For Ellie

My friend Ellie in Florida has asked me to ask you to include her state in your prayers. No problem with that. I love Florida. We have tons of  blog friends there and lots of dear family as well. Here's hoping Irma goes back out to sea or sends her waters where they are most needed... to put out the horrific fires.

Sanderling

From Ellie, "I am waiting to see if Irma gives us a direct hit or turns to the east. It is a cat 5 now and should be here by the week end. If it gets into the gulf it can turn all ways from Texas to Florida. Please add Florida to your prayer list. So many farmers here that stand to lose every thing if we get hit by a cat 5. I am on the highest elevation if the area so probably no flooding. If I flood the whole town will be under water by then. Prays please and asks your blogging friends for prayers for Florida."

Photos from our most recent trip to a state that I love

Thank You Florida for Being Such Fun

And thank you Florida bloggers, you know who you are, for sharing your wonderful state with Alan and Becky and me for two amazing days. And for writing about the cool stuff so we knew where to go.

Virginia was for shivers

We went running up and down and back and forth, feet in the sand on both coasts in one day, Manatee Springs, Cedar Key and the Jax beaches where our family lives over two fast forward type days. Axis deer, feral hogs, unicorns...birds, more birds, still more birds.....I could have birded the Walmart parking lot and gone home happy.....more on that later....

World famous Cedar Key pelican

And thanks to the really friendly folks on the Cedar Key boat launch who made us feel so welcome and told us where to find the sights and critters.

To the nice trucker who saved us from the tire "gator" in the middle of the interstate.

To the manatees, giant fish, and monster turtles and did I mention birds?

To the people of Jacksonville Beach for sleeping in on New Year's Day, thus giving us the beach almost to ourselves.

Special thanks to the good folks who stayed home and fed Daisy and Elvis and the other critters and kept the home fires burning.

Most of all, more than my words can express, the biggest thanks to Alan for being the kind of kid who calls his mother up one night and says, "Let's go to Florida."

Could some kind Florida person help us with this gull?

And proceeds to take his mom and older sister on a wild tour of wild places (we spent a total of six dollars on tourist attractions; we wuz there for the birds and the sand and the wildlife) and takes care of them every mile. Pays for everything, food, gas, rooms to lay our weary heads after all that traveling and birding, and manateeing

 And the only time I was afraid on the Interstate was when other people created dangerous situations. Four days of safe, fun and happy, and so many exciting discoveries.

G̶r̶e̶a̶t̶  Boat tailed grackle.....(not a lifer....alas, but thanks for the ID

How lucky to have a kid who would drive nine states in 21 hours, all by his loneself, (as a six-speed Camaro on the highway of the world is not my thing)....just to get home in time to drive back to Washington DC tomorrow to work on Monday. I think we'll keep him.

There are tangelos...limes....and grapefruit too. 

  

Found on Jax beach, New Year's morning

Go here for lots more on manatee springs. Make sure to click "older posts" at the bottom of the first page for many more posts on Florida's springs.