We have been here since 30 December 2008. It has been absolutely beautiful weather. We did have a cold front move through for a couple of days and only had highs in the 60's. We had to wear jackets! (Only kidding!) We did wear long sleeved shirts, though. Right now I am writing this sitting on our lanai with a nice breeze and sunny. It is 80 and the pool is 88.
We have had lots of fun and adventures on this trip, but one of the best days started with a walk to Ponce de Leon Park with some friends. We went through the bird sanctuary again and it is always great to see bald eagles, owls, and lots more, who have been rescued. Most have missing or broken wings and would not survive in the wild. Those than can be rehabilitated are kept away from people. There is always a volunteer to guide you through and give you the latest scoop on the occupants.
Then we walked by the small beach area and boat ramp. We took our pictures with "Ponce de Leon" and went on the tour on the raised boardwalk through a wetland area. We stopped for a while on the dock to watch the big boats and sailboats go in and out of the waterway to The Isles. While standing there we heard splashing near the bank to the left of us. Turned out it was a dolphin either playing or feeding around the mangroves. Very cool to watch. It was there for about ten minutes before it swam back out towards Charlotte Harbour. While we were watching the dolphin, an osprey flew over us and landed in a dead tree limb on the other side of the water. It had a fish at least 18" long in its claws. Not sure how it landed with a fish in its claws, but it did. It looked like quite a big dinner.
Three different groups of planes flew over as we were leaving the dock. They were WWI type planes of different colors and in formation. The walk home was relatively uneventful, but it was only noon and we still had the rest of the day in front of us.
