Last week in Weston, First week in Kissimmee

Since last week's blog was only about Flamingo Gardens, I thought I would make this blog about the last two weeks.  We did quite a lot of biking both weeks, and of course, that's when I get most of my pictures. 

 Sometimes, when I'm not chasing bees, I chase butterflies! 

 I went into a garden to take a picture of this cool statue, and guess what I did?  I stepped on a fire ants' nest and got bitten about a dozen times!  Not a good thing! 

This red-shouldered hawk was keeping an eye on things as we biked by. 

You've seen pictures of the white ibis (also known around here as the Florida chicken).  Well this is a young white ibis, and he hasn't completely turned white yet. 

 And this is the mature white ibis. 

 Almost every day, we take a picnic lunch with us - even if we go to a mall! 

 This is the kind of bike path we biked on in the city of Weston.  It ran beside the road, but not RIGHT beside it. 

 Ahh, and then back to the pool to relax, read, and have a swim. 

 Anna and Rylee, I know you like looking at the iguana pictures, so here are a few for you to see. 

 Take a look at this poor fellow's tail.  Here is an assignment for you.  See if you can find out what happens if an iguana loses its tail, and write your answer in your notebook for me to see when I get home. 

 This one was pretty small and green coloured.  I think maybe it was a young one. 

This very obliging bird is called a Northern Mockingbird.  Another question for you to answer - why do you think it is called a mockingbird? 

 I think the more colourful iguanas are the males, and the dark coloured ones are the females.  Could you check that out for me, girls? 

 They love to lie in the sun! 

 This was an unusual tree, with lacy kind of leaves, and I liked seeing the sky through them. 

 This was a swan with an attitude!  He was in captivity, and had no mate.  Maybe that was because of his attitude! 

He was fortunate to live in this lovely area. Pretty lucky, wasn't he? 

Such a pretty sky!  Tell me, Anna and Rylee, why do you think the clouds look like they do? 

We are now in Kissimmee, which is where Disney World is located, and have been here for a week.  We plan to be here for 5 more weeks.  We are very close to Disney World, and almost every night, we see fireworks from our balcony.  Some nights we see 3 different shows - at 8 p.m., 9 p.m., and 10 p.m.  It's pretty amazing! 

One day last week we went to Tampa to see the Florida State Fair.  It's a BIG fair, since it is for the whole state!  One of the things we went to see was the circus in the fairgrounds.  For some of the performances, we were not allowed to take photos, but I got a few of the others.  Here is a collage of the pictures. 

 There was another place where there were butterflies flying around inside a netted area.  That was pretty cool!  You can see where one landed on my hat in this collage. 

The last thing we did that night before we went home was to watch a rodeo.  That was my favorite thing to do at the fair!  Here's one more collage for you! 

 There were lots of animals to see at the fair.  I loved this Mama goat and her twin babies.  The one on the left was a bit of a rascal, climbing on his Mom, dancing around the pen, etc.  Fun! 

 I don't know how this Texas Longhorn managed to hold his head up, do you? 

 Does this little guy look familiar to you girls?  Who do you think of when you see him? 

 How's this for ugly?  It is an Alligator Snapping Turtle.  I don't think I would want to tangle with him! 

 Notice the purple colour of the giraffe's tongue.  Anna and Rylee, see if you can find out why it is this colour. 

Now then, do you suppose he is black with white stripes, or white with black stripes? 

 These beautiful birds hang out in or near the water usually.  They are called Florida Sand Hill Cranes, and they take turns sitting on the eggs in the nest.  They mate for life, and come back to the same place to lay the eggs and raise their young each year. 

We have watched this pair for a few years now, and will patiently wait for the eggs to hatch.  Hopefully, we will be able to take pictures of the babies in a few weeks. 

I always think it's pretty cool that you can see right through the nostril to the other side! This bird allowed me to be about 3 feet away from him!

 This little guy is an immature Little Blue Heron.  They are white at first, and eventually become the colour of the bird in the next picture. 

And this is the mature Little Blue Heron.  They are quite small compared to the Great Blue Heron. 

 This poor little racoon was resting in the grass.  I don't think he was feeling too well. 

 And THIS guy was feeling just fine at the moment, but I think he was going to become someone's lunch!  Anna and Rylee, can you find out what kind of fish this is? 

 This is the first alligator we have seen this year, sunning himself on the bank.  He is just a little fellow. 

 See the curved beak?  This is a type of ibis - like the white one.  But this one is called a GLOSSY Ibis.  They are pretty rare, and I was pleased to see 3 of them! 

And THIS is how this bike ride ended!  The ice cream place is way to close to where we are living! 

 These are two female hooded mergansers.  I don't know where the males were, but I hope I can see some to show you later.  As you can imagine, they are much more colourful! 

I love this small diving bird which is called a Pied-billed Grebe.  He's a tiny little bird, even though he is full sized.  So cute! 

I think this Mockingbird is mocking me for making such a long blog! Hope you have enjoyed seeing the pictures, girls, and I hope you have also learned a thing or two!  Have a good week!
Until next time.......