Tag Archives: Florida

2022 Road Trip-Part 18B

22 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 18 Continued (6/2/2022)

Leaving Wildwood, I headed south 20 miles on I-75 to look for the Fort Armstrong Historical Monument located in Bushnell, FL.  This Florida monument describes the 1836 Battle of The Wahoo Swamp during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842).  General Richard Call lost his command because of the disastrous defeat his 2500 soldiers suffered during that battle.  It also tells that later that year, Fort Armstrong was built by Major Robert Armstrong and his men to protect against the Seminole attacks on the Fort King Trail.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was less than 10 miles south on I-75 to where I found the Richloam General Store & Post Office located near Webster, FL.  This former old 1921 Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) Depot was the first depot in Richloam and Postmaster, Lucius S. Brinson, moved the Riverland Post Office to this building in 1922.  Soon after that Brinson opened and began operating a general store in the building, and it remained in operation until 1936.  The building was used as a private home until the 1950s, after which it stayed vacant until 1973, when Brinson’s son, John, renovated the building, and reopened it as the Richloam General Store & Post Office.  This building is the last remaining structure from the Richloam Community.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now I headed south five miles on SR-421 to Linden, FL where I turned east 10 miles on SR-50 looking for the Paradise Airsports field located in Groveland, FL.  This small grass field caters to Ultralight aircraft and has a flight school in one of the ‘open-ended’ hangers there at the field.  I stopped long enough to watch a couple of colorful Ultralights take off and fly around.  I had always wanted to own an Ultralight, but never had the money or time to spare to get into the sport.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was another 15 miles east on SR-50 to where I visited the Central Florida Railroad Museum located in downtown Winter Garden, FL.  This small museum is situated in the old restored 1913 Tavares & Gulf (T&G) Railway depot that replaced the original 1899 station there in Winter Garden.  This museum is filled with antique railroad artifacts, photos, and memorabilia relating to the history of the railroad’s influence on the city of Winter Garden and the surrounding Orange County area from the late 1800s.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Leaving Winter Garden, I continued another 15 miles east on SR-50 to visit the Orlando Science Center located in the Loch Haven Park area of Orlando, FL.  This large privately owned museum has four floors filled with exciting exhibits, giant screen movies, interactive programs, the Dr. Phillips ‘Cinedome’ and more.  The lobby was overrun with kids, so I opted not to go thru the museum today.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

I looked for the Orlando Fire Museum reported to be located there in the Lock Haven Park, but neither Greta (My Garmin) or I could find it anywhere.  I circled the park twice and never saw it.  So, I continued east for the last 35 miles of this trip on SR-50, which took me back to my home in Titusville, FL from where I started 18 days ago.  Boy, was I glad to be home.  My lovely wife, DiVoran, had cooked a delicious meal for my homecoming, and we enjoyed it together, on our screened-in back porch, over lots of conversation about what we both had been doing for the last two weeks.  Tonight, I get to sleep in my own bed which I have sorely missed.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

This brings to a close my 2022 Road Trip.  I hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures as much as I have enjoyed remembering and writing about them.  Join me again next time as I explore new areas of our wonderful country and visit new historical places and museums.  Keep your eyes on the road and drive safely.

Photo Credit: https://www.clipartmax.com/cartoon-driver-waving/

—–The End—-

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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Ian is a Turtle that Keeps on Going

29 Sep

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Thankful we made it through Hurricane Ian with no loss of electricity.

We are at our daughter’s house and she has inherited the title, Head of Hurricane Preparedness. My mother was the first leader, then the post was passed on to me. I am very happy to have abdicated the job. She is much better at it than I was.

She scours mark down deals in the off season to augment her preparedness stash-battery operated fans, lanterns and a slew of candles. She also filled multiple containers with water. If only she could find a battery operated room air-conditioner! Of course it would have to be on clearance.

It wasn’t intentional…really it wasn’t, but she also is the one who stays awake and alert. To my amazement, since abdicating, I have discovered that I can sleep through a storm. I woke several times last night to make sure my fan was still running. Didn’t even occur to me that it was the weather waking me up. In case you are wondering why my husband isn’t the one to stay awake and alert, the man has always been able to sleep soundly through a storm. But oddly enough, most nights he sleeps poorly. Hmmm…maybe I need to get him a white noise machine of hurricane winds and rain.

As Hurricane Ian downgraded to a tropical storm, it shifted and the eye passed over us. I slept through it. We are still having wind gusts and rain showers and the public is being advised to stay inside. Ian is still a turtle!

The news on our south west coast is not good. Lots of damage from winds and rising water. I haven’t been able to locate actual numbers on loss of life. A lot of speculation going on but each life is precious and even one is tragic. Please remember these people in your prayers as well as those who are actively rescuing people from rising waters. Central Florida is going to experience serious flooding along rivers.

Hurricane Ian is heading north and probably west. It is a headstrong storm, In fact, the breaking news forecast now is that just off our coast, it is recreating itself into a Category 1 hurricane and make landfall at Charleston, South Carolina. I guess that is why the wind here is picking up again. If you are anywhere near the track, don’t ignore it!

Be safe

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I Love Carpet-Part 4

31 Jul

SUNDAY MEMORIES

continued

From Heidelberg, we moved to Virginia.  We purchased our second house,

Our Virginia House

which had loose-laid carpets in all the bedrooms, living room (now I was glad we didn’t have that rust carpet with us!), dining room and family room.  The padding wasn’t too good, so we upgraded that in later years, to find that the carpets were quite good quality, and were going to last a good long time with new padding.  They were all a light tan color, and went well with all our furniture.

1991 – our grandson taking the taste test of a new toy this shows the light tan/cream carpet

We later purchased some very pretty, very thick carpet to replace what was in the family room.  All the floors in this house were wood.  The kitchen had rolled vinyl.  I purchased bathroom carpet for our master bathroom in dark brown, and gold for the second bathroom upstairs.  For the bathroom downstairs, I just had bath mats.

After living there for nearly 13 years, we decided to move to Florida.  Both our girls were married by this time and out of our house.  We purchased a new house in Kissimmee, which is essentially a suburb of Orlando. 

There was either carpet or vinyl throughout the house, so we didn’t need to purchase any new carpets, thank goodness.

Looking from the kitchen into the family room – carpet and vinyl flooring

We lived in that house for three-and-one-half years before selling it and moving to Orlando proper.

This house that we live in now, has carpet in the living/dining room, and all three bedrooms.  Other than that, all the floors are ceramic tile.  We did purchase a loose-laid rug for the family room, just to make it a bit more comfortable.

 the rug we purchased

The bathrooms only have throw rugs or bath mats.  I did have a throw rug for the entry/laundry room, but recently I tripped on it and fell hard on that ceramic tile.  So it’s out the door!

Well….that’s my saga about carpet.  I still love to walk barefoot through the carpets in our house.  And when we go to Titusville to visit my brother Bill and his delightful wife DiVoran, I luxuriate my feet in the carpet in their living room.  It’s a gorgeous dusty rose, and feels so good on my toes! 

As you can see from this series, I take my shoes off as often as I can!

~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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12 Months in Florida

13 Jun

My Take

DiVoran Lites

On the first of January, the New Year begins. 

She makes resolutions and repents of her sins.

On the first of February, the cardinal sings

And flashes to his mate on crimson wings.

On the first of March, she goes wild for seeds

And tries to think what a farmer needs.

On the first of April, she tells fool jokes,

 But they’re never are funny as other folks’

On the first of May, she declares it’s summer! 

Not always, though, and that’s a bummer.

On the first of June, she forgets her plants

And they are eaten by tiny ants.

On the first of July, she’s ready for joy 

Coming to visit: grandgirl and grandboy!

On the first of August, she’s sweltering hot

And wants to go back to a cooler spot.

On the first of September, pampas grass blooms

Down the hill from the school, a bicycle zooms. 

On the first of October, she celebrates age

A birthday is coming, so now turn the page.

On the first of November, she thinks about gifts

She goes to the church, and her loving heart lifts.

On the first of December, she turns on the songs

And listens to Christmas because it belongs.

Pictures by Pixabay

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Moving On…Almost on Schedule

14 Apr

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Our target date for our annual migration from Florida to North Carolina was April 4th. Our actual leaving date was April 6th. A two day delay is almost a record for us as we seldom leave on the planned date.

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

We managed this even with two surgeries and an emergency hospital admission for my husband. We did have to promise to return in June for medical follow ups.

Saturday, April 2nd was the annual Fox Lake Spring Craft Fair. For our area it is a pretty big event and our daughter had secured a table to sell books. Of course, I wanted to remain in Florida for that! The weather forecast was almost 100% rain and even though her table was under a large pavilion, a day of wind and rain didn’t sound good for sales. Regardless, the event was on and we went early to set up. Fortunately, there was an overseer making sure everyone was in the correct spot.

Our set up was simple. A table cloth, banner and books. I enjoyed watching the other vendors set up. It was obvious they were well acquainted with craft fairs. Most had help but the vendor next to us set up her whole table alone and did a great job. One thing I will say though, books are heavy, even with a hand cart.

Vendors spaces were not limited to the pavilion. There were a lot of vendors on the outside. I didn’t realize how many until we were leaving for the day. I was too tired to take pictures of them. I did snap these pictures early in the day of a few vendors set up close to the entrance of the pavilion.

Besides my daughter there was another local author there, Jay Heavner. I bought two of his books a few years ago and was hoping he would be there. He writes murder mystery novels set in our county. When people stopped at our table we would ask what type of books they enjoyed. If the answer was murder or mystery, we told them there was an author in the far corner with just what they were looking for. On a side note, since people are moving to Florida in record numbers, his books give a local’s perspective of Florida. Check him out.

I walked around looking at the different crafts for sale. Man, there are some talented people in the area! I was drawn to two of my favorite things, quilts and wreaths.

A man stopped by our table carrying what looked like twisted wire. And that is exactly what it was. Twisted aluminum wire made into art by a retired electrician. Our cousin, Roger, is a retired electrician and I promptly took a picture and emailed it to him with the text, you can do this!

As the day progressed we kept checking our phones for the hourly rain forecast. Little by little the expected rain time pushed further out. With each delay we said, “thank you, Jesus.” The event was supposed to end at 4 pm. Around 2:30 the skies took on a threatening locker and some vendors began packing up. At 3 pm, we decided to pack away most of the books and leave one or two of each title on the table. We were making ready for a quick departure. Hauling books in the rain would not be fun. My daughter scoped out the vendor parking field and found an empty space next to the paved road. I don’t know how she did it, but she maneuvered her car into the space. When we decided to pack and run, we wouldn’t have to pull the cart in mud.

Being in the pavilion recalled to mind memories of church picnics there as well as the year the high school Band Parents association ran the kitchen for the MacDonnell Douglas company picnic. It was a hot, hard work, fund raiser, but when you have kids, you do these things. It was mind boggling that 32 years had passed since then.

The crowd, which had been quite heavy began to dwindle as the clouds became heavy and dark. We decided it was time to go. We almost made it home when the skies delivered the promised rain. Once home, we left the books in the car and made a dash for the house. We were tired, hungry and happy that the day went well.

The following day, my husband and I celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary. We are blessed. And now we are settling into our home in the North Carolina mountains. The hummingbirds arrived two days ago and unfortunately a bear did too. My neighbor captured a photo on his game camera of one a bear sniffing around their children’s trampoline. The neighborhood is hoping that if we all bring in our bird feeders at night the bear will move on. It’s kind of creepy seeing a bear on the porch like we did last year. He made multiple visits.

The following day, my husband and I celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary. We are blessed. And now we are settling into our home in the North Carolina mountains. The hummingbirds arrived two days ago and unfortunately a bear did too. My neighbor captured a photo on his game camera of one a bear sniffing around their children’s trampoline. The neighborhood is hoping that if we all bring in our bird feeders at night the bear will move on. It’s kind of creepy seeing a bear on the porch like we did last year. He made multiple visits.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2022 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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Our Trip to Spain-Prolog

9 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when terror struck the United States on September 11, 2001?  I’m sure you do.  That’s not the kind of event a person easily forgets.  As it happened, my wife, Divoran and I were in the middle of a wonderful family get-together at one of our favorite places in Central Florida; DeLeon Springs State Park. 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Our family had been visiting the campground since the late 1960s, before it was a state park.  We loved camping there and knew the original owners well.  One of the unique things about this campground was its rustic Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant, where you can cook your own breakfast on the hot-plate in the middle of your table.  This particular day our son, and his family, as well as our daughter, and her husband had joined us for a special family breakfast together.

Photo Credit: https://www.floridarambler.com/ponce-de-leon-state-park/

We could not have been having a more wonderful family time, when the terrible news came filtering into the restaurant over the airways.  I remember how deathly quiet it became, as all the airplanes in this country were grounded.   You might remember how everything seemed to be on hold, as if the country was holding its breath, to see what would happen next.  We finished our breakfast in stunned silence, not really able to grasp the enormity of the attack.  It wasn’t until we got home, later that day, that we were able to see the news reports of just what all had happened.  It was only then that we began to understand how devastating the event had been, and finally the impact began to sink in.  We could have never understood, at the time, just how much this event would change our lives, and the lives of most people the world over, forever.

Photo Credit: https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-xpm-2001-sep-11-attack/

—–To Be Continued—–

Did you know that Bill and his wife DiVoran loved DeLeon Springs so much that DiVoran wrote a trilogy set there-Onisha

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 64 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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Freezing in Florida

28 Jan

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

According to local news it has been four years since Florida experienced a widespread freeze.

Photo Credit https://twitter.com/KellianneWX/status/1486681344776318990

That means there are thousands of new Florida residents and some may have questions about what to expect. A local Facebook group had these questions:

  • Will my car be ok?
  • What should I do to protect my plants?
  • Should I cover landscape bushes and small trees?
  • Do I need to buy special materials to cover my plants?
  • Is there anything I need to do with running water to protect pipes?

Answers ranged from helpful to flippant. I decided to throw in my 2¢ of advise based on living all but my two first years of life in Florida.

Yes, your car will be ok. In Florida we mix water with antifreeze in the car’s coolant system. Not to prevent freezing but to assist with keeping the car’s engine cool during our long, hot summers.(Which I might add seem to go from April through December.) So if your car has antifreeze, no worries.

The need to protect plants and how to protect them is a matter of preference. My rule of thumb is if I have a plant or plants that would be greatly missed, I cover them or if possible bring them inside. I have three hanging baskets of mandevilla flowers that are very sensitive to cold and frost. It’s not very pretty at the moment but in the spring and summer it is lush with flowers

They spend half the year with me in North Carolina and the other half in Florida. I will move them into my daughter’s storage building until the cold passes. We will also be protecting the plumeria, coleus, geranium and poinsettia flowers. Except for the plumeria, they are in pots which we will move close to the house and group snugly together then probably toss a sheet over them.

Big box home improvement stores sell special clothes for covering plants but I think an old sheet or light blanket works just as well. We also use our old beach towels. This might not be aesthetically pleasing but it works. According to the local news station, the trick is to make sure the cover reaches all the way to the ground to retain the days heat. Be sure to put the cover on the plants before sunset so you lose less heat.

I’m not sure about covering landscape bushes. I think it would depend on what one calls a landscape bush. I remember one year we had a nice grouping of crotons.

Image by sandid from Pixabay

We didn’t cover them and they froze. After the cold passed we cut them back and they survived. I often think the occasional freeze in Florida is nature’s way to maintain order. Otherwise, some plants grow to unmanageable size unless one prunes regularly.

It’s not a bad idea to give plants a nice watering before a freeze. It is supposed to help with maintaining heat plus, our cold fronts tend to be accompanied by wind which is particularly drying.

In my whole lifetime in Florida, I have not known anyone whose indoor pipes froze. I am not familiar with north west Florida, so that may be an issue there. The only pipe we had freeze was our outdoor water hose pipe. I remember wanting to turn the water on for some reason and the water wouldn’t flow out. Thinking it had some ice on the inside near the opening, I gave it a few bangs on the sidewalk. To my amazement, the metal fitting on the hose bent. It was Christmas and the year our children received new bicycles. They about froze but were determined to give them a ride.

Freezing temperatures in Florida did bring some fun things. People would leave their yard sprinklers on so that they would wake up to icy fences. The non fun side is the damage to winter crops. At one time Central Florida had vast orange groves and a hard freeze was a disaster. Not far from us is a farm that grows ferns which are very sensitive. They run water sprinklers to incase the ferns in ice which protects them from the lower temperature.

The bottom line for me is don’t put complete trust in the weather forecast. So far in our area, the cold snaps have been colder than the forecasts. But, this one could also be warmer. Who knows? It’s the weather and the weather does what it wants.

And yes, falling Iguanas are real. From a news station a few days ago. Weather is supposed to be even colder starting tonight.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2021 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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Transplants

21 Sep

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Pixabay

In 1965, when Bill got a job at the Kennedy Space Center, we moved with our two children 2,564.5 miles from the Los Angeles area to Titusville, Florida. Fortunately, our few possessions went in a moving van paid for by Bill’s company. 

Florida was to become a whole new adventure for all of us. One of our first experiences occurred when we had not yet reached our destination. 

Most of the journey from Orlando to Titusville was on an uneven asphalt road through a Tarzan-like jungle.  What we didn’t know was that we’d soon be passing over a cement bridge that covered the expansive St John’s River marsh. Lightning crackled, and thunder shook our world.Our car’s headlights were the only bits of light in sight. We hadn’t seen where the bridge began, and once we were on it, we couldn’t see where it ended. To increase the sense of dread, frogs began to pop up all around our now creeping vehicle. We knew we were squashing them under our tires, but there was nothing we could do. Fortunately, the children didn’t wake up until the next morning at the motel. Bill reported to work at the space center the next day, and the children and I went out to explore.

Pixabay

Three weeks later, we found a fine new house and moved into it. Once again, we were inundated with frogs. This time they splacked themselves on our glass patio doors and got busy gorging on the moths and mosquitos that were attracted to the light inside the house. We had begun to look up things and talk to neighbors about the wild-life and found that these were Green Tree Frogs. We could see that they had gold stripes running along their sides. I fancied that it was real gold because God likes to make our world as beautiful and authentic as possible. 

The frogs didn’t bother us. We got used to their sounds. After a rain, we could hear them out in the woods singing. They had sopranos, tenors, and bass singers. It started like a concert and ended like one, too. 

One evening we had folks over for supper, and the gentleman of the pair wanted to go out the patio doors into the back yard to look around. We let him out, but when he returned and tried to slide the door open again, a good-sized frog plopped down onto his head. I imagine the frog was as startled as the man. But I was embarrassed! Anyway, he brushed the frog off, and it all became a funny memory. 

For a while, people who move to Florida are called transplants. People who have homes here and homes in other states get the name of snow-birds because they come here to stay warm.  If they enjoy Florida, they make friends with the “Crackers,” that are already here. Real crackers, though, are families who have have been here for at least five generations or longer. I love my native friends and feel many bonds with them after all these years. Thank you, Lord, for transplanting us.

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Cardinal

25 May

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Photos by Melody 

You can imagine our astonishment when we moved to Florida from California and saw our first Cardinal. Males the color of fire engines immediately caught our attention. It took a bit longer to acknowledge the beauty of the females in their soft orange and taupe finery and their orange bills. 

After we had lived in our home in Florida for a few years, we decided to make our back yard into a refuge for birds and butterflies, and that was when we began to observe their behavior more closely. We heard the sweet and clear calls of the birds. I’ve read since they have 16 different calls and songs. Last year a female cardinal built a small nest close to our front porch. When it was finished, she patiently sat on the eggs and the male brought her food day after day. Later in the process, he sat on the nest to give her a few short breaks. 

The babies hatched in twelve days. The parents stayed close, one watching while the other gathered food. The babies grew until the nest seemed way too small for them. Then one day they were gone. Oh, no, they weren’t ready! Did something get them? It seemed a great loss and we felt terrible that we had not been able to take care of them.

The next day I went into the back yard, and there I saw two small brownish birds clinging to the stems of the jasmine vine that covered the back fence.  Having seen them in the nest, we knew these were our baby cardinals! In a few days we began to see their parents teach them how to fly, how to take a bath, and best of all how to sing and call. It seems to me all the world sings in one way or another, and it tells me that our Lord God loves all kinds of music. I know he loves to hear it from his beloved people like you and me. 

“All I need to do is to call to you, singing to you, the praiseworthy God.

When I do, I’m safe and sound in you.”

The Passion Translation Psalm 18:3 

Hear the songs of the cardinal

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Melody’s Adventures, Cave Diving

31 Mar

A Time to Live

Melody Hendrix

Fresh water cave diving

Diving fresh water is completely different than salt water. Lakes are not very exciting since there aren’t the colorful fish and plants like the sea. So I decided to try cave diving. 

The Florida Aquifer  has a massive underground system of limestone that looks like a honey comb. Many lakes, sinks and springs are formed when the surface of the land dissolves and falls into the aquifer below. This allows the diver to enter the system.

 The temperature of the aquifer is a constant 72 degrees. The water is so clear, it looks like air. When you adjust your weights, so you don’t sink or float, you can fly like a bird in the air. It is the most wonderful feeling. 

As soon as I dip below the water, I immediately feel as though I am in a giant aquarium. As I enter the cavern , I can look out and see the sun glistening in rays that move with the motion of the water. The only sound you hear are your bubbles and breathing. It is so peaceful and relaxing. 

One day, there were three of us swimming down a long cave tunnel beyond the cavern. We had our safety line with us that would lead us out when we returned. We noticed an unusual formation off the main tunnel, and swam over to it When we got inside and looked around, someone got too close to the bottom and kicked up the silt with their fin. Silt is a layer similar to dust. When it is disturbed, will fill the area and block out your vision.

 We could see the white silt starting to roll upwards and fill the area. It only took seconds to create a white out where we couldn’t see our hands in front of our face. Not only were we blinded, we didn’t know if we were upside down or not because we were weightless.

 So we held our life saving  line and I headed out first. I slide the line through my hands following its direction when I hit a wall of rock. I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t go any farther. Panic set in. I couldn’t communicate with anyone because I couldn’t see them. Finally after taking a few breaths, my hand followed the line under the rock. It had slipped under it. I was able to go around and get my wits together. I could only hope everyone else would be able to follow the line and not panic.

 I finally swam out of the silt and waited for my dive buddies to emerge. Everyone was shook up, but safe. That was the last time I explored a cave.

MelodyWelcome! I’m so glad you stopped in to visit. I am retired and enjoying life. My hobbies are my 5 grandchildren, son and daughter, and my loving husband. I am a photographer and extreme nature lover. I love spending time in my garden or in the wilderness connected to God my Creator.
What a beautiful world we live in. We all have that in common. Natural beauty is everywhere, but sometimes we are not connected until we see a picture, taken just right, that makes it really come into focus and be admired. My passion is to make a connection between the lens and your soul. Photography is my passion.
My photography passion began when my Father handed me his old Ricohflex box camera when I was 12.  It was love at first sight. I still have it. My hand was never empty of a camera since.
I am a native Floridian. I am so lucky to call it home. I was born in Orlando BF (before Disney). My family moved to the Winter Park area when I was very young. Central Florida was so simple and quaint at that time. I wandered the streets barefoot with my friends, never worrying that something bad could ever happen. My Mom used to pick the sand-spurs out of my feet. I still go barefoot. It grounds me to earth and connects me to nature.
I have extensively explored Florida and its diverse beauty. So much to see and so little time. I would love for you to join me in my travels through the images I have taken. I wish you could hear the sounds, smell the fragrance and feel the breath of it. But for now we must be content with exploring with our eyes and only imagine the rest.
Thank you for your interest.

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