Orlando

We spent the last few days with our friends the Frames in Orlando. We were so busy that I did not get to posting. We played games and went to a neat state park - Blue Springs State Park - where the manatees come in the winter to stay warm. Manatees need to maintain their body temperature at 70 degrees or so to survive. The day we were there they had a current count of 400+ residents in the waterways. It was fascinating to  see them. 

On Friday we took an airboat ride with Marsh Landing Adventures to see alligators and birds. We were in the headwaters to the Florida Everglades. I did not know that the Everglades originated this far north. We saw Big John and many more gators. Olivia, a mother protecting her young, did not like us getting too close. 

We saw lots of birds, too, including the short-tailed hawk, an endangered bird. I caught him taking off from a tree. 

I also learned that the snowy egret is one of the alligators biggest predators, as they eat young gators almost as quickly as they hatch. 

Our airboat captain, Scott, was a very entertaining tour guide! 

We visited a neat farmers market and Downtown Kissemee, a throw back to the sixties. And we let the guys win all the games we played. Next time the women get to win.