Winter in Texas!!

Hey Everyone!!

I'm just writing a quick note to say hello.....

Not much has been going on here due to the weather. First we were having tornados and flash floods, now ice & sleet!! We got a major blast of ice last night with another one due in tonight.

My friend Bud (from San Antonio) and others have said they haven't seen any thing like this for over 7 years. Things pretty much shut down here with this weather- as they don't have the equipment to handle this winterly weather. So...I'm waiting for the roads to clear and the weather to improve before I go out for another adventure. I will keep you updated.

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #60:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Pictures #1 & #2 of road way around town.# 3-#5 are of LeeAnns house and neighbors. You can still see ice on roof of my car in #3 &#5.

Tags: TEXAS

WHOOPS !!! Made a wrong turn! LOL 1/10/07

Hey there....

On Wednesday the 10th, I headed out for Huntsville about 9:30 a.m. I was driving along enjoying the country side, stopping to check out an unique feature that Texas has on their roadways...Historic Markers located every where through out the area. They mark spots where historic events took place. If I stopped at everyone to read though- I'd never get anywhere!! There are hundreds of them!!! LOL

I had been driving for over 2 hours and couldn't figure out why I hadn't seen any signs for Interstate 35! So I stopped at a McDonalds to use bathroom and grab a bite to eat. There was a mail woman in line a head of me. I asked her if she knew how far away the I-35 was??? She looked at me with a puzzled look and stated that she never heard of I-35!! LOL Well, I knew I was in trouble then!!! So when I got back out to the car, I looked at the map again. Sure enough I had gone the wrong way (West when I should have gone East) !!! LOL I was about 100 miles in the wrong direction! Well I knew there was no Huntsville in the days plans now, so I looked for a new destination! I looked in my handy visitors guide and found Menard. And off I went to find my new target! LOL

Menard used to be a trading post. "Now it's known for sheep & wool production, followed by beef cattle & Angora goats." It is known for the Ditch Walk. The Ditch was dug around the town back in 1756 by the Spanish. It was for irrigation for the Spanish Mission located there. There is still remnants of the old town stores from earlier times (not real sure but looked like late 1940's to mid 1950's- if I was to venture a guess).

Well that is it for now. Haven't been out much, due to the weather. It's been very rainy, cold, and windy. Flash flood & ice storm warnings all over the place!There was also another tornado down here Friday!!! That made 9 tornados since I've been here!! It's been real crazy weather wise here- much like the rest of the country. Many people down here say this weather has been very unusual lately. Enjoy the pictures I took. They are as follows: #1-#6 local terrain- a lot of open spaces- mostly ranches; #7-#11 small town called San Saba; #12- #18 another small town called Rochelle; #19 - 29 the town of Menard; #30-#33 more pictures of the local terrain.

Take care everyone and have a wonderful night!! Sweet Dreams- Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #59:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Tags: TEXAS

Texas 12/29/06 (Fri);1/3/07 (Wed);1/5/07(Fri);1/6/07(Sat)

Howdy Ya'll,

LOL- Texas welcomed me in it's "BIG" style way!!!! LOL

On Friday the 29th, 8 tornados landed in Texas- all around where I was. One landed just 5 mins away!! My friend Bud (from San Antonio) had told me to stay away from the tornados....I laughed and said I'm not looking for them- they came to me!!! LOL He then asked why I would go to tornado alley???? I told him that if someone had told me it was tornado alley I might have chosen a different area to stay in!!! LOL I was just very glad I wasn't in my tent!!! The wind, rain, thunder & lightening were wild!! I took some pictures of the stormy sky. (see #1- #7)

On Wednesday 1/3/07 - I went out for my first adventure. I went to the town of Belton and Temple. In Belton I saw the local dam. They did a unique thing with this dam. They painted the walls of the dam like a big mural. The pictures on the wall depict things about the local area, as you can see from the pictures I took (see #8 - #19) . I then went to Temple which is the next town over. I went to the Miller Springs Natural Park. This park offers camping, picnic, and hiking. The terrain is very tough going, but for people like me there was an "easy" trail!!! LOL There was a wooden walkway that I followed. Each board had the name of a person or group carved into them-- much like what they do with bricks on walkways. (it shows who donated money to help build walkway) I saw two buzzards/vultures while I was there. They were huge!! They are kept well fed with the road kill along the highways. Unfortunately, many deer are hit and killed out here. Speed limits of 70mph and deer don't mix well!

On Friday 1/5/07 - I went out a bit further- about 200 miles out! I went out to Glen Rose. This is about 3/4's of the way upto Fort Worth area, off Interstate 35. I first went to the Fossil Rock Exotic Wildlife Park. This is a open range park, where exotic animals roam. You can either drive your car through the 10 mile park or sign up for a guided tour. I chose to drive myself. There were over 45 different kinds of animals here. It only cost $15.00 entrance fee (for off peak season). You can also purchase a bag of grain feed for the animals. When you 1st enter thru the gate you cross a cattle gate. For those who don't know what this is- it is a bunch of pipes laid close together on the ground- keeps animals from leaving an open gate. Well when you drive over them it makes a racket!! Now these smart critters are too funny....once they hear this noise they start moving towards the road way. One of the group will stand in the middle of the road- just to make sure you stop!!! LOL You throw the grain out to them. Some try to get into the car with you!! LOL (as you'll see in the pictures #20- #60) If you try to leave before they feel like you've fed them enough- they step back out in front of the car!! LOL This was a totally awesome experience!!!!! About half way through the park you find yourself at a gift store & restaurant. I stopped here and got a bite to eat- then I continued on my way. This is a definite must do - if you are in the area and like animals!! I then traveled about 10 mins from this park to the Dinosaur Valley State Park. Now this was also an interesting place! It has camping, hiking, picnic, camp store like most parks. What makes this park unique is you can see dinosaur tracks here. Inside the rangers station there is a room that has many visual aids/displays that show you what you'll find in the park (footprints) and who made them and how, plus much more information. I followed the map and found several tracks. The only problem is most of them are under water in the river bed of the Paluxy River. The water level was kind of high. I met a couple there. The gentleman was saying that he had been there once when the river bed was dry. He said you could really see all of the tracks then!! But like I said- I did see some and I took pictures (see #61- #75) - I hope that you'll be able to make them out too! This too is a must see!!!

On Saturday 1/6/07, LeeAnn, Jack & I went to Topsey. This is about a 30 min drive from Killeen. We went to see some more animals. We went to theTopsey Exotic Ranch & Drive Thru Safari. This is a much smaller park than the one in Glen Rose. But we had a lot of fun anyways. (pictures #76 - #124 ) I hope you enjoy all the pictures from my Texas travels so far.... there will be more!!!

So I'm off for now...take care of yourselves- Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #58:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Tags: TEXAS

12/27/06 Leaving New Orleans- going to Texas

Hello Everyone,

I left New Orleans at 11:30am. It was nice to visit, but over all I haven't been very impressed with Louisiana. I took Interstate 10 all the way across Louisiana. I stopped at the rest area in Atchafalaga Basin (bayou country). This rest area was unique. It had many displays about the area- even an animated one!! I then stopped at exit 115-Henderson to get some lunch. I ate at Kyle's Cajun Cooking. The food was good & spicy!! LOL After getting some gas...I was off again.

I hit the state line around 4:30pm. I got a lot of info from the visitors center...and decided to stay in this rest area until the sun had set- as it was in my eyes driving! Not knowing exactly where I was going (trying to read road signs) and the crazy driving of the Good Ole Boys down here- I thought it would be best to wait a bit!! LOL I emailed all my Texas friends to let them know I was in the state. Then around 6:30pm I headed back on the road. I was heading to Killeen, Texas. This is where Bab's son Tommy and his wife LeeAnn live. They invited me to come by for a visit. They are both stationed at Fort Hood. Tommy is in Iraq at the moment. LeeAnn is waiting clearance before she is to head over.

I had intended to drive until around 9pm find a rest area for the night- and then finish my trip to Killeen, but alas things didn't quite go that way for me!!! LOL

Basically it was because Texas doesn't believe in Rest Areas!!! There was not one rest area after I left the visitors center!!! There were picnic areas, but these had no lighting or facilities!!! There was NO WAY that I was going to stay in a unfamiliar area with no lights at all!!! LOL

So I ended up arriving in Killeen at 12 midnight. Not having LeeAnns full address and not wanting to wake her so late at night...I found a well lit parking lot of a movie theater and got some rest. I hoped no police would come and ask me to leave!!!

I was there until 4am (Texas time) 5am (EST) when I knew Babs would be up getting ready for work. I called her and got the address. I got directions from the computer...and I head to LeeAnns. I was able to reach LeeAnn around 7:30am- only to find out I had been sitting outside the wrong house for 2 hrs!!!! Babs had given me their old address by mistake! LOL LeeAnn was able to guide me to their new house just over about 1 block from the old one. I brought some things in- took a shower- and went to bed with Jack !! LOL- LeeAnn had to be back on base by 9am anyways, so their dog Jack and I took a little nap! The rest of the day was just sitting around chatting, and watching movies.

Well I did it!!!!!!!! I'm caught up to current location. I'm going to get off now for a while- my back is starting to kick up again. I'll be back tomorrow with my adventures so far in Texas!! So until then....Have a good night and Sweet Dreams- Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #57:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Tags: LOUISIANA & TEXAS

Tags:

12/26/06 Heading to Louisiana

Hello Everyone,

It was cold and very cloudy on Tuesday morning. Left Mississippi around 9am. Stopped in Meridian, MS....I was looking for carousel horses!!! LOL Do you remember the Cows from Boston and the Whales from Cape Cod, and the Clowns for Sarasota??? Well Meridian has Carousel Horses. I arrived in Meridian around 1pm, and started looking for the horses! I found quite a few, but not all of them. I love carousel horses!! So this was very fun for me that day. After about a hour of looking for horses, I was back on my way to New Orleans.

I stopped at visitors center after crossing the state line. I also took the time to find a place to stay. I booked my hotel online. I was going to stay at the Ambassador Hotel in downtown New Orleans! (got a great deal online)

I arrived at the hotel around 5:30pm Things were really bustling downtown. You could still see the damage left by Katrina. Many boarded up buildings- some had been burned out, some water damaged. I saw "THE" Bourbon St. LOL

The hotel was very nice. It was originally an old warehouse/factory. So there were a lot of unique features- like wooden floors, and large windows...and many more!!!

Was looking forward to a good nights sleep in a bed- My back was killing since I had spent two days in a tent!!!

Well off for now- bbfn- Take Care- Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #56:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Tags: MISSISSIPPI & LOUISIANA

12/23/06 Saturday- heading to Mississippi

Pictures: 1-7rest area; 8-15 Tombigbee State Park; 16-28 Evlis's childhood home

Hi Everyone,

It was cold and raining when I left Alabama. After driving for a few hours I arrived at the Mississippi state line. The sun was out and it was a bit warmer. The rest area I stopped at the so nice. I had never seen a rest area like this so I took pictures of it. It was very home-like looking! I got a lot of info about places to see here. Then I was back on the road heading towards Tupelo - this is where Elvis grew up.

I arrived at the Tombigbee State Park located just outside of Tupelo. In a town called Plantersville. It was around 4pm. I first went to the tent sites. It was very isolated and far from bath houses & there were no other tenters out here and there also was no electric hook ups, so I went back to the office to see if I could camp where the RV's were. At least there the bath house was right there and there were water & electric hook ups...and a few RV's. It ended up not being a problem just cost a bit more- but not much. There were two sites that didn't have sewerage hook ups and seeing I didn't need that anyways (LOL) I took one of those sites- it was cheaper than regular RV sites.

I got set up and took a ride to Walmart to get some food items- as I was going to spend the next 3 days here. I got back and had dinner, made a nice campfire and went online to chat with everyone.

The next day was Sunday. The weather was going to be turning bad here too. A large weather front was causing all kinds of problems in the south. I decided to take a trip into Tupelo to check things out. It was still a fairly small town, much to my surprise. I found the house that Elvis grew up in. They have a small museum there too. The wall near fountain has plaques with quoted memories from childhood friends and family about Elvis. Near the house is a statue that was made in Elvis's honor. It is suppose to reflect what he looked like as a young teen. There was also a walkway around the house. Each block of the walkway had a bronze plaque in it of a year. Each block represented a year in the life of Elvis from the time he was born until he left with his family to Memphis,Tennesse.

I drove around for a bit then head back to campsite. Made some dinner and another cozy fire!! The next day was Christmas...I was going to run up to Memphis for the day and check out Graceland. But plans changed....while online I found out the weather was going to get much worse. They were now predicting a lot of rain changing into snow!!! Not a lot of snow by homes standards (1-2 inches), but not being familiar with the way they handle snow down here.....I decided to stay put on the 25th. It wasn't worth the risk of having an accident. I found out later speaking with the Park Ranger that it was probably a good idea not to travel as they don't plow or sand down there. They basically just stay home!! LOL It started raining around 7pm so I headed for my tent. I had visitors around 8pm that night- it was dark and raining and I could hear two women saying hello...hello in the tent! LOL So I opened up the tent a bit and there were two women standing there. They had stated that they lived nearby and were friends with the man, two RV's down from me. He was worried about me being all right- being alone and he wanted to make sure it didn't need food or anything else. I thanked them and reassured them that I was fine, and that I was warm enough and had food!! They were satisfied, but said if I needed anything to go see their friend and he's get in touch with them. I thanked them again, and they went back to report their findings LOL.

The next day the 25th was miserable!!! It poured!! I was stuck in my little tent all day! LOL I went online, and watched a dvd I had with me. I also took naps, but was basically very bored! I also wasn't looking forward to packing up the next morning- having a wet tent! It rained hard most of the night. Around 11pm I noticed the rain had stopped I went up to bath house while the getting was good!! LOL I wasn't sure when the snow was coming, but it sure was cold enough for snow!!! The winds were wild that night. I didn't sleep much- waiting for one of the trees to fall over it was so windy!! (I found out the next day they had a tornado in Florida from the same storm I had)

Well when I got up the next morning I was dreading looking out my tent!! LOL But much to my surprise the rain had stopped and there was NO SNOW. It was still very cold though...but the very best thing was all the wind we had during the night had thoroughly dried my tent off!!! What a blessing!! So I wasted no time, even before I got dressed I packed up everything...for fear if I took the time to shower first the rains or snow would come and I'd have a mess to deal with! So after packing up I got cleaned up and off I was again- this time heading more south!!! I was off to Louisiana.

Take Care- will be in touch soon!!- Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #55:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Tags: MISSISSIPPI

12/21/06 Thursday- packing up & heading to Alabama

Hi again,

Thursday morning arrived....time to pack up and head to Alabama.  There was rain coming and I didn't want to pack up a wet tent!! LOL

I saw Valerie & Lionel again that morning.  To their surprise they had a visitor- two little green tree frogs!! LOL  I told them I had had one the day before.  That they were using the boxes to get warm (as the boxes had night lights in them).

We exchanged our info...took some pictures and said goodbye.   I'm sure I'll meet up with them again along the way.

I was on the road by 10am.... I didn't get very far before the rains came.  And I'm talking monsoon type rains!!!  It rain all day and into the night.  I didn't want to stop at the camp grounds I had planned to visit- because I didn't want to set up in the rain.  So I kept driving until about 8pm and I found a rest area to nap in.  I went online for a bit first, then settled in for a nap.  I slept about 4 hrs and decided to get back to driving.  I arrived just outside of Birmingham around 7am.

I was very tired and anxious to get some sleep.  I went online and made reservations at a Motel 6 in Bessenger, AL.  I then found the motel- but knew it was too early to check in, so I went to get gas.  Well that is where my day started going down hill fast!!!  The guy at pumps across from me said: "Hey you got a flat"  Sure enough I looked and the back passenger tire was flat!!  So I finished getting gas and slowly pulled the car over to the air pump.  It filled up- but I had a feeling it wasn't going to be for long!  I found out that there was a Walmart 5 mins away, so that is where I headed.  By the time I got there and had someone from auto come out to my car- it was flat again!!

So needless to say I ended up at Walmart for 2hrs waiting around for them to get to my car and put two new tires on the back for me!!!(the other one was ready to go too-so I had it replace also)

Now I was really tired!!! But it was still too early to check in...so I went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast.  The food was all right but I wasn't overly impressed.  And it was like a zoo in there!!!! People running crazy eating, buying last minute Christmas gifts...LOL it was like a mad house!!

At 11am now totally exhausted I went to the motel hoping that by some miracle I could get a room before the 1pm check in time.  Well the clerk took mercy on me and found me a room!! Thank God!!

By 12pm (noon) I was unpacked, showered and in the bed!!! LOL

I slept until about 5pm.  Found a local Chinese food place, and got some dinner.  It had started to rain again...and was going to rain next couple of days!!! :0(

So I went back to bed so I could get up early to start off again.  I decided to head to Mississippi now.  I didn't get to see much of Alabama I'm afraid, between the weather and spending so much time & money on car.  I'll come back later and check it out again.  Hopefully next time things will go better!

Well off the get the Mississippi pictures ready- Bye for now-Donna

A special note about the trip so far....I have really enjoyed my time on the road so far.  But I want to take a moment to say a special thanks to everyone in Florida.  You made my stay very memorable!!  To my family: Danny& Judy, Mia & Bob (and kids), and Michael & Denise...THANK-YOU !!  I love you all and will being thinking about you often as I make my way across the country!

And to my spiritual family Sue & Warren and all the members of the Bee Ridge Congregation that made me feel right at home- Thank you very much!!!

TO EVERYONE IN FLORIDA: May Jehovah's blessing be with all of you....THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Tags: FLORIDA & ALABAMA

12/20/06 Wednesday

Hello,

My day started with a surprise visitor!!! I went to turn the power back on in the fuse box/ outlet and there was this tiny green tree frog! He was so cute!!

Later in that morning I went for a stroll to the ocean- about a 10 min walk from camp site. I passed two small ponds on the way. Both had alligator warning signs, and guess what!!! I saw a 4' alligator basking in the sun on a little island in the middle of the 2nd pond. I made a mental note at this point! --"at night ALWAYS leave tent with flashlight"---just in case any gators came by for a visit during the night!!

The beach was beautiful- with white sand and lots of shells. There were nice bath houses and covered picnic areas- for visitors too. After strolling around for a couple of hours I headed back.

I then took the car and went to check out the local area and had a late lunch at a Mexican restaurant.

Around supper time a young couple pulled into camp site behind mine. They were very nice- Valerie & Lionel from France. They were over here in the US going cross country too!! They were traveling in a jeep type truck. On top was a (what I called Mac Box) large box type container. To my surprise this opened up into a tent that stayed on top of the vehicle!!! They even had a ladder to use to get up into it! This was very neat to see!!!! They had asked me if I had been to France? I said no I hadn't- and they looked confused! LOL So I asked why they thought I had....They said cause of my tent. I guess the guy who designed it was from France- and they didn't realize the tents were being sold over here! We talked for a bit then settled into our sites for the night.

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #54:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880
Tags: FLORIDA

12/19/06 Tuesday going to St. Georges Island

Hi Everyone,

I left New Port Richey around 9am....I was off to St. Georges Island. I made a side trip to Cedar Key. Michael had said that this was the where the #2 pencil was made. Well I saw no signs of that but I did find out this Key is famous for their clam beds. The Key itself looked much like the other ones with tourist places, restaurants, and homes on stilts! LOL I did see the clam flats as the tide was out while I was there.

I then was back on track to my destination. I arrived around 4pm to St. Georges Island. I got registered and setup by 5:30pm. This area reminds me of the Outer Banks area. There are high dunes leading to the beaches. The camp sites were perfect. There were quite a few people here. Most of them were in RV's but there were some tents too.

Ok off to get things together- I'll be right back-Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #53:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Tags: FLORIDA

12/18/06 Heading North Again

Hello,

On Monday the 18th, I said good bye to Sue and Warren and headed up north. I was going back to the Hudson area to do battle with Best Buy (because of my computer), and to see my cousins Mia & Michael- one more time.

I went to Best Buy- the problem I had with computer crashing was due to the memory they had put in for me. After a couple of "discussions" and some words of persuasion (lol) they finally got my computer straightened out. I then called Mia. She and her husband Bob wanted me to stop by, but they were still tied up with their daughter, so Mia suggested I call Michael as he too wanted to see me- before I headed out of Florida.

I went over to see Michael & Denise. They had a going away care package for me!! LOL- (Thank you again Michael & Denise!!!) After talking for a bit they both insisted I come back to their house for the night as the trip to St.Georges Island was too far to go that late in the day. They said I wouldn't get up there until after 10pm- which really was too late.

I was then finding myself looking for something to do, while waiting for Mia & Bob. So I decided to visit a quaint Greek fishing/sponge dock village I had seen on Alt Rt.19.

I visited many of the shops, and had lunch at a lovely restaurant called Theo's Restaurant- 210 Dode Canese Blvd., Tarpon Springs, FLA.

The food here was great!! I had Spanakopita & Pastitsio- both were very yummy! The place was very clean and the staff was friendly. I took some pictures of the place (see above). The guy with chef's hat on - is the owner! Like I said they all were friendly. If you get the chance to stop in the area- go get some good food- at a good price!! LOL

I then headed over to Mia & Bob's. I stayed for a while and had dinner with them. They too had a care package for me!! (Thank you again Mia & Bob!!!)

Ahhhh to be loved !!! LOL We had a great time looking at old pictures, and chatting. They also gave me some places to see in CA,WA, and Vancouver, Canada.....

Then I went back to see Michael and Denise. We watched a movie and then off to bed- Had to be up early to start traveling again.

Take Care- I'm off to get more pictures....Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #52:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Tags: FLORIDA

Saturday Dec 16th- Busch Gardens- Tampa

Hi Ya'll....

On Saturday Dec 16th, Sue & I were on the move again!!! This time up to Tampa, to Busch Gardens. I wasn't originally going to go here, because of being disappointed with the Busch Gardens in Williamsburg,VA. But I am glad I changed my mind, this one was GREAT!!! It has an African theme through out the park. It had all the rides and roller coaster like the other one. It also had my beloved Clydesdales and shows, but more important to me was the wildlife this park had!!! It was awesome. There were all kinds of animals to see.....alligators, hippos, apes, gorillas, birds, llamas, antelope and many, many more. I took over 400 pictures here that day!! I narrowed the selection down to 180 - for you to wade through !! LOL Sorry I couldn't make it any smaller- there were so many neat things to see!!! LOL

I made sure I got pictures of the coasters for my crazy family and friends who like to live on the edge! Sue and I were there from 10am - 5pm. We did a lot of walking....but it was worth it. The play was great as was the bird show we saw. We had a great lunch with a free beer!! LOL It was a sunny day, but with a nice breeze so that it wasn't too hot. There was one brief shower but we were in watching the play, so it didn't affect us.

Well I'm off for now. Need to eat dinner and get ready for my meeting. I'll be back tomorrow with more about my stay in Florida....until then Take Care- Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #51:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Tags: FLORIDA

Wed. 12/13/06 Myakka State Park

Hi Everybody...I'm back LOL

Well on Wednesday the 13th, Sue and I were off again. This time we headed to Myakka State Park. The place to go, to see alligators!! It was a murky, humid day. This state park has it all too. The walking trails, camping, boating, fishing, campstore/ restaurant, and the air boat tours.

We checked out the campstore then waited to go on the air boat tour. It started to rain but it really didn't matter much as the air boats they use for tours were ( for the most part) enclosed. We had a great guide. He told us all about the origin of the pond and about the wildlife in the area. We saw several alligators, but they proved to be as illusive as the dolphins were!!! When we landed back at the dock... there was an alligator floating near the other air boat- that is picture # 7. Then Sue and I took a short drive to a bird viewing spot our guide had mentioned. It's a nice area to see the birds up close and in their natural settings. It started to rain a bit harder and Sue had to go to work, so we made our way back out to the front gate. As we crossed over this small bridge Sue noticed a pink bird so we turned around to get a better view and hoped to be able to get a picture of it. Well when we turned around the bird was gone but it wasn't a waste of time!!!! Because all around us on both sides of the bridge were alligators- just hanging around!! I got some real good shots of them. I laughed and said to Sue, figures go on tour and just catch glimpses of them and go to drive out and find lots of them!! I was also thinking how much they looked like tire treads floating in the water. LOL You know when you are driving down the highway and you see the 18-wheelers tire treads--- LOL well that is exactly what these guys looked like! Needless to say after that day while I was still in alligator territory and I was driving down the road- I ALWAYS LOOKED TWICE to make sure it really was tire treads and not an alligator trying to cross the road!!! LOL

Ok I'm off again to get some more pictures...I hope you all are enjoying these as much as I had taking them!! - Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #50:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880
Tags:FLORIDA

12/12/06 Oscar Scherer State Park

Hey everyone.....

On Dec 12th, Sue and I visited Oscar Scherer State Park. It was just up the street from Sue's house.

It was a nice park with many walking trails, swimming, boating, camping etc. It struck me kind of funny at the the pond though....here they had this nice clean- inviting pond with a sign right at the waters edge that said: "CAUTION- watch for alligators while swimming" LOL

You tell me who in their right mind is going to go into the water with alligators???? And to watch for them- DUH- they are the kings of stealth LOL you can't see them until they've got you!!! I say no thank you- I'll stay out of those waters !!!

Sue and I took a short walk down one of the paths and saw some birds, the we came across two turtles making their way across the path. Now I was always under the impression that turtles were slow moving....well someone forgot to tell these two that!!! LOL They were moving right along at a good clip!! They paused for a moment to make sure we weren't going to try and eat them!!!!

The last couple of pictures are of Sue & Warren's home there in Sarasota.

Well I'm off to go get some more pictures ready- So until later- Take Care- Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #49:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880
Tags: FLORIDA

Rest & Gardens 12/8/06 - 12/11/06

Hi everybody,

Not much happened Dec 8th - 10th as I wasn't feeling well and took the time to rest up. I had a real bad cold type thing going on. LOL

On Monday the 11th, Sue & I went to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, located on S.Palm Ave, Sarasota.

These gardens were preserved by Marie Selby. It is located in downtown Sarasota on the waterfront. (We had passed these gardens when we did The LeBarge harbor tour) There are over 30,000 exotic plants here. It is a research and education center too. It was interesting to see the different plants, but kind of disappointing because many were not in bloom. Also disappointing was the Selby House. You could go inside on the 1st floor only, and there was no one there to explain about the house or Marie Selby.

It didn't take long at all to go through the whole thing- less an 1hour. But alas the day wasn't a total waste !! LOL

Sue took me to a neat restaurant called Cheeburger Cheeburger. It was a hamburger place that was set to a 50's theme. They had many items other than burgers and the food was very good- and reasonably priced. So if you ever get the chance to eat there I'm sure you'll enjoy it!!

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #48:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Tags: FLORIDA