Winter 2017--Myakka Part 2

 At the Camper's coffee on Wednesday we learned from Mike and Ruby that the Herrman's Royal Lipizzaner Stallions had winter quarters near the park. They give demonstrations as part of their training for a $5 donation at their outdoor ring. The place was packed and the talk was very informative.  

The stallions are very competitive for dominance and having them perform
together means the riders have to limit eye contact between the horses.

The five mile round trip hike to Deep Hole is well worth the
heat of the palmetto flatlands to be in the Preserve.

Two kayaks and a row boat came from up river to cross the
Lower Lake, over Deep Hole, and continue down the Myakka.

An anhinga sunning itself beside the sinkhole 

Myakka has as many Black Vultures as it does alligators, I think.
And they both like to hang out at Deep Hole.

Looking across Deep Hole

Alligators

The Deep Hole is teaming with life, all peacefully coexisting when we were there.

This Osprey took off from its nest near the trail as we returned from Deep Hole

We were supposed to be able to see a Penumbral Eclipse of the Full Moon
on Friday night, but unless this is it, it didn't really show.  

Winter 2017-Myakka Part 1

I am taking a break from the China Blog of last Spring to insert our Winter Travels. I hope to finish the China Blog before we take our Spring Break trip the first two weeks of April. In all cases, I'm trying to go to more of a PhotoBlog, with less writing and more pictures. I hope you enjoy it! Now, here's Florida:

Myakka State Park: Thelma’s health challenges and Marv’s shingles made us uneasy about making any definite plans for our winter travels. Early intentions of taking 8 weeks and going to southern California and Arizona were discarded for a “wait and see” approach. As both patients showed improvement we were lucky to get a one week reservation at Myakka State Park, near Sarasota and left Feb. 4 with no other reservations made in the south. Clear, dry weather made for a much less exciting drive down than last winter’s storm which stranded so many motorists on I75, including Stadels and Larzeleres, and we partly avoided by going down I65. Using Club points, we stayed for free in Knoxville, TN at a nice Roadway Inn and in a marginal Quality Inn just north of Tampa, FL, arriving at Myakka mid-day on Monday but were able to check in early. Our site was unusual because it was pull-in only. By pulling nearly all the way in, we had a lot of privacy, with some wooded area behind us and looking over the marsh to the side where we open. Our small trailer made it possible to get the truck out beside it and I think Marv spent the whole week worrying a bit about how he’d get the trailer out when it was time to leave. (It came out without any problems.) But we were so happy to be in the upper 70 to mid-80 sunshine we set that aside and determined to enjoy our first week. 

The Myakka River, from the bridge about half a mile from the campground.

The first of many, many alligators we'd see.

Wood stork

This juvenile hawk was perched on a branch right over our heads
when we walked around the Outpost area our first day.

We saw many, many Great Blue Herons at Myakka

Rosette Spoonbills beside the weir. On the other side of the weir
there were about 18 alligators sunning themselves on the bank.

Never smile at a crocodile.....or an alligator in this case.

China: Part 1b

 Here are the rest of the pictures for Part 1:

 

Google picture showing Tienanmen Square at the bottom and
The Forbidden City at the top. We walked the entire length of both.

Statue of Mao Tse Tung in front of his Mausoleum. It is opened occasionally,
when long, long lines of people queue up for a free visit.

Tienanmen Square, where the student protest took place.

Map of The Forbidden City

Google picture from above of the Forbidden City

Explanation of the many gates and features of the Forbidden City

Where the Emperor would receive visitors

Walking in the Imperial Garden

The Beijing Opera principle character, The Emperor, applied
his own make-up on stage and then was helped into his costume. 

The final addition was his ornate wig with long hair and a long
beard but we apparently didn't get a picture of it. 

China: Part 1a

Here are some pictures from our first day in China. The rest of the pictures for Part 1 are on the next entry. Facebook is blocked in China, and all Google programs are limited, so most posting had to wait until we returned. It was a fabulous trip. Once again we were traveling with Kris and Heidi. Heidi had found a trip sponsored by the Chinese government that flew both members of each couple from Detroit to Toronto to Beijing for a stay that included three nights on a cruise boat on the Yangtze River, three flights within the country, and all our meals, hotels and activities for less than $5000! China is a vast and amazing country. The following are a few pictures of our first day in Beijing, on April 14 (I think. The time change and long flights made the calendar a bit confusing!). We did a rickshaw/pedicab ride in an old neighborhood, walked the extensive grounds of the Temple of Heaven, visited Tiananmen Square, and finished at the Forbidden City.  That evening after the first of many, many typical Chinese dinners (which were just like the lunches) we attended a Chinese Opera, which was a real culture shock for the ears!

This map shows where we will be going for our tour, starting from Beijing

Our first hotel, the Loong Palace

Jeff, our wonderful tour guide, had very good English
and taught us some useful Chinese words and phrases.

Typical Beijing neighborhood street

Jeff explains the government controlled pedicab system
in the Hutong (traditional old neighborhood)

Ready to roll

Our driver did a lot of huffing and puffing on his creaky old bike. Despite
tipping the amount Jeff had told us to give him, he didn't seem very happy with it.

The narrow old streets in the Hutongs were not laid out with cars in mind.

A typical inner courtyard with the living quarters on all four sides.
Rooms here can be rented for overnight stays.

Canal along the edge of the Huton that led to a man-made lake.

The dragon tiles on the roof indicate this was once owned by a royal family.

A map of the grounds for the Temple of Heaven. We explored the park-like lower level and then
mounted the stairs up to the complex of buildings surrounding the upper level with the Temple of Heaven.

Ready to climb up to the Temple of Heaven

Climbing up to the Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven from the plaza level

(See next Blog page for the rest of Part 1 pictures.)