The Sunshine State - part 1

Florida - part 1

(Sightseeing, seeing friends and relatives)

January 30, 2018 - February 22, 2018

We left Georgia and entered the panhandle of Florida right near Tallahassee.  It was almost immediately apparent that we were in Florida but it was not exactly what I expected.  There were tall pines everywhere and everything seemed very manicured.  The air was pleasantly warm.  We found a campsite but stayed only one night before heading south again, stopping at Wakulla Springs, just south of Tallahassee to see if we could see any manatees.  It's one of the largest and deepest (185 feet) fresh water springs in the world.  Average rate of fresh water output is 250 million gallons per day!

Wakulla Lodge is in the background.  It offers accommodations and dining.

Boat trips around the springs and down the river are offered in season. 
They even have glass bottom boats so you can see down into the water.

Observation platform overlooking the springs.
We believe these "stump" like objects near the edge of the water are air roots but we're not absolutely sure.

View from the observation platform.  Swimming is popular here in the warmer months.
Swimmers are not allowed beyond the ropes in order to protect the manatees.
The trees look bare because it's late January (yes they have a so-called "winter in Florida).

Manatees like warm water and it was a bit cold and windy the day we were there. 
We did see a couple of manatees but only from a distance.  Couldn't persuade them to come closer.
Although it doesn't look like it in this picture - the water is very clear.

Continuing south we stayed near the town of Crystal River in order to see Three Sisters Springs and again look for manatees.  The spring is a very popular place so you park in town and pay to get on a shuttle that takes you to the springs and back.  It's worth the trip!

You view the springs from a boardwalk which almost surrounds it.
Three Sisters is a much shallower spring than Wakulla which accounts for the beautiful blue water.

Panoramic view of part of the springs.
Isn't that water an amazing color!

An "aggregation" of manatees.
The springs open out to this inland canal at this very spot through a channel to the right.
Boat rides are available to cruise the canals and see the manatees.
You can also rent kayaks (or use your own) and paddle around.
Swimming is allowed but you must stay behind the roped areas and you cannot touch the manatees.

The manatees hang out in the canals until the water starts to cool a bit, then they head back into the springs.  We just happened to be there when they began to begin moving back into the springs.

We moved on to Clermont, Florida where our friends Robin and Lee live.  Luckily there was a Thousand Trails campground only 1 mile from their park.  It must be the biggest Thousand Trails park in their system but that was not immediately apparent because we arrived after dark. We ended up in an area that suited us very well.  Lots of trees with spacious sites.  The only drawback - no internet in our loop.

Florida has lots and lots and lots of lakes.  Even our campground had it's own lake.

We frequently saw gopher tortoises around the campground.
They are herbivores and when they start in on the grass you can hear them ripping it up.

Lots of Sandhill cranes in the area.

It's easy to find swampy areas all over Florida - including in the campground.

The campground had some really nice areas for walking.

Not sure about what this stuff is - perhaps a lichen of some sort?

Just after we arrived in Clermont I flew to Tucson to see my mother.while Laura stayed and played with our friends. The three of them went to a Valentine's day community dance performance where Laura met Dave and David (affectionately know as "The Daves"), two friends of Robin and Lee.

Dave and David.

Dave was one of the dancers in the performance.

Robin dropped Lee and Laura off at the door, then went to park the car.  On her way to the "venue" she tripped on a cement car stop and took a terrible fall - pretty much landing on her face.  She never got to see Dave dance that night.  Instead she spent hours and hours in the emergency room of the local hospital!  Luckily no facial bones were broken.

Robin the morning after the accident. 

Several days after the incident.  Poor Robin!!!
That's going to take a while to heal.

When I returned from Tucson Robin and Lee were camping at Fort Wilderness with our mutual friends Linda and Claudie.  Fort Wilderness is the campground at Disney World. 

Laura and Linda in back.  Robin, Lee and Claudie in front.

Robin, me, Lee, Laura and Claudie.
We had an extreme case of the giggles.

Our campfire!
For a quick campfire this (new to me) product can't be beat.
It's basically a tree round about 10 inches long, cut in a star shape with a saw. 
There's some sort of wick which you light and voi' la - instant campfire.

The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park, Florida has the world's most comprehensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany.  We had to see that for sure.

I found the pictures taken of Tiffany's factory to be very interesting. It took an small army of people to produce the many objects he envisioned. Also note that the men are wearing shirts, ties and often vests under their aprons!

And now for some examples of Tiffany's beautiful work.

Here's how a lamp shade is made!

Shade from Tiffany's mansion on Long Island

Stained glass windows from Tiffany's mansion on Long Island.

Picture of patio at Tiffany's mansion on Long Island.

Reproduction of the patio at Tiffany's mansion on Long Island using actual Tiffany made pieces saved from the site.

Daffodil capital used on the columns around the patio.

Detail of decorative glass used above the patio.

Chapel made by Tiffany for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

Detail of the mosaic's on the steps of the chapel.

Baptismal font from the chapel

Detail of the light hanging in the chapel.

Interesting aside about this chapel.  It was put together at the Tiffany factory in New York then disassembled and moved to the exposition in Chicago.  After the exposition it was incorporated into a local church in Chicago.  It eventually went back to Tiffany who installed it on his property on Long Island in New York.  From there it was moved to the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum where it was installed in 1999.

It's not all fun and games on this trip.  Expensive repair to the rear disc brakes and the parking brake on the motorhome was done in Davenport, FL.  Spent two nights at Robin and Lee's while the repair was being made.  So good to have friends in the area willing to take us in in our hour of need.  So glad to have this repair behind us.  Brakes feel really good now!