The Everglades- Flamingo, Florida

Arrived- Monday, February 29

We are in Flamingo, just us and the mosquitoes! We arrived just after sunset, set up the trailer while under attack and finished our bloody battle inside the trailer. We won the inside battle....

We've had no phone reception or internet while in the park, and the TV reception seems to be influenced by the time. We got the TODAY show in the morning with breakfast which would eventually fade away. Then starting around 6 PM we would start getting 1-2 Spanish stations, and by 8-9 PM we sometimes had 2 PBS stations. The later it got the better they came in. Later in the week we moved to Long Pine Campground and have very good reception...the better to see Downton Abbey with tonight!

The following are a few of our early pictures from the Everglades. The red shoulder hawk is fairly common and very good at posing on top of anything for a photo.

Red shouldered hawk

We went to the marina to go on a sunset cruise out onto Florida Bay, and buy insect repellent, 98% DEET. The manatees were in the marina, and I see George has labeled them as amorous...they just looked like they were rolling around to me. A lady taking photos called them "cute"...not a word I would use to describe them.

Amorous manatees

On the way out to the bay, we spotted ospreys who had a nest in a channel marker. There were at least two chicks in the nest.

Osprey pair raising chicks

And a beautiful sunset on Florida Bay...

Sunset on Florida Bay

This final photo is of the Spanish Moss hanging in the trees. We were told that chiggers like to live in this moss, you know those mites that burrow into you skin and make you itch? Ford used the moss to stuff the seats of model-T Fords back in the day. This could not have been a good idea....

Spanish Moss in West Indies Mahogany tree