Canoeing with teenagers 102

YES, I got them to do it again!  And only a week after the "three hour tour".  They are suckers for adventure!

This time we did the Silver River.  It is very mild as compared to Juniper Springs Run.  For starters, you don't have to move your canoe that far to get it the water.  The river is wide and deep.  There is a strong current that you have to paddle against on the way up to Silver Springs, but the way back is mostly steering if you are tired and want to go slow.  There is no shade, so bring a hat and sunscreen, plenty of water and snacks for good measure, if you plan to be out there for a while( it takes about 2 1/2 hrs to canoe up and back at a leisurely pace).

There are plenty of birds, fish, gators, monkeys and turtles to be seen on the river.  We saw 6 gators the day we went, and we even "had lunch" with one of them.  This time, I was in the back, and Zman started out in the front.  I figured we could switch around if we needed to.  The paddle strokes needed on this trip were different than last trip and I tried to instruct him how to hold the paddle and make the strokes needed to beat the current.  Believe it or not, he didn't want to listen to me!  : )  Ahhh, teenagers...   So, whatever, I ended up doing most of the work steering, propelling and correcting the whole way.  But isn't that what the back seat does anyhow?

The river was beautiful that day.  We got out there about 11am, just in time for the heat of the day!  By the way, NOT A CLOUD IN THE SKY!  The Silver River takes you all the way into the head spring for Silver Springs.  It is a huge spring!  One of the largest artesinal springs in the world producing 550 million gallons of water a day.  Timucuan Indians used it and settled around it, until the Spaniards came and ruined that.  In current history, the TV show I Spy was filmed there along with several movies like Tarzan, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon, as well as some James Bond movies.  A small portion of Hoot was also filmed there and gets the mention because the book was written by one of my favorite Florida authors, Carl Hiaasen.

As you get into the Silver Springs attraction, the glass-bottomed boats come by and you can hear some of their spiel.  They don't kick up that much wake so it's not a problem, however they do have the right-of-way on account of them being bigger(and they are making a buck off the tourists).  The head spring is kind of hard to see real well when you get there, on account of  being so close to the water.  There is no dockage so getting out is not an option, and it's busy there because that's where the glass-bottomed boats take off from.  We did go over to the side to stabilize the canoe while Zman and his friend changed places.  While there, I think we rousted this little guy(he was only about 3ft long) from his hiding spot.  There's a dragonfly on his head! : )

After we left the main spring, it was time for lunch.  There are many minor springs and coves along the way that make for good places to hang out and eat lunch.  We shared one such spring/cove with a gator and a couple tour boats.  It was field trip day for area summer camps so there were alot of children gawking at us from the tour boats.  We made the most of it by making faces at them and waving to them.  The gator was not a problem either, even though he was really big!  He watched us and the boats a bit and was just there.  Generally, they don't bother you unless you bother them.

Usually, the rhesus monkeys make an appearance at some point along the way.  I don't know if it was too hot for them, or if they were just tired of the tourists for the day or what, but we didn't see any.  On the way back, we fed the fish, and saw a few more gators.  

The boys stayed in the canoe this time.  There is only one spot where it's feasible to actually get into the water and on the way back it was occupied.  Otherwise, it's just too dark and bottom mucky to try it, besides, who knows what's lurking down there!

At one point, everyone was quiet and we could hear some people around the bend coming up the river.  The boys thought it would be funny to "mess" with them by making weird, loud noises and then acting like nothing happened when we came up on them.  I don't think it worked, but I got a really funny video of Zman's noises.  I wonder what those people thought?

On the walk back to the parking area( which is about 1/2 mile!), I asked the boys which canoe trip they preferred.  They both said Juniper Springs Run.  I am proud of that!  It's not that they didn't like this trip, the other one was just more adventurous!  This canoe trip will be an after thought in their minds to the first trip.  It was fun, but without incident to make it an adventure. 

 I am planning for the next one...muwha haaa haaa ha!(evil laugh, screen fades to black)

Canoeing with teenagers 101

Juniper Springs Run is not a place you want to take an inexperienced paddler(much less 2!) if you have a timeline and you are a serious paddler.  If you want to have a good time and laugh so hard it makes your belly hurt for the next three days, take two inexperienced paddlers who happen to be of the male species in their teenage years and put them in charge of all the paddling.  That's what I did and all I can say is... well, actually I am speechless!

Oh! The fun we had on this trip!  I have been wanting to do this every since my sister-in-law did this and raved about it!  The boys were psyched up about going canoeing and they(nor I, really) had no idea what they were in for.  I have heard it is a challenging run, and the day before we went I looked up a couple blogs about it.  One in particular had the most information and one of the commenters called the run the "divorce run".  In fact on the ride back to the launch area our driver confirmed that several area churches bring their couples that are in pre-wedding counseling to paddle this run to see how well they work together.  I know why...

The canoes can be rented from Juniper Springs for $33+tax with a $20 cash deposit that is returned if you make it to the end by the last pick up which is at 4:30pm.(FYI, you must also pay the entrance fee which is $5 a person)  We left the launch at about 11:15am and made it to the pick up by 4pm with half an hour to spare, and the driver was EARLY! The park rangers check for disposables, which you can not bring. Everything(food, drink and ice wise)must be packed into reusable containers.  I hid some plastic bags which we put our phones into to keep them from getting wet.  They also say that there are gators in the run, and to stay in the canoes.  We didn't see any, and so the boys and myself were in and out of the canoe along the first 1/2 of the trip.

The run is narrow, shallow and shady about 2/3 of the way.  It takes alot of cooperation and forgiveness to maneuver it well and even then you will still run into the banks and trees.  There are alot of submerged trees, and hanging trees which you have to go under, over, or around.  Sometimes you have to lift the canoe over the trees, which involves either rocking the canoe or getting out and pulling it over.  A couple times we were standing on a tree to get the canoe over another tree...  See what I mean by challenging? (I would love to take Sweet pea and the Rocket on this trip but I am afraid they would be too afraid.  I'll wait till they are teenagers.)  As it was, Zman and his friend were about to come to blows over steerage of the boat.  Zman was in front and his friend was in the back.  Zman was doing most of the work because he could see what was coming.  He kept getting angry 'cause his friend wasn't doing his "job".  I was in the middle, helpless, because they didn't want to turn anything over to me, I'm just a girl after all... (nevermind that I have been canoeing for waaaaaaay longer than them!) So I took loads of pictures and video and laughed and laughed and laughed! BOY! That was fun!

It is beautiful out there though, I kept taking picture after picture.  It exasperated the boys. (Makes me wish I had a DLSR kind of camera, although that is harder to put into a plastic bag to keep safe, or rather, keep from getting wet.)  So peaceful and quiet, if you can keep the others in your canoe quiet for 5 seconds! We didn't see any wildlife on account of us having too much fun(in other words, being too loud!)! 

At about half way we stopped and had lunch and played in the water for a while.  I heard thunder rumbling off in the distance("Uhhh, guys?  I think it's going to rain soon.") so we packed it up and and headed on down the river.  We had no idea of how much further it would be to the end(HA! It was pretty far.).  It started to get cloudier and cloudier, the thunder steadily rolled closer and then finally it started pouring. Lightning cracking all around us, LOUD thunder instantly and in some cases I think it even preceded the lightning it was so close!  And of course we are in water, in a metal boat, with NO PLACE TO GO BUT FORWARD towards the pick up point.  We can barely see in front of us because it is raining so incredibly hard!  The boys finally got it together with their paddling, and we really were moving at times.  Zman said "This is a disaster"  I replied "This is not a disaster, this is an adventure!  A disaster is if someone gets struck by lightning or eaten by an alligator, but until then, it's an adventure!"  At one point(close to where a gator had eaten a woman 2 years before)we had to pull over and empty the water out of the canoe because we were sitting so low in the water and the boys were working too hard at paddling while getting nowhere.  It was a combination of dripping bathing suits from playing in the water, and rain.  Every bend we came around I was praying we would see the bridge which meant the take out point, but it seemed it never would come.  I was praying hard that God would keep us safe and please, please, please let that bridge be around this bend!  Oh I swear the Hallelujah chorus played when we finally did see that bridge!  Thank God He was lookin' out for us!  To Him be the glory that He got us to the take out point safely!  It was a lesson for the boys, and me.  Wanna know what that lesson is?

Don't dilly dally on a one way, 4 1/2 hour canoe trip in Florida in the summer(DUH!) and if you do, God will look out for you, He'll scare you half to death, but He will look out for you!

I am also proud to say that the boys agree with me on the adventure! It is likely a trip that we will never forget.  Zman's friend has a story now that rivals a few of his dad's stories of raising hell while growing up in Ocala.  It doesn't come close to most of them, but it's a start!  Zman has yet another memory of a crazy summer trip with his crazy mother!  And I have the memory of two precious teenage boys learning something about themselves and God, all the while having loads of fun!

I asked them, on the way back into town, if they wanted to do it again the next day.  They looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears! : ) Always keep them guessing...

Appalachicola Nature Center

The Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve has a new home, and it is beautiful!  As of right now, it is still FREE!  However with Florida's budget woes, who knows for how long... 

I posted about the old place here last year.  We were looking forward to visiting the new place and checking out what was new.  Keep in mind they are closed on Sundays and Mondays. Their hours are 9am to 4:30pm Tuesday thru Saturday.   

The building is LEED certified at the silver level.  Some of the qualifying aspects of the LEED certification include, compact flourescent lights on motion sensors, design and construction of the facility with much of the property left undisturbed, pervious materials on parking areas, and rainwater capture system with storage cisterns underneath the building allowing the water to be collected for flushing toilets and irrigation.

This is the nature walk to the center, along this walk you will learn about pine flat woods, oak hammocks and marsh areas.  Nice and shady.  I love the sound of crushed gravel underneath me while walking in nature, don't you?

As you come to the visitor center, after you climb the steps, there is a local oyster boat built and donated by a local resident.  

As you enter the etched double doors, the first thing you notice is the mural stretching across the entire wall.  It tells the story, in picturesm, of the Apalachicola river traveling to the Gulf of Mexico. There are all sorts of critters depicted in this mural, and they are all labeled for your education.

The aquariums that were previously housed in a separate building are now new and incorporated into the general area in the new building.  They are very nice, and allow you to see underwater alongside the habitats.  The diversity in the old building is lacking in the new facility, however the presentation of what is there is very nice and we liked it better.  

Sweetie Pie making faces at the Alligator Gar that guards the front door.  No kidding, he sits right there and watches the front door! 

The Rocket making faces at me through one of the aquatic displays(That is a white terrapin.). 

A peek at the Gulf and Barrier island part of the mural.  There are mounted pelicans "flying" over head just like they do down the coast over Highway 98.  The sounds associated with the different areas of nature represented in the mural are playing in the backgound. 

The education room, is MUCH better than before!  We definitely enjoyed this room the most!  Here is The Rocket playing the matching game, matching up adult sea creatures with the "just hatched" babies.  It's harder than you think... 

Microscope area with slides, for your viewing pleasure. 

All of their preserved specimins, shell collection and bones are out on display for you to touch and examine!  The collection is vast and showcased in the way they should be!  Stadium seating is here in this room for educational presentations for kids.  My kids used it as a stage instead...complete with "spotlight"!  

Did you know that a dolphin's teeth are made of ivory? 

Whale bones and baleen display.

Overall we are pleased with the new facility, however, what's missing is the bird watching area.  I do hope they will eventually incorporate this area again.  There is also an auditorium with a short movie playing daily, but sometimes there are people giving presentations or special movies playing.  They have monthly meetings and programs for the public to enjoy and get educated about their unique setting in Florida.

If you are ever in the Apalachicola area, please stop by and check out this wonderful nature center!

The website for more information about the estuarine reserve is here. 

Gee, it's been a long time!

          

Hello, it's been a while since I've been in to visit. Sorry, I have just been so very busy the past couple of months! Halloween and then Thanksgiving and all that comes in between has just kept me from sitting and talking to you about what's been happening around here.

Well, the kids have a cold this weekend, they stayed home from school yesterday.  Today we completed the above winter wonderland scene in about 6 hours.  It was something fun to do while cooped up in the house(I didn't hear "I'm booooored!" once today!!! *big smile* )  I started out this morning hearing "After we make it, can we eat it?", and now I don't think they are so into the eating part.  It took too long to construct!

I think I will go backwards in the happenings around here:

            Starting with Thanksgiving, my parents came over and Zman came up and we had a grand time!  I didn't even set fire to anything this year, however the turkey didn't cook all the way through and so after carving a bit off, we had to flip it over and cook it some more.  We were NOT going to wait any longer!

Before that, we took an overnighter to St. Augustine to see the lights.  It was pretty and crowded, but we love St. Augustine, so it was ok! 

 Here is Sweetie Pie rockin' it in the tower at the Castillo...   

and here I am rockin' it on the top of the Castillo... 

Rocket Man and Sweetie Pie in front of the Castillo... 

We also took a trip in the opposite direction, to the panhandle of Florida.  Specifically Appalachicola, to the Florida Seafood festival.  Here, we were witness to an oyster eating contest: 

No-one threw up on stage, but I think they were close...  EWWWW!

Now I have to tell you, do not make a special trip for this festival as it is not anything like it's name implies.  The food is mostly vendors not from Florida(read: carnival food) and it is more like a county fair.  The gumbo I purchased from the booth of a local church was fabulous, but there were not many local or even Florida seafood food vendors like the name indicates.  Very sad and unfortunate for the area because it is such a charming town to visit! I fear the attendance will diminish in years to come if something is not done about the local representation of Florida seafood at this festival!  Cudos to the churches and local organizations for representing the area! 

The next day we had lunch at Wharf Express(EXCELLENT! I highly recommend this place!) down at Summer Camp.  We then took the liberty of walking out on the dock and the beach.  The kids had a blast with all the things they were finding, namely the horseshoe crab moltings and, of course, the dead stinky ones too.  We also watched the tide as it went out and the flora and fauna that were left behind.  Oh, we could spend hours and hours observing and exploring... 

And finally...  Here is Rocket Man on his final day of Archery class. 

He is such a fruit!

Now you are all caught up on the goings on around here, hopefully I can keep up through the rest of the holiday season.  Don't hold your breath!

Edison/Ford Home

The last thing we did in Naples was to visit the Edison/Ford home in Ft. Myers.  The kids have touched on  Edison in school and I thought it would bring home the history lesson a bit more if they could see where he did some inventing.  

It was a very hot day!  Granny and Grandad went with us and we all learned alot! 

Edison first visited Ft Myers in 1885, and he loved it so much that he purchased 13 acres on the Caloosahatchee River.  There he built his winter estate(called Seminole Lodge in honor of the local Indian tribe) that included his home and an impressive guest house.  Originally his laboratory was located adjacent to the house, but it was moved across the road and this office was built here in place of it. 

Edison's Little Office:

Looks cozy doesn't it?  I wish my office looked like this!

Below is the Moonlight Garden(behind the Little Office), can you imagine a party here? 

Now for my favorite part of the grounds, the pool area.  In times past when I have visited this area, the pool itself was a green algae mess.  I often have wondered what it looked like when Edison and his kids swam in it.  Well, here is the modern version of the pool today!  Certainly it didn't look this good when Edison was here, as it was filled with water from an artesian well on the property (I am so very glad they cleaned it up, it looks so inviting now!). 

This is the pier where Edison had his boat, and from which guests would arrive and all the building materials and contents(right down to the linens!) for his houses were brought in from ships.  There were no roads or railroads when he built his estate.  At the end of the pier there used to be an open "summerhouse"(kind-of like a covered porch) for visiting with guests and friends.  My guess is 'cause it was cooler out on the water, with a breeze!  

These "Electrolier" lighting fixtures were manufactured specifically for his house and I believe these are the original bulbs in them.  Why can't they make light bulbs to last like that anymore????

This is the family room.  Surrounding all sides of these rooms are wide covered porches, the kind that I long for if I ever build a house! 

This is Thomas and Mina's bedroom, doesn't it look cool and inviting?

Part of the kitchen:

I so totally want a such a functional and eye-pleasing kitchen as this in my fictional house I would build!  Ok, so I would copy Edison's floor plan... I LOVE this architecture!

The fruit of this tree is growing right on the bark of the tree, isn't that wierd?  I can't remember the name of the tree now...so dissapointing.(I think it may have been a type of fig tree?)

The rock fountain used to be the water feature in the garden where the Edisons and their guests would cool off before the pool complex was built. It used to be smooth concrete and then someone got creative and covered it with the rocks by 1928. 

This is the Ford home called "The Mangoes":

Ford was good friends with Edison and in 1916 Ford bought this house and property right next door to Edison's home.  Again, I'm loving this architecture!!!

While you are waiting for a guided tour, there is a museum that contains alot of history about Edison. His childhood, and the years leading up to his life in Ft. Myers and his inventions and patents. 

"Thomas Edison, Life magazine's "Number One Man of the Millennium," died October 18, 1931. He was 84 years old. Edison is credited with holding 1,093 patents and is the only person in our country ever to have a patent granted every year for sixty-five consecutive years, 1868 to 1933."

(That was taken from the website of the Estate.)

Below are some of the displays that are in the museum:

The above photo contains a replica of Edison's electric boat, Reliance.

This is the Banyan tree.  It was a gift from Harvey Firestone, and in 1925(when it was planted) the tree was 4ft high and 2 inches in diameter.  Now, it covers an acre and has some 350 roots!

The kids are standing with Thomas, Sweetie Pie is holding his hand, how sweet!

"Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."

-Thomas Edison

We didn't get to the lab part of the tour, Granny was hot, tired and ready to go home.  We will go back another time and do the tour again, starting with the lab!  The gardens there are the most varied I have seen.  It is all because of the experimental nature of the caretaker!  He always encouraged questions and exploring in his kids.  This is such a wonderful place, and worth a visit for a day!

"There is only on Fort Myers, and 90 million people are going to find it out."

-Thomas Edison

If only he knew...