Dad & Nancy Live In A Very Nice Condo Complex Next To The Marina In Coconut Grove.

They're On The 17th Floor - How's This For A View?

The Condo Has Windows Along The Entire Length - Not A Bad View To Wake Up To In The Morning!

Dad's Working w/ The Miami School District & Nancy's Doing Consulting w/ Eagle's Flight.

We Stayed @ The Mutiny Hotel - Right Next To The Condo.

The Room Was Very Nice, A Suite. We Didn't Spend Much Time There But We Used The Frig To Cool Drinks & The Microwave To Make Tea.

Comfy Sofa.

Our View Was Of Dad & Nancy's Building - The Back Side.

Dad Took Us To His Favorite (Dive) Restaurant For Lunch On Sunday - Good Food!

Then We Went To The Everglades National Park & The Shark Valley Tram Tour.

This Was Our Welcoming Committee - A 9 Ft. Aligator!

This "Baby" Was Sunning Himself Next To The Park Map - Creepy!

The 6x Optical Zoom Is Nice But Wasn't Required For This Close-Up!!

The Tram Followed A Single LaneThrough The Everglades To An Observation Tower @ The Endpoint.

We Saw LOTS Of Birds & A Few Aligators - It Wasn't Warm Enough For The Gators, Most Of Them Were Staying Warm In The Water.

Some People Rode Bikes Or WALKED The Road - Not Sure I'd Trust The Aligators To Walk Within 2 Feet Of Them In THEIR Environment!

This Little Turtle Thought It Was Warm Enough To Sun Himself.

By The Time We Got 20 Minutes Into The Tour It Started Pouring Rain!! Luckily Dad Got The Last 4 Emergency Ponchos @ The Gift Shop - Good Work!

This Gator Welcomed Us To The Observation Tower.

Look @ The Water - It's Really Pouring!

That's Not A Rock In The Water, This Gator Was Heading For A Dry Spot.

Trojan Man? Don't Knock Them - They Kept Us From Getting Soaked To The Bone!

We Had Hats - No Need For The Poncho Hood.

We Ate Dinner @ Another One Of Dad's Favorite Restaurant's - This Is Lucia Our Waitress.

A Father, Son Pose @ The Condo.

Dad Got A Car Allowance From His Company & Purchased A Mini Cooper - It's Great! He Got The Turbo w/ The Sun Roof - It Really Moves!

Cute Biscuits.

The Mini Has 8 Air Bags & Will Seat 4 Comfortably.

We Then Transitioned From Coconut Grove To Pompano Beach @ The Sea Gardens Beach & Tennis Resort.

The Gardens Were Beautiful ...

... And We Actually Found Coconuts (Had A Hard Time Finding Them In Coconut Grove).

We Stayed In The Ocean Palms ....

... On The Fifth Floor. Our New Status w/ Fairfield Allowed Us To Upgrade From A Studio To A 2 Bedroom Deluxe!

Anita Was Happy To Get To The Room ...

... And Lead The Tour Thru The Room.

We Had A Big Kitchen ...

... With A Nice Breakfast Bar.

Our Living Area Was Comnfortable (We Took A Nap On The Couch) ....

... And We Had A TV w/ A VCR (One In The Bedroom As Well) & A Stereo.

A Comfy King Size Bed In The Master Bedroom ...

... With A Spa Tub & Double Sinks.

Not A Bad Place To Soak Away The Hours.

Plenty Of Room To Get Ready In The Morning.

The Spa Was Big Enough To Fit Two Comfortably.

This Is The 2nd Bedroom - Maybe You Can Join Us Next Year.

It Had It's Own TV (But No VCR).

I Braved The Balcony And Then Took Some Photos Of The View.

We Faced The Intercoastal Waterway.

We Got The Afternoon Sun On The Balcony. After Unpacking We Headed For Wal-Mart To Purchase Supplies!

Yes, I Helped Unpack But I Couldn't Resist The Chance To Get Another Photo Of Anita.

Anita Made Bacon & Egg Sandwiches For Brunch (We're Late Risers) & We Dined On The Balcony.

I Used The Downtime To Practice My Juggling - I'm Still Working On 2 Bean Bags.

We Took A Stroll On The Beach After Lunch - Great Conditions!

And A Beautiful View.

It Got Even Better, Until ...

... Anita Got The Camera.

We Walked To The Pier To Enjoy The Sun.

This Kitty Was Enjoying Herself On The Beach.

We Don't Fish But Lots Of People Were Trying Their Luck.

We Made A New Friend & Asked Her To Take Our Picture,

Can You See The Lighthouse On The Far Right?

The Pier Was A Resting Spot For All Types Of Fowl.

Seems Like A Safe, Comfortable Location.

Here's 2 Of The 3 Stooges Waiting For The Opportunity To "Help" A Fisherman w/ Their Catch.

Another Bird Waiting Patiently For A Meal.

While I Was Take A Load Off As Well - Nothing Like Taking A Nap On Anita's Lap!

The Next Day We Drove To N. Fort Myers To Visit Anita's Aunt Mary & Uncle Don.

They Have A Beautiful Home On The Caloosahatchee River.

Mary Brought Out A Loaf Of Bread To Feed The Birds. There Wasn't A Single Bird In Sight When The First Crumb Hit The Water, Then We Were Gonners!

They've Got Lots Of Glass To Enjoy The View But Spend Most Of Their Summer's RVing.

Beautiful Flowers.

The Moore's Took Us To Visit The Winter Homes Of Thomas Edison & Henry Ford. Visit Their Web Site @ http://www.edison-ford-estate.com/home.asp

This Banyan Tree Is The Largest In North America!

It Was Planted From A Cutting 4ft Tall Over 70 Years Ago!

They're Called Market Trees In India Because They Grow Large Enough To Cover Entire Blocks!

Edison Designed The House In NJ, Had The Entire Thing Pre-Cut, Then Shipped It All To FL For Assembly!

We Were told That This Was The Deadliest Plant On The Planet! Everything Is Poisonous.

I Found This Beautiful Orchid Growing In A Tree.

Edison Was Married Twice. This Garden Was Dedicated To His Second Wife.

Edison Started A Joint Venture w/ Ford & Firestone When He Was 82 To Find A Substitute For Natural Rubber.

Here's A Clearer Picture Of One Of The Lab Stations. I Liked How The Previous One Gives It A Dated Feeling.

Ford's Visited For 2 Weeks Every Year In Feb. To Celebrate Edison's Birthday. Edison Spent The Entire Winter In FL - Health Reasons!

Nice View Of The River!

Rumor Has It That Ford Gave Edison A Car Every Year. Edison Improved It And Told Ford What To "Fix".

These Ford's Were In The Garage Next To Henry's Home.

Two Of Them Are Used Every Year In An Annual Parade.

This One Looks Like It Was Only Driven On Sunday's.

A Breakfast Of Champions - Anita's Got A Big Plate Of Tater-Tots And I've Got A ...

... Chili Omelet.

I Volunteered To Do The Dishes.

It's A Bird, It's A Plane, No It's A Para-Sail!

Good View From The Boat, But Even A Better View From The Air!!

Ready, Set ...

... Go!! We Were 400 ft Up @ Our Highest Point For A Total Duration Of 15-20 min. We've Got A Video Of The Experience On Order!

Anita Took Some Time To Tell Others How Much Fun We Were Having - Hope You Got One!

The Gardens Are Non-Profit & Also Include A Wildlife Sanctuary. Visit Their Web Site @ http://www.flamingogardens.org

Anita's Enjoying The Sunshine.

We Made It Just In Time For The Wildlife Show. This Red Tailed Hawk Was Shot & Will Never Fly Again.

This Owl Was Hit By A Car That Was Chasing A Mouse To Get An Apple Core Thrown From A Vehicle.

The Free Flight Aviary Had A Large Variety Of Birds.

There Were Lots Of Peacocks On The Grounds Strutting Their Stuff.

The Property Was Donated By The Wrey Family & Rivaled The Edison Winter Home For Beauty.

Taking A Load Off.

Look Ma' One Foot ...

... And I Can Drink Upside Down!

No Sanctuary Would Be Complete w/o Aligators ...

... Or A Cute Otter ...

... How About A Pair Of Bobcats?

Nice Kitty, Good Kitty.

More Beautiful Blossums.

Another Break To Enjoy The Beauty - Oh, Yah There's Flowers In The Photo Too!

That's All Folks!! Hope You Enjoyed A Peek @ Our Visit To Florida. Keep Your Mouse Pointed To This Page For Clips From The Para-Sailing Video.