Old Florida

This week we've been spending time with our cousins. As much as I like posting the blog on time, we rarely get to see this branch of the family, so the blog was placed on the back burner. They have kids who are similar in age to our own and it's been fun watching them interact and get to know each other. My favorite part, other than just enjoying each others company, was hearing stories we've never heard before about people who are no longer with us.

If you watched Downton Abbey and saw the last episode, there's a scene where two sisters, Mary and Edith, are making peace with each other and Edith says “Because in the end, you’re my sister. And one day, only we will remember Sybil. Or Mama, or Papa, or Matthew, or Michael, or Granny, or Carson, or any of the others who have peopled our youth. Until at last, our shared memories will mean more than our mutual dislike.” I found that to ring so true. Fortunately my husband has never had any bad blood with his family but often in life we don't appreciate the people who share a common history with us until it's too late. Having this opportunity to reconnect and make new memories with them has been a treasure.

Speaking of treasures, we all visited Indian Rocks Beach together and had fun beachcombing! I'm embarrassed to say that it's the first beach we've actually visited since we arrived in Florida (yes, even after the Keys), but it was a lot of fun! Here are some pictures to give you an idea of how beautiful the white beach was. The weather was perfect and we found a lot of shells. The kids really enjoyed the water, which was warmer than what we're used to on the west coast.

Here are some of the shells we found.

They were everywhere!

When we started visiting Florida a few years ago, we wanted to learn about the area and see many of the popular tourist destinations. Many times we planned day trips and carefully plotted the most efficient routes. On several such trips we were disappointed, though, to see strip malls on all sides of us almost the entire time. It appeared to be never-ending. Like Florida had been swallowed up by concrete, stores, and restaurant chains. While that can be convenient if you're only here for a week, it really doesn't allow you the opportunity to see the nuances that make Florida beautiful and unique.

We started making an effort to get off the main roadways and seek out "the real Florida" when we explored. You know, places where people actually live and raise their families. Where libraries and museums are located and people are invested in their communities. Places where small businesses thrive and people have roots. Fortunately, it turns out that we didn't have to go very far at all!  Because of some great advice from people along the way, we found hidden gems like the one we visited last weekend, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, near Orlando.

Historically this lake was one of the most polluted in the country, but in recent years has been the focus of major restoration efforts. Through these efforts the area has become home to animals and birds of all kinds and has returned to something closer to what "Old Florida" looked like before being built up. White one-way roads have been added over an 11 mile area, so you can view the wildlife in their natural habitat from the comfort of your car. This area is opened to the public on the weekends and best of all, it's free! You can find alligators, bobcats, bears, turtles and much more! Because of the lack of fences, you should obviously exercise caution, but here's a sample of what we saw....

This preserve is also home to hundreds of species of birds and a wide variety of plant life. In fact, if you visit next January you can go to Birdapalooza! I was amazed at how close we were to many of these beautiful creatures. We noticed that many bird species have long necks and long legs. I supposed that's common in tropical areas?

 This is what one of the varieties of Palm trees looks like when it hasn't been pruned. Spikey!

This eagle was standing on a nearby field.

Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is my new favorite place to visit here in central Florida, hands down! If you're ever in this area on a weekend and you're interested in wildlife, conservation, or seeing "Old Florida", I highly recommend it!

- Jen

The Innerworkings of "Away"

Thanks to you, our blog has now reached over 2,100 hits and we haven't even left yet! That's amazing! Thank you all!

Things are winding down for the school year here. I've just scheduled the end of the year testing for our youngest. This is our first year homeschooling, so we're still figuring things out. Which test is best? Which tests are approved for our state? How are they administered? Fortunately we have a bunch of experienced families who are happy to give advice and point us in the right direction.

This past week, our youngest and I took a tour of one of the larger wastewater treatment facilities in the area, the South Treatment Plant in Renton, WA.

http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/About/System/South.aspx

It didn't smell half as bad as I thought it might and they have a garden next door called "Waterworks Garden". It features trails, native plants, wildlife, and public art. I love the idea of something unpleasant working to make something beautiful.

Here's a picture of our youngest by a pond at the treatment facility. He really liked the art pieces.

My husband and I saw "The Blue Man Group" once in Las Vegas. In part of their slideshow they said that all trash, sewage, and everything else unpleasant, goes to the same place once it leaves our sight- "Away".... which is all too true in most peoples minds. Sad. Well, my son and I were able explore part of "Away" and it was really cool. The tour guide started with a presentation of how our sewage system works and how different countries around the world handle their sanitation. The kids were given different kinds of "trash" and they sorted it according to how it would be disposed of. Did you know that we (North America) have a pretty good handle on how to treat our human waste, but all the chemicals and misc. items that go down the gutters in the street just flow directly out to the oceans? It's scary how much pollution we really create. It's time to find a solution for our pollution!

I won't go into the gritty details of what we saw and how the sewage is separated and treated, but it is really interesting. I'll just give you a few main points:
- City water is only in your house for seconds before moving on.

- Because there is so much water, sewage is diluted and doesn't even remotely resemble what you see in your toilet when it arrives at the treatment plant.

- The sewage is filtered and then goes through three or four stages before it reaches the point where it is treated and then flows out into the ocean to be naturally recycled (evaporation, rain, etc.)

The infrastructure of a system like this is a marvel. Really!  There are a ton of jobs that make this facility run effectively.

Our youngest was especially impressed with the control room and the lab.

After the tour, we visited the local big brand store for trailer organization items. I've spent several days planning the most efficient way to pack our trailer. I'd like to bring everything we need without the worry of tripping over obstacles or the fear of items being thrown everywhere while in transit. Once I get everything in place, I'll show you some of the tricks I've employed.

Our daughter was considering writing this weeks post, but life got in the way. You'll hear from her soon, I promise.  In the meantime, 35 days to go....

- Jen