Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Or a better title….

Pipety Piper Pops in at the Park

Piper

And that is why we have an annual family pass to the state parks.  Because whenever a small person stops by for a visit, they immediately ask to go to the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. (It even ranks higher than a boat ride!) Or as all of the grandkids call it, the ZOO!  “Grandma, parks have swings.  Zoos have animals.”  

We could go to Weeki Wachee and see the mermaids, but the little ones always choose the local park.  Which is great for me because it’s five minutes away.

We usually spend about an hour there and they are ready to go.  That’s about how long my attention span is, too.

On this visit, Piper wanted to go all three days that she was here.  And now she wants to be an alligator scientist.  How cool is that?

Since I went three days last week, I was able to get a lot of really great pictures.

On day one we headed to the Fish Bowl first.  Divers were in the water measuring the captive manatees.

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Piper did her version of a flamingo.

Piper

The bears were both out and about.

bear

What does the fox say?  (Hey, I’m with a four-year-old!)

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

And an alligator

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

On day two, Piper did a quick study on the flamingos and realized that they tuck their head under their wing when they are relaxing.

Here’s day two’s version….

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Not tucked here, but I like this snap!

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Roseate Spoonbill with no fear.

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

And then we went to the Wildlife Encounter, which was an alligator on this visit.

A wee baby alligator.

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

And lots of dead alligator parts.

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

I thought Piper had zoned out during the presentation.  Hey, she’s only four.  But as we walked out she said “THAT WAS AWESOME!”

And now Piper has her career mapped out–she wants to be an alligator scientist.  We went to visit the alligators in the reptile house and then back to the alligator pen where they keep the big ones and then back to the reptile house.  And she repeated just about everything the Wildlife Encounter volunteer talked about.  

Then we saw a wild manatee when we walked over the bridge.

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

And Piper needed to get her picture taken.

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Day three was just a quick dash through.

We got there just in time for the Wildlife Encounter.  This time we got to meet a Great Horned Owl.

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

And I thought the talk was fascinating.  Piper was much less impressed. She will not be an owl scientist.

Here’s one of the Red Wolves.  They usually hang out in the back of the enclosure so I thought this was a good pic.

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

We did visit the alligators and the reptile house a few times.  (But not the owls!)

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Piper also perfected her flamingo stance.

Piper

Piper learned to stay away from the back side of Lu when he’s on the land.  I told her you couldn’t ever get that stink out. She liked to repeat that phrase for the rest of her visit.  (The things Grandma’s teach their grandkids.)

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Our very favorite part of day three’s visit was the otters.  

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

They were being fed apples and melons.  The otter rolled the apple into the water.  Piper giggled.  As only a four-year-old can giggle.

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Best visit ever!

An Afternoon in Inverness

Decor Cafes

Valerie Theatre

We were back in Inverness–“small town down right”– last week.  Seems we’ve been there a lot recently.  This time we had a special mission and thought we’d also use the trip for an excuse to try a new lunch place.  We intended to eat at the pub right next to the Valerie Theatre but it didn’t open until 3 and we couldn’t wait that long!

Nope, we were really hungry.

An Afternoon in Inverness

So we went to Deco Cafe.  We’ve been there one other time and enjoyed the experience. My only complaint was the disposable tableware and that’s what they are still using! (Guess they didn’t read my review!)  The last visit was on a Saturday and there were only a few other patrons.  This was Friday.  At noon.  Big mistake.  The outdoor patio was full and there were only a few open tables on the inside and we grabbed one. We both ordered paninis which seemed a pretty easy order–Terry’s was even the daily special. From our table we could see people scurrying about preparing the lunches but it looked like there was only one panini maker. Like I said, the place was packed and everybody must have ordered paninis.  It took close to an hour for our lunch. Our server asked if we would like our side dish before the meal and since we were really hungry, we agreed.  Which made our plates look really empty when our paninis finally did arrive.  pesto pasta

The pesto salad is very good and includes edamame. 

An Afternoon in Inverness

Terry had the ham and cheese panini

Deco CAfe

Mine was the Tuscan Panini

We had plenty of time to look around at the decor and it very cool. The blown-in insulation between the exposed beams has been painted brown–very clever. The floors are painted concrete,   We hadn’t noticed this cool chair rail on our last visit.

An Afternoon in Inverness

Now I need a wine room to put this chair rail in!

Our lunch was really good. I liked that there was a wide selection of breads and different cheeses to choose from for the panini. I also liked the flavored ice tea.

It just took way too long.  We’ll probably go back but not during lunch hour!  

Deco Cafe is right across from the Old Courthouse Heritage Museum and right around the corner from the Valerie Theatre with the lovely park with the fountain.  

An Afternoon in Inverness

The weather was beautiful and it was a lovely afternoon in Inverness.

An Afternoon in Inverness

National Wildlife Refuge Day at Three Sisters Springs

National Wildlife Refuge Day at Three Sisters Springs

Terry and I attended the annual National Wildlife Refuge Day at Three Sisters Springs.  There were numerous informational booths and the bluegrass band, Shade Tree Pickers provided entertainment.  The real star of the day was the new wetlands that was recently completed by SouthWest Florida Water Management District.  The area will clean water run off from the businesses on US 19 from Three Sisters Springs Blvd all the way to Fort Island Trail.

National Wildlife Refuge Day at Three Sisters Springs

National Wildlife Refuge Day at Three Sisters Springs

National Wildlife Refuge Day at Three Sisters Springs National Wildlife Refuge Day at Three Sisters Springs

National Wildlife Refuge Day at Three Sisters Springs
Water that has been cleansed in the wetlands goes through this spillway into the canal. The bars keep the manatees out of the area because the wetlands are tidal and the manatees could get stranded in very little water.

National Wildlife Refuge Day at Three Sisters Springs National Wildlife Refuge Day at Three Sisters Springs National Wildlife Refuge Day at Three Sisters Springs
 The entrance to Three Sisters Springs.  Kayakers, swimmers, and manatees all share this inlet.

National Wildlife Refuge Day at Three Sisters Springs
The former Lake Lynda, it’s now Lake Crystal.
Lake Lynda