#5 Cloudy and Cool BUT not Snowing!!!!

What an awesome find this was last week at a flea market. This array cost me $5 and then the guy threw in the case!!! With the right buyer, these will pay for our trip!!!! Ok, to the flea market not to Florida.

Another day, another rocket. This is an Atlas V rocket put up by the navy for communications. I guess that means spying!!!!

This is a pond on the property here that has caused a warning to people to be posted in the lobby about the danger to small dogs and children around the pond due to a large inhabitant with very large teeth!!! Especially at night.......

 
This is the lovely heated pool that we have made it into once and certainly intend on getting again

Last Friday found us driving an hour north to Canaveral National Seashore Park which is the top end of the park close to us here in Titusville. There were 4 passengers on board and 3 crew. This is Turtle Mound made of oyster shells mostly and containing relics from the native people who first inhabited this area.

Note the white posts in the water. They show where there are oyster or clam beds. They are actually probably owned by local businesses. Anyone can harvest from these waters. You just need a Florida fishing licence. They are in the waters near us, oysters and clams.  I just don't know where they are. The water in this lagoon is on an average only 4 feet deep. This is Mosquito Lagoon.

We saw lots of different birds on our cruise. The guides were excellent at pointing out the sights we were not to miss. These birds are sitting on an oyster shoal.

What a gorgeous shot if it had just flown to the right a little!!! This is a brown pelican.

 We were surrounded by dolphin on many occasions. They were playing in groups and I didn't know before but they work as a pack to surround a school of fish and slowly swim into a tighter and tighter circle until they can all eat. Team work!!!!

This is our knowledgeable crew. We are on our way back to the dock when they decide it is getting too rough and the afternoon trip will have to be cancelled.

As the water got rougher and rougher, I was happy to see this sign!!!!

Coming home this car above drove up beside me at a light and revved his engine. I so wanted to race away from the light and leave him in my dust but on second thought that probably wouldn't happen as I drove away in my 11 year old Honda CRV!!!!!

As we returned home, it was getting stormier by the minute. Not a good sign when the trees look like this!!!!!

#4 Blue Sky and Sunshine Finally Today!!!

Wednesday saw us at the Satellite Flea Market in Port St. John. I found some awesome beads for the grandbabies and I to make creations out of and a couple of geods for them too. The shoppers are as interesting as the stuff being sold.

The sunrise pictures can almost always be credited to Ray.

We have dolphins continually frolicking in front of us. The trick is to get their picture. You can be sitting out on the balcony quietly reading when you suddenly hear the splash and there they are but the instant you grab the camera and try to get a fabulous picture they go deep and silent. The trick is to try and anticipate where they may come up next!!!

This is one of the Florida symbols to me. When we used to travel to Florida with the kids when they were little, I remember seeing oranges everywhere or so it seemed at the time. I haven't noticed as many this year yet.

One of the attractions to coming to Titusville has been the Canaveral National Seashore/Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. This week we stopped at the Visitors Center. They had some great displays of wildlife in the area and general information. This boardwalk took us on a pleasant stroll.

Spanish moss belongs in every horror film. Isn't it spooky? I learnt this week that it actually has a small greenish flower which I have not seen and probably won't want to get close enough to see in the future!!!

We got really close to this darling little armadillo. What an interesting creature with its armour like exterior, little poky head and segmented tail. I guess they don't make good pets as I don't recall anyone I have known to have one.

This is a natural growing bird food. Very pretty!!!

 
We went to see the manatees at the manatee observation deck but it was way too cold for them. They like warm weather and even more, warm water.

Even the birds are having trouble with the cool weather we have been having. This is a depressed gull!!!

 
This couple passed by our place yesterday. There is always something happening out on the water.

Have you ever seen such a large golf ball??? I have no idea what this is but it looked significant enough to take a picture of!!! We were driving up to the north end of the national park which took us through the town of New Smyrna. It was so good to see the Florida we are trying to avoid. High rise after high rise. Traffic every where. Lots of tourists. The beach blocked by homes. Stores that look just like stores from Myrtle Beach south to Miami!!! BUT eventualy as we turned south on A1A we got to the north end of our national park.

Oh, yeah!!!!

We just love this national park. What a jewel!!!

#3 An Earth Shaking Week....

This is how I would like to shop at Walmart!!!

One day this week we went to the beach and stayed until the man had had enough. This is the beach looking south.

This is the beach looking north. Note the crowds and all of the buildings? This is why we chose to come to Titusville this winter. This beach is a national park.

On the way back home from the beach we pass a wildlife sanctuary. Here we have a rosietta spoonbill.

Here we have a white bird with a very long beak.

There are many more birds here now than when I last visited in March. For all of you avid birders, there is a big bird festival coming to Titusville from Jan.21-26. For the rest of you, like myself, you like your birds with salt and pepper!!!

A little bashful but striking a lovely pose.

Approximately every two days we go to the gym. The building is right across from our building's front door so it is very convenient. I could write a blog on all of the different people we have shared this space with. Very interesting.................... But I won't.

On the morning of Tues.Jan.6th we got up at 6 to watch our first rocket launch. SpaceX Dragon was scheduled to take off at 6:20. There is a parkette beside out building and there were a large group of spectators assembled. I was thinking of going down and offering 12th floor balcony space to the first 18, that's what the elevator will carry, people willing to pay $10 each. But I didn't. One man in the crowd yelled,"5 minutes."....."2 minutes"....."1 minute".....and thirty seconds later,"It's been scrubbed!!!" What!!! This was no more than a sleepus interuptus at this awful hour of the day!?!?!? I was not impressed.

 Friday, Jan.9th was the next launch date possibility but now it is
going to be at 5:47 in the morning!!! Good grief. Could they not come
up with a more reasonable time than that!!!

There were understandably far less people in the parkette. We had the tv on to make sure this baby was going to actually do it and then it happened!!!! We saw it take off and start to rise but then it appeared to be coming right at our building!!! The Relative had warned us that the sound came about 30 seconds after the launch but I was not prepared for a freight train to roar through the unit!!! Not only that but the building was moving and the hurricane shutters were all rattling!!! Honestly, I was scared. I jumped behind Ray and grabbed hold of his jacket. He reacted like I was a pesky fly he couldn't get off his back. "What are you doing?" "Get off of me!!!" But I wasn't letting go. The noise went on and on and the rocket was getting closer and closer!!! I thought on 9/11 and how the planes went into the buildings and now I was going to witness a rocket coming into the building I was in...................Slowly, very slowly, the rocket began to curve to the left as it continued to climb. I can't remember all the things I promised God but I sure had a long list!!!!

Should you be planning on coming down to see us and want to have the experience of being in the backyard of a rocket launch, go to www.spaceflightnow.com to see the up coming dates for the next three months. It seems we are going to do this again and again and again and........



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Titusville is rich with thrift stores and antique shoppes. This was one of my early finds. Won't this look fabulous in the cabin??? Now to solve the "debate", is this a 3 point buck or a 6 point buck?

 You get the idea...... The other day we are sitting having cocktails and cards as we do daily at about 4 when the intercom in our unit started going,"Wha, wha, wha, This is an emergency. Evacuate the building immediately. This is an emergency. Evacute......" You get the picture. We couldn't believe it!!! I had had enough trama for one week!!! The teacher in me takes command, "Close the windows. Shut the doors. Get the register." Woops, no register and we start walking down 12, actually it is 24 flights of stairs. As we get to around the 6th floor I see a guy behind us carrying a beer. Again past training takes over and I calmly ask if he wants to go ahead which he does. Same thing happens around the 4th floor but this time it is a couple each carrying a glass too. We make it outside in good time I would say to see that most of the other inhabitants of our building are also having cocktail hour. Next time, no register but be sure to grab the cocktails!!!!

Finally, while Ray and The Relative are out golfing, I am exploring and what a delightful find this museum is at the corner in downtown Titusville of Main and Washington. The couple on duty on Saturdays are an absolute delight. The lady volunteer walked around with me pointing things out I may have missed and was there to answer any question that I might have. It has an amazing collection of gems all from Titusville. I even learnt that there are some large old homes in the area that you can go and visit if you are sure to call first!!! Again, what a delight. They even encouraged me to become a volunteer and if I don't hear back from a couple of the places I have offered service to, I may just do that!!!

Tomorrow I start volunteering at Brevard County Kitchen where I will be assisting in assembling 2000 meals on Tues. and Thurs. mornings for meals-on-wheels, schools and places where old folks accumulate. This will be a brand new experience for me. As I love to cook and certainly love food, I am looking forward to new knowledge and lots of fun!!!!

#2 The Snow Escapees have Landed!!!!!

Here we all are on Boxing Day enjoying a wonderful sleigh ride. The weather was great!!! Last year is snowed.

At 7:00 a.m. the following morning we were on the road. I thought it would be an excellent time to travel. Weekend, less traffic. As you can see, it didn't turn out that way. We were stopped numerous times for nothing more than volume slow downs. We had decided to take hwy.75 south of Detroit as there would be less mountains to travel through. This time we didn't get lost in Detroit and end up in the slums!!! Older, wiser.

 
If it wasn't raining, we had these amazing low clouds to deal with along with the speed. It was posted at 70 miles per hour which I converted into being around 112 km. I upped it to 120 and everyone was passing me!!!! Including transport trucks!!!

Then there was the fog. We didn't cross the boarder into Florida until our third day. Then Alice Behtovalist our gps chick advised us to get off the through way and take a secondary road. I had quite enough of highway driving and thought she totally understood how I was feeling. This section of the journey started about 4:30 p.m.. It was now a two lane road. Posted at 60 mph!!! By 6 it was dark and we decided we had had enough and started looking for a place to stay that looked clean and safe. We estimated we only had two or three hours to go to Titusville.

When I checked us into this nice hotel, the clerk said he would put us in a waterfront room at no extra charge. I think I looked like I needed a treat. Weary traveller that I was!!! I said to Ray, "I think we have a room on the pool." It was very dark. In the morning, what a surprise to see all of this water in front of us!!! We were on the water, lots of it!!!

Have you seen the series "Sons of Anarchy"? If you have you will get a chuckle out of this living room furniture that we refer to as our Sons of Anarchy room. Very comfortable but......

This probable qualifies for a Sons of Anarchy bedroom too. Strange frame around the bed that 30 years ago we would have used to launch ourselves into bed but now we just climb over carefully.

Master bathroom. Two huge walk-in closets. His on the left. Hers on the right. His sink area straight ahead. Jacuzzi to the right.

M

Her sink. Laundry closet to the left. His shower to the right.

Just to show you how you can lay in bed and look at the water. The deck goes all the way from the living room across the master bedroom.

This is the nice tv that he broke and she fixed after 3 days.

This is the dining room area. Looks like something out of a bar to us. Quite a surprise. What do you say, "Where is the real table and chairs?" Maybe it is just keeping with the Sons of Anarchy theme!!!

Now the kitchen, which like some people look, lovely on the outside but after living with it/them for a few days you discover how needy they/it is!!! One saucepan, no serving bowls, no spatula, whisk, garlic press, cheese grater, anything to put in the oven to cook on/in. Quite the disappointment.

More kitchen and the breakfast nook. My computer corner on the right and the laundry room in the middle which has a door and the front door to the left.

Should you decide to come for a visit,this will be your room. Still carrying the theme......

This will be your bathroom.

This is the fabulous view to the south/east. The bridge takes you to the bird sanctuary where the hunters have been shooting all weekend. I kid you not. We had better go to see the birds on Friday as every Monday there are less. This is also the way to the beach which is heavenly. There are no buildings. It is a National Park. 13 parking areas and the last two are nudist beaches. I didn't know this last time I was here but now I do!!!

Looking south. Lots of dolphins frolicking around down there. They are really fun to watch.

We have a great porch with real plants!!!

Yesterday I discovered Wild Ocean. Wow, what a fabulous fish market. I had such a good time!!! Really nice staff and I even met a real estate agent who is going to look into rentals for next year for us.

All in all, we are fine. Ray is loving the golf. The weather has been a tad cloudy. We always kid about Mexico and Florida being so boring with blue sky and sunshine every day but that hasn't happened yet. Today is a good temperature. Yesterday was icky hot. Not that I am complaining. I hear it started snowing 5 days ago at home and it is still snowing!!!