Kayaking with the Krauses

For Christmas, Brian gave me a kayak.  I loved it because he was not only giving me the kayak...but also agreeing to help me haul it around.

 But then for my birthday he bought me the BEST GIVE EVER...a kayak for him!

To celebrate, we took an overnight trip to Chiefland, Florida to visit two springs...Manatee Springs and Fannings Springs...both off the Suwannee River.

Yes, the Suwannee River from the Stephen Foster minstrel song..."Old Folks at Home"  (also known as "Way Down Upon the Suwannee River").  Turns out Stephen Foster had never seen the Suwannee River nor visited Florida.  He picked the name because it fit the lyrics.  I couldn't get that song out of my head for a week!

Springs are one of my favorite places to visit...THE GEMS OF FLORIDA.  Before the kayaks, Brian and I visited quite a few...taken the glass bottom boat ride in Silver Springs, swam in the crystal clear waters at Juniper Springs, walked the trail and watched the manatees at Blue Springs. 

The first day of our mini-vacation, we launched our kayaks at Manatee Springs State Park.  It was early and we had the park to ourselves.  In fact, I think we woke up a few hundred vultures that were roosting in the trees on the river.  Since vultures don't have a syrinx (bird vocal organ), they are silent.  All we heard was their wings flapping.

After enjoying the river, we headed into the spring area.  There is a big difference between the blackwater of the Suwannee River and the spring water.  The water in the run from the spring is crystal clear with lots of turtles and fish (bass, mullet and carp).  The area around the spring is for swimming only (no kayaks).  Manatee Springs is a first magnitude spring, meaning the water flow is greater than 65 million gallons of water per day.

The next day, we went a little north to Fanning Springs State Park.  Again we were there early and were the only people on the river.  The first thing we saw on the river was a sign saying "DANGER:  Jumping Sturgeon".  It is a real danger.  In 2015, a 5-year old girl was killed by a jumping sturgeon and during the summer, 8 people were injured.  A sturgeon can be 5 feet in length and weigh from 40 to over 100 pounds.  They can leap 7 feet in the air.  The sturgeons aren't aggressive...they just like to jump.  I didn't realize the seriousness of these encounters until we left the park and I googled it.  That's where I got the photo on the right.  Brian and I didn't see any jumping sturgeons on our visit...Oh my!

Also while we were at Fanning Springs, Brian and I track down a geocache near an old sink hole off the hiking trail in the park.  I started geocaching 12 years ago in Ohio.  Geocaching is an outdoor game where you use a GPS device to find hidden containers (called caches).  There are caches all over the world...over a million caches worldwide.  Once you find a cache, you sign the log book and log your find on the geocaching website, geocaching.com.  When I started geocaching, I needed a GPS device...now I use an app on my phone.  This activity is more fun because I am directionally challenged.  Brian get a lot of amusement from watching me walk around in circles trying to figure out which way is north.

Our latest kayaking adventure was at Weeki Wachee.  We had visited the state park to see the mermaid show and returned a week later to kayak 5 miles down the Weeki Wachee River.   For the first 4 miles we didn't see anyone...just fish, birds and a couple manatees.  It got a little crowded the last mile.  I was happy to see more people after reading the sign:   "DANGER:    Water Moccasin Breeding Area, Beware of Snakes".  Seriously??? 

I enjoy the birds, turtles, fish and can't get enough of the manatees.  And I am happy to say I have not seen an alligator or snake on the water.  Maybe they saw me first!

LIFE IS SHORT...PLAY IN THE WATER

H2O To Go

Summer in Florida is HOT!  Between June, July and August (so far), there have only been 8 days with temperatures under 90 degrees...THAT IS HOT!  My plan...drink water...stay hydrated.  In my search for the perfect water bottle, I have accumulated quite a collection.

When I moved to Florida (5 years ago), I brought my Camelbak water bottles.  Next came the Bubba mug...'cuz everyone had one.  Then I found the Tervis Tumbler...made in American with a great warranty.  Right now my favorite is Ozark Trail tumbler (a competitor of the Yeti).

The Ozark tumbler is sold at Walmart for $10.  It looks the same as the Yeti (which costs $40).  There are hundreds of YouTube videos that compare the two brands.  The results show minimal differences...definitely not worth the extra $30.

When I find something this good, I like to share.  I personalized cups for family and friends.  I am a newbie using my Silhouette cutting machine, so the decals are pretty basic.  I am looking forward to a project that uses more colors (I will save that for another blog post).

Before I clean out my cupboard, I thought I would do my own comparison.  I put 13 oz. of ice in each container (Ozark, Camelbak, Tervis, and Bubba)

Two hours later I checked the external temperature of the cups.  The closer the external temperature was to room temperature (78 degrees), the better.  That reflects the insulation quality.  The Ozark read 75 degrees, the Camelbak read 51 degrees, the Tervis read 65 degrees and the Bubba read 74 degrees.

The Camelbak is the only container that is not double-walled.  It was also the only container that was sweating.  I poured out the liquid from each cup.   Lots of water in the Camelbak (left) and Tervis (right).  There were just a few drops in the Bubba cup and not a drop from the Ozark.  Based on the outside temperatures of the cups, the results were as expected.

I put the water back in the cups and waited another 2 hours.  This time, there was a significant difference.

And the WINNER IS...

Ozark Trail

I left the cups out overnight and there was still ice in the Ozark cup 20 hours later.  All the other cups had no ice left.

I will admit that I don't always have water in my Ozark.  My favorite drink this summer is ICED COFFEE.

Rugs Aren't Just For Floors

I will easily admit that I spend too much time on the Internet...blogs, Pinterest, browsing the web, Amazon.  It is a bad thing because I end up sitting too much.  But is is a good thing because I find lots of inspiration.  My latest find is the website, Engineer Your Space, created by Isabelle LaRue.  She refers to herself as the love child of MacGyver and Martha Stewart.  In that story, I would be her aunt.

I Love to Design With Power Tools

In a recent blog,  Isabelle showed how she used a rug to dress up a wall in her Los Angeles apartment.

I Was Inspired

I am not very successful choosing rugs.  To be more honest...I am terrible.  I could go into detail on my history with rugs, but this blog would end up sounding like a daytime soap opera...love, betrayal and desertion.  I have four large rugs with three of them rolled up and abandoned stored in closets and the garage.  The fourth rug is the first big rug I bought and I didn't want to give up on it.  So Isabelle's wall hanging sounded great.

I have tried the rug in many rooms...too big, too small, and just when I thought I found a spot...I had to admit it was not right there also.  But I refuse to roll up this rug and hide it in a closet.

I gathered my supplies and tools...

Brian and I agreed on our plan of attack.  I measured out the boards.  Remember the woodworkers motto:

Measure Twice...Cut Once

I painted the boards the same color as the wall to help hide the legs.  We assembled the piece in the dining room because it would never fit through the front door.  

I choose to use corner braces to connect the boards rather than screws...for no other reason than it sounded easier to me.  Time will tell if there are any structural problems.

Also, I attached the rug using 1/2" staples.  The rug pile hides the staples.  The assembly and stapling was done in 30 minutes.  After all that work, I realized the piece may not fit through the sliding doors between the dining room and the lanai.   The piece is 92" tall and the door opening is 94".  Wow, I never thought to check those measurements.  

Here is the BEFORE and AFTER

Honestly, it was an easy project.  For me the hardest part was painting the boards.  I ended up with paint all over me, my fitness band and my new Sketchers!  A small price to pay to save a rug from storage.

NOLA...My Favorite City

Florida is my Sunshine, Ohio is my Heart...but New Orleans is my Soul and my new FAVORITE CITY.  I spent a long weekend there with my girls (daughters Mallory and Michelle and daughter-in-law Kelly).  What a special time.  We were on the move from morning until night for three days.  I left with a longer list of things I want to do than when I arrived.  Here are pictures of Jana and Girls...on the left is when we arrive...on the right is later in the evening.

We met up at the hotel Thursday afternoon.  Despite the late start, we were able to cross a lot off our To Do List that first evening.  We walked to Jackson Square, checked out the St. Louis Cathedral, had beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde, dinner at the Royal House, bananas foster at Brennan's.  After all of that, we still had the energy (barely) to walk the mile or so back to our hotel.

We got a slower start on Friday.  We took a streetcar to Ruby Red for brunch.  Then called for a shuttle to tour Mardi Gras World.  We learned the history of Mardi Gras, how the floats are made and saw a warehouse of decorations and floats.  Being a seasoned crafter, it was inspiring.  Before the tour I had no idea what Mardi Gras was about.  After the tour, a visit to New Orleans to see a parade is on my bucket list.

We had an early dinner at the Gumbo Shop...very good seafood...quaint outdoor courtyard seating.

More walking...taking in the sights, street musicians and performers.

And of course our daily dose of beignets.  This time at Cafe Beignet.  The beignets were better, but the staff and atmosphere was not as nice as Cafe Du Monde.  

We ended the evening with a 2 hour Haunted Ghost walking tour from 8 to 10 p.m.  Our tour guide was knowledgeable and high energy.  But honestly, I was so tired and full that I don't remember much.

Saturday was our last day and we made the most of it.  It started with a walking tour of the Garden District and Lafayette Cemetery No. 1.   The Garden District has beautiful homes showing French and Italian influence.  Also impressive were the live oak trees and the crocked sidewalks...I haven't seen such bad roads since I was living in Ohio.

The tour ended at the cemetery.  Lots of history at the cemetery.  I wondered how so many people could be buried in one tomb.  The way it works is that a casket is placed in the tomb and sealed.  The heat inside the closed tomb is a "natural crematorium".  After a "year and a day" the tomb can be opened and the remains (usually dust) swept into a bag or to the back of the tomb.  The coffin is removed and the tomb is available again.

After the tour, Meredith, a friend of Kelly's picked us up and took us to a crawfish boil put on by a couple of her friends.  And what a party it was!  The crawfish, charbroiled oysters, dirty rice and alligator sausage were the great.  But the best part was the New Orlean's hospitality of the hosts and the people we met there.

After the party, Meredith gave us a tour of areas outside the French Quarter.  She took us to a modern cemetery in Mid City.  We stopped at City Park, a beautiful park with water ways, gardens and a coffee shop.  It is larger than Central Park in New York City.  We saw a couple Katrina memorials and drove around the Lower Ninth Ward where the levy broke and most of the homes were lost.

Mallory had one more item on her list...to get a snowball...shaved ice, flavored syrup topped with sweetened condensed milk!  Meredith took us to the best snowball shop...Plum Street Snowballs.

Oh we weren't done yet!  Dinner was at Liuzza's Restaurant for some true New Orlean's dishes.  We definitely saved the best for last.  We ordered Frenchuletta (Muffuletta using french bread), fried green tomatoes with a sauteed shrimp remoulade, fried oysters and boudin.  OMG, I want to go back just to have this meal again!

Meredith took us back to our hotel (what service) where we rested for a while before heading to Frenchman Street for our last night in New Orleans.  We walked around the art booths and listened to music coming from the bars and then headed back to Cafe Du Monde to end our trip just the way we started it...with beignets and cafe au lait.

I came to New Orleans thinking three days would be enough.  But I left planning my next trip.  I want to visit some of the same places...Cafe Du Monde, Garden District, French Quarter, Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral.  I want to to spend more time listening to the street musicians, tour the art garden at City Park, stop in a Voodoo shop, learn more of the history, visit the WWII museum, take a ferry on the Mississippi, ride in a pedicab, see a Mardi Gras parade....so many things to do...so little time.

EPILOGUE

I could do a whole blog on the transportation options in New Orleans.  We rode in a taxi and a streetcar, took the city bus and used Uber.  The bus and street car was the most economical, but not always the most efficient.  I can't say if Uber was cheaper than a taxi ride...but it was fun and the drivers were great.  The three Uber drivers we had were very helpful (remember there were four of us...usually all talking at once).  Next time I want to take a horse-drawn carriage and ride in a  pedicab.  And try out some water rides (ferry on the Mississippi and canoe in City Park)....so many things to do...so little time. 

I'm A Groupon Junkie

I realized I was a GROUPON JUNKIE when I tried unsubscribing from the daily Groupon emails and immediately was consumed with fear.  Fear that I would miss a promo code, fear that there was some new adventure I would miss, fear that there was a spa treatment I didn't know about.

I shared my 2014 Groupons in a previous blog -- The Year of Groupon Adventures -- where I did a deprivation tank session and took a plane ride.

In 2015, I mixed up my Groupon adventures, some sightseeing (Orlando Eye, SeaLife Aquarium, Skeletons:  Animals Unveiled), some water adventures (CraigCat tour and paddleboarding) and some health and beauty (Fascial stretch therapy).

Brian and I bundled several Groupons into a day trip in Orlando.  We took a ride on the Orlando Eye, walked through the SeaLife Aquarium and toured a Skeleton museum...all three were in the same block.  The Orlando Eye was a smooth easy ride and the view was great.  The SeaLife Aquarium was geared more for kids, but the "behind the scenes" tour was a highlight for me.  The Skeleton museum was very interesting and educational.  I liked it more than I want to admit.  Three places I probably won't have gone to without a Groupon.

My Groupon water adventures consisted of paddleboarding on the Wekiva River and touring Lake Dora on a CraigCat.  The padleboarding Groupon was for a 90 minute lesson and tour.  I thought I would need 85 minutes of lessons leaving 5 minutes for the tour.  I was more nervous about being able to stand up on the paddleboard without falling, than I was about what might be in the water (alligators and snakes).  There were 5 people and 1 instructor, Dave.  Dave helped each of us onto the paddleboard and said to kneel on it and paddle around until everyone was out in the water.  Then he talked each of us through standing up and centering ourselves on the board.  Within 10 minutes we were standing and ready for the tour.  We paddled up the Wekiva River for about a mile.  It is a beautiful serene area and we were the only people on the water.  I saw no alligators and better yet no snakes.  I saw a bald eagle soaring overhead, plus lots of other birds.  Paddleboarding on the calm water was fun and easy.

I got Brian to come with me on my next  Groupon water adventure...a CraigCat tour of Lake Dora.  What's a CraigCat?  Visualize aluminum folding chairs strapped down to two paddleboards with an outboard motor attached.  Actually, the CraigCat is very stable, lightweight and FAST.  The tour was slow while cruising through the Dora Canal, but there were times when we let loose in the open water.

For my "spa" adventures, I purchased a Fascial Stretch Therapy session at Pure Performance Group.  The stretch therapy was done by Sondi, a personal trainer.  It felt like a combination assisted yoga and massage...great for flexibility and relief of sore muscles.  I liked the stretch experience so much that I bought a package and go back every month.  At one of my recent visits, I tried the Cryotherapy Tank.  Yes, I left the cold winters in Ohio to PAY to spend 2 1/2 minutes exposed to below zero temperatures.  It was fun, but I think I will stick with the stretch therapy.

Brian and I ended the year with a Groupon for a tour at the Gold Gypsy Horse Farm.  The day couldn't have been nicer.  The tour included a talk by owner Dennis Thompson and a walking tour around the property.  The Gypsy Vanner horses have a colorful history and are beautiful.  I can see why the horse farm tour is TripAdvisor's #1 Thing to Do in Ocala, Florida.

2016 is a new year and Brian and I have already started some Groupon adventures, but those will have to wait for next year's blog review!