Summer

Well summer is definitely here - it's hot as hades, but the rains haven't started, which actually makes me a bit uneasy. I love the summer rains - the booming thunder that rattles our crappy little window panes, the musical quality of the rain as it makes it way through our tree canopy, and the sense of relief I get when the air smells of rain. It means green blooming plants, full rivers, and less people wasting precious drinking water on their water-hogging lawns.

Despite the heat, my love of the sun is unwavering. I greedily look forward to summer when the sun sets after 8:30 at night, the sunsets set the sky on fire, and I can alternate between baking in the sun and cooling off in the water at the beach or the pool. We have eagerly returned to our pool duties on Anna Maria at Mom and Larry's house and almost feel silly for how much we look forward to cleaning the pool and tending the plants. It is our little summertime oasis on the weekend where life doesn't get in the way.

I also know summer is here because our cicadas started singing just a few weeks ago and they haven't stopped since. I love falling asleep to them and waking up to their swelling symphony that fills the trees around our little house.

Now, when I'm in DC, folks are getting excited about their summer veggies while ours are winding down here (too much heat here for most veggies). But, this week I had a first and thought it would be fun to share. We've been composting for the last year (our anniversary present to ourselves last year - a composter!) and are really enjoying it. Apparently, so are our plants who have been benefitting from it, and some that weren't meant to. A few weeks ago while I was weeding around my native plants I discovered an intruder. But not one of the usual pest plants, so I didn't know what to make of it. Kind of scraggly, climbing, leafy, and had what appeared to be tiny green fruit with a star of green foliage on top... the plant had totally propped and intertwined itself up on my beautyberry bush - and I took it as a personal offense, who was this intruder?! After looking more closely, I noticed some of the green fruit seemed to be beginning to ripen into an orange tint. Huh. Not like any other fruiting plant I know in Florida. Weird. So the more I stared at it, the more it did start to look familiar, but I couldn't think of why. Then it dawned on me - it was a tomato plant?! I called Wade over and he verified then we laughed because we had NO idea where the heck it came from or how it got so big without any watering or care at all. Our best hypothesis is that it came from some seeds from our compost and the seeds must have been from the grape tomatoes we had gotten from our CSA farm during the winter. Apparently the patchy sun of the live oak trees kept it from withering in the heat, but provided enough light to grow. Go figure, nature found a way.

So, today I picked my first tomatoes from my own yard - the first veggie I've ever harvested in my own yard - ever (herbs don't count in my book). Since it felt like a real occasion I picked out a nice pottery bowl Larry had made for us (he has a passion for pottery that we are lucky enough to benefit from) and decided to have a little photo shoot with my tomatoes - and here they are in their summer glory.

They made a fabulous topping on a Mexican pizza, and tomorrow night I'm going to use them in my attempt at making pasta sauce from scratch. It's absolutely incredible how fulfilling it is to know I am cooking with food I (accidentally) grew myself. (Yes, take it easy on the city girl jokes here please)

Hope everyone else is also enjoying the bounty and beauty summer has to offer!

Waiting

In early-April Wade and I had a bit of a revelation and realization when his position was turned into a permanent one (hello job security!) and I was given the green light to set up a home office. We decided it was time to move to St. Petersburg to give Wade a break on his current hour long (one way) commute. We had an idea of where we'd like to live - close enough to downtown (where his office is) for him to bike to work or me to bike to town for lunch. We only have one car now, so location was something I was quite adamant about - I didn't want to be stuck in suburbia where I couldn't easily bike to get something if I needed it, and Wade could bike to work if I needed the car.

After some more thinking, we realized that it might finally be time for us to feel like adults and buy a house. Yikes, that was a big mind-shift for us since we have moved almost every year for the last 8 years. So, we narrowed down some areas and our price range, found a realtor, and we started looking at places... which has occupied most of our free time since mid-April. What we have discovered is that right now, most houses in our range are short-sale (pre-foreclosure) houses. Which, complicates things quite a bit for a few reasons. We've largely been encountering people who don't want to come to terms with the current value of their house since they paid way too much for in in the last few years. This results in people not wanting to negotiate which makes the offer process less than enjoyable for everyone involved. Part of the problem we've also encountered is people putting their house on the market hoping to sell it for what they (over)paid for it by catching a first time home buyer sucker looking to take advantage of the tax credit. The first house we put an offer on in April was that kind of situation, which was really frustrating - they didn't want to negotiate and instead of countering they decided to take their house off the market (they'd been trying to sell it for the past 6months). Lovely. So we moved on and found another place we like a lot more and is in a part of town we love. So we put in an offer at the end of April, which the sellers accepted, but now we have to wait for the bank to review the offer, do their own appraisal, and counter or accept our offer. The waiting is physically painful.

I've been quiet about this for a while because it felt like we would jinks it by telling people too soon. But, now that we're in the waiting game with the bank what we really need is some moral support and positive thinking that they'll accept our offer and hurry the heck up! Our realtor has told us it could be anywhere from 2-6 months from now before we could close, unless a modern miracle happens (we could use one of those to still get the tax credit). Our first hurdle however, is getting the bank to accept our offer. The house is owned by Bank of America, and they are apparently notorious for taking an obscene amount of time to respond, then are greedy about the price when they do respond. So, we're doing lots of praying, chanting, envisioning, whatever you want to call it, in hopes that they get the message to accept our offer and hurry up. So, whatever hopeful thoughts you can send our way and to BoA, are greatly appreciated. :)

In the mean time, we are trying to keep our minds busy by enjoying the Florida sun - summer is officially here in every way (except the rain so far), so we're soaking it up on Anna Maria on the weekends.

Backpacking Myakka

The last weekend of March we decided to test ourselves by backpacking out to a primitive campsite in Myakka River State Park. This means no cars, no coolers, and you only take what you can carry on your back. The last time we did this was 7.5 years ago when I flew to Boulder to help Wade move to Miami. And while ultimately it turned out well, let's just say Wade did NOT see me at my best that trip.

This time we were loaded down with supplies (did I mention we were only going for one night - haha) and new gear to test. We encountered a gator early on while he sunned on the bank of the creek. Then we saw deer, boar, heron, and otter tracks in the mud. That was pretty exciting actually. (Since Yellowstone, we're both much more observant of animals tracks now.) Then we left the main trail for the backcountry trail to our campsite. And much to our surprise it was wet already. We had been told it could be wet near the end, but right at the beginning was a bit of a shocker. We tested the waterproofing of our boots, went off trail a bit, learned to LOVE hiking poles, and eventually had to give up and wear our Crocs for the last half hour because the water was so deep for such a long stretch. It was do deep in fact, that huge frogs were swimming in it! Check out the video of tadpoles below. But, we finally made it not too worse for the wear, but we had hobbit feet and longed for a good scrubbing.

We set up camp in a little island of trees that were in the middle of a vast burned-out palmetto prairie (fire is a natural cycle that renews the soil and keeps vegetation from getting too thick for animals to use). We had the place to ourselves so we pumped and treated water, rinsed off a little, then took a nap before dinner. We woke up just in time to see a group of 3 guys come into the site too - they were part of a survival training group. Joy. Let's just say, I hope the leader was teaching the course for free because we could hear everything he "taught" them, and none of it wasn't something you couldn't read for yourself on the web. They did however manage to hack down everything near their campsite to make themselves "survival shelters". So, while we tried to not think about how disappointed we were not to be able to enjoy peace and quiet, we made dinner, had some hot cocoa, then lit a fire to enjoy. Finally we were tired enough that it was time to test out our new tent, so we turned in for the night. Fortunately, we had a lively chorus of bullfrogs and tree frogs that serenaded us to sleep.

The next morning we woke to a bald eagle calling, then the idiots making idiotic comments. (Had the two taking the class even been outside before?!) Fortunately, they packed up early and headed out so we could have breakfast in peace. While we were packing up, Wade went over to check out the other side and saw they'd hacked up quite a bit of palmettos and some saplings to make their shelter, then left it all up, along with their empty water bottles, smoldering fire, and a giant coil of rope. What?! Yes, they basically killed a bunch of trees then left all their crap for the next hiker to clean up before the site could even be used again. Nice job guys, apparently you've never heard of the "Leave No Trace" philosophy? That is something Wade and I always subscribe to - at a very base level, it means leave no trace that you were there so the next person can enjoy wilderness too. There's nothing worse than hiking for hours to escape people, only to find some moron left their garbage for you to pack out. So, we did was any previous good park ranger would do - took pictures and reported the morons. :) As much as I wanted to clean up and fix the site, I knew that it was the only evidence if the park decided to press charges, so we left it just in case.

We packed up camp and headed out early since it looked like a cold front was coming in earlier than expected. We took a different, drier trail back so we made better time (and saw a deer!), but we were definitely out of juice when we reached the car. We checked out at the ranger station, showed them our pictures, and lodged a complaint before stumbling back to the car from sheer exhaustion.

The furry kids were happy to see us when we got home, but it was nice to get out for the weekend and do something adventurous (and survive to tell about it!). We're looking forward to doing it more often. To check out pictures from our soggy adventure, go to our Picasa site.

Paddling Robinson Preserve

In mid-March the weather finally got nice enough for us to start paddling again (otherwise it was generally too cold this winter). We headed up to Geraldson's farm to pick up our CSA (community supported agriculture) share then to Robinson Preserve which is right next door. We had a lovely picnic lunch then headed out onto the water. We had a nice day paddling through the preserve then we headed out through a mangrove tunnel into a small bay so Wade could fish - lucky for him we drifted over a nice sized school of red fish. I was just happy to watch them and fortunately all Wade really did was scare them with his tackle. ;) After some snacks we headed back in to explore some more and paddle around. We were treated to sights of bald eagles, osprey, wood storks, pelicans, and more jumping mullet than we could count. It was a fun day and helped us remember why we like living here so much.

Finding the perfect dress

The first week of March Jason and Rachel came to stay with us for the weekend. There was a charity bridal show with proceeds going to breast cancer research in Tampa so us girls headed up for a day of girlie fun while the guys grilled, drank beer, and snoozed in the hammock.

Now, I don't consider myself a girlie person, but after a few dresses Rachel tried on "the one" and we both teared up like a couple of babies. She even got applause in the dress when our attendant called out "we've got a crier over here - it's the perfect dress!" It was magical and fun and a perfect day of girliness. Thanks Rach - it's always nice to be reminded there's a girly-girl inside of all of us sometimes. ;)

I think the guys had the inverse of that - it was a dude's day and definitely what Wade needed - thanks Jason! It's amazing how rejuvenating a weekend with friends can be. And what weekend with friends is complete without a game of bocce?

DC quickie

The morning after we returned from Yellowstone, I flew out for a meeting in DC the third week of February. Yes, another one of those trips where it was so close I didn't even get to go home in between. The secret is packing the bag ahead of time to leave in the car and spending the night in the airport Marriott.

I landed in DC on Wednesday morning and went straight to my meeting then tried to squeeze in as much fun as I could before my return flight home on Friday afternoon. I was able to have a great Thai dinner with Glynnis (including Mai Tais) one night and had a fun dinner with Preetha and her cousin another night at a farmer coop restaurant. Friday morning I got a lovely tour of the Freer and Sackler Galleries of Asian Art from Whitney. It was a beautiful blend of ancient art and sculpture - and given how many really incredible things were there, I couldn't believe I'd never been there before. We had a relaxing morning in the gallery then headed to lunch at the cafe in the National Museum of the American Indian (by far the best of all the museums for lunch - there's food from all around the world!). Since I would be missing Whitney's baby shower, this was our little celebration. I even brought cupcakes to celebrate. After a lunch I dashed off to the airport to make it home just in time for dinner. Ahh, how I love the direct flights to Tampa. :)

The Great Yellowstone Adventure

As part of our New Year's resolution to get out and see more of the world, we headed to Yellowstone National Park for a week of winter wonderland fun in February. This definitely required quite a bit of forethought and preparation for two Floridians considering that time of year (the depths of winter) lows are frequently in the negatives and highs barely break freezing on a good day. After much hemming and hawing about what to pack, and getting "the kids" settled at my mom and step-dad's house we were off on our adventure. It was a huge relief knowing the pets were staying with Mom and Larry - they were in good hands - so we were able to relax and truly enjoy our trip.

We kept a journal of our trip so we wouldn't forget our adventures (something we do on all our big trips). Below is a very condensed version of our trip - if you're lookin' for the pictures, head to our Picasa site. (I did my best to post the pictures in chronological order to go with the summary below, and where possible, when I took a picture of Wade taking a picture, the picture he was taking follows right after it.)

Day One

The night before our (absurdly early) flight out of Tampa, we stayed in the airport Marriott hotel and enjoyed being able to walk right to the gate the next morning. We had a fairly uneventful flight to Bozeman, Montana and rented a car to drive the 2 hours to Yellowstone. The drive was fairly flat and lined with ranches and bed and breakfasts. We entered the Park through the northern gate, which passes under the "Roosevelt Arch" - a huge stone arch that Teddy Roosevelt laid the cornerstone for in 1903 (Yellowstone was designated the world's first national park in 1872 by Congress and President Grant). We drove through the increasing hills and reached the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel with just enough time to check in, drop our gear, and head to dinner. We were pleasantly surprised that although the hotel (old military barracks) was a bit spartan, the dining room served wonderful food. (Lodges and affiliated services like restaurants, gift shops, and transportation are actually run by concessionaires in National Parks since the Service isn't allowed to make money off of visitors) After dinner we headed over to the private hot tubs for a soak under the stars and a lightly falling snow. By then we were pretty tired from traveling all day and the 2 hour time difference, so we headed back to the room to prep for the next day.

Day Two

The next morning we stuffed ourselves at breakfast, ordered a boxed lunch to go, then threw our stuff in the car and headed out into the Park for some exploring. We drove to the nearby Mammoth Hot Springs to wander the boardwalk and get our camera gear warmed up. We spent the morning snapping pictures, adjusting to the cold, figuring out how many layers were right, and watching me huff and puff while taking so many stairs. Most of the morning was cloudy, but by the end the sun started peaking through. After that we headed out to the famous Lamar Valley to look for wildlife. We started with a short hike to see a little waterfall and were rewarded with big bull elk grazing within a hundred feet of us. Further down the road we encountered a classic Yellowstone scene: buffalo moseying down the road. We pulled over and got within arms length of them as they passed the car. Next was the lone female black wolf in the distance standing over her coyote kill, but unfortunately she had a pretty bad case of mange and was not looking so well. We continued down the park road and stopped in a snow-banked area known for otter and beaver sightings. While the otters were a no show, we did accidentally spook two beavers as we trudged down the side of the hill to get to the river. At this point, the sky was looking more ominous (and had been snowing off and on all day), so we headed back to clean up and make it to our dinner reservation. On the way back we saw more buffalo, deer, a coyote hunting for mice in the snow, and a bald eagle. After dinner we headed to the Map Room common area in the hotel for some entertainment. We drank hot cocoa and played board games and cards while one of the staff played piano for all the guests. It felt like something out of hundred years ago and we loved how relaxing and homey it felt.

Day Three

The day started before dawn with an early breakfast then boarding a van for a pre-dawn wildlife tour. To our surprise, the tour was the same route we'd explored the day before! It was still nice to get the guided tour and learn more about the park and we were able to finally see some Big Horn Sheep (something I'd been hoping for). We were back to the hotel by lunchtime to refuel and head out on another tour south to Norris Geyser Basin. This required taking a specially outfitted van that had snow treads instead of tires 2 hours south into the park. We were treated to our first truly clear sunny day and we learned a lot about the park as we drove south. We also found some very picturesque spots, Swan Lake Flats being one of them. Once at Norris (the hottest geyser basin in the park) we walked the snow-covered boardwalk and learned about life in the hot geysers of the park. The ground is so warm there, it's usually about 10 or more degrees warmer than the other areas of the park and snow won't stick to the ground. After a lap around the site we piled back into the van for the ride home. Once we got back to the hotel we cleaned up and went to the visitor center before dinner. It brought back some entertaining memories talking to the rangers and listening to the visitors questions - Ranger: "No sir, we don't 'have a bear problem,' and no you can't shoot bears in the Park - it is a National Park and they are protected." (Replace 'bear' with 'shark' and you get an idea of the absurd questions I used to get in the Everglades). We headed to dinner and were pleasantly surprised to find one of the deserts on the menu was gluten free! The staff were really helpful and even brought out the ingredient list for us to check to make sure it was ok for us to eat! (Finding GF deserts is usually pretty darn difficult when traveling, especially when it's a molten lava chocolate torte!) We gleefully enjoyed the dessert them capped off the night with more piano music and a game of Rummikub. We turned in early to pack since the next day we were moving on south to Old Faithful.

Day Four (our anniversary)

The next morning we packed up early and headed to the shuttle that would take us south to Yellowstone. South of Mammoth all the roads are snowed in, so you have to leave your car there and take the snow-tread vehicles. We dropped our gear for the Pernot that shuttles gear (and old Italian snow-cat) and boarded the shuttle. We took the same route south past Norris and stopped along the way for pictures and some talks by the tour guide. We also finally had our first taste of snowmobilers that come in the west entrance. After having the silence, solitude, and plentiful wildlife of the north end of the park, it was a bit of a shocker heading south and hearing snowmobiles everywhere. We arrived at Old Faithful just before she went off only to find a few hundred snowmobilers already there forming a human wall around the geyser. It was a less than promising start to the last half of our trip. We headed back to the Snow Lodge to check in, then had lunch. As a precaution, we decided to go ahead and try our legs at cross-country skiing since the next day we had booked a half day trip. Oh, yeah, and I'd never been CC skiing before and Wade had only been once with mixed results... did I mention we were pushing our boundaries this trip?? So after getting our ski gear and heading to the beginner's loop to practice, we were both pleasantly surprised to find out that we a) were not terrible at it, and b) actually enjoyed it! That was a huge relief. So we practiced until we couldn't stand any more (literally) and headed back to clean up for dinner. Discovering we could CC ski was really liberating - Old Faithful is completely snow covered (that practice loop is normally a parking lot in summer) and the only way to get around is by skis or foot if you aren't on a snowmobile tour. After a lovely anniversary dinner we put our feet up by the fire to read and relax before heading to a presentation by one of the park rangers.

Day Five

We started the day off with a hearty breakfast, grabbed our skis, and headed out to explore the geyser basin around Old Faithful. We saw buffalo, Canadian geese, and plenty of geysers exploding around us. We passed the morning skiing, taking it all in, and taking pictures before heading to the visitor center to ask about wildlife and which trails would be good for beginners like us. We then ran to beat the snowmobile crowd to lunch and packed up for our ski tour. We lucked out that the tour was a guide, us, and an older couple. We weren't so worried about being the slow pokes and could just enjoy it. We had a beautiful ski out to Fairy Falls for 2 hours (I am glossing over the face plants in the snow, near miss high speed collisions that almost happened, and the buffalo that forced us to go off trail to pass them), spent a half hour soaking up the view of the falls under a falling snow, then headed back to the Bombardier (old school snow cat that's been servicing the park in winter since the 40s) for hot cocoa and the ride home. However, when we got back the buffalo had other plans. Once we were in the 'Bomb', the buffalo herd came up around us and settled in, so we had to play a bit of a waiting game as they got squirrely and the youngsters played in front of us. We enjoyed the show then finally broke free of the herd to make it home just in time for dinner. After dinner we treated ourselves to hot cocoa and hot buttered rum by the fire. A perfect ending to the wild day we had.

Day Six

We enjoyed a morning of sleeping in before heading down to breakfast. Then it was time to put our skis on and head out for some exploring. We headed up the trail again, stopped to have a snack at Morning Glory Pool, then went off-trail to eventually find an open field of small pine trees and a flock of Chickadees feeding on the fledgling pine cones sprouting from the trees. They sang and flitted about while we enjoyed the show and tried to catch them on film. Once we'd had our fill we headed back towards the Lodge only to be intercepted by a pair of coyotes. We stood our ground (you're supposed to and make noise so they maintain fear of people) and they eventually went around us but we managed to get some shots of them before they disappeared into the trees. One of the amazing things about Yellowstone in winter is that even though you may not see wildlife you can tell they are there. There are tracks in the snow everywhere - squirrels, snowshoe hares, weasels, buffalo, elk, fox, coyotes, bobcats, birds, we saw them all. We rarely went anywhere in the park that the snow wasn't touched by animal feet. It made the woods feel 'alive' in a way they don't back home. We wrapped up our exploring early to make it to an early dinner before setting out on a nighttime tour. The night sky cooperated by giving up crystal clear skies and stunningly brilliant stars. We loaded into another Bombardier to head up to Fountain Paint Pots to listen to the various thermal features and check out the night sky. It was really incredible to be out there in a really small group just listening to the natural sounds (geysers, bubbling mud pots, gas vents) - it was a truly unique way to experience the park that I couldn't get enough of. Unfortunately, at the end, it was marred by the sound of two snowmobilers making a late night run back to the lodge (likely staffers bringing supplies). After some more stargazing (and checking the temp gauge - almost below zero again) we had hot cocoa then headed back to the lodge to warm up.

Day Seven

The next morning we were on a mission to get up before dawn to take advantage of the beautiful light to capture the land of steam and snow. When we finished breakfast and headed outside it was -12 degrees. Yes, that's not a typo, it was negative twelve out. We watched people take cups of boiling water outside and throw them into the air to watch them instantly freeze. Eeek. We bundled up and hiked out to the geysers. We managed to get some neat shots of the steam hanging low like fog (when it's that cold the steam doesn't rise but instead turns to low hanging thick clouds), caught some geysers erupting, then hiked up a higher loop of geysers for more pictures. We spooked another coyote and were pretty certain that a few times we seriously couldn't feel our fingers (the downside of taking lots of pictures if having to take off your gloves a lot). After completing the loop around the geysers we headed in to warm up, clean up, have lunch, then check out. Once that was done, we read by the fire until it was time to board the shuttle. On the ride back we stopped at Fountain Paint Pots again for a tour. I have to admit, it was actually more impressive at night being there alone and listening to all the sounds under a full moon. The site was still pretty neat, but it was crowded with snowmobilers and a lot harder to find quiet to enjoy the natural symphony. The rest of the trip back to Mammoth was dotted with wildlife sightings (Trumpeter Swan, Red Fox, coyote hunting, buffalo) and more on the changing policies in the park and the surrounding communities. The deep hunting and ranching cultures (they're also BIG business there) are conflicting with efforts to protect park wildlife and it's beginning to take a toll on the size of populations of elk and buffalo. You can also now carry a loaded weapon into the Parks (before you could bring a gun but it had to be stored in a way to take 4 steps to load it). The was a rising issue as I was leaving Everglades and I know it's something park rangers are feeling nervous about. I suspect it will only take an accident or two before people realize it wasn't the best idea safety wise to let loaded guns and visitors mix in close confines at places where families spend a lot of time. Staff are also worried they'll start finding more people using guns for self defense with wildlife rather than taking the proven prevention measures. It's a shame really, if people weren't so stupid about feeding animals and teaching them bad habits (people=easy food), people wouldn't have to worry about taking extra precautions not to attract them. Ok, I know, off my soap box! Once we made it back to Mammoth we loaded up the car pretty quickly and headed out of the Park towards Bozeman. We stopped along the way for dinner then checked in late to a hotel near the airport

Day Eight

The next morning we left Bozeman at a chilly 8 degrees, then flew home to Tampa where I exchanged bags (I had one pre-packed waiting in the trunk of the car), we stayed another night in the airport Marriott, and I flew out before dawn the next morning to make it to a meeting in DC by 10am.

We could have easily stayed another day in both the Lamar Valley and in Old Faithful. Yellowstone was truly incredible and the visibility of wildlife was unlike anything I've ever seen. I now know why people call it "the Serengeti of North America". It is a special place and I am truly thankful that some visionary people saw it's true value 150 years ago for more than just land to be developed and plundered. I just hope people today continue to appreciate and protect it for it's natural wonders. We can't wait to return to experience the park in it's green and warm state in the future.

**The Park Service has done quite a job making Yellowstone accessible via the internet to visitors - check out some of the tours and info in the links I inserted above in the text. For our pictures, check out our Picasa site.