South Carolina Football Weekend

This weekend I spent some quality time with my family in South Carolina at the Carolina/Georgia football game.  It was a lot of fun tailgating, taking photos, and watching my favorite sports team take an affirmative win away from Georgia.

Here I am with my brothers John Charles (above) and Timothy (below). They are both sweethearts.  I am so lucky to have such loving brothers and it was special to see both of them this weekend.

I also met my brother's girlfriend and spent time with my favorite sister-aunt Regina Jeanine.  It was the whole family affair with my mom and Lauren's family.

Mo was my road trip partner and though we were rivals come game time, we made a pretty good team on the road.  It was great to spend some time with my Moey.

And of course, the trip was made perfect by seeing my absolute favorite little dog Picabo.  She's such a frail old pup but I love her more than any dog.  She's my baby and I'm glad I had the chance to spend some time with her.  This trip was more than just fun and football, it was a much needed respite from South Florida with some of my favorite people.

Orange Juice Factory

If you cross Florida north of Lake Okeechobee you will find beautiful flood plains and farms.  I was surprised to find on my recent trip an orange juice factory.  Outside were literally hundreds of semi-beds full of oranges.  Oranges were on the streets, on the coveyor belts, on the sides of the roads.  And of course there are orange groves all around.  But the factory took the cake for me and reminded that I really am in Florida.  It was quite the view with the large stacks puffing smoke and the bright oranges going into the factory.

Most people visit Florida and either drive down I-95 or I-75 right along the coast and never see the interior of the state.  Orlando does not count as the interior since it's mostly a sprawling mess of entertainment parks and restuarants.  Central Florida is full of surprises and most people that even live here don't see it.  I urge you to get out there and explore the small towns, visit Lake Okeechobee, check out some of our natural areas, and stop by the road when you see something unique like an orange juice factory.

Paradise Farm Stay

Right outside Miami in the Redlands is a little mecca of serenity, Paradise Farms Organic.  Emily and I had one of the best weekends there recently.  I saw my first Jackfruit trees and Starfruit trees.  We had at least 8 species of butterfly fluttering about the farm.  It was just a relaxing, peaceful respite from the busy work week.

After arriving we strolled about the farm and ate kumquats and flowers.  We also looked for birds and insects.  A Red-shoudered Hawk was our first bird on the farm and gave us great up-close looks.

We explored old structures and near the greenhouse we had a cooperative Ruby-throated Hummingbird. 

By the nursery we also found some active bee hives.  We sat on a nearby rock from a distance and spied on them with our binoculars.  It was just a nice relaxing day around the farm.

Gabriella, the farm's owner welcomed us with both arms.  We had a snack of pesto pasta and fresh fruit after we met her.  We also sampled the flowers below and they were very good.

After our farm exploration we went to the Robert Is Here farm stand and had snacks.  We also were entertained by a nice guy playing some very fun music.  It was just a lot of fun hanging out here and sampling the fares.

We traveled down to Lucky Hammock but things seemed quiet so we walked the Annex for a little while and after we realized the breeze was too much we decided to head back to our farm stay.  We spent the evening reading and relaxing.

On the way out we grabbed a couple of starfruit and said our goodbyes.  The best part was our weekend adventure was not over, next we headed to Shark Valley.  To hear all about that tale you'll have to come back tomorrow.

Maine (the forgotten post)

Wow, I found this post today and for some reason it was never uploaded.  I like the photos so much that I thought I would share it.  It's a glimpse of the conditions at the boat dock before Rupp and I headed out on our Puffin expedition a few years back in May.  This was a COLD afternoon and we probably had every stitch of clothing on that we packed.  I'm planning to go back to Maine next year for a wedding.  I hope that even better adventures are had and maybe, I'll see Puffins again.

Swaro CL Test Drive

With my new Swarovski CLs in hand I decided that an all day field test was in order.  Since it's shorebird season I figured a good place to start was in Western Palm Beach County, FL.  This area is known for shorebirds starting in August but shorebirds are easy to spot any time of day so for my first CL test drive I thought going to a new park would be the best way to start the day.

Kimmie met me at 6AM and we headed west to Dupuis Wildlife Management Area.  Along the way we saw some typical Florida landscapes like fields of cows and stands of pines.  Most people think of South Florida as a highly developed area that encroaches on the Everglades but if you're in the central part of the state above the Everglades you will find lots of agricultural land that has a very Central Florida feel. 

Once in the park we started our bird list.  For the most part the place was pretty quiet but we did have nice looks of Downy Woodpeckers and Red-shouldered Hawks.  The CLs were performing well in the early day light.  I had nice crisp views in the low light areas.  One minor annoyance for me with the binoculars were all the lense covers.  So I removed the top covers altogether.  This allowed much faster use as we were in and out of the car.

The Ocean to Land section of the Florida Trail runs right through Dupuis WMA.  The orange blazes were easy to spot as it crossed the road.

The best of the morning was an Eastern Towhee.  Now I know what you must think, a towhee is a common yard bird but in South Florida, this isn't true.  To see things like towhees and Carolina Wrens you must head out into the more quiet areas of wildlife management areas. 

One of the best parts of the park was an area of prescribed burn.  I loved the contrast of browns and greens near the road.  This practice had recently been implemented and parts of the park had that nice smoky taste in the air.  I scoped the pines but saw little more than some Common Ground-doves.

The driving road dead-ended at a small pond.  With my new CLs I had great looks at a mating frenzy of dragonflies.  The shorelines were swarming with these winged animals and it was a nice sight to find at this bird less area.  The CLs did well focusing close as the dragonfiles darted around me.

Once we left Dupuis WMA we decided to head south to the agricultural fields.  Along the way we took a small detour to Lake Okeechobee.  Now in my experience, the lake is a hard thing to see first hand.  I've driven to a few "lake" parks but mostly you see a canal that runs the border of the lake. But there is a small bridge north of Pahokee, FL that gives you an eagle eye view of the biggest lake in Florida. 

We took a drive up on the dyke and found ourselves looking at a small island.  This is the best Lake Okeechobee look I've ever had.  And thanks to my bins I was able to spot a large alligator cruising the bank.  The shot below was done by digibinning the gator through my CLs.  Not bad for long distance snapshot.  I was aided by resting my bins on the ledge of the car window.  With minimal hand shake it was a nice photo (not great, but identifiable).

With our lake views behind us we drove south through Pahokee.  For those that haven't seen the small rural areas of Palm Beach County you are in for a stark contrast to the rich affluent areas near the beach.  This area is dotted with Palm Trees very much like the wealthy Worth Avenue in Palm Beach but instead of designer shops you will find old abandoned school buses and small little bait and grocery shops. 

Kimmie and I stopped at a questionable gas station diner and ordered a plate of alligator nuggets, fried catfish, and fries.  I could hear the arteries clogging but the food wasn't bad.  The atmosphere was a bit too run-down to fully enjoy the meal but it was entertaining to say the least.

With meals consumed we headed to the shorebird areas near Belle Glade, Florida.  You will have to come back next week to get the full installment of birds seen.  For now I'll leave you with a photo of a typical field in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA).  This shot shows you the border of sod field and sugarcane field.  These are the primary crops that you can find in Western Palm Beach.

Puerto Rican Food and Beverage Tour

Many vacations center around the destinations: the beach, the rainforest, the birding spots, but one of my favorite parts of traveling to a new place is trying the new foods and drinks.  We sampled all that Puerto Rico had to offer and we came away with a lot of winners and only a handful of items that we didn't like very much.  I'll outline a few of the highlights below:  

The beer in Puerto Rico was always cold and delicous.  Now I can't say that it was some special microbrew or anything exotic but it always did the trick and satisfied a thirsty traveler.  In our hotel we had little micro cans of Coors, the national drink of the Puerto Rican olympic partner but mostly we drank Medalla while we were out.  Medalla is a good beer if you're looking for something simple and cold, this is like the light lagers of most Caribbean islands.  

The food was hearty and delicious.  I was always happy with the rice and meats but the beans were where the magic was at.  Those slow cooked beans that seemed like they had simmered for days were the best part of each meal.

The Mayo Ketchup condiment was found at every table.  Strangely I do not like mayo or ketchup but when combined it was like heaven on every meal.  I don't know what happened to me and once I found out that this delicious condiment was a combination of two things I disliked I was mortified.  Plus, who wants to admit that they put this on every meal.  Emily and I ate this condiment readily until one day we were at the grocery store and learned the truth about the pinkish sauce.  Oh Mayo Ketchup, it was nice knowing you but we can't be friends anymore, even if you do add garlic and make things taste better.

One of the biggest highlights of the trip was the drink you see below, yes that's a Painkiller and while on Vieques Emily and I consumed our fill of them.  Do you see that brown grated material on top, that's nutmeg and let me tell you, it's soooo delicious.  I could drink these every day of my life. 

Yuca chips and beer, I think this was our lunch one day on the beach.  It was better than you can imagine.  I've had chips like this before but never were they so crunchy and salty and perfect with an ice cold one.  Just seeing the photo below reminds me of blue ocean waves lapping on the shoreline and the taste of salt in my mouth.

When everything is going peachy you feel like you can try anything and it will be perfect but the Coco Rico was far from perfect, it was down right terrible and after 3 sips I sadly threw it away.  I know, a perfect waste of money but you couldn't pay me to drink this super sweet concoction.  Luckily, this was one of the few misses of the trip.

On our last day in San Juan I may have taken a few years off of my life by consuming the super-meaty tripleta sandwich.  It was divine and horrible all at once.  With each bite I thought my arteries were clogging but oh, I loved the triple meat sandwich with crunchy little shoestring chips ON the sandwich.  Yes, it was an extravagance but worth every morsel.  

Pumpkin patch

I went to the Farmer's Market this week. I picked up some lovely vegetables. In South Florida it's very difficult to grow pumpkins so the market lines the pumpkins in rows almost like you can pick your own. It's cheating a bit but it is festive. And I loved the amount of families I saw with little kids in hand, picking their own pumpkin. It's important for children to know where food comes from. Now if only I had assurance that the families were EATING the pumpkins after carving them. One can dream...

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California Day 6: Chinatown and Japantown

Dim Sum for breakfast.

Interesting fruits and vegetables in the market.

Driving downtown, literally.


Tea in Chinatown.


Tea house in Chinatown. I loved the presentation and the tea was delicious.


We spent some time walking around Chinatown taking in the sights and smells.


Next we cruised over to Japantown where we found these darling figurines.


We ended the night with a toast of a very special Venezuelan rum.