florida08

January 3-9
Florida Trip

Well, I went down to Florida on January 3 and on January 6 got a stomach virus that put me down for two days and several more of feeling weak and listless. But fun! No, not much. It was good to get home and get back up to speed, which I did by the 12th. Thank you, Lord. It feels so good to be well!

Sand Hill Cranes on the way to Frank's from the airport. Ft. Myers had a record low of 30 degrees this morning. Frank said it didn't hurt the oranges because it was windy, This evidently somehow prevents frost damage. Frank has the greatest garage on earth. Bays for two tractors and his truck in addition to a workshop and room for his old political momentos...AND a bathroom. Wow.

This is at Bea's house Thursday evening where a joint birthday party for Bea and Uncle Nev was taking place. She is 95 and he is 96. Above we have Uncle Nev, Frank, Uncle Nev's daughter (the Episcopal priest), Pat, and Bea. Frank Jr's new baby, Mary Grace, looks remarkably like her pop did at her age.

Mary Lee poses with Thomas Edison at Edison College on whose campus resides the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Center, where we went Friday night to wine and dine and skip the play, "White Christmas." Big family photo session before the play in the garden. I spent my time taking shots of the beautiful koi in the pool.

Saturday we went out to Keri hunting camp. Fortunately it had warmed up so we didn't freeze. This big red shouldered hawk liked to sit in a tree above camp and scream, "Keeee....Keeeee....Keeeeee...." Got a shot of this big ibis near the pond at camp.

Lots of rain in December, so the woods were unusually wet. Linn's jeep lost it's 4WD so he got stuck twice before giving up and going back to camp. He had to shuck down to his cute drawers to attach the tow rope for us to pull him out with the swamp buggy when he tried to cross the canal. Son of one of the members poses with his first 90 pound pig. His brother, less wise, shot a huge boar which took three hours to clean. I'm sure he'll look for a smaller one next time.

Next morning, Sunday, Frank and I waited in an elevated stand from before sun rise. No turkeys, but we did see these three does. The other one is in the high grass. One of the plantings Pat has made. Pat is acknowledged the best hunter of the lot, but doesn't take a gun any more. He'd rather putter around and do things like this, planting beans and peanuts that the game will eat later. Sometimes he just strings up a hammock and takes a nap.

After about 15 tries I finally got a half way decent shot of a crab spider, a strange little guy with a hard crab like shell. Another odd creature makes this strange cocoon from short twigs. How does it get the last one in?

On the way into camp we disturb the black headed buzzards at work on the remains of the two pigs shot yesterday. They didn't go far and were soon back at the trough.

Another group comes back to camp with nothing more than tales of missed opportunities. Linn had earlier bagged the only turkey killed out of this camp all season. While waiting for our brunch we watched this palmetto bug, the florida cockroach, get hotter and hotter. He finally decided to jump for it and left a bit the worse for wear.

Back home Sunday afternoon and I went to bed and stayed most of two days. It took a week to get completely back to normal. Some sort of stomach virus. Not pretty. Tuesday evening on the Caloosahatchie with Frank and Mary. I wasn't even up to casting a lure.

So I bid adieu to Sunny Florida. The river trip did me good and helped pep me up for the flight home Wednesday. Back home I felt good on Saturday and did a lot of chores that had stacked up. Sunday I fished for crappie at Fall Creek. The weather was cold and sometimes threatening and dramatic, but no storms broke so I managed to pull in 5 nice crappie before heading home.

Back To Richard's Fishing Diary

Back To Florida Trips Home Page

Sand Hill Cranes on the way to Frank's from the airport. Ft. Myers had a record low of 30 degrees this morning. Frank said it didn't hurt the oranges because it was windy, This evidently somehow prevents frost damage.	Frank has the greatest garage on earth. Bays for two tractors and his truck in addition to a workshop and room for his old political momentos...AND a bathroom. Wow.
This is at Bea's house Thursday evening where a joint birthday party for Bea and Uncle Nev was taking place. She is 95 and he is 96. Above we have Uncle Nev, Frank, Uncle Nev's daughter (the Episcopal priest), Pat, and Bea.	Frank Jr's new baby, Mary Grace, looks remarkably like her pop did at her age.
Mary Lee poses with Thomas Edison at Edison College on whose campus resides the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Center, where we went Friday night to wine and dine and skip the play, "White Christmas."	Big family photo session before the play in the garden. I spent my time taking shots of the beautiful koi in the pool.
Saturday we went out to Keri hunting camp. Fortunately it had warmed up so we didn't freeze. This big red shouldered hawk liked to sit in a tree above camp and scream, "Keeee....Keeeee....Keeeeee...."	Got a shot of this big ibis near the pond at camp.
Lots of rain in December, so the woods were unusually wet. Linn's jeep lost it's 4WD so he got stuck twice before giving up and going back to camp. He had to shuck down to his cute drawers to attach the tow rope for us to pull him out with the swamp buggy when he tried to cross the canal.	Son of one of the members poses with his first 90 pound pig. His brother, less wise, shot a huge boar which took three hours to clean. I'm sure he'll look for a smaller one next time.
Next morning, Sunday, Frank and I waited in an elevated stand from before sun rise. No turkeys, but we did see these three does. The other one is in the high grass.	One of the plantings Pat has made. Pat is acknowledged the best hunter of the lot, but doesn't take a gun any more. He'd rather putter around and do things like this, planting beans and peanuts that the game will eat later. Sometimes he just strings up a hammock and takes a nap.
After about 15 tries I finally got a half way decent shot of a crab spider, a strange little guy with a hard crab like shell.	Another odd creature makes this strange cocoon from short twigs. How does it get the last one in?
On the way into camp we disturb the black headed buzzards at work on the remains of the two pigs shot yesterday.	They didn't go far and were soon back at the trough.
Another group comes back to camp with nothing more than tales of missed opportunities. Linn had earlier bagged the only turkey killed out of this camp all season.	While waiting for our brunch we watched this palmetto bug, the florida cockroach, get hotter and hotter. He finally decided to jump for it and left a bit the worse for wear.
Back home Sunday afternoon and I went to bed and stayed most of two days. It took a week to get completely back to normal. Some sort of stomach virus. Not pretty.	Tuesday evening on the Caloosahatchie with Frank and Mary. I wasn't even up to casting a lure.
So I bid adieu to Sunny Florida. The river trip did me good and helped pep me up for the flight home Wednesday.	Back home I felt good on Saturday and did a lot of chores that had stacked up. Sunday I fished for crappie at Fall Creek. The weather was cold and sometimes threatening and dramatic, but no storms broke so I managed to pull in 5 nice crappie before heading home.