We took a visit to Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park about 2 1/2 years ago. Nathan was there, in utero. :) It was enough of an enjoyable trip we decided to go back this Spring, before it got hot and I got too large and uncomfortable. It is a terrific-ly kid-friendly park and relatively cheap to get in. I highly recommend it!
Poor guy, it's difficult to get a shot of him from the front because he's allergic to the camera. So, here's Nathan's back side.
And might I add a cute little back side, tags sticking out and all! Sometimes, before mommy can get some sewing accomplished, the only solution is to roll the top band of the pants down to create more bulk for "staying up" power. All I can say is, "Enjoy your pants being loose son. It won't be like that forever."
A view from the dock.
A view from the aquarium.
I remember when my legs used to look like toothpicks. I had to roll my pants down also.
But, I don't worry about that anymore. My pants roll down all by themselves. Usually until I'm flashing someone the gut shot.
This is what happens most of the time. These are the official pictures taken of me on the trip. Marvelous material to work with.
Silliness.
A view from the Fish Bowl, a floating underwater observatory.
And Lu. Have you heard about Lu? Here's his story...The hippopotamus named Lucifer first came to the Homosassa Springs Attraction in 1964 as part of Ivan Tors Animal Actors. Lucifer, or Lu for short, is now one of the park's longest residents. He celebrated his 50th birthday in 2010. Why, you may ask, is an African species found at a Florida park with all native wildlife? Well, Lu has lived here all his life. He was a big movie star when Homosassa was an exotic animal park. Local residents took a special liking to Lu and often visited him between his many movies. When the Park went to strictly native species, Lu was bound for a transfer. You can imagine the demand for a 6,000 pound hippopotamus is not particularly high. When the locals caught wind of the intended transfer they put up a fight to keep Lu here. Needless to say, their voices were heard by signing a petition, and Lu was granted honorary state citizenship by the late governor Lawton Chiles.
The Lu feeding show.
Katherine enjoying a nice view of the feeding.
Lu is full. He politely excuses himself from the feeding, backs up to his special spot along the bridge wall, proceeds to empty his bowels while his tail rapidly swishes back and forth and flings "poo from Lu" approximately 15-20 feet in all directions. Thank goodness the ranger was there to warn the innocent bystanders.
Lu stinks.
On to view other animals. Flamingos.
Well, hello there, Mr. Regal!
This bear looks like he's spotted food wrapped up in a 2 1/2 year old blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy. That's it, we're moving on!
Another perfect example of how different our children are.
The herpetarium.
I have fond childhood memories of our trips to State Parks. We'd usually end up at a lake, river or springs because of my father's love of the water. I've inherited that same love of water. It's the reason I chose my unusual wedding band. It's possible my parents were only trying to save money by taking us to the discounted parks located nearby. Regardless, what they did do was instill in me a love for the area I grew up in.I absolutely love this area. The short distance to the beach, the stunningly beautiful springs and rivers flowing from them, the forested areas, the abundance of lakes, rolling pasture land and one of my favorites (although, I'm not a horse person), the breathtakingly beautiful horse farms lined with black 4-board fence and oak trees. I think this area is beautiful and because of my many adventures seeing the natural beauty, I desire to preserve it for my kids and grandchildren. Hopefully our trips to the local natural attractions will do the same for them. Roller coasters and theme parks were the only thing on my mind growing up, but now I truly appreciate my exposure to what God created here for us to enjoy.
Check out Homosassa's website for yourself. It's a fabulous and inexpensive day trip for the family.
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