So Precious

Valerie posted this picture of Judith on Facebook.  So Precious!

Spring Vacation

Clif had a very hectic work schedule since Jan 1.  He worked 2 months straight, 7 days a week, 72-94 hours per week! He needed a break!!!  His employer agreed, and granted him 7 working days off in addition to 2 weekends to recuperate.  His next job will last just over a year, and odds of him getting a vacation will be slim. Clif is hoping it doesn't constitute working weekends as last year he had less than a dozen off.

To start, we went to hike Split Oak Forest from Moss Park.  When we got to the parking area, we noticed the campground didn't look "full" as we were told Friday night.  We headed to the registration desk and found that there were indeed 4 campsites available through Thursday.  Perfect!  We wanted to camp, but had to camp close by because of 2 prior commitments I had that I needed to attend.

Amazing that we could completely pack and be back setting up camp within 3 hours.

We did go on our hike through Split Oak Forest even though it was the hottest part of the day.

This is the spur that links Moss Park to the Forest.

We even saw a turkey down one of the paths before we got there.

 Not much wildlife to see at the height of the afternoon.

On Tuesday, we took the kayaks out in the morning onto Lake Hart.  You would have thought a small craft advisory was in effect because there were white caps on the lake.  Lucky for us, kayaks are low enough that they are hard to tip over.  I did get a soaking from the water splashing over the sides.  The good news is we traveled against the waves on our way out, and rode with them back to the dock.  We definitely burned some calories with each stroke!

Clif decided to hike to this burm we saw while I went to my doctor's appointment.  He said it was a beautiful area.  Behind it was a lake.

Lots of pine trees filled the center.  You can see the burm in the background.

Even a turkey was present.

Each evening after dinner, we went for a bike ride.  Tuesday night we caught a glimpse through the trees of what we thought would be a gorgeous sunset.  Good thing we had our cameras in tow.

We didn't waste anytime getting to the dock.  Lots of wonderful shots were taken.

Duh!  Why not just video the sun going down?

After looking at the pictures Clif took earlier in the day at the burm, he suggested we go back and spend some time there.  That's exactly what we did on Weds. We packed a picnic lunch and brought Skippo.  We relaxed in the shade and breeze provided by the trees.  It was so peaceful.

Just birds came around.  No deer.

Because I would have to go to choir practice this evening, we decided to do our bike ride earlier.

First stop, the camp area dock.



Nothing happening here.
Next stop, the area where Michael and Valerie got married.
A couple of turkeys were hanging out.



And some sandhill cranes with their babies!

On our way down to the beach, I pointed out that I've never seen the majestic oak trees with such bright green leaves.



 The birds were off to the side bathing.  We've never seen anything like it.



They were loud fluttering their feathers!

The canal is so tranquil.  I could spend all day just relaxing here!

Thursday, rain was in the forecast.  We decided not to venture too far from camp.  Being we knew the cranes were there with their babies and those 2 turkeys that eluded us in getting a great shot, this would be a good place to start.

The rain had cleared by 1:00.  Being we hadn't seen deer which is unusual for this area, we decided to take an evening hike to Split Oak.  That is where they are!

We left camp at 6:15, got back at 8:15, and saw a total of 9 deer.  The last 4 were more of a blur because it was just beyond dusk, not quite completely dark, but pretty close!

This week provided the exact relaxation we needed.

Ft. Christmas Bluegrass Festival

Clif and I were originally planning to camp at Moss Park for the weekend of March 17-19, but unfortunately it was full.  That being said, we researched other happenings in the area, and decided to attend the Bluegrass Festival in Ft. Christmas.  We have been to their Cracker Christmas, and thought it might have lots of activities during this festival.  No, only the music.

We stayed for about 3 hours and enjoyed a variety of groups.

As I was looking around, I asked Clif if he noticed anything.

"No."  I then asked him since when did we become part of the geriatric group?  He looked around and says, 

"I guess since I turned 60!"

 The audience was a sea of white hair!

The guy in the white shirt below playing the fiddle used to play at Rosie O'Grady's in Orlando.

(For those of you old enough to remember Rosie O'Grady's!)

Clif and I decided if we went again, we would bring a deck of cards and Skippo to play while enjoying the music.

Bedroom Furniture

Perhaps you remember a blog I did back in 2015 where Clif had bought the wood for our bedroom furniture, then subsequent posts showing the progress he was making.  Anyway, here is the finished project.

  I had purchased a lingerie cabinet years ago, but didn't like how the stain turned out nor the hardware, but basically liked the design.  I used that idea to design our furniture and customized the dimensions for the size of the room and our needs.

Lots of space for my spiritual books.

He did such a professional job.  All drawers have dovetail joints and drawer slides. Real wood was used throughout. 

 No partical board.

It is so wonderful to have our closet back.  We had ALL our clothes stored in an 8 foot long standard closet. (No, we don't have a walk in closet!) Yes, shorts hanging on pant hangers, jeans, t-shirts, dress clothes, etc.  We now get to reorganize the closet with clothes that actually belong there.

Oh, the simple pleasures of life!

St Marks, Florida

After our adventure at Tom Brown Park, we went by the house, had lunch, then headed off to St. Mark's.  It is only about 40 minutes from Tallahassee.  It was a perfect day. Enjoy the sights.

We had taken a short hike to a viewing area overlooking a pond.

We thought if we were lucky, we might see a gator.

Well, we didn't see 1 gator, but many.

We played "I spy" to see how many we could find.

We saw 7 total.

You definitely would not find me swimming it that pond!