I KNOW I KNOW IT'S BEEN AWHILE!!

                                          PINE CAMP..One of the rustic campsites

                                                   EAGLE!

                                                  A FULL MOON

                                                       CRAIG WORKING

                                                   CRAIG'S NEW SAFARI HAT

                                                   GOPHER TURTLE

                                                      OUR FIREPIT

                                                                HOME

                                                                 TREE FROG

                                                                   PRETTY FLOWERS

                                                    VULTURES FLARING

                                           NORMAL MORNING SITE

                       OUR RIG..SUNSHINE IS SO BRIGHT YOU CAN'T SEE OUR DOLPHINS

                                                     CRAIG AND MR.TURTLE

 I apologize for not blogging sooner but been busy with my e-bay business and just doing our everyday duties here! Craig now has the title of Exotic Species Animal Trapper which means he baits and helps trap invasive species here at the preserve, which are feral hogs, they are so very distructive here, they just tear up the preserve bad! Feral pigs can damage the landscape by eating or trampling them and also damage while rooting and wallowing which damages plant roots and creates holes and ruts that can damage equipment and endanger operators, they need to be brought under control!
           We have a new volunteer here from Michigan, Jo who is from Otter Lake which is about 20 miles from my home town of Vassar, she has been coming here for about 4 years and is a breath of fresh air and a book of knowledge about this place! We also have gone out to eat with the volunteers on the southeat side, Sam and Diane, hoping to get together soon again, we really enjoyed each others company! Then we have Larry and Sandy who are full timers too and have also been coming here for about 4 years, then there in Steve who is in a 5th wheel and this is his second year here. Different people with different personalities!
           We are already signed up to be here again in the fall of 2013 to the spring of 2014 and we have gigs in Michigan for May,June and July...We will be at Sleeper State Park for the month of May, Tawas Point State Park for the month of June and Port Crescent State Park for the month of July, then we are taking August off and do some traveling in the U.P. of Michigan since we have never seen the Porcupine Mountains or the Lake of the Clouds! We plan on leaving Michigan around the second week of Sept. so we can take our time heading back to Florida and enjoy some of the other states along the way! Hopefully my brother Butch and sister-in-law Norma will be able to follow us down here, working on getting them a volunteer gig! It would be awesome to have family here with us, they are perfect for this type of life, they love traveling and hate winter and cold weather, plus they have the sweetest personalities and love people and nature! It will help me get thru the holidays too since I had such a hard time at Christmas with missing the kids and grandkids so I plan on flying home next Christmas to be with them! What I would love to do is have them come down here and spend Christmas with us but the problem with that is we don't have any room here for them to stay, so I would have to get them a motel room which could be pretty expensive, so it will be easier to fly there for a few days! 
                             The weather has been perfect here, 70's-80's during the day and gets down to high 40's to 60's at night, we have had a little bit of rain but it mostly rains at night, they say that this is the best weather they have had in years!  We are going on an Airboat ride next Thurs. with another volunteer Steve and his brother who is visiting him, for around 3 hours with a lunch included. Can't wait, sounds so exciting, will be posting pictures for sure!
         We have a little over a month before we are done here and since it will be too cold to head back to Michigan we are going to go check out the Keys for a couple of weeks and then head to our friends Annette and Barry's in Homosassa Fl. on the west side of the state by the Gulf of Mexico, they are gracious enough to let us park in there yard and we really enjoy their company, then we plan on leaving there around the 1st of April and slowly start heading back to Michigan! Hoping that Michigan has an early spring, don't want to go home to cold! Will be getting hitch-itch by then and will be ready to hit the road again!
                          Love this place, it is different then any other volunteer gig we have ever done, kind of like taking care of a large farm,like mowing, mending fences, keeping trails cleared, making fire lanes, brush-hogging, sign repairs, opening and closing the gates at night, cleaning the offices and visitor center, etc. so much different then camphosting because we have no campers to host, the only time we have to deal with people is at the visitor center two days a month!
                       Well enjoy the pictures and I will try to keep this blog going by posting pictures and updates! Have a great day!
                     

ARIZONA & MEXICO!!!

                                            HELLO!!!

                                                    SURPRISE!!

                                                    BEAUTIFUL BRAHMAS

                                                        CRACKERS!

                                          CRAIG WORKING/SPRAYING WEEDS

                                                       CHRISTMAS

                                                           DOLPHIN LIGHTS

                                            MORE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AND CRAIG

                              OUR CHRISTMAS TREE WREATH & LENNY WORKING

Hi, haven't been on here because had to go to Arizona because my grandson was sick, got home on Tues. and then had to leave Thurs. for Mexico with my daughter while she had a medical procecure done and returned back here Tuesday! So didn't have much time to blog! Craig has had to take care of everything including sitting at the visitor center Fri. & Sat. for 6 1/2 hrs per day, he wasn't pleased but it is all part of the job, he would rather I take care of that, he does all the mowing and spraying for weeds, plus opening and closing the gate in the am and pm! But I am back and helping him with the mowing and spraying!  Don't have to worry about the visitor center for a couple of weeks because we have 2 more volunteers here, we have Steve in a fifth wheel with a toy hauler where he stoles his model A, he will be in charge of the plumbing and electric, he is next to us and we have Larry and Sandra in a motorhome, they will share opening and closing and working the visitor center plus cleaning the offices with us and Brooks and Frieda! We all went out to eat and listen to some bluegrass at the Landing Sat. night.  I put up the Christmas decorations and got some pictures of some brahma bulls down the road from us, as I was looking in the camera to get a picture I looked up and a brahma was right there in my face, lol! I don't know why but they had cut their horns off, but still they are so huge and majestic!  We mowed and sprayed weeds today for about 4 hrs., so plan on taking tomorrow off and relax! Craig and the guys are going fishing tonight after closing!  I look forward to having the place to myself!! Well, know this is short but at least got a few pictures and plan on posting more tomorrow!

SICK GRANDSON!

Haven't been on here because my grandson Nathan has been very ill, he is in Arizona so I flew out there to be with him and his mother/my daughter! Was there from Thurs. to Sunday. He is doing a lot better but it was touch and go for awhile.  I am now getting ready to fly to be with my daughter has she has surgery now!  Will fly out tomorrow and be back Tues.! Thank God for understanding Rangers and for Craig for carrying the load himself, it was our week off so it wasn't too bad for him, what was tough was he had to package and ship several e-bay items that sold while I was gone, he did and awesome job!  I will be flying Thanksgiving day, so we had our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday since we will be on the road today, going to get a hotel room because my flight leaves at 5AM and it is an hour and a half to the airport! Craig will have to work the visitor center by himself Friday and Saturday, plus more shipping and handling for me!  He is being a real sport about all of this, but he knows that family is important and knows I have to do what I have to do!  When I get back we will be cutting grass and spraying weed killer, we get to use a z-mower so it isn't all that bad, I will be doing all the work at the visitor center, it is all real easy here, they realize that Craig is limited on what he can do so they allow for that, the other volunteers are pretty cool about filling in for us when we have to be somewhere else!  We had pizza and beer night at Pat and Jerry's Sunday night, Brooks and Frieda were there too, had such a great time, laughed and shared funny camphosting stories with them, this is thier first volunteer jobs and so of course us pros (lol) had to fill them in about all the fun and horror stories! Got to see some of those wild hogs at their site, scary to think how close they can get to your campsites!  Seen an 8 point buck right outside our MH and seen a 6 pointer while out riding around checking the gates! The manatees are starting to gather more and more, hoping to get some more pictures!  Well, will be busy the next few days and will be back on here next Weds. hoping to have some pictures!  You all have a great Thanksgiving and God Bless you all!

BONFIRE WITH THE OTHER VOLUNTEERS

                                                 THE FAMOUS SCRUBJAY BIRD

                                                        CUTE SCREECH OWL

                                  CRAIG FREAKING ON SOME OF THE SPIDERS THAT ARE HERE

                                               THE GREY FOX

                                                 COYOTE

                                   BONES OF SOME OF THE ANIMALS HERE AND A POSSUM
                                        BELOW: AN ALLIGATOR SKULL

                            ABOVE; HOW FLORIDIAN'S DRESS WHEN IT IS ONLY 65 DEGREES

                                    THE SET UP FOR THE 100 MILE RUN!

                                        THE VISITOR CENTER!

    BEAUTIFUL DAY..VEIW AS I WAS SITTING ON THE PORCH OF THE VISITOR CENTER

                                                      DINASAUR HIP BONE

                                            OUR HOME!

Had a busy day at the visitor center Saturday, they had the 100 mile race going on, yep, 100 miles race, which takes 36 hours to finish, they run none stop into the night!  I had to laugh because the friends, family, visitors were all dressed in heavy sweatshirts, jackets and even blankets because the temperature was only around 65 degrees, I was dressed in shorts and a Hawaiian blouse, they thought I was crazy and I thought they were but one thing they knew for sure, I wasn't a native Floridian! 
                 After the events of the day and work day done, all us volunteers sit around a bonfire with snacks and drinks!  Brooks(volunteer) wife showed up and is a sweet and awesome lady, she fits right in, Pat and Jerry the volunteers from the southside showed up also, we all had a great time, lots of laughs and stories!
                            Had some bad news from my daughter who is in Phoenix with her son, my grandson Nathan is very very ill with viral mono, viral meningitis and EB Stein Bar, they had to move him into ICU!  This is the part that makes it hard for me, I want to be with family when they need me and may being flying to Phoenix in next couple of days to be with them, right now my daughter says she is ok and to wait and see how the next couple of days go! Worried sick about both my grandson and my daughter, but been keeping in constant touch by phone and have checked on plane tickets if I need to go! Been doing a lot of praying!
               Got the next few days off and am able to get all my merchandise listed on ebay, over 100 items for sale right now!  Helps pay the bills!  We are going into Palm Bay today to eat at the Golden Corral, vets eat free so only have to pay for my meal! God Bless our vets today!!
                 Everyone have a great day!

A DAY AT THE VISITOR CENTER TODAY

                                                            We working the desk!

                                                            Craig reading about spiders!

                                                     Library/TV/DVD player area!

                                               Bones and  a stuffed possum!

                                             Dinasaur Bone!

                                                         Tools from the Old Railway!

                                                  Comfy Rockers and a red fox!

                                                           A stuffed Sketch Owl!

                                                  A Strange but pretty beetle!


Worked at the visitor center today for 6 1/2 hours today, just had to answer the phone and any questions visitors had when they came in!  Interesting place with lots of stuffed wild animals, bones, and books about nature and the park!  Was a busy place today with lots of visitors because of the 100 mile race that takes place tomorrow at 7 am and ends Sunday! Some will run the full 100 miles, while some will do the 50 mile run and the 25 mile run!  They will run into the night with the trails lit with solar lights, they have food and water stands along the way!  A lot of people showed up today and pitched tents in the back of the visitor center, some got a motel room, some will sleep in there cars!  I give them a lot of credit but I could never do it, my knees wouldn't allow it!  More power to them!
                                        Craig cleaned the offices while I worked at the center, he got the dirty end of the job (no pun intended) he had to vacuum, clean the desks and windows and then clean the bathrooms and clean the toilets!  Tomorrow I work the visitor center again but this time I have to clean it too, oh well, part of the job!  While I was sitting on the porch I noticed a bright green beetle, grabbed my camera and took a picture of it, that is the actural size above, kinda neat!  Took the picture then kicked it off the porch!  Also seen a huge spider yesterday under our MH, I reached underneath to grab a box and the thing almost ran across my hand, scared me so bad that when I tried to scream nothing came out!  I called Craig out to check it out and he said it was a wolf spider, nasty looking thing!

                       I finally got a couple of good manatee pictures, thanks to a good camera with a zoom lens! They only come up for a few seconds so you have to be fast! I have been told there are a couple of alligators out there too! So I don't get too close!
                                            Well, long day today, last day of work tomorrow then a week off! We are going to have a big bonfire here tomorrow night with the other volunteers, so should be fun!! So until the next time God Bless!

WENT ON A WILD HOG KILL!!

 

 

 DEER IN FRONT OF OUR LAUNDRY ROOM AND 4X4 DUMP TRUCK WE USE!

 

 

 

                                      

 

THE POLARIS WE USE FOR CHECKING OUT TRAILS OR JUST FOR FUN!

 

 

                    THE ELECTRIC GATE WE LIVE BEHIND, WE HAVE A CODE TO GET IN!

 

                                                   MORE DEER!

                                  OUR ONLY NEIGHBOR, BROOKS THE OTHER VOLUNTEER!

                                                        OUR HOME!

                                                  BONFIRE PIT!

 

                                         OUR HOME IN THE DISTANCE!

 

                                                   DEER THAT ME AND LENNY CAME UPON!


Had a unique experience yesterday! I was telling a ranger that I haven't seen any wild hogs yet, he says "jump in my truck, if you don't mind  riding along I just got a call there are 3 wild hogs down the road and I have to shot them", I said "hell yes, let's go"!!  I stayed by the truck while he and another guy went out in the swamp looking for them, I heard three shots, I guess they got 2, they dragged one out for me to check out, it was a sow and she was huge, the other one was a boar and one got away! Wild hogs are so distructive here, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage, they have to constantly keep them under control because they breed like rabbits!  But I couldn't wait to tell Craig, he was out cutting grass most of the day, which he enjoys on a big Z-mower! 
                                          Got sick of waiting on the camera charger to come so I drove to a Best Buy in Vero Beach to day and bought a battery charger! Been taking pictures of nature all day as you can see! But most of all I got to take over 200 pictures of my e-bay merchandise so I can list my Christmas items!  I bet now that I have this charger mine will show up tomorrow!!
                                          Craig took Brooks the other volunteer out to shut the main gate and make sure everyone is out for the night!  He is a sweet guy, I think he is lonely because his wife wouldn't be here for a couple of weeks yet! I told him we'll have a bonfire this weekend after we finish at the visitor center, we'll see if Pat and Jerry want to join us too! 
                                               Getting use to this place now and loving it, I feel like I am living on a farm but instead of cows and chickens we have deer, manatees, and wild hogs!  Craig loves it, he never has been the social butterfly I am, lol!  Can't wait until the other couple show up in December, I guess they are quite the characters, they sit around a bonfire about every night, this is like the 2nd or 3rd time they have been here and have a few good stories to tell! I still miss my kids and grandkids, can't get away from that, my sons are going thru some rough times right now but are tough and know what they gotta do, my daughter's son and my Grandson has been very ill with Menegitis in Arizona, she is in Virginia and worried sick but he is doing well now, thank God! They have always put one foot in front of the other and kept on going, always making me proud! 
                                               Well, tomorrow when we all wake up we will find out if we have a new president or the same guy! We voted absentee ballot before we left Michigan!  So you all get out there and vote!!!! Until then next time, God Bless!
                                              

BUSY,BUSY,BUSY!!

                                                   The turtle shell we found!

                                           The egg inside the turtle shell!!
SAT. 11/3
We have been very busy as they have been showing us around the trails, getting keys, checking trails out on our own with the gator, that was fun!  The new guy showed up today and we had to help get him set up, real nice guy with a 31' travel trailor with a couple slides, his name is Brook, his wife will be showing up in a couple of weeks,she had to get her Mom set up in an assisted care facility! 
                                          A few days ago we seen a gofer turtle shell that was laying along a trail, we took the gator and picked it up, when Craig looked inside of it he said there was a golf ball in it, but after looking closer it was an egg, yes, an egg! He said what ever killed it must not have been able reach it or it was too hard to break thru, but what a cool find! Can't wait to show the grandkids! If you go to my friend Snookie's blog you will be able to read about the turtles! http://quinnsawesomejourney.blogspot.com/2010/05/5302010-one-egg-two-eggs-three-eggs.html 
                              We got our screen up on our awning and strapped down, got the picnic table where we want it, chairs unpacked, ebay stuff out of the car and into the motorhome! Set out for awhile and drank a few beers and listened to some music, then the mosquitos came, ugh, they are real bad at dusk and dawn, but once it is full light or dark they go away!  Then we get to watch the deer, it is amazing how close they get to us, within 3 feet, they know we're there but as long as we don't move they keep on grazing, we even had the radio playing, Lenny doesn't know what to think of them, he stares and does a low growl! Craig warned me to not let Lenny get too close to the high weeds because of poisonous snakes, there are pigmy rattle snakes, coral snakes, cotton mouth and copperheads, or yeah, don't forget about the regular rattlers! Then there are the big spiders and scorpions, not to mention the giant wild hogs and alligators! I told him if I see any of them that Lenny's on his own because I be gone, lol, just kidding, I will grab Lenny then run!  So I make sure I carry a stick with me at all times and don't go near high weeds!!
                                   Tomorrow we start our first full day by opening the front gate, working at the visitor center from 12:30 to 4:30, then in the evening we check  the trails to make sure everyone is gone then lock the front gate! If the visitor center needs cleaning we do that, but the other volunteers said they cleaned it pretty good today, they had one visitor, said we may get one or two, can get boring, I don't know how, I will be taking my computer, they have TV and dvd player with a lot of nature movies, books, microwave, refrigerator, big rocking chairs, etc.
                                   We washed and waxed our HHR today because for some reason there is 3 big white marks across the right side of the hood, like the paint was wiped off, took it to Advanced Auto and had a guy look at it, he said looks like brush marks from a car wash, I told him I went to a touchless care washes, he suggested we buy an electric buffer and buffing compound and wax and see if that got the marks out, well after spending over 50 bucks and working on it all day it faded the marks a little but they are still there, so I am going to take it to a dealer since it is still under warrantee and if they don't fix it I will try to turn it into our insurance!  I am hoping it isn't from being towed behind the motorhome!  We live on a very dusty road with white sugar sand and it makes a mess out of our car, doesn't even look like we washed it after one trip to town!
                      
SUN: 11/4  FIRST DAY OF WORK!!
                  Had to unlock the front gate at 8 am and unlock the bathrooms. Carol and Stan, other volunteers left today so we have the new guy Brook and us on northeast side and Pat and Jerry on the northwest side. We worked at the Visitor Center today 12:00 to 4:30... Relaxing and enjoyable, had about 7 visitors plus 3 workers! Place was super clean so I played on the computer and Craig watched movies on the big screen, took our lunch with us, but they failed to tell us we can't drink the water from the sink because it is unsafe, so I ran into town and got us some ice tea from Mickey Dee's!  We then had to check and make sure everyone was out of the reserve and then lock the gate at dusk, had to ask 3 vehicles to leave or they would be locked in, was a little nervous about that but they were fine with it and very polite!  Long day but an easy day, tomorrow Craig has to cut grass around the office and horse stables, he gets to use the fancy z-mower, so we'll see how that goes!!
                              
 Well, gotta get off here for now, have a good one!  By the way, I am waiting on the charger for my camera yet, hopefully it will be here by Monday! So good night and God Bless!