Familia, Little Manatee State Park, Florida, December 2012

After picking up the RV, we headed just 40 miles away to see beloved family at Sun City Center.  We stayed at Little Manatee State Park.  Little Manatee is on the Manatee River, a small park that is blissfully quiet and serene.  We were just 7 miles from our loved ones.  I can't tell you how much we enjoyed their company and meeting their friends.  Awesome group of people, so interesting and real.

Pauls brother volunteers at a wildlife sanctuary, Elmira's, and he took us on an up close tour of lions and tigers and bears, birds, lemurs, cotimundi.  What a wonderful experience to be so close to powerful, wild creatures.  They are very well cared for at the sanctuary, which is approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Agency.  Funding is totally by donations and the sanctuary is staffed by volunteers.  Here is a link to Elmira's - www.elmiraswildlife.org

On one of the first walks with the dogs at the park, Paul yelled "snake!" I almost stepped on a large snake.  Of course I moved away and told Paul to take a photo with his phone.  Just as I said "I wonder what kind of snake that is?", the creature recoiled and shook his rattle.  Hmmmmm, eastern rattlesnake, I would say.  Paul missed his chance to get rid of me.

There was a wonderful trail along the river with so many different plants.  Baby pine cones getting ready to grow, epiphyte ferns and many plants that I still need to look up.  Sooo different from Indiana plants.