Another travel day for us – on to Florida with its flat landscape, swampy smells and marshlands.  We started by watching the birds in our nearby KOA bird sanctuary and eating our oatmeal and raisin toast.  I put in another CD that I purchased in Savannah with old love songs performed by some classic jazz artists – Ella, Dinah Washington, Peggy Lee, Bobby Darrin, Mel Torme, Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughn, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole – just to name a few. We let it play through a few times – classic – and it made the drive quite pleasant as we sang along.

The Kudzu vine re-appeared.  We had seen this on our last trip in 2009 as it seems to consume everything in its path.  It is not indigenous, but rather was brought to the south as an attempt to prevent soil erosion – but it took over with a vengeance, choking everything it touches and roots very deep and grows very quickly making it almost impossible to eradicate.  However, it is a pleasant green, leafy vine that is nice to look at – beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing…

After a Wal-Mart and Walgreen’s stop, we arrived at our new campground in Mims, Fla.  More squirrels, but a different, smaller, brown version – still as frisky and chattery as their cousins up north.  New to our wildlife array is a lizard, newt or salamander – I haven’t gotten close enough to tell yet – they are quick little guys (if I get a photo tomorrow, I will post it).

Moss hangs from the trees like thick natural icicles.  According to our AAA travel guide, Spanish Moss is not a moss at all, but rather an air-plant that gets its nutrition from air and water.  It is not from Spain, but does grow in South and Central America as well as the Southern US.  It is not technically a parasite on the host trees but can cause damage as it competes for and blocks the sun-shine.  So that is the factual version, but I still prefer the romantic, folk-lore version.

A bumper sticker became our words of the day – Be Inspired.  You have to be open to new experiences and passionate about living if you want to have a fulfilling life.  We were inspired to take this trip and it has been a wonderful experience.  Find your inspiration and embrace it.

Tomorrow we will visit the Kennedy Space Center and Dad will be in his technological glory. He will read every plaque and study every experiment and stand and ponder the immensity of it all.  He is looking forward to it and has already studied the brochure and some of the history. He will Be Inspired – I am sure.