I have again been negligent in keeping up on our adventure blog. Tine and I had a wonderful trip to Orlando earlier this month to visit Jeff and Christy, attend an Adobe conference and get in some Florida birding. Jeff is finishing up at Full Sail film school and plans to graduate in October (another great excuse to visit Florida). Christy is employed by the State of Florida Law Enforcement Department and is weighing future prospects with the Secret Service and the FBI. Both the kids seem truly happy with their lives and each other.
Tina and I helped bring a bit of comfort to their back yard in the hot Florida sun by giving them a new gazebo and bird feeders. The temps aren’t all that bad if you can stay in the shade.
Highlights included:
A visit to the Leu Botanical Gardens. The 50 acre garden includes Camellias, palms, roses and dozens of other plant species. The lushness of the grounds was really inspiring with Tina remarking that it must be in a zone 11.
Drive through Merritt Island. We added several new birds to our life list, but were shocked at the dryness of the southeast with many of the swamps and marshes completely dry, in this normally wet time of the year. We even saw our first manatee and swam in the ocean.
A tour of Full Sail: Jeff took us through several of the facilities including a full working TV studio, sound stages and the ‘back lot’ where outdoor scenes are films. We were even able to watch a production rehearsal of a scene from an upcoming film. Amazing how many different tasks and roles come together to create a film.
One week was not near enough time to explore all that Orlando and Florida have to offer and I haven’t even been to Disney World. Tina and I are threatening to visit for a month during the winter to take a break from the Minnesota cold. Tina taught me a new acronym: F.R.O.G. which translates to “furnished room over garage”. Maybe we could catch a shuttle launch next time.