Wet and Wild

The day Leakycon ended was a sad one, to be sure. To cheer up Sarah and Emily (and to give us a break from the heat), we spent Sunday afternoon at Wet 'n Wild water park. Located just down the street from us, and on our way to the convention every day, we had to check it out and see what all the fuss was about.

What a place! Towers surrounded us on all sides, but "water slides" doesn't begin to describe what this place has to offer. It has eight multi-person rides with rafts holding 2 - 6 people.

   

Four more "attractions" accommodate one person at a time, some with mats, some without.

   

There's a wave pool and a Lazy River for the less adventurous souls (or, those with hip/knee problems, like moi). I LOVED the Lazy River!

They even have a rope pull out on a lake where I watched people wake skating and knee skiing. Now, that looked like a blast!

 

A white sand beach with volleyball, a kids' play area (which we had no use for), and a Tiki-type bar (which we did!) rounded out the offerings.



Boy, did it feel good to just play in the water all day. I alternated my water play with time lazing under an umbrella with a good book - my kind of perfect day. And I had plenty of birds in the adjacent cypress tree keeping me company.

 

Larry and the girls (and their good knees) were much more  adventuresome, and covered almost everything in the park.



Pricey, but loads of fun - especially on a 90+ degree day!

Manatees - and more!

Larry and I decided that at some point on this trip, come hell or high water - and we had some thunderstorms a day or two that truly threatened high water! -  we were going to see some manatees. So, on our last free day sans daughters, we took off to visit Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. This park is a refuge for manatees that need to be rehabilitated, after which they are reintroduced to the wild. Some have been in captivity their entire lives, and so live here on a permanent basis.

 

The park entrance fronts right on the highway, where visitors can browse through an educational display with all sorts of information about manatees. From there, we looked forward to taking a boat tour down Pepper Creek to the West Entrance of the park. But, alas, the boats were out of commission because the weather was so threatening, so we settled for the shuttle. A lovely ride, it took us down a heavily wooded back road to the wildlife area itself.

       

Once there, with the overcast skies, we went straight for the manatee area. Walking down the path, we saw some huge rocks covered with algae. All of a sudden, I realized one huge rock had a fan-like tail. When it moved, my suspicion that it was indeed a manatee was confirmed.

  

This one, a permanent resident, weighed in a bout 3500 lbs. Much larger than its wild 1,000 lb. counterparts, it doesn't have to work for its food, and thus doesn't work off its weight.

Manatees are herbivores, and naturally graze on aquatic plants just a few feet below the water's surface. These are fed green and napa cabbages, bok choy, and romaine lettuce - three huge crates of these leafy greens three times a day.

  

As we strolled the grounds, we were delighted by the lovely gardens of labeled Florida plants...

    

... and concerned at the proximity of weekend boaters to this refuge. The "public" river is adjacent to the park, and manatees do roam these warm waters. Since manatees are shallow water swimmers, they are right there at the same level in the water as boats. And, having no natural predators, they have no fear. No wonder so many of these gentle creatures are injured or killed by boat propellers every year. Indeed, that's what brings many manatees to this refuge for care.

We were guided through the park via boardwalks surrounded by lush forests and bridges crossing the river.

   

Eventually, we came to more manatees, being readied to return to the wild.

  

This one even used his front flipper to push the lettuce into his mouth. So human-like!

 Besides manatees, this park also houses red deer, alligators, swans, flamingos - and a hippo!

     

We had to get back to Orlando to shuttle the girls to their next event, so our time was limited. Despite the long drive for a short visit, I'm really glad we finally got to "meet" the manatees!

Boat Tour in Winter Park

Let's face it; it's hot in Florida in July. And humid. And nearly everything we're doing as a family is outdoors. So, you'd think Larry and I, in the time we had alone, would look for indoor things to do, right? Well, yes, some of the time. But, we're just crazy enough to want to do some things outdoors, too, weather be damned.

We decided one day to go on a boat tour in Winter Park. We chose what turned out to be a tour run by the cutest little retired couple, who knew the area backwards and forwards. She did the ticket sales and was very particular about having us board the boat in the exact order we purchased our tour tickets - it's only fair, after all. He drove the pontoon boat and narrated the tour, and you could tell he's spent his whole life on that water. He may have had a bit of trouble getting up from the driver's seat afterward, but he was sharp as a tack.

 

We toured Osceola Lake and two others, navigating to the adjacent lakes by way of two picturesque canals. What beautiful properties! Osceola Lake was fronted by one gorgeous home after another.

    

Fern Canal was worthy of its name. Green, lush, and peaceful, it was a straight path to Lake Virginia.

       

Here, we saw more impressive homes...

  

...and the campus of Rollins College, founded in 1885. The buildings on its 70-acres have a definite Spanish/Mediterranean architectural appeal. After our boat tour, Larry and I visited the campus from the dry side, and walked through the Art Dept. One building strong, it fell off our list of candidates for Sarah... But, what a beautiful setting for a college!

 

This lake was alive with activity. There were water skiers, sailboats (indeed there was a summer sailing program related to the college in progress), and paddle boarders.

     

The Venetian Canal had a very different feel to it. It turned and twisted in snake-like fashion, with a view of the lovely homes on Alabama Street on one side. Both sides of this canal were lined with boat houses associated with the surrounding residences.

          

Lake Maitland, too, was ringed with palatial homes.

            

This lake had an area of cypress trees growing right out of the water. One had an osprey's nest in it.

  

Some of the boat houses had personalities of their own.

    

This one looks like it needs some TLC...

Ah, yes, the good life. It was a nice escape for an afternoon. Sometimes you just need to surround yourself with beauty.