Saturday, May 21, 2011 - Alligators & Snakes!

Today is my last day here in Florida.  Tomorrow I go back on the mail truck to make my way back to Monroe, NJ.  


Today we went to the Calusa Nature Center and saw all kinds of wildlife.  They take in injured animals and help them get better.  If they are well enough they release them back to live in their natural environment.  If they cannot, then they stay at the nature center.  We saw alligators, snakes and many types of birds.

After that we drove over to see where the new Boston Red Sox Baseball Spring Training Center was being built.  The Red Sox come to Florida in the Spring to get ready for the start of the baseball season.  It is too cold up north.  The new stadium will open in Spring of 2012 and should bring lots of people to the area.  The Minnesota Twins also have a Spring Training Center here too.  Maybe next time I can come and watch a game.

Well I have to go pack my bags now.  I have lots of stuff to take back with me for Bella's class.  I hope everyone likes everything.  Then I will go for one last swimmmm!


See Ya!!

Friday May 20, 2011 - The Beach!!

Today I went to work at the hospital. Heather showed my a really cool thing. It's called dry ice! She showed me what happens when you add water to it. We took a video of it so I can share it with everyone.


Then when everyone got home, we drove out to Fort Myers Beach to eat dinner and watch the sunset.


I was on the lookout for sea turtle nests.  The turtles make their nest up in the sand on the beach.  When the eggs hatch, all the baby turtles crawl to the water.  People protect the nests here on the beach and you are not allowed to disturb them.  We did not see the nests this time.


We did see a racoon up by the picinic area!! You have to be careful for the ants down here.  There are little ones called Fire Ants.  They are very small, but travel together.  When they get on you, they bite and boy does it hurt!  We made sure we didn't set in any ant piles!


We had a nice time at the beach and the water was sooo warm!  Here are some pictures.

Look what I found on the sand.

Baby turtles going to the water.

Enjoying the beach!

Crawling along in the sand.

Thursday, May 19,2011 - Manatees

Today we went to look for Manatees. There is a Manatee Park in Fort Myers near the power plant.  In the Winter, when the gulf waters get too cold, the manatees like to go to places like this because the water is warm here.

Manatees are known as the sea cow and can be up to 13 feet long and 1,300 lbs (whoa - that is heavy).  They swim very slowly with their small flippers.  They have been on the endangered list for a while, because they can be hurt by people driving in boats around the gulf.  People are trying to be more careful when they are out in the boats and it seems the manatees are doing much better.  They are easy to spot in the water, since they swim near the top, move slowly and are very large in size. 

We did not spot any manatees today.  Probably because the water temperature is up to 85 degrees now so they can go out and swim in the warm open water of the Gulf of Mexico.

Here are some pictures of what manatees look like.  They are cool looking animals!

Wednesday, May 18th - Edison/Ford Winter Estates

Today we went to the Edison/Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers.  Thomas Edison was a famous inventor from New Jersey.  He didn't like the cold too much so he had a home built in Fort Myers Florida.  He and his family came here for the winter months.  There are beautiful gardens, a museum, and several homes that you can walk around and see. There is also a research laboratory that Mr. Edison used while down here.

Virtual tour of the Winter Estates

Thomas Edison was friends with Henry Ford.  Mr. Ford was the founder of the Ford Motor Company.  Mr. Edison invited Mr. Ford and his family to come to Fort Myers during the winter months. They all had a nice time together.

Thomas Edison

Henry Ford

A Visit to the Hospital

Today I went to work with my cousin Heather. She works in a hospital in the laboratory. Whenever you have to get a blood test done, the laboratory is where it goes.


I had a lot of fun. Heather even got me purple clothes called scrubs and blue gloves that match hers.

Heather showed me the place where they spin the tubes of blood. It's called a centrifuge (wow, that's a big word!). The tubes get put in and then it spins really, really fast! It's like a super duper fast carousel!

Heather also helped me look in to something called a microscope. It takes really, really small things (things you can't see with only your eyes) and makes them big enough to see.

I had a real good time with Heather at the hospital. I think I might even go back another day!

Monday May 16, 2011 Off to work!

Front Door Entrance

Today I went to work with Aunt Cindy.  She works at the Realtor Association in Fort Myers.  She works in in office and helps realtors with their computer questions.  Sometimes she works in the little store that sells signs and other items they need to sell homes.  Here are some pictures of her office.

Aunt Cindy's Desk

Signs for sale!

After we got home I went outside by the pool and chilled - see me with the doggies - Carlos & Sabra!  I also saw my first lizard!  Check out the pictures.

Me chillin' after a long day of work!

Me & Carlos

Me & Sabra

My 1st lizard - many more to see!

Sunday May 15, 2011 - Oranges & Panthers!

Well, I am rested from sleeping last night.   Today is very windy and we decided not to go to the beach.  I did not want to blow away.  

We went to Sun Harvest Orange Grove.  They grow grapefruits and lots of different kinds of oranges here and they ship them anywhere in the country.  Here is a picture of the store.

They let us sample some oranges - velencias are in season now.  There are lots of orange groves in this part of Florida.  The oranges are used to make orange juice that you can buy in the grocery store.

On our way we saw this sign on the road & I had to have my picture taken with it.  

I am in the middle between the signs!

So I wanted to know more about the panthers here in Florida.  This is what I found out.  This panther is a cousin of the cougar and they are endangered (this means there are not very many of them left living).  There are only about 80-100 panthers living in Florida today.  They put these signs up to warn drivers to be careful and watch out for them. It is so they do not drive too fast and hurt them.  Here are 2 pictures of them & I will be on the look out for one this week.

Saturday May 14, 2011 Yeah! I am finally here!

Finally...... It was so hot in that mail truck! I thought I was never going to make it to Florida. The mailman dropped me off at Aunt Cindy's house and the first thing I did was get in to my shorts! It is sooo nice and sunny here. I can't wait to go in the pool! Today is Aunt Cindy's birthday and my cousin Jack's too. Happy Birthday!  We went out to dinner and had cake too!

This is going to be a great adventure and I hope I get to see an alligator and a manatee while I am here! Well let me begin my adventures! I will let you know about all the fun stuff we will do. They call Florida the Sunshine State & I know why! I'm glad Aunt Cindy gave me some sunglasses & sunscreen!