeBary Hall, where I took a very informative tour.  We also watched a neat historical movie--the movie screen was curved and our seats moved!  Here's a link to some information about the area:   DeBary Hall

I could definitely live like these folks!










That's all for now.  If you'd like to follow our fun times on a more frequent basis, I'm on Facebook just about daily.