Museum, Gardens and an Air Boat Ride

On Tuesday morning, we were scheduled to go on an air boat ride at 9:30.  However, we woke up to temps in the low 40's and a cold wind!  We bundled up (Terri loaned me a sweatshirt to wear as I wasn't prepared for that cold in Florida!) and were ready to tough it out, but the air boat people called just as we were ready to go and asked if we could reschedule for 3:30 in the hopes of it being a little warmer. That sounded like a great plan to us.

We headed into Lakeland to see some things that had been closed the day before. We started at the Museum of Art, where Terri worked for many years. I was excited to see it in person as I remembered Terri's posts about it through the years.

There was a special exhibit happening with items from Florence Italy.  The guard explained to us what went into this display, with people coming over from Italy, just to make sure everything was set up and lit correctly.

An old suit of armor, velvet fabric from the 1500's, incredible paintings and on the bottom right are pieces of a Prince's carriage doors from the 1700's.

Art from an African exhibit, with incredible weaving.

There was even art from Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso.  There was so much more and we greatly enjoyed this stop.

Next, we went back to Hollis Gardens. They were closed the day before, but on this day we were able to wander around these beautiful grounds.

Bob and I at a grotto at the gardens.

After a nice lunch, it was time to head out to the air boat.  We went to Lake Kissimmee, which is the 3rd largest lake in Florida.

We got on the air boat and headed out onto the lake.  We were excited to see the wildlife in the area.

Here's the first thing we saw.  A cow in the lake!  We saw a lot of them on the shore and quite a few more in the lake.

We saw several types of deer.

And we saw several bald eagles - so majestic!

There were lots of alligators!  We were hoping to see at least one, but because it was so cold out, they were out sunning themselves and we were able to see many of them.

There were so many varieties of birds. It was awe inspiring to see birds of many types and sizes, flying out in front of us as we went around the lake.

Here's our airboat.  Bob and I were in the front, Terri and her neighbor Susan who came with us were behind us, and a man and his grandson were in the back.  If you ever get the chance to do this, we highly recommend it.  It was a great reminder of God's intricate design in creation; all these different types of wildlife living in this ecosystem.  

We had supper at an Asian restaurant that Terri recommended, and it was delicious. This beautiful sunset at Terri's place was a lovely end to a very enjoyable day.

Enjoying Lakeland

As I told you yesterday, I'm sharing this Florida vacation in pieces, so I don't overwhelm you all with photos.  Today I'm sharing about Lakeland, Florida.  Terri lives in Lakeland and often talks about her love for her city.  It was so fun for us to see places in person that she has talked about!  After spending time there, we totally understand her love for the city and the area where she lives.  Here's some photos of her beautiful surroundings!

I'm a fan of murals and we saw quite a few as we drove around.  Here's some I was able to get photos of.

Michigan's own Detroit Tigers have their Spring training camp in Lakeland.   We drove past and a game was scheduled. There was so much traffic!

It's such a beautiful city - look at those Palm trees!  We were also impressed with how clean everything was. We also noted that everyone was kind and friendly.

Check out some of the beautiful homes we drove by as we toured the city.

We drove around Florida Southern College where many of the buildings are designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  This is the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel.

We did a little shopping and then went back to Terri's place. 

When Terri visited us last Summer, she helped me snip beans for supper and teased me about making her work. I told her, she could have some jobs ready for us.  She didn't have anything for me to do, but Bob did a couple of simple things and now we're even!  :)

It was a fun day and there is more to come!

Back from vacation!

I'm back from a wonderful getaway.  Bob and I went to Florida and enjoyed some time with Terri, of Your Friend from Florida. Terri is so sweet and invited us to come visit her, and when I whined about the nasty winter we were having, she invited us again! 

I'm going to break this up into several posts so you all don't get overloaded!

We left Grand Rapids on Sunday morning.  It was cold and a snow storm was coming in over the lake.  Here we're getting close to landing - look at all that green!  We arrived in Florida shortly after 1 and Terri was there to pick us up. 

She took us to her lovely home and I had to take a picture of this Palm tree - something we don't get to see in Michigan!

Terri spoiled us with her amazing Ziti and fresh, Florida Strawberry shortcake. Sooo good!

On Monday, Terri took us to Bonnet Springs Park.  What a beautiful place!  If I lived there, I'd be walking the trails frequently.

I love Live Oak trees and Spanish moss, another thing we don't see in the North.  This park was full of them.

They have an elevated walking path.

Here's Terri and I at the park.

We also stopped at Hollis Gardens, but they were closed. We ended up going back the next day, but someone passing by offered to take a photo of the three of us.

We saw these pelicans on the lake by Hollis Gardens.

Terri lives in Lakeland, which is known as the swan city. They became a symbol of the city when Queen Elizabeth gifted a pair to the city in 1957.  Now there are lots of them and we enjoyed a visit to feed them.  They are so beautiful!

I caught this pair in the classic swan pose.

That's all for today. Tomorrow I'll share more about the city of Lakeland.