Children, Alligators and Epiphytes!

It was my pleasure today to take seven adults and six children to the Everglades. I always love to see the expression on kids' faces as they hold the alligators and take airboat rides. What a wonderful site to see the smiles and the concern as the alligator twists and turns, or as the airboat accelerates, or takes a 360 degree "zoom" in the wetlands. What a trip!

The weather was great, and although much warmer, there was still a hint of cool in the air. Most everyone wore a jacket on the airboat ride and I am happy they did. As always the trip was fun and some gators were out for all to see.

One of my favorite plants in the Everglades is an airplant known as the bromeliade. The bromeliade is an airplant and is known as an "epiphyte". An epiphyte is a plant that lives on a host but does not harm the host. It makes its own food by catching moisture and nutrients from the air. It especially likes the cypress and live oak trees and also the mangrove trees. Other examples of the ephiphyte are spanish moss and orchids.

In addition to the Everglades journey, I also had a Dolphin Tour and a Champagne Cruise at Sunset today. A busy day but a fun day. We did see a lot of dolphins on both of my boat trips but what really made the day complete was the absolutely beautiful sunset over the Gulf of Mexico. Wow, what a beautiful place that I live in and what a wonderful world this is.

For some reason as I watched the sun set tonight I could not help but think about our military troops overseas and how I know that they would love to be back in a normal existence and have the opportunity to see this sunset. I applaud their efforts, and thank them for giving me the opportunity to be free, and to have the kind of life that I experience every day in my South Florida Adventures.