A Walk in the Park

One of my favorite things to do is to go for a walk, or hike in one of the local parks. Usually the state parks are my favorite as they offer more things to do and have better trails. A few around Florida that I enjoy are: DeLeon Springs Park, (www.floridastateparks.org/deleonsprings) Rock Springs Park, Kissimmee State Park, any down in the Everglades (like Seminole-Collier), John Pennekamp Coral Reef, in the Keys, Homosassa Springs and a plethora of others around the state. We have unique parks in which visitors can hike, go paddling, or to the beach, fishing, scuba and one park even has an underwater cave. Most parks offer camp sites for tents (primitive) and some for RV's/Campers. Florida offers thousands of miles of greenways and trails. Check out one of Sandra Friends excellent guidebooks for hiking. (www.floridahikes.com)

    I've found several groups through the Meetup (www.meetup.com) and you can hook up with new friends who enjoy the same hobbies as you. Some adventure clubs, hiking or paddling groups meet once per month and others are more active. You can participate as often or as little as you like, learning from others the terrain, equipment to take, birding routes or geocaching. From expert to  novice you can enjoy your hike through nature more every time. Listening for the call of a warbler, identifying helpful and harmful plants and learning about the history of the land, are a few of the benefits to hiking in our parks. 

    I always bring bug spray with me, my cell phone, but turn on vibrate, my camera and sunscreen. I keep these  items (and a few more) in my truck at all times, even a first aid kit since I like to travel so much ;-) I believe in planning ahead. I like to have a change of shoes (comfortable for walking, biking or hiking) in the car so whenever I'm in the mood, or better yet, have the TIME, I can stop off at one of the local parks, Oakland Nature Preserve, or Tibet-Butler and breath in fresh air, listen to the call of birds and hopefully snap a few new photos of different birds or butterflies. One afternoon I caught a woodpecker pecking away on a snag. I was fascinated how he would climb inside the tree, then come back out and peck some more. 

    On Saturday I followed a Brownie Troop around just for a short while to hear what intrigued them and they were on a scavenger hunt. On another occasion I followed a red carnival on a sandy trail through a sparsely canopied area. There are great guidebooks to help you identify various habitats; from birds to plants to reptiles and seashells. These are very handy. I enjoy looking at different tracks on the ground and identifying them; fox, birds, panther, or other cat. 

    So what are you waiting for? Go explore a park. Get your passport for the Florida State Parks, or your own state and learn something new!

Opening Ceremony-Olympics

 A dazzling display of imagery, a rainbow of colors and elegant dance. The choreography was spectacular. The symbolism; ethnicity, cultures and environmentalism is welcoming an breathtaking. The elegant moving scroll on the floor, flanked by ships of open trade to the scrim of hospitality s awesome. More than 10,500 elite athletes, some for the first time, others returning for another opportunity to earn the title, "Best Athlete in the World".

Tremendous pride is in one country, around the globe. Hope. Faith. Trust, Friendships, Ethos.

 Eight months of training for the opening night, men dancing and doing flip on an elegant globe as it personifies coming together, individuals who can become one.

Images of the world, dancers, singers bringing us together; One World, One Dream! a stunning opening for the Parade of Nations at the Birds Nest stadium.

A beautiful tapestry of countries, represented by dedicated, appreciative citizens who are outstanding athletes. The countries were actually entering the stadium, not by size or alphabetically, but by the number of stroke i Chinese each countries' name took. The announcers did a wonderful job with the geography for those of us watching the Olympics at home. We were given some interesting tips about the participating countries; the average income for some, notes about some of the athlete and their history, Vanuata (where a soldier wrote, Tales of the South Pacific) Japan's delegate will ride again this year, 44 years after his first event, in 1964, his horse, Whisper, is a chestnut mare in the equestrian event. 

Sometimes I root for the underdog. I'd love to see a country who has yet to win a medal in the Olympics bring one home for their deserving country. Especially those in turmoil. Some countries have only one or two athletes and others have several hundred representing their home country.

The athletes, as they walk through the arena are leaving their footprints on the scroll, adding detail. Eligibility of athletes in different countries in order to make the Olympic team, is interesting in which the athlete can shop around sometimes for another country to represent. 

many countries have turmoil, political issues, threats and clans being disruptive prior to the Olympic Games, causing more unease on the government as well as the athlete. 

Some countries are offering cash for medals as an incentive for their athletes.