Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Friday, February 11, 2011

The Troutbirders Return

....and so we made it back to Minnesota safely. Ah, maybe I should start at the beginning. After our first ever Florida visit last spring, to bird and watch the Twins spring training at Hammond Field in Fort Myers, we decided to return this winter. An invitation to visit Mrs. T.’s cousin Joe and wife Mary made the decision all the easier, along with the really bad weather we’ve been having here lately. So, with Baron and Simba safely boarded up for the duration and our new Garmin GPS system ready to lead the way, we drove off for the sunny South. Luck was with us from the beginning, as we were two days ahead of the mega storm, that paralyzed much of the mid- continent, before it headed on up to the Northeast.
Joe and Mary were wonderfully gracious hosts as they introduced us to the "lifestyle" of Minnesota’s "snowbirds" in Florida. Their winter home base is in Sebastian, on the Atlantic Coast, some miles south of NASA’s space and rocket launch site, at Cape Canaveral. The living was relaxed and easy with plenty of amenities and recreational opportunities yet not overcrowded and hectic. Somehow, in the excitement of packing, I seemed to think we were headed back to Alaska and failed to bring shorts or even short sleeved shirts. A visit to a local shopping center, on arrival, did cure that problem. We liked the area a lot and intend to investigate further opportunities.








Let's follow Mary and Queen B as they lead us around the community.




A golf course wound its way around the community and we found a flock of Great White Egrets checking out the fairway. Even more amazing, some of them were found sitting on the peaks of the condos, basking in the morning sun.
Thus, as the sun set on our first day, amidst the warmth of family and Florida sunshine, we looked forward to the next day..... and the barrier islands of America's first National Wildlife Refuge, Pelican Island. Stay tuned.

20 comments:

  1. It has been a bit since I last heard from you. Hope you got to see some baseball action. I lived 3blocks from the Cleavland camp in AZ and often went with my roomate and played catch outside their field.Never pitched a good enough fastball to be asked inside, but we tried anyways. The first games were sometimes interleague so it was fun to see some of the other teams come in.

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  2. I've missed you, but I am glad the two of you had a nice time. The photos are lovely and sooo inviting. Hope you got your batteries recharged - at least for a little while because I don't think old man winter is quite ready to give up yet. I bet your four footed pal Baron was glad to see you - maybe even Simba too. Welcome Back!

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  3. Looks and sounds so nice. What a fun visit you must have had. I would be loving seeing those Egrets perching on housetops What fun!

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  4. Snow birding isn't all that bad after all!! I wondered where you've been.

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  5. It looks as if you picked a wonderful place in which to avoid the snowy blasts of winter up north. This community reminds me of the one I lived in in South Carolina. It was built around a golf course (or the other way around). I didn't miss the snow at all while I lived there.

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  6. Welcome back..you missed nothing but cold..real cold..today is the first nice day in awhile. I bet you got some snow while you were gone..I bet Baron and Simba were happy to see you! :)

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  7. sigh.... Florida looks so lovely and warm! Oh these Canadian winters... truly I must find somewhere warmer to live. Yup ~ a person could get used to living there I think! :)

    xo Catherine

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  8. Welcome back to the cold and snow. I also escaped, but for family reasons that I can't write about yet. I'm at a place where I can see magnificant mountains while doing mundane tasks. I can't get on the net much, but I hope I can write about it after a week.

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  9. Those egrets basking in the sun on the rooftops have the right idea! Could they possibly know how much it beats shoveling snow from up there?! ;)

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  10. Glad you all were able to escape the frigid weather for a time and soak up some sunshine. I've always thought that it would be lovely to have a retreat like that to visit during the long cold winter months.

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  11. Lovely sights to be sure. We have family in Sebastian, on SAM's side. It's a wonderful community, and I've heard there are some great deals on property right now. After this awful winter I'll bet more snowbirds will be relocating their nests on a more permanent basis.

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  12. Yep. I had my question (from the other blog) answered. It does indeed look as though it was warm down there! :-)

    I'll look forward to the birding!

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  13. Glad to have you back, but I can see why you left!! This looks so wonderful and I am looking forward to some "warm weather" posts.

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  14. These photos are marvelous! What a grand time to spend in FL. I look forward to more posts about your trip. Have a great weekend.

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  15. You are so lucky. I would have sold my soul to be in Florida this past week. Nashville had 3 inches of snow in 2 hours Wednesday. The city was shutdown. It took me three hours to get to work. I live ten miles away just off a major highway.What a god- awful winter!

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  16. Great post. Always nice to come home, no matter how cold. I've just returned back from some warmer weather myself.

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  17. Ah, good to have you back online.

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  18. Oh, that place looks pretty nice. It's good to get away for awhile in the Winter. I look forward to hearing about your birding adventures in Florida. I've not been there - yet.

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