We’re at it again!

We are at the property searching again! Since I moved from Duluth in ‘79, I’ve always dreamed of having a summer home on a lake in northern MN. Perhaps that time is coming soon?

Because we wanted to see a local earth berm home, one coincidence after another is taking place. We discovered the earth berm home was for sale so called the listing agent about the price and if we could see it. The very next day we had an appointment. The house did nothing for us – it seemed very ordinary but the “on the ball” agent had a few other pieces of property that we just might want to look at.

We did. One that interested us the most was an older log cabin on a lake with several out buildings. I’m sorry but I didn’t take any pictures. We really liked the place. It had a lot of character but it would have needed a lot of work before it would have been move in ready. We’re still contemplating it. We haven’t given it a definite no – yet.

On our way back home from looking at that cabin we stopped for lunch at a local bar and grill. This sent us down a highway we hadn’t been down before. The country side is beautiful this time of year with fields filled with daisies, indian paintbrush and buttercups. Just as we rounded a turn, on the left hand side of the road stood an impressive two story log home built with huge logs!

Sam abruptly pulled over to the side of the road. We both quickly jump out of the truck and climb up the hill to get a bigger look at the home which is carefully set on top of several steel guiders. From the looks of it, this massive log house had been moved to this location quite awhile ago.

Sam lept up on the steel girder and peaked in the front window. “It’s really nice and modern inside.” he said. He then tried the front door. It was open! He walked in and told me to join him inside. I slowly walked inside not knowing if we should be inside or not. I loved what I saw…

 While it wasn’t very large as far as number of rooms went, what was there was really nice.

Closer inspection showed that the ceramic tile in the kitchen would need replacing, and because of the moving of the building, everything would need to be chinked up again. It would also need a whole new complete roof.

Sam dialed the numbers on the front of the building. One number was disconnected. A man on the other told us to call the third number. The third number was a voice mail.

We called up the real estate agent we had met with earlier and he knew the whole story behind the home. The house was built by a friend of his (too many coincidences). His friend decided he wanted a bigger, nicer home on his Fish Lake lot so he had the house moved. The mover was the one who bought the house and moved it to it’s current location. It has been sitting there for a year and a half.

We’re still waiting to hear how much they want for this beautiful chunk of trees. If it’s a reasonable price – we may be looking for a piece of lake property somewhere closeby! Stand by for another post when we find out more information.

The Cat Man of Key West

No trip to Key West is complete without experiencing the Cat Man’s trained housecat show. The Cat Man has been been performing at Mallory Square for many years. He’s becoming a Key West institution. I first watched him perform about 8 years ago. I couldn’t wait to see him again.

Just before sunset, Dominique and his cats entertains throngs of onlookers with his heavy french accent, comical movements and his maniacle laugh. You might think that this is just another street performer – at least until he released his housecats. His brood of cats follow his commands such as leaping from one stool to another and jumping through a ring of fire.

Dominique came to Key West from Montreal in 1984. He found homes for many of the islands stray cats and discovered he had a talent for training the feline creatures.

The cats seem to be in it for more than the treats they receive. It’s like they welcome him as one of their own.

The finale of the show is where Dominique runs around with each of his cats clinging onto his shirt.

On your next visit to Key West – don’t miss the show – it’s purr-fectly entertaining!

You just never know…

Florida is the land of snowbirds. We normally don’t like big, crowded campgrounds. It seemed we were going to have a hard time finding the kind of campgrounds we normally like to stay at. I knew we wouldn’t have a hard time finding those little out of the way places in the pandhandle but as we moved further south, I saw that I was going to work at finding the kind of places we liked.

Ocala National Forest ended up being one of the best places to find a little out of the way campgrounds with very few people. We paid anywhere from $4 a night to $20 a night for nice private campsites. Probably our favorite places in cluded the northern part of the NF. There were plenty of lakes for fishing and trails for hiking or biking. The downside of staying there was no communication with the outside world unless you took a drive to a nearby town. Cell towers were just too far away.

We saw lots of wildlife. We were treated to a pair of Sandhill Cranes on Delancey Lake. Every evening they would land near our trailer and walk around calling to each other. They did not seem to mind me getting close enough to get some great pictures.

Sam and Dave had no trouble finding places to fish. I had no trouble finding places to hike. It seemed there was so many trails that weren’t on the map – all for me to explore. I enjoyed walking along on sections of the Florida Trail. Juniper Creek provided us with a fun paddle. We ended up doing it 3 times.

Our stay in Everglades National Park was enjoyable with Long Pine Key Campground being our favorite. Again we were out of communication range but there was plenty of wildlife, paddling, hiking and biking to keep us busy.

When we decided to head north because the days were beginning to get hot and the bugs were multiplying. I began my search for a place to stay around a wildlife conservation area where the endangered Snail Kite was known to be reliably sighted. I found a little out of the way place on Blue Cypress Lake called Mel’s Fish Camp. I was surprised to find out that they offered free camping on a “pretty little lake”. It took some searching via the internet to find this place and it was worth it!

You can’t expect much for free and that is true about this place. I talked to the manager of the county park the day before. We arrived to find the camping area was a narrow grass slit along a ditch and a gravel road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What was so fantastic about this place was the wildlife! Daily we sat under our awning and watched the show. The ditch was filled with alligators, fish, all kinds of wading birds, raccoons, snakes, owls, hawks, osprey – you name it! We never knew what we were going to see next. Osprey with fish in their talons flew over nonstop.

We caught sight of a snail kite in the nearby conservation area but Sam and Dave didn’t get to fish because of the high winds that plagued us the whole time we were there. The lake being only 8 feet deep kicked up some pretty high waves from the gale force winds.

Besides a bait and tackle shop, the park rents out overnight cabins and manages a boat ramp. I recommend this place for anyone who wants a little, out of the way place to see a part of old Florida.

Oh, I spied this sign on the road into the park. You don’t think it’s the same Yanni I think it is, do you?

You just never know…?

Organizing

I have spent a large amount of time in the last few weeks uploading a majority of my pictures to a Picasa photo album. Click on this link to see my photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/kimsadventure 

There are 2 pages of photos so don’t forget to click on the link at the bottom of the first page to see the rest of the photos. I’ve uploaded photos from the last 2 + years. It would probably take too long for you to sit down and look at all of them.

I will be adding new pictures as I take them. Both Sam and I seem to have a hard time keeping up with blog work. I find uploading the pictures from an adventure easier than writing about it. Hopefully you’ll get the gist of what we’re doing from the photos.

I’m still in the process of finding old photos that I know I have somewhere in this trailer…….to finish putting them up for you to see. Still missing are photos from my old computer and from our climb on Mt. Khatahdin. I just hope I haven’t lost too many in the process of all our moving.

The Fruit of the Land

One of the perks of visiting Florida in the springtime is that luscious fruits are ready for the picking! Of course strawberries are ripe this time of year. But best of all have been the oranges, grapefruits and loquats.

We stayed with friends of Sam’s near Dundee, FL. They live in the middle of an orange grove with a few grapefruit trees mixed in for good measure. While we had seen other orange groves heavily laden with fruit, the trees in this area had already been picked. I was informed that any of the oranges still on the tree would be going to waste. So, I spent a few minutes gleaning the oranges from these trees. They weren’t the prettiest oranges but I was sure they would taste fine.

      

 

 

 

 

 

I had 3 grocery bags full of oranges and grapefruits. I planned on making some juice from them since I wouldn’t be able to eat them all. After washing and cutting in half I put the juicer to work.

The juice isn’t as sweet as I’ve gotten from Louisiana oranges but it is still better than anything you can buy in the grocery store.

The next treat was a loquat tree right on our campsite at Ortona Lock Corp of Engineer Campground near Lake Okeechobee. I didn’t know it was anything you could eat till I saw that all the campground workers would stop every time they came by this site. Loquat has to be one of the best fruits I’ve ever tasted! The grackles love them too. I’m going to have to figure a way to pick the ones higher up before they get them all.

A Shuttle Launch

We had to try twice to see the shuttle take off but it was worth it! The first try to on Wednesday. We left our camp near Dundee, FL with friend Dave’s motorhome fully stocked with food and wine. We were set to make a day out of it! We arrived in Titusville a few hours later and found a spot in a park along the road. No sooner had we set up when we received the word that the shuttle launch was scrubbed – due to a leaky fuel valve.

 

We met our paddling/hiking friend Philip that moved from LA since he lived not too far away. It was a perfect day. The sky was clear blue and there was a nice breeze off the water.

Since we had drive a few hours, we decided to just make a picnic of the day. We made turkey burgers and sat around to talk for a few hours.

Sunday we prepared to watch the launch again. This time we arrived later. Sam and I had spent the weekend back in LA attending Sam’s son’s wedding. We flew into Tampa that morning, drove to our camp near Dundee and then drove over to Titusville arriving just a few hours before the launch was set to begin. Philip arrive there earlier and saved us a spot.

Again, we grilled our dinner – veggie burgers and sat around to talk until just before the launch was to begin. Sam got a connection on his HAM radio so that we could hear directly from NASA what was going on.

The crowds reminded me of a conservative Mardi Gras. The streets were lined with people who had set up mini camps. Everyone was well behaved and quieter………quieter than crowds at a Mardi Gras parade.

We found a spot along the bank of the Indian River – directly across from where the shuttle was to launch. We were about 12 miles away.

The rest needs no words…. It was totally one of the thrills of my life to watch the shuttle take off. The time of day (right at sunset) was probably the best time to see it. The way the clouds from the trail of the shuttle formed and the way the sunlight hit the clouds high in the atmosphere made for beauty beyond words.

You can see more pictures under my photo II link. There is also a video via this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9F3Iy0XeKk

People Watching – Not What You Think!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a bird in a cage or a fish in an aquarium? You know – people stopping by to stare at you all day long. Please excuse the photo quality of these pictures. Taking pictures through the window doesn’t produce the best quality photos.

Well, we’re camped at a forest service campground with narrow campsites. Our trailer just fits up against the trees and bushes. The windows on our trailer have a metallic coating designed to reflect the sun and heat. From the outside they look like mirrors.

We had been here for 2 days with no problem from the local wildlife. All of a sudden this morning a cardinal couple  have taken up a real attraction to our trailer! Yes, I know it’s spring time and with that brings breeding season. While I’ve enjoyed this morning being stared at in close quarters by this couple, I’m also concerned about the female. Since she has spent the last 4 hours fighting that image in the window, she’s not eating or finding a nesting spot. Or maybe she’s already found that nesting spot and is just trying to get rid of that competing female!

It’s interesting how the male has done very little fighting to his competitor. Isn’t the male supposed to be the one who protects the nest?

In the process of staring at me and fighting at the unwanted bird couple, other birds have been attracted to the windows also. Joining in the look have been a catbird and a yellow rumped warbler. This really has provided me better looks than any bird feeder has.

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

The female has tired herself out this morning. She fights for several minutes and then sits and stares and breathes heavily. I thought she’d wear herself out but thankfully some pouring down rain has stopped her for the moment. Since we’ll be here for 4 more days, I hope she’ll either find another nesting spot or leave the bird in the window alone.

High School Buds Do Kauai

What can I say? As you grow older, having some away time with your friends is just as important as it is when you’re younger. Even though I live a life that is “on vacation”, I still look forward to my vacations away from my vacation.

This year Nancy, Mary Beth and I met for a week in Kauai staying at a beautiful time share on Poipu Beach. Here are views from our lanai and from below.

We had lots of feathered visitors as we sat relaxing from our lanai every morning and evening…

These red junglefowl run rampant all over the island and are very adept at begging for scraps.

We saw some beautiful sights…

Did a few touristy things….

Watched some surfers…

Did our own surfing….

I had the best form, don’t you think?

 

Saw more beautiful Hawaiian birds…

Watched numerous sunsets…

Saw some rather unusual things…

But most of all we had fun just being together again!

We had a great time………can’t wait till the Virgin Islands!

Birding Adventure on Kauai

My trip to Hawaii (Kauai) this year didn’t consist of many real adventures other than sitting by the pool, walking on the beach or shopping. Since this was a trip with 2 high school buddies, I couldn’t wander off leaving them to talk about me all day.

I did allow myself one day of adventure. In my research of island activities I found out that some of the rarest birds on earth live on Kauai. Since I am fascinated by avian species, I most definitely couldn’t pass up at least a little bit of time seeking out these scarce beings.

In an internet search I found David Kuhn. In a few spur of the moment phone calls he offered to take me out solo to the Alakai Swamp where many of these birds reside. The Alakai Swamp in not a true swamp but a high elevation bog. It is only reachable by foot. The swamp has remained a primeval habitat that only within the last 10 years has been made readily accessible by the construction of boardwalks over the muddy surface. Before that the swamp was pretty much the elusive stomping grounds of biologists, ornithologists, botanists, adventurous hikers and pig hunters.

David and I met early one morning just as the sun was rising over the horizon. I left my rental car at the state park and joined him in his truck while we drove over a rutted dirt road for three unnerving miles. I was so glad that I wasn’t responsible for driving to the trailhead in my vehicle.

We parked at a misty plateau and descended into a forested tunnel. I had read horror stories of how bad the trail had been before the boardwalk was built – with having walk through waist deep mud in some places. The trail sans boardwalk the first mile or so wasn’t too bad despite the light rain that was falling. Right off the bat, David said to stay off the bare dirt because it was slippery. This proved to be true when a few minutes later he slipped while walking over a bare stretch.

We soon reached the comfort and ease of the boardwalk.

 We had occasional views of the valley below as we walked along a high ridge. A curtain of fog moved in and out of the dripping moss covered forest as we walked along the trail. The Alakai Swamp annual rainfall ranges from 100 to 300 inches of rain a year. David didn’t say much a we walked along. I asked a few questions about the vegetation and the birds I was hearing. He answered every question  easily and with few words.

Soon we left the boardwalk via some invisible secret trail that was hidden by dead limbs and leaves. We arrived at a private overlook of the jungle below. David pulled out a plastic poncho and offered me a seat on the log. “We’ll be here for a little while so make yourself comfortable”, David announced.

 We weren’t there long when David pointed to a bird flying into a tree below and said, “That is the Apapane.” I looked through my binoculars at a small red bird with a short black beak. “This bird and the tree that it is on are coevolutionary. This bird has the shape and color of the plant it feeds from, the curved red flowers of the ohia lehua tree. It’s camouflaged naturally from its enemies.” David also mentioned that the I’iwi (a bird of similar color but a longer curved beak) also lived and fed in these trees.

I did bring my camera on this outing but of course did not get any of the beautiful birds we saw. If you’re interested in seeing what they look like check out this site: http://www.birdinghawaii.co.uk/WELCOMEPAGE.htm and check on the Hawaii birds link.

We sat in this spot and a few other “secret” spots and got some good views of the Apapane, Elepaio, Amakihi, Anianiau, Akeke’e, and the I’iwi. I found It was hard enough learning new birds but even harder learning new birds that I couldn’t even pronounce.

Part of our hiking led down a steep set of stairs to a creek at the bottom. Construction of this trail certainly involved a lot of work.

We walked by acres of ginger plants that are a non native, invasive species.

We crossed a beautiful clear stream before heading up the hill on the other side. “Walk on the moss covered rocks, they aren’t slippery”, David said quickly as he hopped across the rocks. I seemed strange to me that moss could be non-slip but found it was true that the moss covered rocks were not slippery in the slightest.

Abruptly on the other side of the creek, the boardwalk stopped. Suddenly the easy to traverse trail became more difficult. It became muddier and more deeply rutted. In some places, the trail had eroded away to a narrow knee deep canyon.

We stopped at a few more private overlooks before turning back and crossing the creek again. This time I didn’t head the warning about walking only on moss covered rocks and stepped on a small bare rock and promptly fell into the creek. Water squished out of my shoes the whole way back.

I didn’t catch more than a glimpse of the elusive I’iwi. I was thankful for all the good looks I got of all the other birds. “Make sure you drive to end of the road and lookouts”, David said as he dropped me off at my car.

The view at the end of the road was nothing short of spectacular! The clouds parted away to let in the sun. White tailed tropicbirds flew below me as they coasted along on the winds coming off the ocean.

A few days later on a drive to the north side of the island with my friends in tow, I saw the state bird of the Hawaii – the Ne’ne, the Layson albatross and the blue footed booby.

 

 If you ever made it to Kauai, I recommend making your way to the Alakai Swamp. Just remember to bring your rubber boots!

My Duluth Visit

A week and a half was too little time for a winter visit to Duluth. I purposely didn’t try to plan too much because I wanted to enjoy what little time I had. Time was divided between spending time with my parents, my sisters and my friends. Since it IS winter, I was limited to what that had to offer also. Temperatures at 25 degrees and lower on a few days stopped any outside activity. Below are a few pictures of my stay.

 

My sister Lynne with her daughter Amity when we walked on the Lake Walk one sunny afternoon.

 

I was surprised to find out the Lake Walk is shoveled in the winter months. This makes the lake very accessible all year round. Winter is a beautiful time of year!

 I hadn’t been snowshoeing in over 30 years. It’s a great way to experience how quiet the woods are in winter. Lynn, a childhood friend of mine took me to a favorite place of hers near her home.

The snowfall from the previous week had left some strange formations on the bare tree branches. Neither Lynn or I had ever seen anything like it before.

For the whole month before, I had been working on an afghan for my nephew Soren. I had the opportunity to give it to him in person.

As with all my visits back “home” – I hate to leave and I can’t wait till I get back.