I have an extra-special special to tell you about at the end of this post, but first…Florida!  This is the place that many escape to during the Spring, right on through the summer, and into the Fall months.  But Spring is when most of the people from our part of the US head down to Florida.

For many, the first thing that comes to mind is theme parks, we’ve done them and enjoyed them, but if/when I go down again, it will be for a quieter visit…no rides this time, I’d love to take in some of the natural beauty of the area.

Here is a list of things that you can consider if you, like I, would like to take in some natural beauty in Kissimmee:

• The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens
• Florida Eco-Safari – in 4700 acres of Florida wilderness, on horseback, through land and water, exploring beautiful natural ecosystems of Florida.  There are MANY
• World of Orchids – those beautiful flowers, so many varieties to explore!
• The Heritage Trail – because I love to learn more about the history of the places I visit, this would be something I wouldn’t want to miss, with many museums and things to see along the way.
• The Bok Tower Gardens – I first saw this historic landmark an old linen postcard when sorting through some things obtained at an estate sale, and found it intriguing.  It would be a beautiful spot to visit.
• A Glass Bottom Boat ride at Silver Springs
• Bird Watching…this is something that doesn’t cost anything, and is so much fun, the unique birds in the area are so beautiful! You can do this at places like Lakefront Park, Peghorn Nature Park and Trail, Bull Creek Wildlife Management Area, Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area and more beautiful locations.

There are so many things to do, that the next time we go to Florida, we’ll plan much better, our last trip was with children, so mostly amusement parks and rides, but this type of trip will take more planning….and the www.visitkissimmee.com website seems to have all that’s needed to discover places to visit and plan.

Oh, the special I mentioned, it’s a Sweepstakes…..Kissimmee is giving away three (3) weekend getaways (3 days/2 nights) for two (2); and two (2) week-long vacations for four (4). 2 more drawings will be held on or around 5/1/09 and 6/1/09 (the first one has passed). Visit the site, and enter the Sweepstakes today, then look around at all the beautiful pictures and things to do.

I looked again, and saw another robin, then another, then realized that every bird, about a dozen or more of them, on the lawn was a robin.  They were doing their very best to listen for those worms, but the ground is too cold and frozen yet to provide them with much to eat. Since it’s unusual to see so many at once, I can only think that they are migrating into the area.

Finally!  A sign of Spring…and this year, since we’ve been having the coldest winter in 25 years, give or take a year, I can’t wait!

Though my husband hasn’t hunted in years, he used to with his father as a boy. We do have a number of hunters in the area, and the season will begin next week if it hasn’t already.

Whether you like hunting or just looking at the beauty around you from a distance, you might be interested in the Nikon ATB Promotion, you receive either a $50 or a $25 gift card depending upon what binoculars you buy, that you can turn around and use for any of the other outdoor gear that they offer, and there is a lot of it. It’s worth a visit, and maybe it’s time for some new binoculars for my hubby.

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This is actually my first attempt at putting together a little video, what fun I had learning how to do this, it took time, and some of my pictures are just a little blurry, but I’m learning! You’ll see our Ruby Throated Hummingbird, a little Goldfinch (a rare treat here), of course sparrows, we have no shortage of them, and finally, a very rare treat, a Rose Breasted Grosbeak that spent a few days coming to the bird feeders during the Spring migration.

I’ve learned a new BIG word, that I may be an Ornithologist of sorts? Actually, Ornithology is a branch of zoology that involves the study of birds, a little more scientific than I am, I just love watching them and feeding them all year round.

I am in need of a new feeder, I miss the one I used to have that had metal posts for the birds to stand on. As of today, there are only 3 of the plastic posts left on the feeder you see pictured in the video, the squirrels have chewed off the rest. I also miss having a tray attached to the feeder to catch the seeds that fall, so that I have a nice collection of birds sitting around the tray eating, instead of out of site on the ground below, so I’m going to look right now for a feeder at birdfeeders.com.

Happy 4th, celebrate our Nation’s Independence.

Please visit this link and enjoy a very special and unique tribute to Memorial Day in flowers. You’ll enjoy it!