Day 3
Day 3
We wake up pretty early today, but dilly daddle with a leisurely breakfast, coffee and cartoons. Then we head out. Destination:
From the parking lot, I am less than impressed. It seems tiny, too tiny for what the brochure and the internet were boasting as being a huge botanical garden with several animal habitats. But we're here so we give it a try. After we pay (not too bad, since I get 20% off Veterans discount), we step into the gardens, and luckily we catch the tram tour right away. Well, this place is pretty big. The tour guide tells us a bit about its history, how it started as a citrus field and slowly grew into a botanical garden, points to us different species, native to Florida or exotic, tells us fun facts about the trees, flowers, herbs and spice gardens, and spots all kinds of little critters that we wouldn't see otherwise. I realize I was deceived and I really enjoy this big greenery that will be ours to explore this morning.
What can I say? Mikey runs around, he's not into plants but loves all the animals he sees. He's the one educating me. Harris Hawk, Horned Owl, Turkey Vulture, some spoonbilled bird, Ibises.... he does not read their names, he just calls them out as he sees them. The Aviary is nice, and so is the nature garden behind it. I am really loving the green surrounding me, the huge trees, the coolness and freshness in the air, and I know that outside these gates it's about 85F, but here is really nice. I almost feel inspired to search for trips to the Amazon Forest when we get back.
We eat lunch at the Flamingo Café. It's a fancy name for almost nothing on the menu; Mikey gets a hot dog and I an average salad and we spend $12.00 and some change. Pricey but we're gonna be here for a while and might as well eat.We eat lunch watching the ibises and flamingos in front of us. We talk about them. The child knows a lot of facts, and we're working on connecting information. Why do ibises have long skinny curved beaks? To dig in the mud and get their food. Look at that flamingo, it looks like it's dancing. Maybe he's doing a mating dance. Or maybe he's just stirring the mud under his feet so he can get to his food easier. A couple of ibises come by and look like they're begging for food, and Mikey is almost able to pet one. But we don't feed them, and we don't pet them either. They belong in the wild, and should be left as such, Mikey says.
We carry on. At the Wray house, we run into a very nice elderly gentleman who gives us a great tour and engages Mikey in conversation. I love the atmosphere of the house, originally built in the 1930s and remodeled in the 50s. I especially love the windows that let in plenty of light, and the peacocks hanging out on the porch and on the roof.
We keep on walking, snapping pictures, talking, running. We see alligators, otters, a brown bear, turtles, and a Florida panther. We try to feed the flamingos (flamingo food, not human leftovers). I get one to eat from my hand, but Mikey is too shy.
We keep walking. I am trying to catch the amazing light sifting through the canopy, bathing everything in gold and projecting fantastical shadow images on the ground. A couple of times I think I caught it, but it may just be a smudge on the camera lenses. But the effect is similar I dare say!
We spend a solid 4 hours at the Flamingo Gardens. It is a good day, we learned a lot, we had fun. We're heading back to the cottage with no definite plans for the evening. So after an early dinner we head back out to dip our feet in the Ocean. The beach is almost empty, the water a beautiful blue, small waves, lots of sea weed, a little breeze and the honey light of sunset. Mikey has a great time, and I let the waves and breeze cleanse me. Another wonderful day with Mikey and I am so grateful for it.
We wake up pretty early today, but dilly daddle with a leisurely breakfast, coffee and cartoons. Then we head out. Destination:
What can I say? Mikey runs around, he's not into plants but loves all the animals he sees. He's the one educating me. Harris Hawk, Horned Owl, Turkey Vulture, some spoonbilled bird, Ibises.... he does not read their names, he just calls them out as he sees them. The Aviary is nice, and so is the nature garden behind it. I am really loving the green surrounding me, the huge trees, the coolness and freshness in the air, and I know that outside these gates it's about 85F, but here is really nice. I almost feel inspired to search for trips to the Amazon Forest when we get back.
We eat lunch at the Flamingo Café. It's a fancy name for almost nothing on the menu; Mikey gets a hot dog and I an average salad and we spend $12.00 and some change. Pricey but we're gonna be here for a while and might as well eat.We eat lunch watching the ibises and flamingos in front of us. We talk about them. The child knows a lot of facts, and we're working on connecting information. Why do ibises have long skinny curved beaks? To dig in the mud and get their food. Look at that flamingo, it looks like it's dancing. Maybe he's doing a mating dance. Or maybe he's just stirring the mud under his feet so he can get to his food easier. A couple of ibises come by and look like they're begging for food, and Mikey is almost able to pet one. But we don't feed them, and we don't pet them either. They belong in the wild, and should be left as such, Mikey says.
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