Back at Ding

Hi All,

Back from Tampa, we took a "busman's holiday", birding on the refuge.

The white pelicans stuck to the sand bar in spite of the rising tide.

A small alligator suns herself along the Wildlife Drive.

At the education boardwalk we spotted this white ibis up close

along with a flock of blue wing teal.

A fiery sunset completed our time off. Thursday we are back to "work".

Love,

Sandy & Carl 

Living & Traveling in our Motorhome

Volunteering across America

greenbaum2@gmail.com

www.livingourdream2011.blogspot.com

617-435-8502

More Tampa

Hi All,

Monday morning we visited the USF Botanical Garden.

We then hiked the boardwalk at nearby Lettuce Lake.

In the afternoon we drove back to Sanibel-a short but fun trip.

Love,

Sandy & Carl 

Living & Traveling in our Motorhome

Volunteering across America

greenbaum2@gmail.com

www.livingourdream2011.blogspot.com

617-435-8502

Tampa Trip

Hi All,

Sunday we drove to Tampa to visit Elissa & Phil and to visit Big Cat Rescue where Elissa is a volunteer guide.

This remarkable place provides a permanent "retirement home" for wild animals that outgrew being pets or were  abandoned by closed circuses. 

The animals are not bred or exploited in any way. Residents range from small African cerval cats

to big jaguars. Here Manny is keeping his paws clean.

This 18 year old lioness is relaxing in the sun

while this tiger is rolling around playfully.

This tiger is a refugee from a Guatemalan circus.

Elissa showed us her office but we didn't have keys for us to go in.

It was a wonderful visit and we are very proud of Dr. Elissa and her volunteering .

Love,

Sandy & Carl 

Living & Traveling in our Motorhome

Volunteering across America

greenbaum2@gmail.com

www.livingourdream2011.blogspot.com

617-435-8502

Geek Alert-More WSPRing

Hi All,

Back in November Carl wrote about the Weak Signal Propagation Reporter system he was using. Recall that a small box the size of a deck of cards transmits a very weak (1/5 watt) signal, When people around the world receive it, they report the reception on the internet.

In the five weeks we have been in Sanibel, Carl has gotten responses from 43 states and 22 different countries. See all the green dots.

Today he awoke to a special surprise.

See the tiny green dot at the bottom? It is a German research station in Antarctica over 7,000 miles away!

The ham radio community awards prizes for contacting all 50 states and one for 100 different countries. Stay tuned😀

Love,

Sandy & Carl 

Living & Traveling in our Motorhome

Volunteering across America

greenbaum2@gmail.com

www.livingourdream2011.blogspot.com

617-435-8502

Sanibel Sights

Hi All,

We have been keeping very busy with refuge programs, Weeds & Seeds walks, Audubon and Shell Club meetings. We have also had visitors with whom we work in Grand Teton. It has been fun showing Chris Clapp, Jean Regan and husband Peter the sights of Sanibel.

After dancing and creating a shadow to fool the little fish, this reddish egret caught some lunch.

One morning Carl noticed this interesting beetle on our picnic table. Turns out it is an invasive citrus borer.

This gator swam pretty close

but not as close as this American Crocodile in a friends back yard.

Speaking of animals close to people, this cattle egret spent a lot of time on this car in the refuge parking lot. He was still there even after the red car departed!

Many white pelicans sleep on the sand bar. We wonder if these two are "friends ".

Near the end of the refuge wildlife drive, we spotted a pair of manatee.

Closer to home we got this photo of a 12" wide cat in a 7" wide box. Ginger loves to snuggle into tight spaces.

Love,

Sandy & Carl 

Living & Traveling in our Motorhome

Volunteering across America

greenbaum2@gmail.com

www.livingourdream2011.blogspot.com

617-435-8502