One of my favorite day trips from the Keys is to take the ferry out to the Dry Tortugas. Rich in pirate lore and American history, these little islands are beautiful gems. 72 miles south and west of Key West, Fort Jefferson is a ruin on Garden key, A fortress against invaders, the prison of Dr. Mudd. And PERFECT Snorkeling.
Except April is way too early. Freezing. + there was a freak storm the night before and the water was cloudy. This was photo-girl's first trip with the underwater kit. She really wanted pictures of Christmas worms. The Ferry tickets are really expensive for people on a budget - and wimpy or not, we aren't going back anytime soon. SUCK IT UP! I learned that the body will adapt to very cold water if the motivation is high. I also learned that swimming fast with fins is a very cardiovascular activity. and I am old. and out of shape.
It was worth it, but we will need to get back when it is a little warmer. May is perfect, but we have to skip school. June is early Hurricane season - but is usually OK. The next trip down we will probably go out to Loo Key, but we really want to go back to Fort Jefferson, and spend a few days camping. Maybe next year.
I am sure I did not spell the Deaux right.
There has been so much going on in the last few weeks, it is difficult to post about the rest of the Awesome, Fun, Wonderful break with photo girl.
Key Deer! Always too friendly, usually require at least a little illicit incentive. To be fair, the first time we let them have food they stole it, but it gave us lots of opportunities to take pictures. And they are very aggressive, like big awkward chipmunks. We stop by to see them every year, and always feel suitably guilty about the "incentives" the little buggers demand. We only let them have completely organic produce - raw almonds, dried fruit, fresh fruit. It does not make it any more legal, or less damaging to the well being and safety of these beautiful creatures, but assuages my guilt a little. This time, there was no need. They seem to just want the attention. And there were BABIES. They are tiny little deer anyway, but the fawns are beyond adorable. Please do not feed, harm, molest, or harass the Key Deer. The picture shows pretty clearly why they are endangered.
On the way back from the deer trip we watched the sky darken, and as we pulled on to the 7-bridge it hit. Torrential rain. Florida at its Finest. Seriously? We are months away from Hurricane season - we go snorkeling in the spring to avoid the cloudy storm stirred water. Damn.
The next day was intermittent showers, luckily it was clear during the Dolphin Encounter. I highly recommend the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon. Fun, educational, informative, the age limit on encounters is low, as long as the child is comfortable in the water and can swim. Oddly enough, the Girl Child's favorite part was not the dorsal pull, she most enjoyed the training where she gave the dolphin a signal, and he (Pax) acted on it.
They usually come in ill, maimed, and covered with these horrible little cancerous polyps that are believed to be caused from - - - - Oh come on, you can guess this - - - - Pollution. I'm feeling a little less guilty about the Key Deer thing, at least I clean up after myself. The turtle is scrubbed up, probably it's only bath of it's whole life, re-hydrated in fresh water, X-rayed, surgery if applicable or possible, and put in private tanks to recuperate. Interesting note - because of the structure of the shell, it is actually an extension of the spine and ribs, they cannot perform internal surgeries. If the turtle can't pass the garbage (including huge fishing hooks and hats) on their own, they will die. Olive oil helps.
In order to be placed back in the wild, they have to have 3 working flippers, one good eye, and the ability to dive. They chip all of the turtles, so if they are hurt again and picked up by another rescue, the medical record can be shared. The finder names the turtle. This year, because of the brutal and extended cold here in Florida they had over 200 turtles suffering from cold shock brought in in January.
wow - Still so much to share, I haven't even posted about the Dry Tortugas, or Camping in the rain, or - oh by the way, sorta quit my job yesterday - YAY me. Instant down-size on the stress factor, potentially more money as a per diem employee - I'm just going to keep pretending that I work there until they quit giving me patients.
First - children should not be promised specific things in the distant future when the parents financial situation is not in perfect balance. 2nd - children should not be promised things unless the parent fully intends to deliver, irregardless of pain and hardship.
I get the girl child for spring break every 4 years - at ages 8, 12, and 16. When these arrangements were made, I told my beautiful little girl that at 12, she would get to swim with the Dolphins. I knew it was expensive - but wow. Anyway - Momma has delivered. When we get home, I will add pics to this post. All in all this has been an amazing spring break.
We left after school and Friday, with the intention to stop in Naples, the Gateway to the Everglades, so we could stop along the Tamiami trail for photo ops and fun throughout the day on Saturday. Our first stop was Oscar Scherer state park. I have always wanted to stop there, and it was pretty nice, except right next to the freeway, and close enough to civilization that it attracts people that are more interested in seeing nature than taking care of it. Weird little phenomenon - if you are going to take the time to scoop your dog's poop into a bag - why would you leave the poop bag on the side of the trail? all 4 or 5 of you with various colored bags of various ages? Weird. The coolest thing we saw was a tortoise, he seemed a little nervous, while posing for pictures, but not in a huge hurry to get away. We left him at the side of the trail and walked casually toward our goal. Scrtchy, Scrtchy, scrtch. What is that? louder and faster. We turned - to see the tortoise hurling down the road at break-neck tortoise speed, heading right toward us. He stopped when he saw us looking, and turned into the brush at the side of the road. We moved on. Scrtchy, Scrtchy, Scrtch. Quickly we turned, he was back on the path, closer now, more determined. As soon as he saw us he turned back into the bushes, but he did not stop. Under the protection of scrub and palmettos he continued is quest, closer and closer he came. Rushing tortoises are not very fast, and we soon decided to not wait for the attack of our stalker tortoise, and we again turned down the road toward our car. I'm sure he was relieved to have our backs to him once again, because he popped back on the trail and continued towards us. It is sooo much easier to pull a sneak attack if your victims do not keep turning around to look at you. Oscar, as we came to call him, eventually tired, his footsteps came slower, and fainter, he headed toward a log, probably to rest, not knowing that he was losing his one chance to ensnare the paparazzi child that had plagued his life. We escaped. Breathless (with laughter) but safely back on the road.
No matter how scenic you expect it to be - I do not recommend US41 from Venice to Naples. Took way too long. So glad to stop at the hotel around 8:30pm
Everglades. US41 (the Tamiami Trail) IS the way to go south if you have time to kill and want to see real Florida. We take the trail either south or north everytime we come, and have never been disappointed. Our first stop was at some little state park with a board walk on the East side of the road. barely room to park two cars, couple of port-a-potties and the typical "Florida State Parks" sign. We pulled in behind a small van of birders. As we got out of the car we heard a very large bull-frog, I teased the girl about it being spring, and how the 'gators were mating, you have to be careful. Interesting question from the photogirl - why do bird-watchers travel in noisy, chaotic packs? looking up at the trees, all dizzy and disoriented arguing about the little specks flitting in the branches? Wouldn't it be easier to go alone? quietly? We soon scurried past them, leaving them to their flock.
One thing about swamps, once you are in it, especially around the edges where the cypress and oak trees cover everything, they are quiet. and eerie. We saw some really interesting tree formations, squirrels, birds. At the end of the board walk there was a HUGE alligator in the water. We watched him for awhile, got a few pictures, noticed some immature Ibis' that distracted our attention, then the 'gator let out a noise. Bull alligators are said to sound like bull frogs. NADA. Raising its huge head straight out of the water, puffing its throat up in preparation, tail and body undulating out of the water like a giant dragon dancing to mesmerize its virgin sacrifice, he Bellowed. Deep, and loud, a cross between and angry bull and a triumphant lion. He split the forest with his call. Whether seeking love, or issuing a challenge I don't know, but it was Awesome, in the true sense of the word, inspiring reverence and awe.
One of those "once in a lifetime" "change the way I look at the world" experiences. Nature hikes in the spring? only on board walks or not near water. Let my child swim in Florida in fresh water in the Spring? NO! I have always felt that nature is safe if you respect it, are aware of your environment and not stupid. I now think being in water near alligators in mating season is stupid, disrespectful, and shows a complete lack of awareness of your environment. Just my opinion, but one I will act on.
Did I mention that I'm a little compulsive? And sometimes my compulsions turn into obsessions? And lock myself into a spiral of "must dos" that used to be "want to's?" I have been making cookies for the Gym girl's meets since her very first one. I enjoy it, the girls expect it (I should say anticipate, they are all way too polite to expect anything from me), the parents sort of count on it. It is almost always chocolate chip, even if I do another variety, usually it is in addition to the chocolate. Gym Girl insists. She is not a big chocolate fan, but she LOVES chocolate chip cookies. In fact her only complaint about mine is that there are too many chips - don't worry, that particular complaint goes ignored.
Thank Jill - but don't tell her where you got the recipe.
I am a new convert to the world of social networking. Maybe new is a loose term, I joined Face-book about a year ago and was instantly hooked. I first logged on right after my cousin's wedding in Hawaii (I did not go) and was delighted to find pictures. I emailed my uncle all excited about it, and he had not yet seen them. Instant family competition! My uncle joined that day, then called my mom to tell her he had seen video of her granddaughter doing gymnastics. So my mom joined, then my brother in Iraq. My sister joined, too, but she never logs on. I started digging up friends, sort of friends, and people I don't even remember from high school. I found professional contacts, old classmates, former co-workers, I even met people with similar interests.
I have not attempted Twitter, it seems to be all of the most annoying parts of Facebook, with none of the bonus tabs. I may change my mind, but right now I have enough trouble keeping up with the FB peeps.
This is the rant part of this post. I have 160+ Facebook friends. I actually know, and value, each of these people. I am very aware that each of my posts show up on their walls, and every comment is visible to all of their friends. My concern with the social networking phenomenon is that it gives many people a venue to be very honest, perhaps more honest than they would be face to face. Where this is most obvious to me is in political discussions. When I first got involved, Bush was our president, and republican held the political power. My wall was full of inflammatory rants from liberal groups. as the elections drew close, more conservatives came in. Now the political tide has changed and my wall is full of posts about Tea-parties, Islamic scare tactics, and the Christian Duty to Hold our American Values.
I believe that everyone has a right to hold any opinion, and everyone has a right to express them. I find conversations with people with diverse views to be fun, educational, entertaining. If I only talked to people that agreed with me, my life would be soooo boring. My FB friends are a testament to the diversity in my life, and I love discussing these views with many of these people. What I don't love is the way people post things on their walls that they would NEVER say to a mixed bag of people. Some of my peeps only have 5-6 friends, I get that they are talking to a small group of intimate friends. But some of my FB friends have hundreds of FB friends, and many of them are business contacts. Would they actually walk into a room full of potential clients and announce that this time there is REAL proof that president Obama was born outside the united states and he is secretly training terrorists on our military bases?
And even if your posts inspire many comments from the masses - is that really a conversation? If you are discussing religion or politics, shouldn't it be a conversation? a sharing of ideas? I have had these conversations with some of these folks, not with others. The ones I have not talked to are either not close enough to me to warrant the type of trust needed to engage in conversation about my deepest, personal beliefs; or they are obviously so passionate about their opinions that they are not ready or willing to listen and speak respectfully to opinions that are different from thiers. When I am asking or revealing this type of information, I like to look at faces. I like to judge the reaction to what I am saying, determine if it is a safe environment for me to rant and get a little heated, or if I need to spend more time listening, maybe even diffusing.
This type of baring of the superficial soul makes me feel voyeuristic in the lives of many of my acquaintances. I also wonder if the rampant "personal posters" are hiding behind their big opinions, without realizing that silence from their peeps is not agreement, but lack of willingness to engage publicly, in tiny sound bytes.
Keep your opinions, and express them. Just know your audience.
My daughter goes to a charter school. I had no idea what this was until I found one, and am still unclear on how it all works. I do know that as we approached kindergarten and the need to enroll her in school, I began that early quest that all parents of young children dread.
Tampa offers school choice. Meaning if you do not like your neighborhood school, due to poor academics or inconvenient location or whatever, you can request a transfer to a different school. Choices are honored if the requested school has openings. We also have magnet programs, specialized programs within the neighborhood schools that your kid can be transferred to if they show a particular interest or aptitude. i.e. engineering, performing arts, technology, health sciences, etc. Then I discovered Charter schools. These schools are chartered by a private board, taking operational control outside of the district, similar to a private school, but with public funding. !?!?! Basically, my kid gets a fantastic private school type education, but I don't pay extra for it. Before you jump on the "how can that be?" train - realize this is a state that offers vouchers to people to pull their kids out of failing public schools, to assuage the cost of private school. A lot of these private schools are parochial - hmmm government funds to educate kids in religious schools - separation of church and state is my favorite constitutional right, don't like it being messed with.
Today I got some education about the whole charter thing. Our school gets funds per child, like every other school in Hillsborough county. Our school then pays 5% of these funds back to the county to pay for services - I'm not sure what services, school nurse was mentioned, but I know that our school nurse does not get paid by the county. Our schools fiscal accountability includes MONTHLY reports to the state. The district is not in anyway required to audit their allocation of services to charter schools. We do not get bussing, or any of the other district services that I can think of, but we have excellent teachers, great programs, and beautiful facilities. To make up the difference between what the state gives and what our school offers is made up in grants, donations, and massive use of parental slave labor. Today I gained an appreciation for the hard work that all of our administration, faculty, board and behind the scenes volunteers do to keep our school running.
Across the board Florida is in a very tight budget crunch, we have been pegged as the next state to follow California into bankruptcy. With previous administrations pulling money away from public education (i.e vouchers) and the limited understanding by the public of the viability of charter schools as part of the PUBLIC education process, I am concerned that we will lose this incredible educational gem that we have.
I encourage anyone that reads this to call or write their legislators and encourage them to continue to fund education as their highest priority.
This post will get me into a lot of trouble on the home-front if it gets out. Thank god the girl child does not read. My daughter, bless her prudish heart, is a very private person, I (obviously) am not. There is a line between what is mine, as the mom, to share, and what is hers, as the beginning adolescent daughter, to keep private. I think I am about to cross that line.
She is making me CRAZY.
It has to be hormones. I decided to track it on my calendar.
We had 5 days this week that was so completely foreign to what I know about my child that it was surreal. Tuesday she had a great practice - top of the world everything going super-fine. Wednesday she had a horrible practice, couldn't do anything, forgot how to do her giants, couldn't feel her tap - it was JUST like yesterday!
She has one coach that she does not have the best relationship with. It is coaching style, sometimes problematic for my kid. I'm not sure what the deal is - my kid will talk to anyone, if necessary, not matter how difficult or painful it may be. She will not talk to this women, or allow me to. And frankly, it is a personality problem, not a "cross-the line" step in sort of thing. For 5 days my daughter was in hell, and I decided that after her meet, regardless of the consequences, I would step in. Except that it magically went away. The stories of things said and done by this coach did not change - Gym Girl is just back to her "whatever - I do the best I can, and I'm not letting this get me" attitude.
She was also excessively clumsy, came in with what looked like road rash on her thighs and butt. Not beam or bar - both. 3 falls in one practice. Ouch. I'm glad I wasn't there.
And forgetfull. OMG. I wanted to kill her. My very organized, everything in its place, note writing, homework doing, wunderkind, was completely awol. Forgot homework at school. Forgot research books at home. Water-bottles, lunch-boxes, cell phone. Remember the velcro suit of SNL fame in the '80's? I wanted to get her one.
For 2 years now, I have been able to track some minor cyclical changes. About once a month, she spends a day of forgetfulness, a day of being extra sensitive, and a day where everything is my fault. I am aware that this is normal. The receptor cells that will some day receive the onslaught of pubescent hormones have to get ready, and as that is happening, aware parents will get glimpses of the future hell they must share with their daughters. I had lulled myself into thinking that she had my genes and she's a gymnast, so I had 3 or 4 years to prepare. Oh, NO. Prep-time is OVER. Let the roller coaster begin.
It was worth it, but we will need to get back when it is a little warmer. May is perfect, but we have to skip school. June is early Hurricane season - but is usually OK. The next trip down we will probably go out to Loo Key, but we really want to go back to Fort Jefferson, and spend a few days camping. Maybe next year.
Key Deer! Always too friendly, usually require at least a little illicit incentive. To be fair, the first time we let them have food they stole it, but it gave us lots of opportunities to take pictures. And they are very aggressive, like big awkward chipmunks. We stop by to see them every year, and always feel suitably guilty about the "incentives" the little buggers demand. We only let them have completely organic produce - raw almonds, dried fruit, fresh fruit. It does not make it any more legal, or less damaging to the well being and safety of these beautiful creatures, but assuages my guilt a little. This time, there was no need. They seem to just want the attention. And there were BABIES. They are tiny little deer anyway, but the fawns are beyond adorable. Please do not feed, harm, molest, or harass the Key Deer. The picture shows pretty clearly why they are endangered. 
