We wish you joy, love and peace in this Season of Light. While our friends in Denver, our home base, are enjoying a white Christmas, our snow here in Bradenton, Florida, comes in the form of vinyl snowmen. We’re happy to trade off snow for warm temperatures! Today is gray, with misty rain, and 72 [...]
Entries from December 2009
December 23, 2009
Sonya Romps in Sarasota, Florida, Parks
Today was Sonya’s day! We’re in Bradenton, on the Gulf Coast of Florida, through the holidays. Earlier this week we visited our favorite place, Ana Maria Island, and were disappointed to find out that Manatee County beaches are not dog friendly. It was beginning to look like a grim two weeks for Sonya until David [...]
December 22, 2009
Manatees seek refuge at Blue Spring State Park
Manatees cast a spell over me,and I’m not sure why. At Blue Spring State Park’s manatee refuge, I couldn’t get enough of them. Manatees aren’t beautiful. These marine mammals are gray, snout-nosed, and torpedo-shaped with front flippers and a rounded flat tail. They aren’t remarkably large or small. They can grow to 10 feet in [...]
December 17, 2009
Dog Meets Donkeys
Every RV site brings exciting adventures for our dog Sonya in the form of new critters. Today, the strange creatures were donkeys. Sonya freaked out when one of them brayed at her in full volume. She wasn’t sure what to make of them. Were they giant dogs? Birds? She did what came naturally to her. [...]
December 15, 2009
Jacksonville Zoo Babies Grab Our Hearts
Three baby animals – a bonobo, giraffe and jaguar — lured us to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. It’s hard for us – especially David — to resist the cuteness of little creatures. And after seeing an intriguing PBS program about bonobos (a species of chimpanzee), we were especially eager to go. The zoo’s most [...]
December 14, 2009
Christmas In Snowless Florida
The dazzling Christmas display this yard in Orange City, Florida, was so bright that we just had to turn down the street to see it. This photo only captures its essence. (The yard decorations extend far beyond the frame of this picture.) Even after looking at the display for 10 minutes, I’m sure I missed [...]
December 4, 2009
RV Site Report: Flamingo Lake RV Resort, Jacksonville, Florida
[See Personal Comments at end of this report.] With a freshwater lake as its focal point, the Flamingo Lake RV Resort offers a restful, natural setting for both destination RVers and for those traveling through northeastern Florida. Sites range from affordable ones along the resort’s tree-lined perimeter to luxury, lakefront sites with private decks over [...]
December 4, 2009
Light Parade Launches Holiday Season in Jacksonville, Florida
The Jacksonville Light Parade, which kicks off the holiday season here, turned Jacksonville Landing and the entire downtown riverfront into a magical place. I’ve always wanted to see a holiday boat parade and finally got my chance. About 40 minutes before the parade was scheduled to start, David and I got downtown, parked our car [...]
December 3, 2009
Exploring Florida Nature Trails on EcoMotion Segway Tours
Always on the lookout for a novel way to explore, we jumped at the opportunity to “hike” through the maritime forests of northeast Florida on Segways® with EcoMotion Tours. Segways are two-wheeled, battery powered vehicles that you ride standing up. EcoMotion Tours, owned and operated by Maren and Greg Arnett, takes nature enthusiasts through the [...]
