I forgot it was February

That thought came to me this past week as we were in Florida for a family reunion in Lakeland.  Jan and I came from Missouri, our son and his family from Colorado, and my younger brother with his wife and youngest daughter from Maryland.  We all went to visit my folks and older brother and his wife.

Some scenes taken Feb. 19, on the beach at Ft. DeSoto at the entrance to Tampa Bay.  This fort was built during the late 1890s to protect Tampa from Spanish invasion from Cuba before the Spanish-American War.

Inlet at Ft. De Soto

Using a metal detector out in the Gulf

The state is full of cyclists, but this happens to be the only picture of one that I got.

Cyclist at Ft. DeSoto

Two Feet, pre-sunburn, on the beach

Our son drove the van back to Lakeland and I was able to capture a few shots.

Old Tampa Bay

Taken from the Howard Frankland Bridge on I-275

Tropicana Field for the Tampa Bay Rays

Now, I am no baseball fan.  When I asked Sam about this stadium, he told me its’ name and then mentioned that hardly anyone comes to watch the games.  I found articles on the ‘net where the team had wanted a new playing field, but the plans fell through.

On the afternoon of the 20th, a few of us took a walk down to Lake Hollingsworth and then around the Beacon Hill Historic District where we stayed.

My mom knows the names of these trees...

... but I don't

A bird along the shore of Hollingsworth

More birds, all wonderful to behold

Already, the lawns are being watered

The flowers are in bloom. I just stared at its beauty

A WHOLE LAWN made of ferns!!

Lawn chairs awaiting occupants

It was during this 70 degree weather afternoon stroll that I remembered that we were still in February.

We had a wonderful visit.  Jan and I especially enjoyed the time with the grandchildren.

My folks and their great-grandchildren

Jan and my mom trying to figure out how to make life work better

Sam was unhappy at not seeing any iguanas or boa constrictors.  But then, he and my brother Randy went golfing on Wednesday and they saw an alligator.

Sam at golf

We took Sam, Katie, and the children to Orlando to fly home on Thursday.  This was sthe same day as the Shuttle Discovery launch.  Traffic was horrible.  Between toll booths and four full lanes of east-bound space tourists, we barely made it to the airport in time.  After all that, the sky was too cloudy to see anything from Lakeland.  But on a clear day, one can see a space launch from (among other places) my brother’s back yard.

Since coming home to the much colder Ozarks, I am having trouble warming up….

Stay happy,