In our 10 day visit to Florida beginning June 13, Jo and I spent several days with her brother Steve and wife Lisa , a day with Jo’s nephew’s family, Tim and Susie Olson, who recently moved into a new home in Seminole, most of 3 days with my daughter Christine and family in Spring Hill, and a day with my cousins Marilyn, Pam and Barbara in Deland. (Pictures taken in the Canon A1100 IS point and shoot)
Granddaughter Alexandra and Jamie Patrick Hunt, just 10 days old. Both are doing well. Father Jessie works on shrimp boats.
Garry guided Jo and me to a visit to Homosassa Springs State Park, mainly to see the manatees. The facility was a private wild animal park which was bought by the State of Florida to be operated as a state park. It is best known for the manatees. The Homosassa River begins at a huge flowing spring a few miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico. The flowing spring water in the wintertime is warm enough to attract wild manatees. They cannot survive in cold water. In warmer months the 4 captive manatees, which could not survive in the wild and are kept at the facility, swim up to the flowing spring to be fed heads of lettuce three times a day. These ten foot manatees weigh about 3000 lbs. Their closest relative is the elephant.
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The lettuce is dropped into the water enclosed by the pipes and the manatees swim up to take a whole head in their mouths and begin chewing on it.
Other animals in the park include alligators, a hippo and bears.
These are the bald eagles. As with all of the animals in the park, they cannot survive in the wild.
The park’s flamingos are remarkably colorful.
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