The resident Muscovy ducks wander thru the grounds each
day. There were 3 that hung out
together. One day, the duck with the
white head and neck showed up with an additional entourage – 7 tiny ducklings –
each pecking their way along obediently behind their mother, their tiny voices
squeaking incessantly! They had to be
brand new since they each still had the little hook on the tip of their bill
that had aided in escaping from their shells.
As the day wore on, the bravery of one grew more than he did! While his siblings stayed close to mom, this
little adventurer wandered farther and farther from the security of the
group. None of them were afraid of
humans! We saw these tiny creatures for
one day and then they were gone. My
heart was sad because it reminded me of the brand new baby sandhill cranes we
used to see at Moss Park. They too were
there one day and gone the next.
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| Start of Tesla in space |
Saturday was sunny and grew hotter as the day grew
longer. B&C were coming the next
day to see the 24TH Lake Worth Street Painting Festival in downtown
Lake Worth. We found the shuttle
parking lot at the nearby Palm County College and climbed aboard the
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| almost completed Tesla in space 3D |
air-conditioned bus for the mile or so ride to the festival area so we could
scope out the restaurants and also check on the emerging art masterpieces. These featured artists came from all over
the United States as far as California and Utah! There were the professional artists, the local ones and even
children got in on creating their own small masterpieces! The festival encompassed an area 5 blocks
long by 3 blocks wide where traffic was barricaded off so pedestrians and
artists could reign supreme for 2 days!
There were bands, other entertainment and food vendors galore! The artwork - all in chalk - was
unbelievable! On Saturday, a lot of
the larger sections of roadway were still in the white chalk outline on large
black squares stage, while some had sections full of bright colors and amazing
details. Even on day one, the professionals had their special viewers set up on
tripods so visitors could see the artistry in 3-D!
There was the tiniest beginning of the Spaceman in the red
Tesla; the main characters in the new movie “Black Panther”, Steve McQueen, Mr.
Rogers, Dorothy from Oz, Elf, Captain America and even a pastel sea
turtle. One started “painting” was just a purple flower and two very green
eyes surrounded by white outlines.
On Sunday, Bud & Carol met us at the college parking lot
and since we knew the crowds would be overwhelming on this second and final day
of the festival, we headed for the professional area first and stood amazed at
how much each chalk art creation had progressed. Strolling from one great painting to another, thankful for a
small breeze and sporadic cooling shade, we tried to take in
each and every
amazing piece of colorful art expression.
Sadly, the festival would come to an end at 6pm and the downtown streets
once again opened to traffic. And then,
what if it rained? All that fantastic
talent washed down the (storm) drain.
And my eye? My final
appointment with doctor #4 was a mixed bag of news. While the previous diagnosis was that the ulcer was healing –
this report was that it was not yet totally healed and should have been. His last effort was to place a thin patch of
placenta over the unhealed wound area and then cover it with a clear contact
lens. It is a clear lens – so – NO – I
do not have one blue and one brown eye!
The first 2 days were uncomfortable but then the vision improved and the
patch and lens could not be felt. My
next appointment is back at Mt Dora at the office of doctor #1 – we’ll see what
he says.
Moving day arrived and we headed north to Titusville and
Manatee Hammock, a Brevard County Campground and Park - right on the Indian
River and directly across from the launch sites at Cape Canaveral. Manatee Hammock used to be a quiet, older
campground but since the last hurricane and the amount of damage it endured,
rules have been tightened and changed. Even tho the storm was last fall, orange
snow fence was still outlining several areas in the park that must have
sustained damage. Anyone caught going over that fence was to be kicked out of
the park. Oops! We arrived at a little after noon but were
not allowed to move onto the empty site because “check in time was at 3pm”. We
walked the park and did not get caught stepping over the orange fence! We
wasted more time at McD’s and then pulled back in and parked on the unkempt,
unmowed corner site.
Tuesday, Lois & Dave drove up from Cocoa Beach and the 4
of us drove to a seafood restaurant that H had wanted to go try. New York New York is a neighborhood place at
the end of a dead-end road and right on the river. The food was good but H could have used a bit more blackening on
his flounder!
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| Port Canaveral |
Wednesday, it was our turn to drive to Port
Canaveral and meet Ron & Nancy for lunch at Rusty’s Seafood Grill. Rusty’s is our fun “go to” place for seafood
because dining is right on the protected dock on the river that is busy with
boats and cruise ship activity. A ride
down and back on A1A thru Cocoa Beach finished up our daytrip. It was time to pack and move again on
Thursday.
