Merry Christmas!

Christmas decorating in Florida is a little different.

My theory is that they just don't need it as bad down here as we do up north.

There are the more natural outdoor displays......

and...well, this one is strange even for Florida!

Christmas art?

Sam came to visit (we missed Julie!) While the northland was being blanketed in snow there were record cold temps in Florida but plenty of sun.

Christmas Key West style.

Yes, those are tomato plants!

Thinking of you this holiday season - hope your Christmas is very merry!

Everglades

There are alligators in the Everglades.

and more alligators

This gator was at a wayside in Big Cypress National Preserve on the NW side of the Everglades

Notice the feather by this big gators mouth?

Around Homestead, Florida we passed acres of farms growing trees, fruits, and mostly flowers.

Lots of work was being done by hand in the fields and most farms had items for sale.

Water use is a big issue in Florida with 800 new residents/day not to mention millions of snowbirds & vacationers......keeping water in the glades is an ongoing challenge.

See you later alligators!

Florida Keys

Florida State Parks continue to impress us. We stayed at a new (2005) campground at Curry Hammock State Park. This beach was constructed to try and lure sea turtles. So far there have been multiple check-outs by turtles but no nesting.

The keys are not noted for beaches with the exception of this one at Bahia Honda State Park. There are some wonderful campsites along the beach and some not so nice under the highway bridge. You pretty much need a reservation to stay here and as we booked our spot just last week......well you get used to the highway noise.

Shore birds are everywhere!

It's hard to get a mental picture of the landscape in the keys - there are so many inlets, bays, & islands.

Lots of islands!

And of course - Key West

We were prepared for Hemmingway's cats but the free range chickens were a surprise.

Rosco wasn't sure what to do about a chicken with so much chutzpah.

Being the "southernmost" is a big deal.

We weren't the only ones taking this photo op - tourist of many languages were finding their way here.

We saw "southernmost" hotels, furniture stores, insurance companies...

Apparently there may be a lack of consensus from time to time.

Reed stuck in a toothpick to mark the southernmost sweet potato fry at this yummy vegetarian cafe....my fries disputed his claim but the beer was cold so we let the baby have his bottle.

Sunset at Mallory Square is a Key West tradition. A pretty tame crowd this time of year but it is nice to be somewhere that everyone cheers for the sun's daily performance.

Marathon Key is not too impressive from the highway but just a bit off is beautiful Sombrero Beach in a lovely neighborhood park....a nice memory to leave the keys with.

Florida critters

We've seen lots of birds and other critters - of course I only get a photo of about 1 in 20 sightings. In addition to lots of shore birds we've also seen dolphins, sting rays, and manatees.

We took a hike at dusk and saw about 5 armadillos right along the trail - even though the dogs were with us and very much would have liked to catch one! I didn't have my camera along but this armadillo visited our campsite later and obliged us with a picture. I would have gotten a better picture but every time I pointed the camera at the critter it came towards me and I backed up usually into something. OK it was DARK and I've never seen a wild armadillo before!

There are lizard-things everywhere (even in our teapot!)

I couldn't resist! The biker wearing this dog had a shirt that said "forget the dog-beware of the owner" tee hee!

Sunshine State

Oh yeah!

Of course Florida means beaches :-)

Dogs are not allowed on many beaches on the gulf coast and not on any state park beaches (we know why). Fortunately there are a few places where dogs can be beachcombers. We especially enjoyed Henderson State Park in the panhandle of Florida - beautiful campsites, boardwalk, and beach...but no dogs on the beach so off we went sooner than we'd have liked.

Apalatchicola is famous for oysters - we had to give them a try.

Oysters are harvested by hand in the gulf and this view of oyster fishermen coming in with their catch was taken from the restaurant - don't get much fresher than that!

Ochlockonee State Park is pine forests with saw palmetto underneath - an odd combination for northerners to see.

Highway 98 from the panhandle south is gorgeous and surprising. There's lots of land set aside for for wildlife and parks and not too many people. It was great to see so much natural landscape in the 4th most populous state.

This beautiful blue spring at Manatee State Park was lovely for swimming although I guess there are sometimes alligators and of course manatees.

Florida does get fall color...there were two manatees in the water lounging in the water but they stayed mostly submerged and a bit camera shy.

This boardwalk at Manatee Springs follows the Suwannee River - as in way down upon.....

I hope your Thanksgiving was fun and tasty (I hear it was a little nimpy :-)