Local Sites and Sara turns 2...

During our second week we got to help Sara celebrate her 2nd Birthday. With neighbors, balloons and "tup takes", fun was had by all.

We went to visit the local quilt museum, were we found a couple of Elvis inspired quilts. Quilting is a big part of the areas heritage and is still practiced by many of the local women today. The beds we are sleeping in, have quilts handmade by David's grandmother on them.


Of course you can't visit the USA without going to "THE MALL"...When we got sick of shopping we took Sara to the kiddies play area known as "The Swamp at Oaks Mall" named for the UF Gators and the play area is created in the shapes of the swamp animals and bugs, along with a big old oak tree slide. Everything is made with a soft foam vinyl covered material so the under 5's do not get hurt.


Dudley Farm is an early pioneer farm established before the Civil War. Currently it covers 325 of the original 640 acres that were operated by the Dudley family for three generations. An authentic working farm, the homestead consists of eighteen buildings. These are restored - NOT recreated - and include the family farmhouse with original furnishings, an 1880's kitchen outbuilding, a general store and post office, and a functional cane syrup complex.

One of the residents of the farm welcomed us with an amazing display of his "manliness"...Strutting, gobbling and showing off his tail feathers...Felt a little like Friday night at the pub.

Nina found herself a job at the farm doing the laundry.

Graduation on the Suwannee River...

We arrived in Sunny Florida from Western Australia at the end of May to visit family who live in Trenton FL....Though we have been here 3 weeks we only now have time enough to stop and share a few snaps taken during our site seeing adventures...


We started our visit right off the plane and ushered into a church for Di's granddaughters Baccalaurete...(A ceremony held to wish the graduates a safe and prosperous future)..Sure it was lovely, but jet lag leaves this memory a wee bit fuzzy.


A week later was the actual graduation ceremony....Held on the football field, leaving us to melt in the stands, because though it was 7pm the temperature was still in the high 30's (90's for you Americans)...As you can see by the beaming faces of Mic and her BF, very excited to be done with High School.

The week leading up to the graduation we visited Fort Fanning, a park erected in memory of those that died during the 2nd Seminole Indian War 1834 - 1838 on the banks of the Suwannee river.


Across the highway is one of the original tressels from the last bridge to span the Suwannee River before it empties into the Gulf of Mexico 30miles down stream...

The title image was taken of the Suwannee River from just south of the bridge.