Easter Dogs

I apologize for such a lousy photograph, but it was the best I could do at the time. This was taken in a hospital (we were there for a very minor procedure). For some reason the hospital thought it would be a good idea to bring in some "therapy dogs" for the patients.

A few of the "therapy dog" people got creative and decorated the dogs with Easter trimmings, so you can see the lead dog in the picture has bunny ears attached to its head. What that has to do with Easter is a question for another time.

But the dogs were cute! I thought it was interesting, though, that while most people welcomed the dogs and enjoyed human/dog contact, others were not very happy about it. I suppose they feared introducing more germs than necessary into the hospital environment.

Special note:  I did some additional research on the "Jeep Egg."  I don't think there is any such thing.  That car, it appears, is not a Jeep at all, but a "Smart Car," known as a Smart Car For Two.  It was the sign in the window that threw me.

Jeep Egg

This is a Jeep Egg from Hawaii. Notice the license plate advertises Aloha Motors. I have never seen a Jeep Egg before. I've never seen a Hawaiian car in central Florida before and it begs the question, "How did it get here?"

Old Johnson Sea Horse Outboard Motor

This is an oldie but goodie. It was found in Cross Creek in the barn/garage of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, the famous author of "The Yearling," a novel that received international acclaim way back in the late 1930s (1938). It was made into a movie in 1946 starring Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman (the first wife of Ronnie Reagan).

I don't expect that there are very many of these old motors around anymore and it's doubtful that this one works, but it's an icon of my childhood.  I motored around many lakes in Minnesota in boats powered by Johnson Sea Horse outboard motors.

A few years ago I posted some photos of Ms. Rawling's home, and I intend to post a few more in the days ahead.

A Flutterby

There are bloggers out in the blogosphere who take and publish fantastic butterfly photos. This was my attempt to do the same.  It's pretty sad, I know, but than again I know so little about these overgrown moths, I thought this was a Monarch flutterby. However, I've been informed by someone who does know about such things that no, this is not a Monarch, but some sort of swallow tail.

I shan't argue the point except to note that's a really dumb name.  Does it swallow its tail?  What tail? 

On another note, I'm probably going to be a bit slow at commenting the next few days, but not to worry because I shall be checking out all blogs that do not feature flutterbys.

The Acura TLX

The Acura TLX is a nice car. But it has a big problem. You can just barely get two sets of golf clubs in the trunk!

This is a new one.  It is not mine.  Darn!

HITS (Horses in the Sun) has left the area for another year!

In a paean to this fantastic competition involving hundreds of people, horses, families, kids, other animals, etc., from around the world, we're showing some of the photos that didn't make the first cut.

The final competition was held yesterday, March 25, and the monies and trophies have been handed out.  We are looking forward to next year's competition which will begin in January of 2019.

F.L.P.P. aka Dust Busters

You've probably heard of Ghostbusters or maybe you saw the movie - a 1984 sci-fi fantasy.  Well, these folks don't work with ghosts but other than that, they pretty much do it all - inside and outside of your house. And if someone trashes your place, they'll clean it up. If you trash it, they'll clean it up. They give new meaning to the word, "handyman."

From what I've read, people who have had their home foreclosed on, sometimes trash the property before they leave the property.  Not a good thing, obviously, but F.L.L.P. will clean it up and get it ready for sale.

P.S.  I just made up "Dust Busters."  That's not really part of their name. 

Ocala's Trilogy Resort Model Home Park

Crappie Fishing with Mike Baker

If you've never had a crappie fishing experience, come to central Florida, look up Captain Mike Baker and you'll get the crappiest fishing experience of your life!

If you need more details go to the website mentioned on the side of the truck.

Corn Snake

So far as I can tell, this is a corn snake and is not poisonous. They are quite plentiful in central Florida. This one was hanging around a duck enclosure.

Ay Alisco

Ay Alisco is a Mexican restaurant located in the downtown area of the Village of Spanish Springs in The Villages. We've dined there on numerous occasions and always found it to be a good experience. These photos were taken at noon on a slow day; there were other diners, but they were seated in other parts of the restaurant or in the outside dining area.

"I'm in a little trouble." Kayaking and Paddleboarding at Silver Springs State Park II

Just a few years ago, one of the attractions at Silver Springs was a large area filled with exotic creatures such as alligators, flamingos, Florida panthers, etc.  A boardwalk meandered through the area which also contained rest rooms, small cafes, benches and caged reptiles.  It was a wonderful place to spend an hour or two.

That's all gone now.  In its place is a brand new boardwalk which rises over a small tributary that leads from a kayak/canoe entrance to the Silver River.  The boardwalk continues to circle around the lush Florida landscape for about a quarter of a mile. 

The sign above describes the work of Mr. Ross Allen who spent his life in this area caring for the animals and introducing several generations of visitors to the fauna of central Florida.  Unfortunately, Mr. Allen is gone also, and while the new boardwalk is interesting it would be rare if you saw any species of non-human animals as you walked it.

The above photo shows a few of the folks who have just begun their kayaking/paddleboarding trip.  Some will go under the boardwalk out to the Silver River, and others will turn right and and float down the tributary until they come to another entrance to the Silver River at which point they can continue to the larger river or turn around and head back.

Please note the man in the rear, kneeling on his paddleboard.  We're going to meet him again.

Oh, here he is, paddle in hand, getting ready to make the turn south.  You'd think he was an experienced paddleboarder at this point.

Not too far down the tributary, it widens and persons walking the boardwalk can get some nice photos of the typical central Florida flora.  Note the large tree/log which is protruding from under the boardwalk out into the canal.

And it's at this point we meet up with our paddleboarding friend one more time.  It appears he has fallen off his board.  We, along with some other folks, stopped to look at him curiously as it's rare to see people in the water here what with alligators lurking nearby.

But we soon realized he wasn't having fun, he was having a hard time.  The current is very swift and he was unable to get back up on the board.  He'd duck his head, push as hard as he could, but when he lifted his head and spit out water, he hadn't gone more than an inch.

Two young men, tall and muscular stopped briefly.  When they heard he was in trouble, they walked off.  (Later I saw one of them eating an ice cream cone.) Meanwhile, our friend continued to struggle.  More people stopped to watch.  A couple said they'd go for help.

Finally, another younger man climbed over the boardwalk railing and urged him on.  Eventually, our paddleboarder was able to get close enough to the bank where the current eased.  The young man caught the front of the board with his foot to steady it and then another fellow stopped to help.  The paddleboarder was able to hand this man his paddle and he used it to help push the man back up on the board.

"Whew," said the paddleboarder.  "I was in trouble out there!"

And then, after a few minutes, he knelt down on the board and took off downstream, paddling away.  I turned my camera off and sauntered down the boardwalk.  

Nothing to see here folks, just keep moving along.

Kayaking and Paddleboarding at Silver Springs State Park

It was a beautiful warm day here in central Florida:  High temps in the low 80s (F), bright sunshine, and very little wind.  

We drove to Silver Springs State Park to see what was happening.  The place was jammed.  Many were probably here on spring break.  The Silver River and its tributaries were crowded with kayakers and paddleboarders.

The gentleman pictured above was doing everything right on this paddleboard except that he's standing up, which I don't recommend, but he's attached his left ankle to the board and he's in complete control; more or less.

This is important for reasons which will become clear tomorrow. 

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day - Florida Style

Awaiting the Farrier

According to the dictionary, a farrier is "a craftsman who trims and shoes horses' hooves." Farriers are critical to a horse's ability to do even the smallest of tasks.