TWO DAYS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

2010 Thursday Feb. 18
We went to get groceries this morning - the Publix is just a few blocks east of us. Back home for lunch. We went for a 1.5 hour walk around the resort after a short rest. There was no-one at the lake shack to tell us about fishing, but a couple of guys who own here told us you need no license to fish off the two docks. Prices were listed at the shack for renting canoes, jet-skis, fishing guides, etc., and it's a little pricey to do these. I have my own pole and lures, so I will probably fish off the docks and maybe some from the shore. As we walked along the lake shore, we saw a limpkin (rare for us), but the best thing was a Sandhill Crane on a nest with two eggs. It was out from shore about 30 feet in a shallow weedy area but seemed not to notice us walking nearby. We also saw several small song birds and some osprey. One guy told us there is an eagle around, but I'm thinking it was probably the osprey - although an eagle is a possibility. Home for supper.

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2010 Friday Feb. 19
This morning was our meeting with a sales rep for the resort. They always get you to go to these by saying it will not be a sales representation but will simply give you information about how to make the most out of your ownership in Wyndham Resorts. Of course, it always ends up being a sales presentation, but we go because they always have incentives - in this case, an American Express gift card. I do learn things by going to these, as I did this time, so it's worth the 1 to 1.5 hours of talk to get $75 and some good information. We went for lunch at TGIFridays, which is at the entrance to the resort. After lunch, we went a few miles southwest of us to the town of Celebration. It is new, has a large housing area, and a unique downtown area on a small lake. There are lots of restaurants, touristy shops, and a nice area for sitting at the lake front. We watched a couple of guys fishing off the dock, catching bluegill using chicken-hot-dogs for bait. They said they just saw another guy catch a 4 pound bass near the lily pads using a minnow for bait. We mostly enjoyed the 1/2 mile paved walk around the lake and the coffee and treat at the Starbucks. We will return for more hiking, because there are two more lakes with a walk around them that connects to this walk. A resident told us it takes about an hour to walk the whole thing, so we plan on doing that sometime soon. Home for supper.

WEATHER: Thursday was cool, high 58. Friday, high was 61, low 41. Supposed to get back to 70's Saturday, then 76 and rain on Mon., then low 60's again by Wed., following the usual weather pattern. Looks like a big snow for home, with up to 10 inches by Monday. Glad we will miss all that fun!

FL NEWS: (1) [The Orlando area has the same problem that the Ft. Myers area did - falling home prices.] In July of 2007, the median price of an Orlando home was $264,436. For Jan. of this year it was $103,000 - a fall of $120,000 from December. For Jan. of this year, 73% of all resales were bank repossessions and short sales. [Hey, time to buy one or two places!! Seriously, for people thinking long-term, this is a great buying opportunity.]
(2) "STOWAWAY IN JET WHEEL DIES" A man climbed into the wheel well of a Miami-bound cargo jet while it was on a ramp in a Dominican Republic airport. Shortly after takeoff, air traffic controllers saw a man fall out of the Boeing 767. The body was found by airport workers, and the runway was shut down for 45 minutes. Authorities are investigating how the man gained access to the plane and whether he was an airport worker. He wasn't carrying any personal documents. In the past 15 years, 68 people have tried to stow away in the wheel wells of 58 flights, and 59 of them died. Usually, airborne stowaways freeze to death, because temperatures at high altitude are 40 to 50 degrees below zero. Or they die from lack of oxygen.