February 2015

Little Manatee River State Park

Wimauma, FL

We began February with a visit from my parents.  Even though they only live an hour’s drive away we haven’t seen them as often as I would have liked because of their very busy social life, Monte’s work schedule and our doctor appointments.

Monte stayed home with my dad while us girls went off shopping.   When we got home, Monte grilled some brats and hot dogs and I got the sides going.  Mom had brought along a project she was working on because she wanted some crafting advice so after dinner we did some brain storming. 

 

 

 

Shortly after Mom and Dad left we were treated to a pretty sunset.  Beautiful sunsets are pretty common in Florida but they never fail to bring a smile to my face.

 

 

One day, a sudden rain storm blew through. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 It only lasted an hour. 

 

 

 

 

 I decided to go for a walk.

 

  As I walked along it suddenly occurred to me how different the park appears after a storm. 

 

 Everything, including smells and sounds, offer a different experience than when the sun is shining. 

 

 

 

Normally I am kind of down when the sun is absent but on this day I really enjoyed the break from the sunshine.

 

Our cat Annie does not like being outside. 

Let me in.

 

 

During the first week of the month we took a ride up to Spring Hill where we still own a house that we rent out. 

 

 

 

 Monte went up on the roof to clean out the gutters, we visited at the church where Monte used to work, dropped off an application to work camp at Werner Boyce Salt Springs State Park in Port Richey for when we leave here at the end of May and shopped at the new Camping World in Holiday.

 

 

 

 

On the way home we went to Applebee’s for dinner. 

 

 

One Saturday Monte tackled a project he has been talking about doing for some time-insulate our bedroom slide. 

 

 

The walls and floor are so thin that when it is cold out we can actually feel the dampness rising off the floor of the slide and coming in through the wall under the window on Monte’s side of the bed.

 

 

I offered to help but it was one of those types of projects where “too many cooks spoil the broth”, so after helping him move the mattress of the bed and empty out the closet I left him alone. 

 

 

 He did a great job without my help. 

 

 

 

After a totally lazy Sunday morning I suggested a hike. 

 

There are several equestrian/hiking trails at Little Manatee River State Park but there is also a 6.5 mile trail that is in the wilderness area on the north side of the Little Manatee River. 

The trail is accessible from a separate entrance off of US 301 S, immediately north of the river. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The morning after a rainstorm that lasted all day, I walked a trail in the park I hadn’t hiked before. 

 

 

I picked up the trail where it passes behind the volunteer village.   

 Several areas were flooded I had to walk a little into the brush.  I was glad that I had elected to wear long pants because it was chilly and saved my legs from getting scratched up.

As I walked I could hear the sounds of different power tools being used in the maintenance garage.  But, then at some point I realized I the sounds had been replaced by birds, the wind whipping through the tree tops and unseen critters foraging for food in the brush.

 

 

I came across a crossroads with the remains of a broken sign-not having been on this trail before I opted to take the path leading to the lake because I knew how to get back home from there.

 

This is a marshy area that had been almost totally dry when we first arrived at the beginning of December. 

 

I encountered this little guy on the trail leading back to the volunteer village.

I stopped by to visit with Monte for a few minutes but didn’t stay long because he was busy troubleshooting why one of the park trucks is not keeping a charge.

Mom and Dad paid a second visit on the 11^th so we could put the final touches on a project she was working on. 

I just love seeing them being so lovey dovey after 60 years of marriage.

One day as we were leaving Walmart we noticed a pair of Sandhill Cranes in the marshy area next to the parking lot. 

It appeared that they were doing some kind of mating dance so when I got home I researched their behavior.   

The following excerpt was taken from the International Crane Foundation website.
Mated pairs of cranes, including Sandhill Cranes, engage in unison calling, which is a complex and extended series of coordinated calls. While calling, cranes stand in an upright posture, usually with their heads thrown back and beaks skyward during the display. In Sandhill Cranes the female initiates the display and utters two, higher-pitched calls for each male call. While calling, the female raises her beak about 45 degrees above the horizontal while the male raises his bill to a vertical position. All cranes engage in dancing, which includes various behaviors such as bowing, jumping, running, stick or grass tossing, as well as wing flapping. Though it is commonly associated with courtship, dancing can occur at any age and season. Dancing is generally believed to be a normal part of motor development for cranes and thwarts aggression, relieves tension, and strengthens the pair bond.

As we were walking back to our car in the Walmart parking lot Monte demonstrated his own unison calling—

he doesn’t mind making a fool of himself to get me to laugh-just one of the many reasons I love him.

I casually mentioned to Monte that the weeds around our site were getting high and the next day he took care of it. 

 

 

The same afternoon we took a walk on the trail I had walked by myself a few days before.  

 

 

The trails were still pretty wet forcing us to walk into the brush in some spots. 

 

 

 

When we came to an area we couldn’t get around we had to turn around and retrace our steps.

I was glad Monte had brought along his binoculars because we were able to get a better look at a nesting Sandhill Crane in the middle of the marsh.  I couldn’t get a decent picture of the Crane because my camera doesn’t have a powerful enough lens.

That evening we attended a potluck dinner with some of the other volunteers. 

 

 There was plenty of food and good company.

 

 

 

When I opened my computer Valentine’s Day morning I discovered a homemade card from my sweetheart.  I felt badly that I hadn’t bought or made one for him but he reminded me that I make everyday seem like Valentine’s Day.  AAAHHH!

We didn’t do anything romantic-took our truck to Sam’s Club for new batteries and a trip to the library to return books.   Monte had offered to take me out to dinner but I decided I would rather eat in and watch a couple of movies.  So while we didn’t do anything romantic just being together is romantic to me.

 

One Sunday of the month was spent giving our roof an overdue and much needed cleaning. 

Monte began by placing the pieces on the solar panels to lift them.

He lowered down the air conditioner and vent covers so I could clean them. 

Then spent a couple of hours scrubbing the roof.

Of course cleaning the roof will mean having to clean the rig because now the sides are covered with black streaks. 

One of the projects Monte worked on in the maintenance department was troubleshooting problems with one of the trucks.  I’m not sure what the problem was but I’m pretty sure Monte was able to figure it out.  He has so much patience and won’t quit.

On one of my walks I noticed how much the foliage has grown since last spring’s prescribed burn.  But I guess that is the purpose of the burn-to foster new growth.

I stopped off at the marsh on my way back to the compound to check in on the nesting Sandhill Crane.  I didn’t see Papa but I’m sure he could see me. 

We drove down to North Port on the 18^th to the Senior Center to take advantage of the free tax return preparation being offered by AARP.  This is the second year I used the free service-being an old fart does have some advantages.

 

 

My son Ryan turned 35 on the 19th.  He had been so anxious to enter the world that he came into it six weeks early.   His older sister, Renee, had also been born prematurely the previous year.  She had been transferred to a nearby hospital that had a neo-natal unit.  We had been told that we were lucky to have a girl because girls are fighters and have a better survival rate than boys.

So here I was a year later having my second baby transferred to another hospital but this time the baby is a boy.  I was terrified.  But just like his older sister, Ryan proved to be a fighter too.  He had some of the complications associated with being a preemie including premature lungs and jaundice.  But we were lucky because his condition could have been much worse.

As a consequence of his premature birth Ryan did have asthma.  But he never let the asthma stop him from participating in such sports as soccer, baseball, gymnastics and lacrosse.

 Ryan was the most adorable baby.  I was very busy with his older sister who was at a stage where she was into everything and needed constant attention.  Ryan was content to play in his playpen and was very easily amused.  He was a very kind and thoughtful young boy.   When he entered High School, where I was worked as a teaching assistant, he wasn’t embarrassed by my presence.  A typical teenage boy would shy away from showing affection to his mother but not Ryan who didn’t have a problem giving me a hug when our paths crossed in the hallway.

I have so many wonderful memories of Ryan’s childhood.  One such memory was of Valentine’s Day when Ryan was perhaps 13 years old.  He rode his bike into town and bought a girl he liked roses and then rode to her house to deliver them.   Another memory is of Ryan at the last moment taking a girl to her prom because she didn’t have a date. 

In addition to sports, Ryan was also active in Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and ROTC in High School.  His involvement with ROTC did not come as a surprise to me because his interest in the military began when he was a small boy playing with GI Joe.  When it came to choosing a career, Ryan, in keeping with a long line of family members like his dad and great grandfather, chose to become a policeman.  

 He also answered a call to our country just prior to 9/11 by enlisting in the Army Reserves and has served two tours in Iraq and a tour in Afghanistan. 

Monte had his second follow-up with the cardiologist who put in his stent back on Christmas Eve.  All the test results from his visit to the lab the previous week were very good.  Monte told the doctor he was experiencing a painful stiffness in his hands.  The doctor suggested Monte stop taking his cholesterol medication for one month to see if the problem persists or ceases.  If it doesn’t stop then we know the cause is not from the medication.  If it does stop then the doctor can prescribe a different medication.

One day Monte provided me with a half hour of what I looked at as a comic skit. 

 A camper had left behind a portable shower that was going to end up in the dumpster. 

Monte thought it might be something we could use in the future so we took it and that is when the fun began. 

He tired folding it.

  No. 

 Not that way either.

  Maybe this way.  No. 

Apparently some fabric had been added to the shower.  By doing so it was preventing it from being able to fold for storage.  So in the end the shower ended up in the dumpster anyway.

We had a very pleasant time when my brother and sister-in-law came to visit. 

They had been gone on a month long camping trip to Northern Florida and Georgia with their 5^th wheel. 

They took a chance that there would be an opening at our park.  The campground was totally full but they were able to stay overnight in the picnic area parking lot.

Before they left the next morning we went for a walk down to the old canoe launch area.

We were given the okay to hide the official State geo cache we had been tasked with establishing so Monte and I took a ride to the area we had selected and placed the container in its new home.

 

 

 

 

Volunteer Appreciation Day was held on the last Friday of the month.   It was quite chilly so at noon most of us gathered around the campfire. 

 

One of the Rangers went to pick up the food that had been ordered from Sonny’s.

I got excited when the lady with the horse trailer pulled into the compound because I thought we were going to go riding but alas she was there as a guest. 

When the cornhusk sack tournament began I tried my luck but really sucked at it so I gave up after a couple of tries.

When the food arrived at almost 2pm everyone gave the Ranger who had picked it up a round of applause. 

We gathered for a group picture and a couple of short speeches before being told to “come and get it.”

The menu included pulled chicken, baked beans, potato salad, green salad and corn bread. 

YUM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A group of us gathered around the fire again.  We had such a nice time I was surprised when the group finally broke up to find out it was almost 7pm.