Florida Memories 2015

April 2015

So this past April I went to Florida to see my dear friends Barb and John.

This was a time for me to prepare for my surgery by exercising in the pool and walking, as well as getting the healing power of friendship. However, it was also most exciting for me to finally see so many of the spots that Barb has been telling me about for so many years, since it had been maybe 5 years since I had been there.

Time to grab and hold the best memories from my Florida visit...

Ted Spierling Park and Nature Tour-Sarasota Bay 
This was an amazing day of nature at its best which started with a walk through the woods.

There I saw my first orb weaver spider. So this isn't a great picture but have you ever tried to capture a spider in a web?!  (This is actually pretty good :) Actually, if I think about it I probably have seen one before, but this one was so busy making its wheel-shaped web, that it grabbed my attention.

Orb Weaver Spider

Then there were the knicker beans; once again, these are nothing I ever heard about before. They have these spiny pods and within each are two of the smoothest beans. What usually happens is that these seeds float about in the tides and floods and "nicking" happens, as I learned from my reading. In other words the seed casing is chipped away by sand, water, insects, and animals. When water enters the seeds, they germinate and begin to grow.

Knicker Beans

Florida has many bromeliad species and ball moss is one of these air plants. Ball moss is gray- green and attaches itself to wires and branches. These were plentiful in the forest.

These were just a few of our finds on the walk.

Then we boarded our boat and went for our Nature Tour on the water.  It was the best feeling to be given our nets, sent into the water, and begin searching for treasures-and treasures we did find. 

At top of this dish is a Scallop. I was so excited to find this and have it open and clap the shells. Our leader said that they are protected and had to be thrown back.  To its left is a Lightning Welk and at the bottom of dish is a live Sand Dollar. (BTW, I am well aware that the names of all these should not be capitalized technically, but since they were the focus of the day I intend to capitalize them.)

                                                                              

This is a tongue fish with both eyes on same side

 (on top). Unfortunately it doesn't photograph well but 

such an interesting specimen. 

This is a Long-horn Cowfish.

This is the Pipe Fish.

The white object is a Moon Snail egg case,
and just below that is a Moon Snail with anemones attached. 

This is the mouth of an sea anemone that Barb found--fascinating to watch.

So you might wonder why I would bother to show these pics and label them. For me finding something I have never seen or never seen up close is so exciting.  Not to mention, that every little fish, leaf, spider, etc. is part of the life cycle and interconnected. It makes me realize how fragile the ecosystem is and how I need to have respect for every aspect of it. 

Another favorite day of mine was when Barb and I returned to Ted Spierling Nature Preserve to walk the beach. We arose early and set off to find some new discoveries.  

Our first find was a hermit crab that came out to say hi immediately. 

Then we found grandpa crab who probably is as big and old as he is because he refused to come out and greet us, so you have to look deep into the shell to see the claws. He was there and alive, just smarter than the little guy we saw earlier. 

My favorite experience happened when Barb and I noticed a Sea Star. We stopped, picked it up, examined it and noticed it was regrowing one of its arms.  

We continued our wading in the water and noticed some other crabs and then realized that there were Sea Stars everywhere. It was an amazing sight. 

We even found this baby sea star.  

The one other interesting memory of this excursion was how the gnats found us on this windless day by the water and systematically sucked at every part of Barb's and my neck and arms. Barb counted over 40 bites on my neck.  These buggers knew they had us because there was no way we were going to surrender the excitment of finding the many treasures that we were.

The Ringling Brothers Museum

One evening we went to the Ringling Brothers Museum for a social outing with Barb's and John's friends.  The funny memory of this was the appetizer glitch in which each person was not supposed to have more than three appetizers each, but no one passed that message on to the eaters...haha. It didn't matter; everyone laughed about it.

Afterwards, we attended a special exhibit on repurposed art called What a Bunch of Garbage. Unfortunately, but understandably, I couldn't take pictures, but this was something I really enjoyed. The creativity of people to reuse items is amazing. My favorite exhibit was by Trash Mirror by Daniel Rozin. It was created by interlocking various product packaging. However, when one walked up to it or passed it, all the tiny bits moved and became one's reflection. No matter which way one moved, the bits created the reflection. Clever and fascinating!

As we walked the groungs of the museum, there were sights that grabbed me. I loved this statue sitting on the bank and the raindrops gently hitting the lake around her.

Also, on the grounds were lovely bamboo shoots and complex banyan structures. The colors and textures, not to mention the quiet within, made me want to just sit there and meditate.

Finally, my favorite picture of my whole trip is this beautiful egret beautifying itself.

The Marietta Museum of Art and Whimsy

Another interesting excursion we took was to the Marietta Museum of Art and Whimsy, a very different kind of museum because it not only tickles your intellect, but it also tickles the artsy side of anyone, and as you walk through it will probably tickle your funny bone as well.  What I particularly liked about this museum is that at least half the artists are women, and if you haven't done research of late there isn't a museum in Illinois that can boast that.

The mission of the museum says it all....
to Operate an extraordinary art and whimsical Museum for the public by collecting, preserving and exhibiting works of Artistic and Whimsical importance to Educate our visitors about our culture, history, and environment and to Inspire, Challenge, Nurture Creative Expression, and Lift our Spirits.

When we drove into museum parking lot, these are just a few of the sculptures that greeted us. My favorite is the horse--the detail, the mane....quite the sculpture.

Greeting us at the door was this officer.
You have to admit that the face and hands
are textured to perfection.

However, if you do not like the officer, 

perhaps you would like to meet Madam.

This beautiful picture with the vivid
colors caught my attention immediately.

The mixture of media in this picture as
well as the textures were beautiful. 

I loved this hanging piece because of the
movement and sparkle.

Once again, this is just a sampling of the whimsical art to be enjoyed at the Marietta Museum of Art and Whimsy.

I know there are so many things I am forgetting to write about this entry, but it was a perfect vacation. I did plenty of exercise --well, as much as I could considering the shape I was in, and I had enough interesting and varied distractions to keep my mind off the upcoming surgery.