Gator Country

Saturday: Cypress Gardens

We get up, have our breakfast, and get ready for the trip to Cypress Gardens. Rick can’t go; he has to work, so I offer to drive. The place isn’t crowded; we don’t have to walk very far from the parking lot to the entrance. Inside, Carol buys a season pass for Josh. (Since the place is so close, they come here often.)

Cypress Gardens is a nice, low key, old fashioned family theme park. They have a small water slide area; we go there first. The slides are pretty tame, but it’s just right for Josh, and the water is refreshing. After a while we dry off and have lunch, then go see the ice show. The Russian skaters are impressive; they put on a really good show. Josh likes it; he’s really into anything to do with music.

Later we walk around the boardwalk and look at the wildlife displays. They have a big pit where you can feed the gators, and off to one side is the biggest gator in the park. We walk through the enclosed aviary, and one area that is full of butterflies. Back on the boardwalk, Josh unknowingly leans against a wooden railing that is crawling with fire ants. They crawl up his arm and inside his shirt and start biting him. He screams, “Get them off me!”

Carol figures out what is happening, and pulls off his shirt. She brushes the ants off him, and shakes his shirt out. I was leaning against the same railing too, so I look down. There are a couple of ants crawling on my arm, but they haven’t bit me. Either I’ve been lucky, or they just don’t like the way I taste. I brush the ants off.

We go over to the stadium to see the water-skiers next; they put on a pretty good show. Josh really likes the clown; he does a pretty funny routine. They also have a guy who flies a hang-glider high over the lake; he takes off by holding on to tow rope attached to a powerful ski boat.

We head back home; Rick is taking us out to dinner for Carol’s birthday tonight. Back at the house, Shasta’s had an “accident” on the floor while we were out. Carol has to clean it up. The poor dog is lying on the floor, looking sad. Shasta is an old dog, I think Carol said she was twelve. I don’t want to say anything, but she looks like she’s stayed up past her lifetime to me. Carol thinks she’s having problems with her arthritis, says she’ll see if she can get her into the vet’s on Monday.

We drive to Lakeland; have a nice dinner at a restaurant there. Carol says they are trying to attract new business into Lakeland, get young people interested in living here. After dinner, we take a walk down by the lake. There is a wedding reception in a nearby hall; you can hear the band from outside. I’m surprised the mosquitoes aren’t biting too bad, considering we’re right near the water. Rick says they mostly attack around sunset, by ten o’clock or so they calm down.

We drive back to the house. I’m pretty tired; it’s been a long day. I am starting to get used to the heat, though. Considering I’ve been outside most of the day today, it really didn’t bother me. I guess I’m more adaptable than I thought.

Time to hit the hay, tomorrow we’re going to Vero Beach. I’ll get to swim in the Atlantic again, for the first time in more than twenty years.