Day 5: On the way home

It's been a fun three and a half days here.

The parks are spectacular in their flora.  Hiking in the ?woods?, or should I say mangroves and swamps is every bit as relaxing as the deciduous and coniferous paths of upstart NY. I did not find any challenging hills to climb. But then this is Florida.  Ha ha.

It seems like every half mile, there is another 6 lane divided highway. And the communities appear to have walls around them. Mostly gated communities?

The appearance of the communities are different here. I've already alluded to the 'gatedness'. As I drove the highways,  it was hard for me to pick out things of interest, simply based on their look. That may be a factor of my having chosen to live in downtown Rochester, first in the Neighborhood of the Arts and now in the East End.  I have put a premium on being able to walk to destinations,  many of which are in architecturally interesting buildings or near cultural activities like theater,  music and independent films. And where I live,  these are basically all within 10 blocks or so.

One other thing.  Several times I tried to ask for help at red lights,  but no one rolled down their window to assist me. Far off crime? People that I encountered on the street were unfailingly polite.

Back home.  Stepped outside and was shocked to see how I had forgotten how cold 40 degrees is.

Day 4: Beach hike, Jays exhibition game and Shakespeare in the Park

Honeymoon Beach state park

Gulf of Mexico

Osprey nest

Blue Jays exhibition game against Team Canada

Jays signing autographs after the game

Ace, team mascot,  in person

Richard III on the Tampa Waterfront
Great performance by a local community theater group. They condensed the play down to two hours, but still hit all the key scenes in detail.
This actor portrayed Richard III with a limp rather than as a humpback. I preferred this as for me, the emoting thru a sharply crippled 'body' introduces an unnecessary element. I'm sure many will disagree.
The usual outside distractions were present but they did not detract from the performance.

Day 3: Manatee Viewing Center and Steinbrenner Field (Jays vs Yankees)

The warm water discharge provides the survival basis for manatees in the winter months.

The Little Blue Heron

Mangrove swamp

Steinbrenner Field: Let's play ball.  Blue Jays at the Yankees

Day 3: Hillsbourough state park

After a pleasant drive up to Hillbourgh state park. I spent my wanderings,  comparing the differences between the flora in NY and here.  I don't know the names of it all down here,  but it has its own beauty.

At one point in my wanderings,  I found a well treaded path off of the marked trail.  It led me along the river in a denser undergrowth.  I kept an eye out for alligators and snakes but did not see anything.

On the other hand,  there is a lot of life in the undergrowth.  As I moved along the trail,  I heard them scurrying along.  It took me some time to get used to the sounds. That does not happen back in Monroe County.  The trails most often seem empty of natural life sounds.