At the Boatramp Along Port Saint John

Just 5 minutes from our place is a boat ramp along Indian River. It is a nice place to watch the sunrise and Manatee too. We went there today to watch manatee but, we had no luck. Look what showed up.

An ibis on the bench where I was seated.

See the sign out there, the Manatee Zone. From time to time, manatee shows up here.

The flock of ibis fishing. You will not believe how plentiful the fishes here. You will see them jumping.

Here we are, parked and watch the awesome view here.

The ibis busy surveying the place.

They caught some tiny fishes. Just awesome to watch them find their food here. How about you? Do you see animals around your neighborhood? Thanks for stopping by.

Blockhouse Beach at PAF Base in Florida

About 20 minutes away from our place, we have few beaches that we can choose to go to. We were trying to explore further down South towards the Satellite Beach. As we drove down the South Atlantic Avenue, we saw quiet a few cars parked on the parking lot so; we decided to go and look at this place.  Blockhouse Beach is clean and a nice beach to hang out. ,

Hubby enjoyed walking along the shoreline barefoot while I was having a comfortable siesta on my beach chair and taking some photos. If you are in Orlando vacationing, come to the Space Coast. The beach is just an hour away.

Walking Down the Shoreline at Cocoa Beach

It was a scorcher this week so; my husband and I decided to check out the beach after sunset. It was 6:00 PM when we head to Cocoa Beach and we were surprised to know that the parking fee was lifted off. We went in and thought we will not bring our beach chairs. We decided to just walk by the shore. I actually brought my two-piece if in case I'm tempted to swim. There were a lot of people who did their exercise, jogging and running along the shoreline. Some were picking up seashells.

It was already sunset and beach goers started to pack-up their things, ready to head home. We stayed there for two hours just walking along the shoreline and enjoying the sea breeze. The sea water is so cool when it touches our feet. Hubby is so white LOL and I am the opposite. The water is tempting but, I did not swim.

The Cocoa Beach Pier was crowded at that time. There were quite a few who are fishing while most of them are enjoying their beer at the Tiki Bar. Hubby and I thought that having a condo by the beach must be cool to have. Access to the beach is a walking distance. The sunrise here is really cool. One day, we will be here to catch the sunrise.

That is all for now folks. If you happen to visit Orlando for Disney/Universal Studio visits, check out Cocoa Beach area. This place is about an hour drive from Orlando.

590 Lotto Winner from Florida

I was watching the news this morning as the lucky Florida woman finally claimed her $590 million jackpot winnings. That is truly a huge amount! She is 84 years old Gloria C. Mackenzie. She bought the winning ticket for the May 18 drawing. That draw was the largest jackpot in the lottery's history. Amazing! Her life and the life of her family will be change forever tremendously! 

She bought a quick pick ticket at Publix Supermarket and according to her statement which she provided in the news, there was a guy standing in front of her on a queue but, he gave his spot for her. She lives in Zephyrhills, Florida and she will split her winnings to her son shown in the photo below. Did you know that under Florida law, the winner of the lottery cannot remain anonymous? Yep! So; if I win (hopefully in the next draw, LOL) you will know it from this blog.

Congratulations Gloria C. Mackenzie! May God bless you with good health so that you will enjoy your blessings. How about you?

IF YOU WIN THE LOTTO WITH THAT BIG AMOUNT, WHAT ARE THE THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD DO FIRST?

Here's mine: 1. Hire a lawyer 2. Hire an Accountant. 3. Make a list who to give/share the winnings.

Hey Mrs. MacKenzie, would you like to send me a Buick Enclave or Encore? Gosh! I can wish can't I? LOL Anyway, thanks for stopping by here. God bless you all. Stay out of trouble ^-^

Brush Fire on SR 528

From time to time, we go to Orlando to check our rentals. It's just less than an hour drive but, we don't go there often. Anyway, it was rush hour so; instead of routing Colonial Drive, we choose the 528 to avoid the traffic. The sky signaled for a bad storm coming in fact, lightning was terrifying. Before we reach the first toll booth, we saw a thick smoke at a far distance. We thought there was a bad accident.

Then as we get closer, we realized that it was a brush fire and it just started. We saw flames.

This is the first time that I saw a brush fire in Florida. It was scary!

In split second, the brush fire ignited. According to the news, the fire was about 3 acres. We saw firetrucks but, it was difficult to access. The good thing was that, a big storm is coming and it helped put out the fire!

My guess was, this fire could have started with lightning strike. No confirmation yet!

The Final Ride of the Discovery Space Shuttle

Hubby and I woke up at 6AM and started the day early. We wanted to see the world's greatest piggyback ride of the space shuttle Discovery. We stayed on the boat ramp on our main street along US 1 just across the Kennedy Space Center area. For the naked eye, the sight of the orbiter back riding the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft is really amazing.Just click on the pictures to zoom in.The view of the Indian River is truly wonderful this morning. The sunshine was hidden by the thick clouds. The weather was nice and cool but, it never change a thing.....the Discovery has retired.In this area, we are less than a hundred but, the whole parking lot was occupied. Besides, not too many people come to Kennedy Space Center to witness this big event.When the Boeing 747 left the Kennedy Space Center, it fly over Cocoa area and came back to KSC for one last time. It was flying so low and it was a surreal experience. Anyway, NASA has offered Discovery to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum for public display and also preservation. Discovery will replace Enterprise in the Smithsonian's display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. Discovery was transported to Dulles International Airport today, and will be transferred to the Udvar-Hazy on April 19 where a formal welcome ceremony is planned.

Kennedy Space Center at Port Canaveral

Tuesday Travel once again and I thank you for your comments and visit on my entry last week. Have you been to Florida? If not, you should check out Port Canaveral where Kennedy Space Center is located. We bought a new house and we are only 15 minutes away from NASA. We can actually see one of the big buildings of NASA from the main street of where we live.

Photo taken near the entrance.

This is the Rocket Garden.

Isn't it humongous? This is the Apollo/Saturn V Center. This is a spacious facility featuring a real Saturn V rocket from the Apollo program. The Apollo/Saturn V Center is a tribute to the Apollo astronauts and the machines that got them to the moon and brought them home safely.

The Rocket garden ...



The entrance...

The Assembly area...this building is where they assemble the rocket...we can see this building from the main street of where we live.

This is the viewing area ... to see the space shuttle on the pad. Well, it's just sad...space shuttles halted on this generation and on this administration. No more space shuttles ... people were laid-off from work ... businesses here are closed down. I just hope that the next President will support Science...and the projects of NASA. This is for the good of humanity. Next time, I will show you how a lively place here has turned to a ghost town.

The viewing area...

Thanks for stopping by.

Fort Matanzas

Hello Travel Tuesday travelers! How was your Easter Sunday celebration? Fun , I hope! Few weeks ago we travel to Castillo de San Marcos, here's another cool place to visit in Saint Augustine. Let us travel to Fort Matanzas which is less than 2 hours drive from our place. If you are visiting Orlando for Disney or Universal Studio parks, set aside a day and have a road trip to Saint Augustine. You will be enjoying the view of the beach when you travel the scenic route and it's absolutely beautiful.

There are so many things to do while you are in the Sunshine State. Of course, you probably would visit Orlando for the Sea World, Universal Studios and Walt Disney World but, you should visit Saint Augustine because it is the Oldest City in the Nation (USA).

Before you reach the old town, you will arrive Fort Matanzas first.

You will take the ferry ride accross the inlet and it's free of charge.

The picture above is the Fort Matanzas up close.

This is a wooden stairs, the entrance to go up to the observation deck.

That's one room served as the sleeping quarter in the watch tower.

canons on the deck...

Showing you the Fort Matanzas...

Ron and other guests waiting for us to come down from the tower roof.

I was at the tower roof. The view in 360 degrees was beautiful. I wonder what it is like to watch the sunshine and sunset here.

I took this photo while I was on the ferry.

One of the photos that I took at the tower roof. I will be seeing you in your blogs soon. Thanks for traveling with me.

Planet Hollywood at Downtown Disney

Living in Florida is fun and exciting. Both Disney World and Universal Studios are here and the endless attractions inside are breath taking. Not only that, the newly opened Lego Land is here too. Water parks such as Typhoon Lagoon, Sea World, Aquatica, Discovery Cove are all amazing places where family can enjoy and have fun together. For me, it is more fun if my family back home can come and see all these amazing theme parks.Last Friday, I wanted to eat Turkey Leg and I know that Downtown Disney has it. Hubby is a real Floridian who does not like traffic but, je just go with me anyway just to satisfy my cravings.I was already hungry when I saw the Planet Hollywood so; I told my husband that I will treat him for dinner. But, there were diners on the line and it's long so; we left and head back to the main purpose of buying a turkey leg. By the way, the Planet Hollywood has three levels decorated with movie memorabilia. There are props from some of Hollywood's hottest films and TV shows too.Diners can gaze the display in the iconic planetarium-like ceiling. After you dine, you can enjoy buying movie-themed souvenirs at the merchandise area

Inside Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

Hello everyone! Another week for Tuesday Travels eh? (*v*) This week, I will be showing some of the photos that I took while we were inside Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.This National Monument is the oldest masonry fort in the United States located in the city of St. Augustine, Florida.This place was constructed by the Spanish when Florida was a Spanish territory.During the twenty year period of British possession, the fort was renamed Fort St. Mark then, when Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821, this place was renamed Fort Marion.The name Castillo de San Marcos was restored by Congress in 1942.Here I am with hubby, taking a souvenir shots at the entrance of Castillo de San Marcos.It was in the afternoon, the tourists gathered at the courtyard, waiting for the re-enactment of the staff in costume.The picture below was taken while I was at the Bastion area.The view at the courtyard.Here we are taking another souvenir photo at the courtyard.Yes, this place was featured in the show Ghost Adventures, check it out in You Tube.