Kennedy Space Center

I was really excited to visit the Kennedy Space Center despite an admitted lack of knowledge (or previous interest in) the space program as a whole. I remember, in elementary school, our class activity coming to a halt and the teacher wheeling in a television set to watch the first moon landing. And I remember sitting on the living floor with almost 2 year old, Katie, watching the Challenger explode shortly after launching. That is about the extent of my knowledge...sad! But our visit today was exciting, educational and just plain  inspiring. To think of the science and knowledge involved to actually LAUNCH a rocket,  or shuttle is amazing. To think of the vastness of our universe and how little we truly know about it's extent is mind boggling.

We started our day with the bus tour which brings you to two destinations, the LC-39 Observation Gantry and the Apollo/Saturn V Center. On the way, we also drove by the Vehicle Assembly Building. The Gantry overlooks the launch areas which lie outside of the visitors center. We were able to see the Crawler Transporter as well as many launch pads including LC39A and LC39B where the shuttles had been launched.

On to the next building that houses a fully restored Saturn V rocket and Apollo Space Capsule which brought man to the moon.

Saturn V's booster rockets

Command Module

Apollo 14 Command Module

"The Eagle has Landed"

We also got to see the actual Apollo programs Launch Control Center and experience what it was like in the moments before the actual launch.

The board that says it all...

We have lift-off

After the bus tour we took on the Shuttle Launch Experience. You are buckle in a seat in a launch simulator and subjected to the motion, force and vibration of a shuttle launch. Amazing.....and very weird. I'm sure we weren't experiencing even close to the actual force of launch but I swear my face moved from the front of my head to the back of my head. The lady sitting in front of us had long hair and it was standing straight out behind her and almost in my face! After a short break (smoke) and a walk through the Astronaut Memorial, we caught the IMAX film about the Hubble, what it does and what it took to repair it (several times).  We had been to an Observatory in Texas and had seen photos from the Hubble. Heck, we had even bought a book about the universe that, of course, featured many Hubble photos. But this movie was just unbelievably amazing. Really made us think about the vast Universe and our place among the stars. We're so minuscule, so insignificant in a galaxy that is simply one of billions of galaxies. This guy, however, is not insignificant and he knows it...

KSC lies within the Merritt Island National Wildlife Preserve
and there is an abundance of alligators!

Following the film and with a new sense of smallness, we walked through the Rocket Garden made up of the Mercury-Redstone, Atlas, Apollo Saturn 1B and many other retired rockets.

By now, we were actually pretty pooped, yet had not seen quite a few of the exhibits and displays that the KSC has for visitors. But fatigue won out so we said goodbye to the KSC and headed home.

Billies Swamp Tour

Though the weather looked "iffy" and the forecast said rain, we decided to take our chances and drive the 50 miles into the Everglades to the Seminole Reservation and do Billies Swamp today. Of course, with the time change, it was later than we had hoped to get started but we made it there by noon.  The Everglades itself was not what I expected. Looked more like a lot of farm land, cows in abundance, and shrub bush.
Immediately after arriving we were herded onto a "Swamp Buggy" for a tour of the grounds and the Oak Canopy. Billies has a zoo-like atmosphere as many of the animals were imported from India, Australia and other sub-tropic environments. The buggy was fun and we did see a large area of the glades and many animals....oddly living in apparent harmony!

"Snake" bird

One of these at every feeder

Odd collection of beasts!

Turkeys

After the buggy tour we walked through some exhibits. Not to much to see but interesting "critters"...

We then boarded an Air boat for the swamp tour. The guide mentioned that on his last run all the gators that had been sitting and sunning on the banks had mysteriously disappeared. Well, duh....the sky had clouded and a few sprinkle were even falling. I wondered then and there if Jeff and I didn't know more about gators than he did! I tested him with an easy question..."When do Alligators lay their eggs?" He did not know. Oh Boy.

Spot the Gators...

It was not a fabulous tour and the guide pretty much sucked but it was fun to get on an Air boat finally and Jeff really enjoyed the sound of the powerful motor! The last thing to do was the "Gator Pond" which featured one really huge male and his girlfriend. We were lucky enough to be there just as the rangers brought around bags of frozen chickens to feed these two. The male took some persuasion to come to dinner but after a few "Gator calls" from the ranger and the threat of his girl getting all of the chicken, he finally came to life and lumbered over for his fill. He was HUGE. His head was easily 4 feet long and two feet wide. Not one I would want to tempt closer...

On the way home we stopped in Clewiston for a meal and discovered they have few dining options. Wendys, KFC, a Cuban diner, a BBQ shack that looked about to fall down and Sonny's BBQ. We picked Sonny's which proved to have really good BBQ and great people watching (seems everyone in Clewiston had just gotten out of church and it was 3 p.m.).

Home for the last (thank goodness) night in South Bay and getting things ready for the move north tomorrow!

Gator Watch 2012

Sad day today as I had to deliver my BFF to the airport at 7 a.m. The sad part being the delivery, not the hour! Also...driving to Fort Lauderdale Airport reminded me that 3 weeks ago, Jeff and I had been doing the same thing. Only to fly ourselves,  to St. Maarten. Time goes so fast and all the things that I so look forward to becomes a memory before I know it. But, you can't go back, just look forward. And I am so looking forward to Monday when we can get the hell out of South Bay. Between the truck noise, the 6 a.m. crop duster (who thinks he should actually "buzz" the BP), the burning sugar cane ash...we are OVER this place in a big way. Monday we head to Titusville, Florida on the Space Coast. We will enjoy the proximity to water and beaches again as well as some educational opportunities at Cape Canaveral.
After getting back from the Keys on Thursday, Lucy and I spent the remainder of our time together "chillaxing". We had intermittent sun yesterday so we pretty much sat outside, a few short "gator watching" walks, and a few cocktails. Jeff and I did more of the same today. I actually took the video camera around the entire circumference of the park and caught a few gators on film. One baby has been hanging right by the BP all day (OK, I may have put some chicken out by the bank yesterday). I named her "Teenie" and she is now coming to the bank when I call. OOOOPS!

Teenie

Frank, Teenie's buddy.

We also got to see "Hank" yesterday as he sunned on the opposite bank for most of the day.

Hank

Aside from the alligators, we have a pair of nesting Blue Herons right across the creek bed that have been really interesting to watch and entertaining as well.

Also the ever present flocks of Ibis and their weird little friend I spotted yesterday but have never seen before.

So we spent a few very quiet (well, except for the trucks, planes, trains) days enjoying the unique Florida wildlife. Tomorrow Jeff and I are going to a swamp tour in the Everglades before we head north. Hoping to see some jumbo gators. And, no...I will not feed them anything!

Lucy's visit and the Florida Keys

We returned from St. Maarten on Saturday evening right on schedule and my BFF, Lucy, arrived almost simultaneously. After figuring out what gate everyone was at we had a wonderful reunion. We got Lucy back to the BP and spent most of Sunday unpacking, grocery shopping and generally, lazing around. Then after dinner, I repacked as Lucy and I were heading to the Florida Keys for a few days of "girl-time"!!
We were on the road to Marathon by 9:30 Monday morning and had a beautiful, sunny, warm day for our drive. We were in no hurry, of course, so we stopped for a good lunch and an even better Lime Pina Colada at the Postcard Inn Tiki Bar....YUM!!!

After the refreshments we continued on down the Keys to Marathon and after a bit more putzing (and shopping) we checked into our incredibly kitchy and cute room at the Sandpiper Inn.

We didn't hang around to long before heading to Burdines Bar for a Corona and our first Keys sunset.

Then it was a short walk down the Marina to Castaways where Lucy had researched and found the best place to go for Sushi....and I NEEDED Sushi! And Sushi I got. We actually only had 2 rolls and an order of Conch Fritters so we were just right in terms of satisfaction!

Our waiter, Frankie, was awesome and after helping us with our sushi selection, he also helped us with our next stop, filling us in on the local hot spots and entertainment. The greatest thing about the Marathon area was all the entertainment (and I am talking every bar, every day) plays, like, 6-9 p.m. My kind of hours! So...we decided on Salty's and enjoyed a few hours of great island music compliments of Billy Washburn. Fun!!!

Tuesday we started out early and went to the cafe that some friends of Lucy's from Door County manage at a campground on Big Pine. Joe and Tina have an amazing life, running the family restaurant in Baileys Harbor from May to the end of October then running the cafe in the Keys the rest of the year. Their kids grew up starting school in Wisconsin, moving to the Keys and finishing the year back in Wisconsin and managed to not only adapt, but excel! After visiting with them we continued SW to Key West where we were lucky enough to find a parking spot (spring break....need I say more). We had picked up a brochure for the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory so we thought we'd check that out first thing. I anticipated nothing and found nirvana. It was an absolutely amazing and surreal experience walking through a beautiful garden surrounded by thousands of beautiful butterflies, birds and flowers.

Lucy and I, both quite accidentally, had worn very colorful, bright dresses and the butterflies were attracted to us like flies on doodie so we had them landing in our hair, and on our dresses and bodies.

Now that's a hair ornament!

This guy hitched a ride for a long while!

After the conservatory, we walked down to the "Southern-most Point in the U.S." then wander down Duvall Street, eventually having to stop for a cocktail. Lucy, who already has one cocktail named after her at Origami (the Get Up Lucy) wound up having yet another cocktail named after her at the bar we stopped at...The Lucy-Colada. Lucky!

We drove back to Marathon and after a quick change, met up with Tina and Joe at Sunsets Bar. Gorgeous beach bar with it's own pool and great cocktails. We ended the evening with a disappointing dinner there but over-all....enjoyed the entire day!

Wednesday we were really hoping to go out on Tina and Joe's boat but it dawned gloomy and very windy so boating was out of the question. Across the street from our hotel was the Turtle Hospital so we walked over first thing in the morning and found we could get in on a tour....at 2 p.m. So we made our reservation for the afternoon and wasted a few hours snooping around town and checking out a few beaches as well.

Pretty soon it was time for the educational tour of the Turtle Hospital, one of about 15 in Florida. we got a good introduction to the various species of sea turtle, the dangers they face and how the hospital rescues, rehabilitates and releases them (when possible). The hospital currently has 10 permanent residents and 11 rehabbing turtles. We got to see them all. Some had amputations due to fishing line and crab/lobster pot entanglement, some were paralyzed or brain damaged due to prop hits and some were recovering from surgical removal of viral papillomas (probably caused by pollution to our waters).

Izzy...hit by boat

Soon to be released

Permanent resident Bubble-Butt

After the amazing time at the hospital we decided that instead of going ONE place for dinner we would "appetizer" our way down Marathon. We started at Keys Fisheries for Stone-Crab Claws.

OMG-YUM!!!

Next we were on to Breezes in Key Colony and our daily favorite....Conch Fritters. Oh and Billy Washburn for music!

Next up...Porky's and their amazing Sesame Tuna. I had actually been at Porky's many years ago on a family trip with my parents and sister/family. It was an awesome memory and a lot of fun to be there again with my Lucy!

To finish off the night we returned to Salty's where we heard another amazing performer and had an amazing pizza. we ended the night talking to the artist, John Burdis,  at the bar until they almost kicked us out (at all of 11:30!!)
Today we returned to the campground cafe for breakfast before heading back to Southbay and the BP (and Jeff).

It had been a wonderful few days in the Keys and an even better time laughing with and truly enjoying time with my best friend!