Showing Off

We had a great time showing Terry’s parents, Pete and Bess Weber, around our area and letting them get a taste of what life is like here on the central coast of Florida. It’s a lot different from their home back in Arizona!

We have no interest in all the plastic theme parks put up by Disney down in the Orlando area, and neither did they, but they enjoyed some of the historical sites around here and the opportunity to get close to nature like they did when we took them to the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, which I wrote about in my blog titled A Ride On The Wild Side a few days ago.

But we don’t have to drive down to the Refuge to see some of our local wildlife. I’ve shared pictures of the pair of osprey that nest in the tree across the street from our house before. This is a different osprey we saw on one of our outings here in town.

And here is a close-up of this magnificent bird Terry got by zooming in her Canon SX-40 digital camera.

Another day we took Pete and Bess to the Sugar Mill Botanical Gardens in nearby Port Orange. I’ve written about this place also, in a blog titled Jurassic Park South, so I won’t go into all of the details about it again, you can get them from the previous blog. But I will show you some of Terry’s photographs for our visit there with her parents. This colorful little fellow may not be as big as an osprey, but he was friendly and happy to pose for her.

I’m not a plant guy. About the only flowers I recognize are roses and daisies, and these are not either one, but they sure are pretty.

Several of the trees at the Botanical Gardens are hosts to other plants that attach themselves to their limbs or trunks. I guess that makes them parasites, doesn’t it?

Speaking of trees, this impressive specimen is called the Confederate Oak. Local lore says that Confederate troops camped under it during the Civil War. The tree has been the backdrop for many outdoor wedding ceremonies.

And here is a picture of Terry’s parents and me. I think they like Florida.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and yesterday they flew back to Arizona, ending their week with us. After seeing them to their gate, we left the airport in Daytona Beach about 1 o’clock and went to the VA Medical Clinic to see if they could do anything to help me with some really nasty back spasms I’ve been having the last two or three weeks.

My back has been trashed for years and I pretty much live with some nagging pain most of the time, but every once in a while it really flares up, and this is one of those occasions. I really don’t like taking drugs of any kind if I can avoid it, but it was beginning to wear me down.

Even though I didn’t have an appointment, they told me they would fit me in, and sure enough, they did. We were there about two and half hours, but I left with some muscle relaxants, some pain pills, and they are ordering a back brace for me to see if that will help.

Back at home, we didn’t do anything except relax and watch TV. It’s always nice to have visitors, but it’s always nice to get back to our own routines and our “us” time, too.

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Thought For The Day – Thank you God for giving me food to sustain my body, Tide Pods to clean my clothes, and the wisdom to know the difference.