This is a spot where the local Florida Power and Light company ejects the warm waste water from its plant, attracting Manatees that come here for the winter. There’s also a small aquarium. It hasn’t been very cold for a wild, so I was afraid there would be no Manatees here, but a few dropped … More Manatee Lagoon

Well, I went back to the Zoo today to sign up for the “Animal Adventure” thingie where the keepers take you behind the scenes to visit one of the animals (like the Rhinoceros Encounter thingie I did back in Orlando). Alas, they only take a limited number of people per day, and all of them were … More Dreher Park Again

This is a very nice Botanical Garden. It’s not really the time of year to see plants in bloom, but there were some nice things to see anyway, and it’s a great place to walk around and have a picnic lunch. Some photos. ​The garden ​The Ribbit Exhibit—sculptures of froggies ​Bently and his tortoise Tortuga … More Mounts Botanical Garden

Iguanas are an invasive species that first became established about 20 years ago during the “reptile pet” craze. Today the problem has only gotten worse: the Iguanas are expanding their range, and the State of Florida is now finally encouraging people to eliminate the lizards. I used to do Iguana rescue for unwanted pets, so … More Iguanas in Florida

I’m always happy to see a snake. But today I was lucky enough to see TWO. First was this fellow: That’s a Black Racer. They’re pretty common in Florida since they are the only snake that can live comfortably close to humans–they’re fast enough to get away if the humans try to kill them. Then … More Woo Hoo! A Two-Snakey Day 🙂

[NOTE: I’ve blogged all these “how-to” posts before, but am gonna re-run them on occasion, since folks may have missed them, and many of them have been updated or expanded since they were first posted.] Most people can’t live without their TV or DVD. I don’t have a TV set or DVD player in the … More Vanlife: Entertainment

This nice little park is right in Palm Beach, within walking distance from the local mall. Some photos from a visit. ​The park. I’m sure there’s a story behind the name, involving someone from France, Canada, or Louisiana. ​Inside the park ​Much of the habitat here is Slash Pine scrub with a Palmetto understory ​A … More Frenchman’s Forest Natural Area

Until the time of the Spanish-American War, Florida was a forgotten sparsely-inhabited backwater, consisting mostly of unwanted swampland that was infested with malaria and yellow fever. In an age where most land travel was by foot or by horse buggy, getting to Florida was difficult, and few people had any reason to try. It wasn’t … More The Flagler Museum

During the Cold War, the Pentagon built a secret nuclear fallout shelter near Palm Beach FL for President John F Kennedy. In 1933, Joseph Kennedy, the head of the prominent Boston Kennedy clan who would soon serve as US Ambassador to England for FDR, purchased a seaside estate at the resort of Palm Beach, Florida. … More The Kennedy Bunker

Peanut Island is a tiny speck of sand (just 80 acres) formed by a dredging operation in the Intercostal. It is most well-known for the once-secret nuclear fallout shelter constructed there for President John F Kennedy (and that will be a separate diary). Today it is a county park, with walking paths. Accessible only by … More Peanut Island Park