Mt Dora Area

It’s so hard to write when it’s SO cold outside!  When we arrived in our favorite Trimble Park it was shirt-sleeve weather.  The resident hawks were screeching at each other from one side of this peaceful wooded peninsula to the other.  We heard the owl!   The petite little white egrets busied themselves with hunting for lunch and the little blue heron took her time scouring the shallow water by the shoreline for a

tidbit to eat!   The woodpeckers, the little brown birds with their great big songs and even Mr. & Mrs. Cardinal were all there!   Our new neighbors were indeed “NEW”. Gary and Chris hadn’t even had their “new to them” conversion van for more than a month.  H was a great help to them with advice about camping and the workings of their van!

We had heard about the Artic Clipper - the next huge storm that was to cross the nation so we needed to get busy working on our Trimble Park/Mt Dora list!  Downtown Mt Dora and the marina’s Christmas lights - check!  A drive thru the Nature Preserve on the north side of Lake Apopka – check!  I didn’t think we’d see much wildlife since the weather was starting to cool down, but even on a chilly 60-degree day there were at least 10 gators of various sizes trying to keep/get warm in the sunshine.  And when you have

He could have been gator lunch

gators – you have STUPID tourists who insist on aggravating the creatures, trying to get as close as they can for a good picture.  The man in this photo had just disturbed this gator and we thought for a moment there would be trouble.  The gator snapped at him but then turned back and tried to just ignore him.   We know this jerk got too close to another gator also, but thankfully, the rest of the gators were snoozing on the opposite side of the ponds and levees.   A trip thru Magnolia Campground was next - to take “attendance” and to see if the resident peacocks were out and about.  And if you’re going that far around Lake Apopka – then Winter Garden at the southern end is a must.  SPFB!!   The historic downtown had plenty of walkers and folks on bicycles buzzing up and down the center boulevards.  At the end of the Christmas display this year was a grouping of vibrant red poinsettias formed into 2 trees with benches in front for picture taking!  The dancing fountains were still dancing but no little ones jumping thru them!  Way too cold!

The forecasted storm was getting closer and the weather was starting to turn. H made the decision that we should go on a day trip anyway and we ended up in Crystal River - on the gulf side of the state. We’d been to Homosassa State Park and had camped in that area but had not really investigated “Crystal River”.  We found the Archaeological State Park and watched their free movie but chose not to wander their grounds.  Instead we followed back streets looking for the  “ park where you can swim with the manatees” – we found out that there are 7 springs that are out in the different basins of the river and that you need to take tour boats out to see and swim with the manatees.  We didn’t see manatees from the shore but there was a pod of dolphins jumping and splashing!  For us – it counted!   To get back home we had to drive thru the towns of Leesburg and Tavares on the opposite side of the cluster of lakes by Mt Dora.  The sun had set when we came thru downtown Tavares and their streets were lit up with the glow of their Christmas lights!  H drove thru town twice for me but it was cold and my hands were shaking with the window down so my pictures are blurry.  The streets are lined with stately palms and they were wrapped with white lights and topped with red at the top where the fronds are!  A circular government building was crisscrossed in red and white lights to make it look like a giant toy drum!  The traffic circle was lit up and the American flag was flying proudly!   Of course the waterfront park was also gaily decorated with trees wrapped in white and big colorful ornaments hung from the huge branches.

H has never been to Webster’s Famous HUGE Flea Market so even tho it was cold and raining – on Monday January 1^st we headed cross-country to find the flea market and check off one more ‘to do” from the “list”.  I think it was last years blog that I mentioned we made the trek but on the wrong day!  We wisely checked and they were open – no matter that is was the first day of the year or that it was cold and raining.  Less than half the vendor tables were occupied but there was still a plethora of shoppers out looking for a bargain.  H found his and spent all of a $1 to get it.  There were some folks dressed like it was mid winter (us!!) and carrying umbrellas and some silly ones in tees and flip-flops!

Cold rainy day at Webster

Christmas and New Years has come and gone.  The cold has really set in. Grey windy days and the temps are falling. Not like up in Michigan tho!  I emailed our friends up in Soo Sault Marie and asked if they had any degrees.  The reply was that someone had stolen them all and they were in the minus!  Our friends in Gaylord said minus 18 and 91 inches of snow so far this winter.  Not as bad in our own neighborhood but that news didn’t help much.  We’re running out of warm winter clothes!!  Freeze warnings every night.  There was even snow in Tallahassee and Jacksonville!

The weather has now eased and the temps are finally climbing slowly back up the thermometer scale!  Our fingers and toes are toes are thawing!