"C" You Real Soon - "Y?" Because We Like You!

Subtle tribute to the Mickey Mouse Club song.  Anyone who knows me well knows that the only part of that song I sing is the "Donald Duck!" shouted in the background.  So... LOTS to update you on.  First of all we spent the day in Highlands Hammock State Park in Florida on Wednesday.  It was totally worth it, and I would recommend it highly.  While we were there, we saw not only alligators, turtles, and birds, but also MY FIRST EVER ARMADILLO!  Granted, they are considered an invasive species in Florida, but I still think they are extremely cute.  Took several photos.  Got to see about six of them.  They look like a cross between a pill bug (roll-y poll-y bug for those of you in Indiana) and an opossum.  If they were more abundant and house-breakable I would want 6 or 7 of them.  Doc does not share my extreme enthusiasm about armadillos, but he celebrated with me, and in turn I got to celebrate with him today as we swam with one of his favorite animals, 5 MANATEES!  So cool.  Got to snorkel with them for about an hour and a half.  Also got to scratch their backs and pet them.  Surprising texture.  Anyway, Doc is still on cloud 9 because swimming with manatees was on his life list.  I was stoked about it too, but I'm not sure anything could match the enthusiasm I had for those armadillos.  In between Wednesday and today we did Disney (saw a Bald Eagle on the way to Disney and a different one on our way to Crystal River!).  Spent 3 nights in their campground (an experience in itself and not at all primitive or rustic) and did 2 days in the parks.  The first day we did Epcot and the second day we did Magic Kingdom.  Only my second visit to each, the first being this past June.  Very enjoyable.  They showed movies at the campground outside on the big screen, so we got to see both Bolt and Cool Runnings.  Also fun.  Tomorrow brings a trip to Gainesville to visit the Florida Museum of Natural History and one of the biggest butterfly gardens in the world.  We'll have to wait until we get home to download Doc's photos of the manatees and also any photos that I'm in, but those aren't terribly important anyway.  We will be coming home somewhat early to take my puppy off my mom's hands and we are beginning to think seriously about the lack of warm clothes in our suitcases to wear back to Indiana and the 10 degree weather waiting for us...

A Debt to Be Repaid

Now, as a photographer, I hate to admit it when I get caught with my pants down.  Bottom line, before Doc and I left for the Bahamas I knew I had only packed one camera battery, but I just COULD NOT find the other I had handy.  Thankfully, when my one battery inevitably stopped working, our friend Joe stepped in.  In order to repay my debt to Joe for allowing me to steal his camera battery for almost a month, I promised to take photos of birds in the Everglades.  Joe loves birds.  For lending me a battery, I love Joe.  I don't love birds... but here is my first attempt at avian photography.  Also threw in a photo of the token Everglades 'gator, the dolphins for proof, and a couple photos of weird plants from Key West.  Sorry again that everything is in as-shot condition.  I normally wouldn't do that, but we're in Sebring, FL where the tornadoes are knocking at our hotel room door (can't camp in a tornado!) and the power may die and take the internet with it at any moment.  Next up... Doc Does Disney!

We Go Where the Wind Goes

Turns out that we didn't head straight to Everglades National Park after my first post.  We're finally on our way there today, but in the meantime we missed a turn and decided we were already 12 miles into the 130 mile trek to Key West... so we went.  Had a good time touristing, but decided it isn't for us in the long term.  Fun for a day or two.  Enjoyed some key lime pie and also some kitschy shell shops.  Spotted 5 dolphins off one of the bridges on highway 1 and swung around into a turn-off so we could watch them.   Got a few far-off photos as proof (coming next time), but they didn't get close.  We did get to witness their feeding behavior and see them circling some fishies.  I also got to see a Blue Marlin leap out of the water, don't worry, I won't be offended if you call me Eagle Eyes, but Doc was driving and couldn't turn his head in time to see.  Better luck next time.  Also went to a nautical flea market (who knew there was such a thing?) and found out that they basically sell fishing tackle, boat rope, and oddments.  Interesting.  Anyway, off this morning to tour the Coral Castle, a truly odd monument built by a very odd man to commemorate his love for a woman.  Chocolate will be just fine for me, thanks, no one build me a shrine.
-A. Broad

More to Pique Your Interest

Here are a few more photos from Acklins, Bahamas to pique your interest.  Sorry they are unedited.  I had time to add them, not to clean them up.  The first is an interesting orchid we found along the road, the third is indeed a shark buried in the sand (there were two and I'm still trying to figure out how/why they were there), and the rest are just plants, buildings, and ruins I found interesting.

It's a Rough Job, But Someone's Got to Do It

It would have been nice to start writing when our journey began, but it is extremely difficult to blog from a remote island where the internet could be described as, "spotty at best."  So here we are, one leg of the journey over, and ready to move on to the next.  I suppose I should introduce myself first, for those of you that don't know me.  I am A. Broad, world traveler, photographer, and sometime art historian, on sabbatical with my father, Doc, from January 1 to August, when the new semester starts again.  At that time, I hope to be attending graduate school and he will resume teaching at the collegiate level.  Now for the fun part... where have we been and where are we going?  

The first part of that question is easy.  We have been traveling in the Bahamas for the last 3 weeks on the islands of Andros, New Providence, and Acklins.  We spent the longest on Andros, where Doc was teaching a 2 week class on marine biology and I was his teaching assistant.  That part was fun, but more what we're used to, considering that the 2 week class occurs on a yearly basis and sometimes we also visit Andros in the summer.  Our last sabbatical, Fall of '04, we spent 4 months on that island.  After we left Andros, we took the "fast" ferry over to Nassau, New Providence and spent a night in anticipation of leaving for the remote destination of Acklins, Bahamas.  As we came over on the "fast" ferry, we encountered a lovely couple from Michigan, Mike and Mary, who kept us company for the trip and were kind enough to drive us to our hotel, and also the Oasis of the Sea, one of those crazy new cruise ships that carries 6,000 people around in what looks like a floating Chicago apartment complex.  Massive is about the only word we could think of to describe such a thing.

Our next destination was Acklins, about 400 miles south of Andros and New Providence.  Neither of us had ever been there, and very few people we encountered could tell us more than that it was "really remote" and that there was "nothing there."  They were right, but we had a purpose for our trip and also it turned out to be one of the most beautiful and pristine places we've ever been.  The purpose of our journey was to help establish 5 primary school libraries and assist in a teacher's workshop on reading and library management.  The fun part, as you can see in the photos, was definitely getting into the schools and reading to/with the children.  The first photo shows me, A. Broad, with the combined first and second grade classes at Snug Corner Primary School on Acklins, and the second photo shows Doc with the combined preschool-second grade class at Salina Point Primary School on Acklins.  

Obviously, reading to the kids was the highlight, but it was also excellent to get to spend hours beach combing and exploring the historic buildings and ruins around the island.  A pleasant surprise that awaited us was our lodgings, at a bed and breakfast called IVel's, which turned out to be far more pleasant and comfortable than any B&B on an island with less than 500 inhabitants really has a right to be.  We were also surprised to find a wonderful restaurant/bar called Club Rolle-x (after the proprietor, Henry Rolle).  We enjoyed the first meal we had there so much that we unanimously agreed to have the exact same meal prepared for us a second night.  Yesterday we journeyed from Acklins to Nassau, and then, after spending a wonderful day with our new friend Anna touring Nassau and eating at a delightful farm called Goodfellow's, we hopped a late evening plane to Fort Lauderdale.

So that's where we are now.  After our laundry is dried and our van is repacked, we will be setting off on a 2.5-3 week excursion around Florida and back to home base, Indiana.  Our general destination for the next few days will be the Everglades and Coral Castle, photos to follow.  After that, who knows?  We certainly don't.

-A. Broad