Visit with the Clendinens

Some of our greatest friends and travel buddies from our time in Tanzania were the Clendinens...oh, the memories the nine of us made driving on safari, going to Zanzibar, and visiting historical locations in East Africa. Well, getting together again, after not seeing each other for more than 3 years, has been exciting, and Craig took us on an amazing historical tour of Ybor City in Tampa today. That man knows his stuff, and even the trolley car driver said, "he knows what he's talking about."

This was our greeting when we walked in the door at their home. So sweet.

Sissi was so excited to see her old friend!

Today, on the trolley in Ybor City.

My Gwangi.

The trolley car conductor.

The adults.

The famous Columbia Restaurant, that has been around 111 years serving traditional Spanish and Cuban food in this area.

A location that was near and dear to Indy's heart, he really loves Teddy Roosevelt.

Our menu at the Columbia...I got the half and half, so half a traditional Cuban sandwich and half a traditional 1905 salad. Amazing!

Waiting for our lunch to arrive.

Our waiter, mixing the salad.

Here you go, the half and half!

This restaurant is the location of the meeting of the Krewe of Ybor City. Our friend, Craig, used to be a member and so was telling us all about it.

We love them bunches and will miss them as we depart tomorrow for Ft. Myers. As I write this, the kids are all making new memories and playing at the park. We'll be ready for another round of memory making in 4 years.

Wakulla Springs

We arrived in Crawfordville last night, to stay and visit a couple of days with Indy's family. Today, they took us to Wakulla Springs to see fossils, an incredible array of birds, and alligators. We were hoping for a manatee sighting, but the weather has been unseasonably warm, and so they were further a stream then they usually are. Maybe next time!

The entrance to Wakulla Springs in Florida.

The trees and growth in this area is very interesting. Most of the area is kept as a nature preserve and so it appears very wild.

Around the bottoms of these trees are "knees" or outgrowths from the base of the tree.

We saw so many types of birds, I think this one was an anhinga.

Turtles! And, in the background you can see an anhinga, or snake bird, getting its food from the water.

A little blue heron, if I remember correctly.

Yes, we were that close to an alligator.

The great egret, taking off and flying over the water.

Another view of it flying.

The view here was so peaceful.

I really like how they model and spread their wings, it's a great view.

Possibly another egret, or maybe a heron?

Moving through the water at the edge of our boat.

On the second half of our boat tour, we went through the section that several movies had been filmed in...here are what are left of the trees from the old Tarzan with Johnny Weissmuller movies.

And here is the log that is felled and blocks the boat from escaping in the "Creature from the Black Lagoon," a personal favorite of Indy's.

The Wakulla Springs Lodge.

Inside, they have plenty of "Creature" paraphernalia.

This old alligator was killed and a reward was offered to capture whomever killed him, but no one ever came forward.

These are the ceilings in the lodge...so lovely, and they remind me of a certain, recently famous Disney movie's decorations...(shhh! I can't say the "Fr**en" word in my house anymore without groans from 3/5ths of the population.)

The decorations and upholstery especially caught my eye.

Another view of the grand entrance.

They were setting up for a wedding and reception, so we couldn't explore the entire area.

Then, we walked over to the archaeological dig that is currently going on to find artifacts from a few hundred years ago.

These are the kinds of glass trading beads they are trying to find...super small, can you imagine?

Sissi totally got caught up in the whole process and they were teaching her and allowing her to do all kinds of things. She really enjoyed sifting for lost treasure.

One of the lead historical archaeologists on the dig. He was a wealth of knowledge and told us all kinds of stories.

Sissi had fun transporting the items to the lady who was cataloging the finds.

Aunt Gaylene, talking to the workers on site.

Aunt Gayle and Susan, looking at some of the things that have been found in this and surrounding areas.

At one point, Sissi saw her sifting objects jump...and she found a little toad. She named him Arch E. Ologist, or Archie for short. We left him in his natural habitat so that he would have water, food, shelter, and a place to raise a family.

The Georgia Aquarium

On our last day here in Atlanta, our friends took us to the Georgia Aquarium...the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere. It was absolutely incredible. My boys, in particular, loved it. They kept asking me to take more pictures so they could remember every little thing.

I wish we could have taken pictures during the shows with the dolphins and the sea lions, but we weren't able to for safety reasons for the animals. I think my oldest wants to work here when he grows up!

Sunny day and sitting with the penguins.

Quite an impressive entrance.

The divers in the tropical section.

The clown fish.

Sea horses.

The sunken treasure boat.

The rays in the Ocean Voyager section.

My boys, they loved walking through the glass hallways and seeing all the fish surrounding them.

"Look at that one, Mom!"

Happiness.

This was the view over our heads.

They couldn't be more excited!

Watching the whales.

Part of the touch tank.

More whale antics.

This one kept blowing bubbles and then would swim through them.

Ohhh, look, Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania, where we used to live!

Some of the fish that live in Lake Tanganyika.

The kids, climbing through the tunnels.

The kids, once they were done with their climbing.

Whale sharks!

Manta rays!

Sissi got called up front during the whale shark feeding.

Watching the whale shark 'vacuum' up its food.

Fanning out of the lion fish.

Jellyfish...another one of Krypto's favorites.

Family shot in front of the tropical diver tank.

Lots and lots of touch tanks throughout the aquarium.

An ice wall.

Group shot with our friends.