Last Discovery Shuttle Launch 2/24/11

Our drive home...whew!

The new Disney Cruise ship taking off

Discovery Space Shuttle's last launch

Scotty and Norma

GPS guide......Stefanie

Kirk and I were excited to witness history on thursday 2/24/11. The final launch of the Discovery shuttle went off with only a minor glich. For a few seconds there was a small computer problem, but it was quickly rectified and we saw our first shuttle launch. It was short yet amazing. We left early in the morning, along with one of my co-workers and fellow speech pathologist, Stefanie for the 4 hour drive to Cocoa Beach. We met up with a couple of our friends from Ormond Beach, Scotty and Norma at FishLips Bar and Grill at Cape Canaveral next to where the cruise ships take off. The new Disney ship was also at port and departed soon after the launch. We arrived at Fishlips early enough to get prime seating and stayed through 2 waitresses. We had a ball. The mojito's are great. The drive home was much longer than the drive there. The traffic went from stalled to 10-15 mph for 3 hours. The trip was well worth it even though I have to work on Saturday to make up for taking the day off. Thanks Stefanie for the back-up GPS monitoring!

2/19/11

Eagles nest in the Everglades. See baby eagle's head?

These are what they call nuisance alligator's. They are caught and put in captivity.

Our first Airboat trip 2/19/11

Kirk holding giant alligator

Me holding baby alligator

Our swampbuggy

Airboat guide giving candy to his friend

Kirk and Reina in the airboat

We have been wanting to go on an airboat ride and today the weather was perfect for it. We drove to Everglade City, where there were more than enough places to choose from. We found Wooten's. Our ticket included the airboat ride, a swampbuggy ride, and a visit to their "little" zoo. We met "Cracker's" the parrot. Did you know that native Floridian's are called "Florida Cracker's"? Just a piece of info I thought interesting. We ate lunch along the bay at the City Seafood restaurant. Great gator bites! Kirk and I both got to hold a baby alligator. That was when I wished the grandkids could have been with us. When we were on the swampbuggy, the guide gave us a wonderful history of the land, the indians, the hunters, the moonshiners, etc. Our guide on the airboat took us to alligator caves, over mud, and did turns that made you feel like you were on a thrill ride at Disneyworld. All in all it was a great day! FYI...alligator's don't eat fish....they can't open their mouths under water or they will drown...weird, huh. They can, though, hold their breath for up to three hours under water.

Alligator Alley 2/13/11

Alligator along Interstate 75, FL Alligator Alley

Kirk and I took off on Saturday morning for a little road trip. We drove toward east Florida about 20 miles west of Ft Lauderdale then came back through Alligator Alley. The weather was great. Driving along the Interstate, all you had to do was look along the roadside and see all the alligator's. It was so much fun spotting them. We saw deer, turtles, and heron too. Riding in the truck with Kirk on a road trip is about as good as it gets!