Thursday, Mar 5 - The weather has returned to normal. As I sit here, we have the air con on, as Anna doesn't do well with the heat. It's breezy as well, so we decided to stick around the park today, 'specially since there may be rain later on. Doesn't hurt to hunker down for a day, although it's not something we're known to do too often.

It's been great having  Anna here. We took her to our favorite Wildlife Park on Tuesday, and spent the day there. We go every year, as it's such a nice setting, and we're very familiar with many of the creatures that live there. I'll post some pictures of our friends. We also like the park a lot because most of the residents are rescue animals and birds, well looked after and monitored for their health.

Yesterday, Gail and Anna rented kayaks and enjoyed a couple of hours on the river, chasing manatees. They saw 5 of them, including one mother with her calf, which was pretty exciting. We had also seen several at the Wildlife Center, but seeing them out in the river is even better. Last evening was even more exciting, however, as we played bingo here in the park. Gail got lucky on one game and won 15 bucks. Anna and I were shut out. But it was fun, with about 50 people taking part. We go to all lengths to keep our grand-daughter amused.

I've not been quite as perky as usual, mainly because of the inflammation issue in the lower body, and because the sinuses don't want to behave. So my energy level has been a bit on the low-side. However, I'm taking my medication, and hope all goes better by the end of the week. Not a worry!!

Oh, I also have to mention that we walked into the village on Monday, and introuduced Anna to our favorite pub, The Shed. Sat and had a drink and watched the pelicans fly by. We've noticed this year that there seems to be an increase in traffic and the number of people in Homosassa. Seems like this little spot we've come to like so much is being discovered by a lot of other people. We hope it doesn't get over-run so that it takes away from the special atmosphere of the area.l

That's about it. I'll see if the wifi here supports pictures. In some parks the photos come up very quickly, and in others they crawl to the screen. Here goes.

First guy is a little burrowing owl, a tiny little guy who lives in a hole in the ground, sometimes a tunnel that's constructed by gopher tortoise.
Next is a caracara, a very handsome bird. Then a couple of white pelicans, which we can sometimes see in Canada, particularly in southern Alberta.
Next is a wood stork, showing his full wing span to this mate. Trying to lure here into his clutches, no doubt. Then a black vulture, cousin to our turkey vultures. He's much better looking than his cousins.
On to a look at two fine looking ladies who are enjoying the park.
Next is a roseate spoonbill. His name is pretty self-explanatory. Next is a great egret with a lovely water back-ground.
On to manatees out in the river area. In the park there is a rehab center for manatees that encounter problems in the river, such as getting hit by boat props or rammed by boats. There is a vet available to oversee the health of these huge harmless creatures. And finally, our friend Lu the hippo, who has been in this park for 56 years. He has been in a couple of movies, is the oldest living hippo in this hemisphere, and just turned 60.

That's it for now. More later. Stay tuned.