Entrance to Circle B Bar Reserve

After a damp squib of a July 4th weekend ( yes, it rained for a good deal of the weekend) we felt in need of some fresh air and relaxation.   In other words, to get out and see some more of our county’s beautiful areas.

This time we headed south through Winter Haven to the Circle B Bar Reserve on Lake Hancock.  It is relatively easy to get to, being about 30 minutes drive from Winter Haven, and the Reserve  can also be reached by using the Polk Parkway.

Once through the main entrance, you drive down a long avenue of grand old and gnarled oak trees. draped in Spanish Moss and resurrection ferns.

fallen down during a storm

Driving down the avenue  we met a family of wild pigs and piglets trotting from one side of  the road into the undergrowth on the other side.   That was quite an introduction to the wildlife that we hoped to see today.

Continuing on to the parking area at the main Educational center, which provides information and educational eco-tours to many of the schools in the area,  we left the car,  and took one of the informative leaflets at the start of the trails.  The leaflets show a map of the various trails you can take, and the type of habitat that you will walking through.  Incidentally, sturdy and comfortable walking shoes are recommended for this trip, as well as a camera and insect repellent.

We noticed several families picnicking at the tables and shelters provided, and obviously enjoying the peace and quiet.  No pets are allowed in the reserve; they can be disruptive to the wildlife, and the alligators in the lake make it unsafe for dogs.

Setting off down the trail marked Shady Oak, we walked peacefully along the path;  soon we reached damper areas where it was a good thing that we wore sturdy footwear.  Remember we had had a wet weekend, so water was standing in puddles along the low areas of the trail.   Most of the trails are about half to three-quarters of a mile in distance, and level; therefore they are suitable for both walkers and cyclists.

The first half  of the trail is through open prairie and standing oaks, and quietly walking along the grassy path, we saw a family of wild turkeys. We stood watching them as they stalked through  the tall grasses, with their family of three chicks scurrying busily around the parents, who were murmuring softly to the chicks to keep them close.  After about 5 minutes they had wandered away from us and into the undergrowth, and we continued along the trail.    The open grassland transitioned into a more heavily wooded area, with large oaks draped in Spanish moss alongside the path.  Birds were trilling in the treetops, although we couldn’t see or identify them.  There are bald eagles, ospreys and woodpeckers to be observed.   The trails are well marked, and where they split off in other directions, there are information boards showing what you might expect to see on any particular path.   We continued on from the Shady Oak Trail into the Alligator Trail which took us along the margins of Lake Hancock.   Often when walking in areas like these , one speculates on how the Native Americans and Early settlers coped with the terrain and the problems.   The Alligator Trail is about seven-tenths of a mile long, and the lake is visible all the way

The lake is home to large numbers of wading birds, from the great Blue Heron to the small glossy Ibis, and the path is close enough to the margins of reeds and water plants to see many of these birds.

The lake is also home to numerous alligators;  we met one of the ecological scientists along our path, who told us that at the last count, there were over 4,000 alligators found.  In fact, we noticed they were pretty easy to spot, either just offshore or laying up in the reed beds.    For the record, the distance between the eyes usually indicates the length of the alligator; for instance if the distance between the eyes is about 6 inches ( do not try to measure this!!) the length of the ‘gator will be about 6 feet.  We did see one that we estimated to be about 15 feet in length, although unfortunately it was too far out to photograph.

Walking this path felt slightly like being  in early primeval conditions; there were strange noises off to the sides, rustlings in the undergrowth, the “crawks” of the herons as they flew away from our disturbance, deep throated gruntings – now what was making that noise?

Again, it is necessary to be aware of your surroundings – across the path from the lake is a swampy area, with shrubs, tree roots and moss obscuring the banks – something was moving in the undergrowth; fawny brown in colour, smallish, about the size of a muntjac deer, or a small dog.  We waited , holding our breath, to see what was rooting down amongst the roots and grasses.  Finally the creature emerged into into a little clearer view – wait!  it wasn’t just one, there were  two or three of them, and they were baby wild piglets.   Eventually momma hog came into view and they moved deeper into the swampy undergrowth and we lost sight of them.  Their grunting continued as we walked further along our path.

Deep amongst the moss draped trees and flowering grasses were butterflies flitting from bush to bush.   Can anyone identify this one;  I think it’s one of the Skipper varieties, but I can’t be positive.  We saw lots of the Swallowtail types, and many other varieties fluttering in the warm moist air.

We also sighted lots of ospreys and bald eagles perched in the tops of  dead trees with the results of their fishing expeditions.  Obviously the reserve is home to many varieties of birds, and the information boards at the start of each trial will give you identification information

The Circle B Bar reserve was originally a cattle ranch, and was acquired in 2000 by Polk County and the South West Water Management District, primarily to protect the valuable water and wildlife resources.   The Reserve is on the northwest shore of Lake Hancock, and covers 1,267 acres .  Lake Hancock is often referred to as the headwaters of the Peace River which flows 105 miles from Polk County to Charlotte Harbour and the Gulf of Mexico.    Due to its herbaceous and forested landscape, the Reserve supports a wide variety of mammal and bird species.

Tips to make your trip more enjoyable;  if you have binoculars, bring them;  also carry some drinking water; it can get quite warm hiking these trails, even though they are not difficult or overly long.     Take your time; do not rush this experience.  There is a lot to observe on the trails.  Finally do be careful when walking near  water, especially with small children.

GOOD NEWS !!!!

Below is the blog I wrote after the Kiwanis Charity Golf Tournament last year.  Everyone enjoyed themselves  and this year  The Kiwanis Club of Four Corners Davenport are holding their Charity Golf Tournament again!!!

If you are looking for an exciting golf day out, with lots of prizes, mark your calendars now.

SATURDAY 14th MAY 2011          1.30 p.m. Shotgun Start

Not only do you get to play at Hunters Creek Golf Club, Orlando you can enter yourself or your team for a the “hole in one”  Grand Prize of $10,000.00 .  Fancy your chance at that?  If a hole in one is not your style, what about buying a raffle ticket or two for the Helicopter Ball drop – for only a dollar per ticket you could receive a prize of lovely cash.   Raffle prizes will be presented at the dinner after the event.

For more details, on a great day out, contact Colin on 863 287 1321 or email him at colin@phmfl.com.

It’s a rare and unusual occurrence for me to take a Saturday morning away from the business but this past weekend was very special.  Colin, my husband , is a very  committed member of our local Kiwanis group and has spent a lot of time and energy arranging a Kiwanis Golf Tournament.    So I felt it was only right to arrange for a team from Premier.   Four of us ladies met at Providence , the golf course that was hosting the tournament, and collected our Goody bags and our carts.   After a little time spent stretching our muscles , loosening up our shoulders, we were off!!      The first hole is always the awkward one,  especially since we were being followed by a mens foursome, and we knew they were watching and waiting for us to whiffle our shots, or worse, hit the balls into the lake!   As it happened it wasn’t too bad, and we were away pretty sharply.

Waiting for the off!

We continued throughout the first 9 holes , although none of us came close to the “Hole in One ” prize, but we did get the Womens Longest Drive !

There were a couple of times when we may have lost a ball or two, and certainly the beverage cart was essential to our well-being, as each of us had forgotten to include energy bars in our golf bags………….

However, apart from having to change golf carts –   we had one that wouldn’t go up the hills -  we managed to complete the course with much laughter and fun, and some sunburned shoulders.  The tournament was on the hottest day of the year to date!

The four of us collapsed into the restaurant at the end of the day to have dinner and to hear the results.  Well, we knew we weren’t in with much of a chance, competing as we did against mens teams, all of whom obviously played a great deal of golf regularly.    No-one managed to get the Hole in One prize of Ten Thousand Dollars, which had to be won on a par 3 hole of at least 163 yards, although one golfer managed to get just a foot away from the pin.   That would have been something to really celebrate!!!

Still, Premier Home Management did get the Womens Longest Drive prize, and we watched with pleasure as the Winning team, “Virgin on the Riduclus!” took first prize.

The story behind this particular team is something a bit special too!.  It was a team put together by a friend of Colin’s, ( Ian,  who works for Virgin  Atlantic), all of whom had flown over with Virgin  especially to support the Tournament.

Arthur H, Ian’s father, who is 76, won the prize for Closest to the Pin.  Arthur is in the middle of the photo below in the dark shirt.

The Winning Team with Colin and Marilyn

Collecting their prizes

The two major sponsors of the tournament were Virgin Atlantic and C. J. Services of Haines City.   Premier Home Management provided chilled face wipes at Hole # 12 for all the participants to freshen up, and cool down in the heat.

Raffle prizes were presented after the main prize-giving, and many of the attendees were fortunate enough to have their numbers called.  There was also an auction of a Flat Screen TV as well as a one day Golf  School at the David Leadbetter Academy.

The best part of the whole day was learning that the Tournament and all the hard work by the  Kiwanis members has raised over two and a half thousand dollars for the terminally ill and underprivileged children in the local area.

The trip to the UK for my daughter’s birthday was quite eventful.  Preparing for the trip gave me  some very busy days , and it wasn’t until two evenings before I was due to fly out, that I managed to pack my case.  Trying to decide which clothes would be best for the UK weather was difficult;  we had been having temperatures in the 80′s here in Central Florida, and I knew that it  wouldn’t be that warm in the UK.

Check in at Downtown Disney

However, I packed what I thought would be suitable,  checked in at Downtown Disney early on the morning of the flight and went back to the office for a few hours work before leaving.  Why Downtown Disney for check-in?  Because you can check your luggage in and arrange your seat, so you don’t have to go to Orlando airport three hours ahead of the flight.  All you have to do at the airport is go through the security screening and board your plane.

There were obviously a lot of passengers on this flight; it was standing room only at the boarding lounge.  Boarding took place and we were all seated eventually;  lots of children, lots of hand baggage on this flight, but no major upsets – until we were due to take off.

I settled into my seat, nodded to my neighbours and prepared to open the paperback I had just purchased.  Just as the plane started to taxi out from the gate, an announcement came over the tannoy.  The Flight captain gave us all some bad news, then the good news……………..there had  been a  volcanic eruption in Iceland; they had just heard about it, and we would not be able to fly into Manchester airport!  All the airports North of Birmingham had been closed due to the volcanic ash from the eruption.  The good news was that if we left right now, we might be able to get into Gatwick airport………………

There was a collective gasp of horror from the passengers, including myself.  We had all booked to go to Manchester because we needed to

Volcanic eruption in Iceland

go to the north of the country.  To land in Gatwick with all the headaches of trying to get back up to Manchester was a bit of a concern.  And, none of the staff members knew what would happen when we landed.  Nor could we understand why an eruption in Iceland had closed down UK airspace.

Anyway, once in the air, there was nothing we could do except settle back and enjoy the flight.  Close to our arrival time, the pilot announced that we would be put on coaches for the trip back up to Manchester.

Having landed safely,  and collected our luggage, we were ushered to the bus terminals to wait for the promised coaches.  There was a bit of confusion over the transit to the coaches, but finally we were on our way , and we arrived in Manchester Airport at about 3.30 p.m.  From the airport, it was a fast and comfortable train journey to my daughter’s home town.

The day of the party dawned clear and cold, but at least the sun was shining.  I know now why so many of our guests enjoy coming to Florida to stay in our vacation homes; one forgets just how cool even a sunny English day is, and how small British homes generally are.  We have become used to the spacious rooms and extra amenities of our homes here.  And of course, we are usually fortunate enough to have sunshine all year round.

Some of the family

My daughter Kate and myself

Once the party was over, and normal life resumed, then of course, the worry about the closure of the airports had time to surface.  After checking the Virgin internet site, it became pretty obvious that there was little I could do until the day before I was due to fly back to Florida.  So we decided to make the most of my admittedly very short stay, and took the train into Newcastle for the day.  Not for shopping, I hasten to add, but to have a look around a city that I haven’t visited for many many years.   The weather wasn’t too too bad, although I had to borrow a fleece jacket to be comfortable.  We visited art galleries, museums and walked across the “blinking eye” ; the Millenium Bridge over the Tyne between Newcastle and Gateshead.

Millenium Bridge

Eventually my short break had to come to an end, and the worries over how to get back surfaced again;  the news media were  showing stories of many people stranded all over the world, getting more and more frustrated and unhappy with the lack of assistance and information.  We stayed in touch with Virgin Airline, and on the day before I was scheduled to fly, we were informed that it was very likely that the flight would go.  Virgin staff took a mobile phone number, and at 2.00 a.m. on the Wednesday morning, texted a message to get down to Manchester, the flight was On!  We left the house at 4.15 a.m for the drive down, and arrived just as the check in desk was opening.  I joined the queue and checked my baggage and tried to get a decent seat.  The plane was already pretty booked up even then.  I went to the Boarding lounge, and found a huge number of people waiting; and we waited, and we waited……….. the original flight time of 10.25 a.m. was delayed to 12.15, then to 1.45 then to 2.45 …………. eventually we were given the go-ahead to start boarding at 5.05 in the afternoon!

At last we were off and heading back to Florida……………… I think we were twice lucky;  firstly getting to Gatwick when we did on the trip over, and secondly getting out of the UK on the day we were scheduled to leave.    Sad to leave them all, but there will always be another time or another celebration to enjoy.