Friday, March 30, 2012
NEW BLOGS
Lately it's been sooooo slow at work that I have actually taken to checking out some new blogs. Mostly food blogs, lol. So on my sidebar are some REALLY great blogs with some really great recipes. And there are also alot of great stories and other interests in those blogs. But the recipes are AWESOME! So if you get a chance check them out.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Alligator Alley
Hut and I found a gem of place to go walking here in Polk County. It's been open for a few years but it's a pretty well kept secret. I thought I had posted about this before but evidently not. Guess I wanted to keep it a secret too. I will find the pictures from our first venture out here and post them soon. The place is called the Circle B Bar Reserve. It was formerly a cattle ranch. Actually the state bought 1/2 of the cattle ranch and turned it into a nature reserve. The other 1/2 is still a working cattle ranch. The reserve has about 8 walking/biking trails that are all natural. No cement sidewalks here. The first one we ever walked was a 1/2 mile trail which ended up being a mile because we forgot about the walk back, lol. The walk we went on Sunday was a 2 mile walk. The trail is called Alligator Alley and you will soon see why.
You have to walk on the Shady Oak trail before you get to Alligator Alley. Things are pretty much left the way they fell. This tree stump, as we walked up to it, resembled a dragon to both Hut and I.
As we got closer it seemed to me to resemble a deer. Hut said it reminded him of our Molly laying down and eating her bone. I could see that too,lol.
This I call the bridge to nowhere. It seems to serve no purpose but it is over a low lying area that probably floods when it rains. Out in the middle of nowhere.
A shot of Lake Hancock through the trees. This lake is 7 miles around and the water is only 2 feet deep. And I loved that when I looked across the water there was NO development of any kind. I honesty hope it stays that way. The reserve, I told Hut, reminded me of dinosaur days (yes, I'm that old). It has the musty smell and the air was thick and clingy. But I loved it. The reserve is pretty much like it was when people settled this land.
Just as we were getting to Alligator Alley I heard some banging. Here was a red-headed woodpecker busy on this tree.
Walking on Alligator Alley you come upon a dock out on the lake. From that dock you could see tons of alligators. This was one of many. They say you can tell how many feel long an alligator is by how many inches it is from his snout to his eyes. I don't know about you, but I'm not getting that close. I figure all of the gators we saw in the lake were at least 10 feet and bigger.
All the black lines and spots? GATORS!!!! HUGE GATORS!!!! I counted 31 total. 15 on one side of the dock and 16 on the other. We ran into another lady who said she counted 45!
There are 8 in this picture.
There were not any gators near the dock itself. My camera has a pretty good zoom so that's where the close ups came from. I'm kinda glad there weren't any near the docks. 
This one was pretty long.
One trying to hide in the weeds.
Another one hiding in the weeds.
Alligators on the other side of the dock.
A few more on the other side of the dock.
Alligator Alley is not all alligators. Here is one of many turtles co-habitating with the gators. I believe this is a painted turtle.
Even though these are round and look like helmets, I believe these turtles are called box turtles.
On the canal we were walking along, this big guy was the only one we saw sunning himself on the bank. And that was fine with me. He was only about 10 feet from us.
Another family of box turtles. And these guys were right in front of the big gator sunning himself.
Another shot of the gator sunning himself.
A black heron sunning himself.
Believe it or not this gator is only 4 feet long. We were looking at a Coot (a bird) that was near him. I almost didn't see him. He blends right in with the logs.
A blue heron stalking fish in the canal.
This is another 4 footer. He was a little harder to see since he was in the shade and only his head was showing.
An osprey in the tree. These are very common in the wooded areas around here. Some friends were biking the trails the day we were there and they were lucky enough to see an eagle on one of the paths they were on. Hopefully one day I'll be as lucky.
You have to walk on the Shady Oak trail before you get to Alligator Alley. Things are pretty much left the way they fell. This tree stump, as we walked up to it, resembled a dragon to both Hut and I.As we got closer it seemed to me to resemble a deer. Hut said it reminded him of our Molly laying down and eating her bone. I could see that too,lol.This I call the bridge to nowhere. It seems to serve no purpose but it is over a low lying area that probably floods when it rains. Out in the middle of nowhere.A shot of Lake Hancock through the trees. This lake is 7 miles around and the water is only 2 feet deep. And I loved that when I looked across the water there was NO development of any kind. I honesty hope it stays that way. The reserve, I told Hut, reminded me of dinosaur days (yes, I'm that old). It has the musty smell and the air was thick and clingy. But I loved it. The reserve is pretty much like it was when people settled this land.Just as we were getting to Alligator Alley I heard some banging. Here was a red-headed woodpecker busy on this tree.Walking on Alligator Alley you come upon a dock out on the lake. From that dock you could see tons of alligators. This was one of many. They say you can tell how many feel long an alligator is by how many inches it is from his snout to his eyes. I don't know about you, but I'm not getting that close. I figure all of the gators we saw in the lake were at least 10 feet and bigger.All the black lines and spots? GATORS!!!! HUGE GATORS!!!! I counted 31 total. 15 on one side of the dock and 16 on the other. We ran into another lady who said she counted 45!There are 8 in this picture.There were not any gators near the dock itself. My camera has a pretty good zoom so that's where the close ups came from. I'm kinda glad there weren't any near the docks. This one was pretty long.One trying to hide in the weeds.Another one hiding in the weeds.Alligators on the other side of the dock.A few more on the other side of the dock.Alligator Alley is not all alligators. Here is one of many turtles co-habitating with the gators. I believe this is a painted turtle.Even though these are round and look like helmets, I believe these turtles are called box turtles.On the canal we were walking along, this big guy was the only one we saw sunning himself on the bank. And that was fine with me. He was only about 10 feet from us.Another family of box turtles. And these guys were right in front of the big gator sunning himself.Another shot of the gator sunning himself.A black heron sunning himself. Believe it or not this gator is only 4 feet long. We were looking at a Coot (a bird) that was near him. I almost didn't see him. He blends right in with the logs.A blue heron stalking fish in the canal.This is another 4 footer. He was a little harder to see since he was in the shade and only his head was showing.
An osprey in the tree. These are very common in the wooded areas around here. Some friends were biking the trails the day we were there and they were lucky enough to see an eagle on one of the paths they were on. Hopefully one day I'll be as lucky.Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Images in the Clouds
A local gentleman took this photo the other day. He says it's a vision of Jesus. I tend to agree with him. It definitely has caused some controversy here in Polk County. But the local newspaper published it.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Mother Nature at the Farm
You know how I am with pictures taken when I'm at work. Not too much had been going on lately so I haven't really had any to post. 
These two pictures are Orange Trees. Not all orange trees have blossoms and oranges at the same time. I think these are Navels. I just love that every year you have oranges and blossoms on the tree together. They are so beautiful!
And we had a surprise visitor out by one of the sidewalks the other day. He was about 4 feet long from nose to tail end.
And he was gracious enough to pose for the pictures. We left him alone and I'm sure he wandered back to the pond after he was done sunning himself.
These two pictures are Orange Trees. Not all orange trees have blossoms and oranges at the same time. I think these are Navels. I just love that every year you have oranges and blossoms on the tree together. They are so beautiful!And we had a surprise visitor out by one of the sidewalks the other day. He was about 4 feet long from nose to tail end.And he was gracious enough to pose for the pictures. We left him alone and I'm sure he wandered back to the pond after he was done sunning himself.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Old Town....Again!
We have always loved going to Old Town in Kissimmee. My kids and I have been going for almost 28 years. They used to have a 1950's style night club there that I worked at for awhile and they have been "cruising" classic cars the whole time. So when Wade bought his 1969 4 door Chevelle, of course we're going "cruising". And we do it ALOT!
But the cruise is always in the evenings. Starts at 8:15 every Saturday night. So to kill some time the last time we went, we decided to go to Downtown Disney because it's only 10 minutes away. And we always park on the West Side because 1. You can always find a parking space close and 2. You can ride the boat to the Downtown Disney side. And that in itself is a fun time. And then you have Rossi Jean entertaining you with her many faces.
In this shot you can see Layla and Wade behind Diana and Rossi. This is a really nice ride across the lake and it's free!
After our visit at Downtown Disney we were driving to Old Town. I saw this sticker on the back of a truck and thought it was really funny. You would have had to have been a fan of the Dukes of Hazzard to understand. 
This car was on display at Old Town and was a hit with everyone.
And here's why. This sign shows what parts the car is made from. This is a true Heinz 57 of cars.
This is a shot of the front of Wade's Chevelle.
And a side shot of the car. We love this car and have such a good time cruising in it.
Here's Rossi Jean. She was a little tired, but she always makes sure she is rested enough to wave at people while she cruises.
And darn Wade! Had to snap this picture. I had worked an overnight shift the night before the cruise and hadn't been to bed. I was sooooo tired. Not a very flattering picture, lol.
But the cruise is always in the evenings. Starts at 8:15 every Saturday night. So to kill some time the last time we went, we decided to go to Downtown Disney because it's only 10 minutes away. And we always park on the West Side because 1. You can always find a parking space close and 2. You can ride the boat to the Downtown Disney side. And that in itself is a fun time. And then you have Rossi Jean entertaining you with her many faces.In this shot you can see Layla and Wade behind Diana and Rossi. This is a really nice ride across the lake and it's free!
After our visit at Downtown Disney we were driving to Old Town. I saw this sticker on the back of a truck and thought it was really funny. You would have had to have been a fan of the Dukes of Hazzard to understand. This car was on display at Old Town and was a hit with everyone.And here's why. This sign shows what parts the car is made from. This is a true Heinz 57 of cars.This is a shot of the front of Wade's Chevelle.And a side shot of the car. We love this car and have such a good time cruising in it.Here's Rossi Jean. She was a little tired, but she always makes sure she is rested enough to wave at people while she cruises.And darn Wade! Had to snap this picture. I had worked an overnight shift the night before the cruise and hadn't been to bed. I was sooooo tired. Not a very flattering picture, lol.Friday, March 23, 2012
Fish Fry
The Ridge Art Association put on a Fish Fry to help raise funds for the City's art gallery. It was held at a new park that recently opened in the city. It was good food, cooked by the WHFD, and tons of fun until the rain came.
These two pictures are of the crowd that managed to get there for food before the rain. And boy did it rain.
Here is Hut's plate...fish, hushpuppies, beans and collard greens. There was also iced tea, lemonade and water.
I got fish, hushpuppies, beans, corn and cole slaw. And it all was fantastic!Thursday, March 22, 2012
Doing It In The Dark
Now what were you all thinking???? This is a truck/car show we went to because Scott was debuting his mini truck here. We had originally thought it was for mini truckers only, but were pleasantly surprised to see other vehicles there. And while it was still light out when we got there, the event lasted well into the night, hence the name of the show, lol. I didn't take many photos because we really didn't have a chance to walk the whole way around. We kept running into Scott's friends and socializing. To me, it's always nice when your kids friends have no problem hanging with you too.
This was a pretty big truck and he won an award for the best suspension.
My husband fell in love with this Chevy S10. We have an S10 but it's not near as nice as this. I love the colors.
This is what low riding is all about. Can you get it to sit on the ground. I don't understand why someone would want to do that, lol.
This is not your momma's station wagon. Especially with all the skulls and bones painted on the sign.
Close up of the paint job.
This was a really cool truck with a custom motorcycle in the back. To me, though, this was a waste of a classic.
I beleive this to be a Maverick, but I'm not real sure. Hut liked this car too.
And this is the piece de resistance! Scott's truck! Yes, it's missing the bed, but he finally finished it so that he could lower it and raise it with airbags. Every mini truckers dream. He is still in the process of building a new bed to fit over all the gizmos he has in the back.
This of course is the back of the truck. Hut can't beleive these guys put there gas tanks all the way to back where they lower the trucks. Even in this condition, Scott is proud of his truck. I can't wait until he gets the bed on and spruces it up a little. 
One more shot of the gizmos in the rear end, lol.
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