Tranquility

I am happy that in the middle of the hassle of moving, getting people to clean and paint today (3rd December 2022, my Guatamalan, nature loving friend Rosa, called to tell me she was going to Wakodahatchee Park to look at the birds.

You know me. Just say outdoors and I am there!

So, I told her give me two hours. 

Thankfully she did and it was a really a great afternoon. 

The Wakodahachee Wetlands, opened in 1996 are in Delroy Beach, Florida. 

It has a three-quarter mile boardw​alk that crosses between open water areas and islands with shrubs and snags to foster nesting and roosting.

 This site is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail and offers many opportunities to observe birds in their natural habitats. 

Over 178 bird species have been identified there, along with turtles, alligators, rabbits, fish, frogs and raccoons and the words that come to mind are peace, beauty and tranquility. 

 I had the feeling I might have been there before with a Meet Up group, but nothing quite rung a bell. But I did, for I found the blog I did on that visit. 

Joan, my views: Alligator mating call (joan-myviews.blogspot.com)

Anyway this is the type of place you visit over and over again if you can. 

In fact we met a retired federal officer who is an amateur photographer and he admitted he had been visiting this park for 47 years! 

We thought this stork was a dried branch! Great camoflage

I suspect he is not the only one, since all around you see dozens of photographers, amateur and professional, toting huge expensive cameras,  just hoping to get that special shot!

This is not just a place for leisure seekers and bird watchers though, for it is reported that each day, the Southern Region Water Reclamation Facility pumps approximately two million gallons of highly treated wastewater into the Wakodahatchee Wetlands, which in turn acts as a percolation pond, returning billions of gallons of fresh water back into the water table.

For us though, it is a place to enjoy nature and find peace and tranquility.

A colorful iguana

A tree covered with storks

George, the Park's mascot!

 

Retirement Reflections

 I love retirement, only wish could have done it from I was around thirty. 

Poverty sucks. 😑

I just realized I have not been blogging about my retirement which started in 2016 when I left my radio talk-show program on Power 106 in Jamaica and moved to the USA. 

You see, most of my family were already there so I eventually gave in to the constant nagging to join them!

A section of the magnificent Rocky Mountains

In retrospect, I enjoyed talk radio so much that I never realized how stressful it was until I retired.

 Lots of people think one just talks off the cuff on radio, but it takes a great deal of preparation as one never knows what a caller is coming with. So, you spend a great deal of time reading, watching and listening to current affairs etc. Now I don't have to do that anymore, life is so much easier. And with Trump out of the way, the news is often quite boring anyway, so I am happy I no longer have to pay much attention to the daily occurrences worldwide!😊

Well for retirement, I set off to Colorado to be with my daughter and granddaughter, forgetting that it just snows too much there. (Up to this week, mid-May it's snowing!😟). 

Yes, Colorado is an extraordinarily beautiful state with mountains, rivers valleys to die for. But I gave up snow decades ago, on fleeing from similar weather in Toronto, Canada.

With my fellow cyclists before heading to the hills. 

I am just not a clothes person. In fact, the less I have to wear, the happier I am. 

There was therefore no way that I was going to spend the rest of my life weighted down under a pile of clothes! 

So, we decided that Florida would be a better option.

Living in Jamaica which is just an hour and half flight to Miami, I thought I was familiar with that state. For I had to go there on occasion to buy basic supplies when the damn communists tried to take over my lovely island in the 70's, so we ended up having severe shortages of the most basic foods.

Also, Miami was where one had to fly to from Jamaica, to make most airline connections to other states and even for international flights.

The theory therefore was that since the weather in Florida was good, I would resume my great outdoor life which involved, hiking and cycling in the mountains and valleys and bathing in the rivers.

With Jennifer, the consummate outdoors person

On arriving in Florida, the first thing I did was to buy a bicycle, only to discover to my horror that Florida has no hills for me to ride up then fly down into the valleys. 

What a shock, not one mountain or valley in sight.

So, my bicycle is nothing but a souvenir now.

The next best thing to do therefore was to try and link up with a hiking group.

At least, there I struck gold. For when I joined the closest "Meet Up" hiking group, I got connected to Jennifer Weise, probably the most knowledgeable outdoors person in the state.

No, we never get to hike up any mountains in Florida, but I sure got to visit a number of their more attractive parks and learned a great deal about the state.

On a recent glamping trip to Hontoon Island in Northern Florida earlier this year, Jennifer virtually saved my life too! For being always unprepared for cold weather, when the temperature there dropped to the 50's, she had a sleeping bag and electric blanket ready to rescue me. (Joan, my views: Hontoon island and more (joan-myviews.blogspot.com)

Lyming with friends after Zumba at Water's Edge Park

Choosing the city of Tamarac to reside in, proved to be a wise move too. 

To begin with, it sits about halfway between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami international airports, so since much of my retirement is committed to travelling as much as I can afford, I can always fly out of wherever I can find the best fares. (one-way tickets to and from Colorado under $100. It's a dream come through!) In fact, if my stupid passport did not arrive late, I would have spent my birthday in Zambia.

Secondly, this city which has a population of less than 80,000, has a real activist/outdoor loving Mayor Michelle Gomez. So often outdoor activities in the parks are organized by the city.

They also have an excellent Senior's Center with lots of good recreational exercise programs.

Kudos to the manager of the center Michelle Sendik who keeps the Center clicking.

Currently, I am filling the gap left by the lack of challenging hiking/cycling activities by participating in things like Kickboxing, Zumba, Yoga, cardio fit etc. 

Coincidentally, my kickboxing tutor is someone I knew decades ago. He is Mark, the son of a former mentor of mine in Jamaica, Hector Wynter, the late editor of the Gleaner, Jamaica's foremost newspaper.  I remember hearing years ago that at about age seven, Mark had been hit off his bicycle and was in a coma. His mom took him abroad for treatment and I had heard nothing further. 

It was therefore a pleasant surprise to see that he had recovered totally, become a professional kickboxer and was now teaching us old people, the art. He is also as excellent a teacher as his late father was, so I am really enjoying kick boxing.

It's a small, small world indeed. 

Anyway, back to activities.

At the Senior Centre, I even learned to play pickleball. This I guess can be best described as senior citizen tennis, but it's fun.

I really don't enjoy playing it on indoor courts though, so now go to nearby Margate to play, when I can find a partner.

We all had a great time at the Kravitz Center

The Tamarac Senior Center also organizes cultural expeditions. Coincidentally, on my birthday last week they were transporting interested parties to the Donna Sommer musical at the Kravitz Center in Boca Raton. I joined friends and acquaintances from the center and travelled to what was a superb performance.

A chocolate cookie with ice cream for my birthday

Everything was well organized by Charlene Nevaomski from the Center, who also arranged dinner beforehand at a marvelous restaurant at True Food Kitchen in Boca.  

When Charlene told the waitress there that it was my birthday, I was presented with a delicious chocolate muffin with ice cream, compliments of the restaurant.

I look forward to many more of these outings.

Another good thing about retiring in Tamarac is that I have reconnected with dozens of friends and family from Jamaica who live all over Broward County.

Some even include high school classmates from many decades ago, with whom I had lost contact.

With  Hampton 'ole' girl Sonja

 

My alma mater is Hampton/Munro, which has an active joint, past-student's Association here.

They have regular 'fun day' activities and last week I dropped in on one at C.B Smith Park in nearby Pembroke Pines and had a wonderful time.

With Horace, President of Munro Old Boys Assn.

Another lucky break since retiring in Tamarac, was reconnecting with my long-lost cousin Barry Smith (Colin).

Barry is a musical genius who plays at least five instruments. Since migrating to Florida, he formed a band/orchestra called Tallawah Mento Band. 

Mento music is as Jamaican as you can ever get, so he is involved in organizing or playing at almost every important Jamaican/Caribbean event in South Florida.

When he heard that I had launched my autobiography "Looking Back.....the struggle to preserve our freedoms" before leaving Jamaica, he insisted that I also do a Florida launch since so many Jamaicans now live here.

Before I knew what was happening, the launch was fully arranged in conjunction with the South Regional Library in Pembroke Pines. 

It was an overwhelming success, and something I could never repay him for. 

(Joan, my views: Florida launch of "Looking back...." (joan-myviews.blogspot.com)

             Members of Tallawah Mento Band/orchestra. (Leader Barry 2nd row with banjo.

Clearly therefore my decision to settle in Tamarac for my retirement, has been good for my health and social life. 

Another plus is that my one and only grandson is here with me, for he too is allergic to cold weather!

It sure was a very lucky break when the realtor got me a nice place here, considering I had never even heard of this city before arriving here!

Yes, retiring in Tamarac has really been a great move.

The only drawback? 

Those damn iguanas.

MISSING THE MOUNTAINS THOUGH!

Red Rock Park in Colorado

Another glorious mountain in Colorado

Section of the John Crow Mountains, Jamaica

The mist-covered Blue Mountains, Jamaica in the background

Flamingo Gardens

Some trees are over 200 years old

Today I went on our first Meet Up trek with the Boca Raton nature group since hurricane Irma hit Florida causing much damage all around.

One place that apparently had a lot of tree and plant damage was Flamingo Gardens in Davie and today ( 23rd September) was the first day they were reopening  section of the gardens to the public.

These gardens are an important section of the Everglades Wildlife Sanctuary and are home to a myriad of birds, butterflies and flora.

The aviary is the most impressive I have ever seen with a large variety of owls, eagles, pelicans, storks, birds of prey and of course huge spectacular flamingos.

The great thing I like about Flamingo, is that these gardens are also a refuge for Florida's small, native wildlife that have been hurt. They rescue, nurse, heal them and if they are able, return them to the wild or else they remain at this sanctuary.

At this time they have panthers a black bear, otters, alligators, possums, otters, bobcats, turtles etc.

An iguana basks in the sun beside the flamingo pool

I love that aspect of the gardens but it is really mainly a botanical garden which was established in 1927 and once had over 3000 species of rare and exotic, tropical, subtropical, and native plants and trees. Some of the magnificent oak trees which thankfully are still standing are in excess of 200 years old.

Not all the trees are native to Florida however as over the years, to diversify, they have brought trees and plants from all over the world. However a number of them were damaged and are being carefully pruned and rehabilitated where possible. 

So while only about two thirds of the garden was open to the public today, it is still extremely impressive.

A bobcat sleeps in his cage in a tree

There is also a museum which had been a weekend retreat of the Wray's who used it in the 1930's and later donated the property to the state.

.

​

Alligator mating call

I heard an alligator mating call and believe me it was the most bone chilling sound I ever heard.

Storks all over the trees

 It was almost, I imagine, how it sometimes sounded when disnosaurs were roaming!

We were walking in Wakodahatchee Wetlands. This is a park in  Palm  Beach County on Jog Road close to Delray Beach and it is managed by the water resources people. I had gone there with our fearless Meet Up leader, Jennifer Weise in late May or early June.

At this reserve you find a wide variety of Florida's flora and fauna. However, it is best known for the proliferation of birds and you see bird watchers with their cameras prowling as they wait patiently for the shot of a lifetime.

We went there a bit late that day so the only birds that were still around in their numbers were storks, mostly white and of every size.

They literally took over every tree from top to middle and really made a literal mess for the other birds or anything that must survive on the bottom branches and under those trees!

The only animals we saw that day were a few rabbits, a couple of iguanas and as we approached the boardwalk, we saw a lone alligator lurking among some trees.

We did not pay him much attention but after we had passed the area and gone about 100 feet, we heard a loud blood-curdling sound and lots of action in the water. I had no idea what was happening but although Jennifer said she had never heard the mating call in real life, she recognized it from what others had told her.

We went back to watch him for a while and like this photo I found on the wetland's fb page, it was as if he half rose out of the water and was just shouting or shrilly growling and splashing in the water with his huge tail, for quite some time.

Even after we walked away, he could still hear the eerie noise, though fading, thank heavens, as we got further away.

It was not the type of sound I liked hearing and for his sake, I hope he found a wife, for if he didn't, maybe he is still there creating a racket. 

Worse yet, he could have died from a heart attack for the way he was exciting up himself, he must have been putting quite a strain on his heart!