The Magic Kingdom

Andrew, Jessica, and Gary ventured to Disney World yesterday where they spent the day and much of the night at the Magic Kingdom. They had an exciting time and went to all of the attractions they could fit into the day.

At Fantasy Land they saw a parade and met many of the Disney characters. The most exciting one was to meet Mickey Mouse in the Hall of Presidents. You can see pictures taken with him below.

Jessica's favorite was Space Mountain. They went on this ride twice, accompanied by Gary the first time.

One of the favorite spots of the day was the tree house of Swiss Family Robinson.

This is the kitchen in their tree house. Below Andrew and Jessica look into one of the bedrooms.

This pictures shows the water conveyor to bring water to the kitchen and upstairs.

 The excitement of the day filled with rides and adventures ended with a spectacular fireworks display as you can see here. The tired trio returned home after 11 last night.

Up the Lazy River

What a lovely day! The sun was shining, the weather was warm, and the Coles went for a boat ride. Here you see the river tour boat. We spent two and a half hours looking at the wildlife, homes on the river, and many sights along the way. We saw many dolphins, lots of unusual birds, and manatees.

Jessica was enjoying the scenery and taking pictures along the way.

 The pair in the picture above have been enjoying  the break from winter as you can see.

 Gary and Louise seem pretty relaxed also.

This is an unusual sight as white pelicans are rare and seldom seen fishing. We spotted a large group of them.

 As we leave the boat tour, Andy and Jess return to the beach and play in the water as the sun sets on another beautiful day in Florida.

Busy Day

Today we watched the launch of the space shuttle Discovery. The cloud cover was so low we saw very little of it, but we have one picture to share.

Most of the day was spent at the Brevard Zoo where we enjoyed animals and climates very different from ours. The giraffes were especially enticing as they came out to be fed, and the zoo had six giraffes including two young ones. Here we have Andrew trying to interest on of them in some hay.

The aviary was also a high point as Andrew and Jessica fed the birds and were used as perches.

Here are three of us at the entrance to the zoo.

On our return to the beach, Jess and Andy went back to the ocean for a cool down.

An exciting day was had by all.

Visitors at Last!

Andrew and Jessica flew to Florida last night to begin a week of vacation in the land of sunshine. Here we have two pictures from the airport after their arrival. It is hard to believe that a four day drive can be reduced to three hours in the air!

This morning everyone was up early to enjoy the sunshine and walk along the beach. Beautiful day!

New Looks

We are in a wave of beautiful weather. It has been warm and sunny with a nice breeze, perfect for being outdoors. Today the water was full of surfers and Gary got some pictures of them. We counted about a dozen in the water at one time. A wind surfer also was enjoying his day at Cocoa Beach.

Our days have become routine as we enjoy the wonderful days here. Spring is coming as the grass is getting green and the flowering shrubs are starting to blossom. Louise is taking to the beach and trying to get a little tan. Gary is painting steadily. Most days we venture to the gym and work out or use the pool. We received a surprise package today that included a beret for artist Gary. We include a picture of him wearing it. He is really starting to look the part of an artist!

And then there is Louise, finally getting a hair cut. The walks on the beach have wrecked her hair do, so today she got it done and we share this picture.

Next week the excitement will begin as Andy and Jessica will come to visit. Stay tuned for that story!

Summer's Day in February

We have had a week of wonderful weather. The days have been warm and sunny with a breeze and the feeling of summer pervades. We are told it is only Canadians and Northerners who frequent the beaches and think it is warm. Here Gary is walking in the waves and below Louise is getting her feet wet.

Gary has painted balloons all day, while Louise has been to Weight Watchers and sat on the beach reading a book. We can't wait to share this paradise with members of the family who will be coming to visit, we hope.

To add a bit of color to our environment, Gary has begun his planting. Here we have a pot of violas and lobelia.

And here we have a pot of herbs growing on the deck. Life is good.