On the road again!

With gratis hotel accommodations and an invitation to speak to a parish bereavement group we drove north to the Orlando area and spent a few days.

For both of us it had been many years since we visited Mickey Mouse Land.... so we crammed in quite bit during our short three day stay. Take a look...

What we once knew as Lake Buena Vista is now Downtown Disney. We choose the Boathouse, a brand new theme restaurant for dinner.  We have to rate the ambiance, wait service and food, five stars. Excellent !

the next night is was a free shuttle bus to Universal's City Walk

Dinner and music at Margaritaville!

and a boat ride to

                                                                     Portofino Bay Resort

                                                      and the Royal Pacific Resort

                                                 Picture taking, that is what we do.....

The next day.......

                    We  checked out the Marriott run Gaylord Palms Resort

For us, a can't miss attraction in the area is Gatorland in Kissimmee and it bird breeding area......

                                   

                                          Lots of young ones, this season.........

That's all folks......

jpk&ckk   May 2015

Central Florida's hidden jewel for nature enthusiasts...

Southeast of Lakeland on Winter Lake Road, off  Hiway 98,  lies the 1,267 acre Circle Bar B Reserve.

For over 70 years this wetland was drained to make it suitable for raising cattle. In 2000, Polk County  purchased the land, restored the marsh creating a habitat and food sources for native wildlife and migrating birds.

Today, this wilderness area boast large numbers of birds of prey, water birds, reptiles, mammals, trees, shrubs and flowering plants...this whole area is adjacent to Lake Hancock and the Banana Creek Marsh.

The county  has built over a dozen nature trails plus a nature discovery center so the public can enjoy the richness of  God's creation.

We only spent a couple of hours early on a  May morning walking and taking tram tour of Circle B Bar. We only saw a small portion of the total area.

The following photos will show in a limited way the beauty of the area. 

click on any photo to enlarge...

 The Reserve was dedicated and opened in 2008...

 The Nature Center has displays and classrooms...

 Connie sets her I-Phone with a narration for our trail hike.

 Florida's beautiful Spanish Moss laden Like Oak Trees...

There are no fences at Circle B Bar Reserve, the wildlife has the right of way...

A Great Blue Heron crosses the trail...

We were fortunate to join a narrated tour....

This is nature in all it natural beauty.

 A great Blue Heron...

 A Limpkin with an apple snail.

 A family of Sand Hill Cranes....

 One of the many trails....

 A wind mill from the days the land was used as a cattle ranch....

Blue Heron perched on a dead tree branch...

 One of the many eagle nests....the eagles were not home this morning.

A Spanish moss covered cypress tree....

A shaded walking trail.....

If you are an aficionado of nature and a nature photographer Circle B Bar is a must for you. Keep in mind different birds and animals will be more prevalent at different times of the year and at different hours.


jpk/ckk 5/15/15