Summertime 2009

So we're past the halfway point in our summer break-from-school time. A little poignant, but Gayle and I are already thinking about the coming year and the new crop of 3rd / 5th graders. This is the week between stuff -- last week was 5 days away from Orlando for both of us, and next week Gayle is teaching summer school to rising kindergarteners while I'm doing some house projects.
Last week Gayle went to Manhattan with Emily for 5 days. While Emily had seminars for plays, Gayle visited museums, parks, and buildings. And went to two Broadway plays. They also had some sight-seeing time together, notably riding in a pedi-cab around Central Park, touring the Cloisters, and a boat trip around the Statue of Liberty & a tour of Ellis Island.
I brought Gayle to OIA Wednesday morning about 5:15 AM, got home, hopped on the motorcycle, and rode north to the Great Smoky Mountains. I spent a delightful three days in the mountains enjoying God's Creation and some really fun "twisties"! I covered the Cherohala Skyway, Route 28 / Fontana Dam road, US 129 / The Tail of the Dragon (318 curves in 11 miles), the Foothills Parkway, Little River Road & US 441 in the national park, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. My rain gear paid for itself several times over -- stopped for a couple of thunderstorms and drove through rain / clouds several times. I had temps in the 50's on Saturday morning when I was near 6,000 ft elevation on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Got back early afternoon on Sunday, and picked Gayle up at the airport in the evening. Traveled over 1,500 miles!
We enjoyed our time away, and were glad to be back home again, safe & sound!

Rt column pictures:
#1 Broadway outside Gayle & Em's
hotel
#2 Ellis Island
#3 Statue of Liberty
#4 Brooklyn Bridge
#5 Manhattan from the top of the
Empire State Building

#6 Pedi-cab & driver who took
Gayle & Em around
Central Park

Left Column pictures:
#1 Rob @ the state border on the
Cherohala Skyway
#2 Fontana Dam
#3 Tree of Shame @ Deal's Gap, NC
at the beginning of the Tail of

the Dragon, an 11 mile run from

NC into TN w/ 318 curves
(Those are bike parts from
accidents along that road!)
#4 along Little River Rd in the
Great Smoky Mountains NP
#5 Rob & bike @ an overlook
on US 441 in GSMNP
#6 along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Travel, Teaching, & Liquid Sunshine

I took a picture of mom after her knee replacement surgery, after she came to Brookcrest for rehab. She looked good and the reports this week are that she's making good progress. My 5th graders made get well cards and they came in the mail on Saturday before I went back to Florida. Mom enjoyed the messages! Spent the week in Michigan with brother Tim & Pat. It was good to get caught up with them again, and be there for mom.

This week has been full -- 20 parent / teacher conferences nested within the busyness of the last full week of school. I ended the week with a sore throat and a cold. Good thing we have a long week-end; my voice is in the basement.
And then there was / is the low pressure system (non-tropical) that stayed like Fay last year. This time pretty much everyone in Central Florida got soaked. Daytona and Flagler County had over 24 inches of rain, and it's not done yet. We have had over 16 inches of rain and we expect a wet Saturday. I already got soaked running from Home Depot to the car this morning. No riding today...maybe Gayle and I can go for a breakfast run Monday morning.

No ducks yet, but beaucoup frogs! Finally the brush fires are out and things are greening up again.

Solo Run

I took a 5 hour cycle trip to Leesburg, which is about 50 miles NW of Orlando. The town is hosting a bikefest, and thousands of bikers came out today. It was a beautiful day for a ride -- low 80's, low humidity, and a nice breeze. Drove on the Florida Turnpike to get out of Orlando, and got down the road quickly. Took a county road north from the Turnpike through Howey-In-The-Hills (love that name!) to the Yalaha Bakery. This is a German bakery that has a loyal customer base because of the great pastries, tortes, breads, and Danish that they put out. I enjoyed a raspberry Danish and coffee in the outdoor seating area.

The numbers of bikes in and around Leesburg was awesome! I got to park in the middle of Main Street; the sides of the street were already full before 10 AM. Lots of interesting bikes; the bikes show the personalities and priorities of their owners.
I took a scenic route back home along the west shore of Lake Apopka. Rode through towns like Astatula, Ferndale, and Montverde -- old Florida, beautifully scenic drive. Under six hours total, 115 miles, great little trip!

Spring Break Trip

We left Monday morning for the West coast of Florida and Cedar Key. This unique little town is on several small islands / keys in the Gulf of Mexico and is part of the Cedar Key National Wildlife Refuge. Temps were in the low 70's, blue sky, and no wind -- a beautiful day to ride! We had a leisurely ride west on the Kawasaki, staying off the interstate & turnpike. Took US 27 north to Leesburg and then state road 44 all the way to the Gulf and Seven Rivers. We stopped at the Crystal River Archaeological State Park; there are a number of Indian mounds along the river several miles from the Gulf and the tidewater region. Interesting, informative little park. Coming in to the park we saw a couple of wild hogs and their 6 piglets along the access road to the park, and when leaving a bobcat loped across the road! Another 30 miles north and 25 miles west to Cedar Key.

We stayed at a condo rental recommended by our lower division principal, The Island Place, right on the bay. Sat on the porch, read a book, and watched the birds & fishermen for a while. We ate at seafood restaurants both evenings...shrimp, grouper, and clam chowder! On Tuesday we took a 3 hour tour (reminded my of Gilligan's Island!) by boat around the keys to see the birds. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we enjoyed ithe trip immensely. Saw over 2 dozen different species of birds and I got 12 new ones for my life list. Marbled godwit; Forster, Royal, & Caspian terns; oystercatcher; black skimmer; dowitcher; long-billed curlew;semi-palmated plover; whimbrel; laughing, herring, & ring-billed gulls. As well as many white pelicans, 3 pairs of bald eagles and one young one, and pods of dolphins. Our guide also talked about the tidewater region, grasses, trees, migratory habits of birds, the local multi-million dollar clam industry, and the reason that Cedar Key was first populated -- J. Eberhard Faber harvested the local red cedars for his pencils.
Had about an hour of light rain while coming home this morning, but we were warm & dry by the time we pulled into the garage. Saw deer, wild turkey, a small burrowing owl, and while we were stopped along a road in the Ocala National Forest a Sandhill Crane walked by across the street. 335 miles and 42 MPG!
By the way, we have dozens of flowers on the grapefruit tree, as well as 3 orchids in full bloom -- 2 purple & white phaelenopsis and one Miltonia (with the Calvin colors).

Smaller shore birds & White Pelicans

I caught this dolphin in mid-jump as he was playing in the wake behind our boat.

Week-end Fun

We went to the Bay Hill Invitational on Saturday. Weather was partly cloudy and rather windy for Orlando, but it did get warm! We sat by the par three 7th green and watched all 31 pairs in the field go by. One double bogey, 6 bogies, and 6 birdies! Tiger Woods parred the hole...huge gallery following him. We watched the end of the day on the 18th fairway, about 150 yards from the green. Saw the last 10 pairs go by. Tiger stuck his second shot in the grass along the water and couldn't find it. Had a half-dozen people, including a cameraman, looking for the ball. He ended with a spectacular putt for a bogie 5...amazing player!

We had a bonus just after 2 PM -- a sonic boom from the re-entering space shuttle rattled the trees! We saw the contrail of the shuttle heading east. That was special, seeing the launch and the re-entry.

And we actually had some rain Sunday! Just a quarter inch, but much needed. Central Florida is waaay behind the annual average and really dry. We've had some brush fires already...

Think Pink!

Gayle's third graders were involved in a great project this week-end. A mom in the other 3rd grade class, Angela Petrucelly, died of cancer several weeks ago. Her daughter, Victoria, was in Gayle's kindergarten class 3 years ago. Victoria and her friend Jesse, who IS in Gayle's class this year, decided several months ago that they wanted to sell pink lemonade to help raise awareness for breast cancer to help her mom. After mom died, it turned into a fund & awareness raiser for cancer and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center here in Orlando. They picked this week-end because Jesse lives across from the Henry Leu Gardens and the Leu Gardens has its annual plant sale. They knew that many, many people would be in the area! So both classes of 3rd graders and a great many others got involved. Weather was great! TV stations came, the head of the Cancer Center stopped by, Chik-fil-A donated lemonade and lunch for the kids, people were generous, and the kids raised a whole lot of money. Victoria had said that she hoped they would make "$50." Waaay beyond that! Way to go, kids!

Victoria is on the left in the pink hat; her good friend Jesse is on the right.



Teachers & parents a-plenty!

Lunch, Launch, & Auction

We took Friday afternoon and all day Monday off from school to enjoy a visit with Uncle Hank & Aunt Marideen Holtrop. They were in Central Florida for 2 weeks at a condo with some friends, and we caught the back end of their trip before they went back to Michigan. We showed them around school and downtown Orlando, and had lunch across from Lake Eola at some outside tables of a restaurant. Weather was perfect -- low 80's and low humidity.

On Saturday night Gayle and I attended The Christ School annual Mane Event dinner & auction. The theme was Night of Stars and the challenge for attendees was to dress like a movie star. I forgot to get a picture of my lovely Gayle - she really got into the dressing up - borrowed a designer dress from a neighbor across the street, found a great pair of fancy high heels to wear, and simply looked like a million bucks! The best I could do after the fact was to get a picture of her shoes...Her 3rd grade quilt was the highlight of the evening; it went for $2,700, the highest bid item of the night! Gayle and the head of the auction held it up on the stage during the bidding. Two of the 3rd grade dads went after it like bulldogs; I think the bidding went on for 10 minutes! I was really proud of her work and the benefit she brought to our school.
On Sunday we enjoyed sharing Conway Community Presbyterian Church with the relatives. After an early supper - grilled chicken, broccoli, & sweet potato fries - we drove 45 minutes east to a small boat launching ramp / park on Hwy 50 at the St. John's River for the evening launch of the shuttle. This area is in the middle of a huge grassland where the river meanders, giving over a mile of clear viewing toward the coast. Sunset was about 7:35; the launch was right on time at 7:43. We had a great view for 20 miles away! And after a few minutes we could hear the rumble of the rocket engines! The sunlight on the exhaust trail was spectacular, and because the shuttle went toward the north we saw the complete arch of the exhaust trail.

We waited at the ramp parking lot for about a half hour and then watched the International Space Station track from NW to NE about 30 degrees up in the northern sky for about 3 minutes. If you go to the nasa.gov web site, you can find your way to the ISS sightings page and key in your specific location. Sightings are always up to an hour before sunrise or an hour after sunset. Sometimes the trees or clouds get in the way of sightings, but once you've seen it you'll go back for more. It reminds me of the time mom got us boys up to see the ECHO satellite one late summer evening...

We took Uncle Hank & Aunt Marideen to the Henry Leu Gardens this morning -- what a bargain! Free on Monday mornings. We shared the park with a LOT of young moms; it was story hour and then they pushed the babies around the park. Another beautiful day, sunshine and low 80's, a real chamber of commerce special. Lots of camelias and citrus in bloom, but the roses were done and trimmed back. Many different kinds of amarylis in bloom, which sort of made up for the lack of roses.

We're taking the relatives to the airport mid-afternoon. They should be back in West Michigan at 8:30 tonight. A great week-end! So good to see the relatives again!

Early Spring

Saturday was one of those early spring days that just wink and beckon you to enjoy. Sunshine, temps in the low 80's, and lots of people on the roads enjoying the good weather. Actually lots of motorcycles on the roads -- it was the beginning of Daytona Bike Week. Gayle and I rode out to see some of the hoo-haa and enjoy the day together. We took I-4 east and got in to Daytona around 9:30 AM. I had counted about 50 bikes on the road and when we got in to the city stopped the count. There had to be thousands (tens of thousands?) of motorcycles on the roads, parked along the roads, stopped at restaurants, and gassing up at the corner stations. We guessed that the median age of the crowd was about 50. The good weather surely drew many of the locals out on their bikes, but we saw license plates from all over -- Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Connecticut... You get the idea. There didn't seem to be much of a recession going on yesterday! And most of the bikes use premium gas.

We first stopped for about an hour at the Daytona International Speedway. The north parking lot was filled with displays by the major motorcycle manufacturers and you could take test rides around the Speedway on the latest models...we didn't. We then rode down Main Street, lined solid already at 10:30 AM with parked motorcycles and people walking around savoring the moment. The moment seemed to be heavily flavored with leather, head scarves, and tattoos. Gayle thought briefly about a tat but then decided not. Hah!
After the Main Street excursion we went north on A1A past Ormond Beach and then circled back on the Ormond loop. It's a 20 mile jaunt along the Halifax River that takes you along the Atlantic and then back through a two lane Live Oak canopied road that is simply a joy to ride through. Several state parks are along this route and the land is mostly wild yet.

We then went up US 1 to where the road intersects I-95; there is a huge collection of motorcycle oriented businesses there, anchored by a large Harley Davidson showroom and J & P Cycles merchandise showroom. Plus vendors galore, there especially for the Bike Week crowd. We walked the shops, ate some lunch, did some people watching. I think that for some, the biker thing is sort of an alter ego and the way they dress (or so) shows what altar they are kneeling before. Interesting, very interesting. There did not seem to be a recession on at that place. And they had something for everyone...and everyone's pet.

We took a scenic route home toward Orlando. We did hop on the tollway once into greater Orlando -- it's a much quicker route home, and on a warm day sitting at a traffic light and moving slowly with many other vehicles just didn't appeal to us. About 7 hours and 190 miles, and glad to be safely home again.

Today a front went through -- a tiny bit of rain and the temps dropped from 69 to 51 degrees in about 30 minutes. The sun is shining again but it's the mid-50's, breezy, and will be cold for the next two nights, with temps in the 40 degree range. I know -- that's nothing to you Northerners, and you'd take 40 for a high! I'm not complaining, but I do wish I had bought that neck gaiter I saw on the rack yesterday. The morning ride will be chilly tomorrow!

Start the Week-end!

Gayle and I had one of those really really busy weeks. On Monday GB had a dinner with last year's quilt guild board. We had a Kdgn - 5th grade meeting after school on Tuesday, and our small group Bible study on the book of James Thursday evening. We had two practices for our Grandparents' Day program during the school day on Monday and Thursday, and Grandparents' Day on Friday. We both had Valentine's parties with our classes on Thursday afternoon. It was great to meet the students' grandparents and special friends after the program on Friday, and it was great to say adios to the kids at noon. We did have to stay and work in our rooms Friday afternoon, but we both have the coming week taken care of, so that was good.
So, how to decompress after an intense week? I had gotten us tickets to Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba, which performs year round at Downtown Disney. We went to the 6 PM show and it was and hour and a half of non-stop amazing entertainment. We laughed, clapped, shouted, said "How did they DO that?". It was funny, heart-stopping, weirdly wonderful. The physical acrobatic control of these performers is astounding. At times, I thought that the sets were like M.C. Escher's drawings come to life. Here is the web site for La Nouba; there is a video clip you can watch to at least get a taste of what we enjoyed... http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/lanouba/en/intro/intro.asp Youtube also has several videos; the one with the three little Chinese girls performing is outstanding!
So, today is a stay at home and get stuff done around the house kind of day. We had a little more frost damage with the second wave of actual freezing temps last week, but nothing that can't be trimmed and grow back. We hope to go out for breakfast on the cycle on Monday -- thank you, Mr. Presidents for a vacation day!

Two Springs and a Breakfast

We had planned a bike ride Saturday -- it was the middle day of a long weekend. We did have some in-service activities mixed in with report card work on Friday, but a day without the kids is almost like a vacation day! And we have Monday / MLK Day off as a true vacation day. Saturday was 100% sunshine, but it was a bit cool to get down the road on a motorcycle. I know that after this past week you Northern folks can talk real cold, but I've been there...and I didn't say "cold"; I said "cool". We did leave at 9 AM on the bike, with layered clothes, an extra sweatshirt, and Thermolite gauntlet style gloves. We took the short route north on I-4 for 30 minutes to get to Blue Spring State Park. Blue Spring has a spring (duh!) that pours out thousands of gallons of 72 degree water year round. Its waters go into the St. Johns River, and when air temps drop, the manatees swim upstream and hang out in Blue Spring's relatively warmer waters. Hundreds of people thought just like GB and me, and it was worth the trip. We saw more than 100 manatees in the spring waters, more than we have ever seen before! All of these giant gentle mammals in a truly amazing corner of God's creation takes your breath away. After reveling in the sights for more than an hour, we rode a half hour farther north to DeLeon Springs State Park. This park also has a freshwater spring, somewhat smaller than Blue Spring, but it has panache! It is named for Ponce DeLeon, the Spaniard who went looking for the Fountain of Youth. If this was truly what he found, it was a doubly poor choice. Ponce died when he was 47, and the waters at his namesake have the unmistakable smell of sulphur! John Audubon came to this spring 300 years later while on a Florida bird painting expedition and claimed that the sulpher smell made him ill. 200 years after Audubon, it's not that bad...I did dip my hand in the spring water to feel the temperature, which was warm compared to the air temp, but my hand doesn't look any younger today.

Actually the water was just a distraction; we went to this park for the food. The Old Sugarmill Restaurant is on the park grounds and sells a wonderful breakfast all day long. You cook your own pancakes on a griddle built into the table, and the building is a former mill with a huge waterwheel (unused) on the side of the rustic building. When we pulled up to the park entrance at noon, the sign on the ranger station said that there was a 2 hour wait to be seated at the restaurant. It was fairly accurate; we sat down at 1:50 PM! But it was worth it! We were hungry and it's always fun to pay to make your own meal right at your table. Two different kinds of pancake batter, blueberries to stuff into your pancakes, thick sliced bacon, and all the coffee you could gulp. A side benefit was that our legs were nicely warmed by the electric griddle. We took a scenic ride home through back roads west of Deland down to Sorrento - saw a large farm producing orchids - and west almost to Mt. Dora, and then south to Orlando. About 7.5 hours and 130 miles for a thoroughly enjoyable day.

A Little Jaunt

Gayle and I decided to use a day of vacation this week to visit Sanibel Island. We had not been back to the island since we moved to Orlando and thought it would be fun to practice our "Sanibel stoop" again. We checked to weather reports and decided Tuesday would work, so we left at 6 AM Tuesday on the motorcycle. Weather was cool - mid 50's - and traffic was light. We enjoyed watching the sun come up as we rode. We took I-4 down to US 17 to get as scenic a route as possible. We were on Sanibel by 11:30; went to the Lighthouse Park close to the causeway because of the high traffic on the island. It was a joy to walk the beach and find many of the familiar Gulf side shells. Many people were scouring the beach, but there still were nice specimens for the finding...if you knew how to look! The names of the shells did come back also. The lighthouse was decked out in Christmas ribbons! This was the first time we saw and drove over the new causeway; no more waiting for the drawbridge.

We had called our Ft. Myers friends Jim and Ardith Smith last week-end; thought we could visit with them before we went back to Orlando. Turns out they were up in the Pittsburgh area visiting family and didn't get back until Monday evening. Jim called us when we were in Ft. Myers and we went to their house after the beach. We had a wonderful catch-up-on-family-and-events time with them. They invited us to spend the night, which we had not planned on. Their hospitality prevailed -- and they had an extra tooth brush! We spent a delightful evening with them and slept in their cabana/guest room. We left their house about 9 AM and rode by our former house on Beechwood Trail. Apparently the owners were not interested in maintaining the bushes and landscaping we had. The neem tree is gone, as well as all of the hibiscus, angel leaf jasmine, bird of paradise (all in front of the knee wall), crinum lily, and crepe jasmine that was on either side of the garage door. The Silver Bismarck palm in the front was 8 ft or more tall. The yard needed work but the house itself looked good -- had been repainted. We could see the Weaver's bamboo in the back yard that we had planted was doing well. Ah well, different strokes for different folks...
We took Palm Beach Blvd. to LaBelle and then US 27 north to Haines City; then US 17-92 north to Orlando. It was a little breezy (for Florida) but the ride was great. Back home by 3 PM -- sore buns, but a beautiful trip.
After this, our longest bike trip to date, I came up with some Rules for Riding:
1. Dress warmer than you think you need. Wind chill is nasty and you can always take a layer of clothes off. Can't put on what you don't have.

2. Take a tooth brush and extra socks. You never know what a road trip will bring...

3. Bring an extra bottle of water. Riding dehydrates a body.

4. Riding time is longer than driving time. Biking makes the road personal, more intimate, which then takes more time.

5. Good friends are a treasure. No explanation needed!