Erwin was worried about the mailbox being full at our house and suggested that we make a day trip to Jacksonville, FL. There were a couple errands that we need to do while in town.
Erwin was still having trouble with his right side and felt he needed to get X-rays done to be sure the rib is not fractured or broken. A visit to the walk-in clinic is on our list for this afternoon.
After breakfast we left Micanopy, FL around 9 am. We took the Jeep, used the backroads which was more pleasant to drive on than to go on I-10. In Green Cove Springs, FL there is a historic cemetery that Edith wanted to check out. Wow, what an interesting place it is. So spooky because of the atmosphere. We did not stay long to look around, but will definitely go back there when there is enough time. Edith took few pictures.
While still in Green Gove Springs Erwin wanted to stop by his former employer’s welding shop. He was curious if the business is still in operation. When we got to the end of the street the business sign was.... GONE! Oh, it is closed…
After we got back to our house Edith walked to the mailbox and it was almost full. 90% of the mail was JUNK… Too many mailers from Aetna, Humana and others encouraging us to switch over to them from Blue Cross/Blue Shield health insurance.
A quick walk around in the house, the garage and the workshop and everything looked the same. There were some ripened Blood Navel oranges on the trees and Erwin took some with him.
At Emed clinic Erwin had X-rays done on his chest and it showed no broken bones. Just a bad bruise and it will take longer to heal due to his age. Ibuprofen and ice pack should help lessen the pain and discomfort.
Because Edith wanted to be at the Bat House in Gainesville, FL before the sunset we used I-10 then 301 to 26 instead of backroads.
 |
| Mural on the side of a store |
We arrived at the Bat House one hour before the sunset. Edith thought the bats emerge 15-20 minutes BEFORE sunset, but when we read the sign it mentioned that the emergence happens 15-20 minutes AFTER sunset. Oh, we were so hungry and wished had enough time to go out and get something to eat, but we did not want to lose the parking space. We were determined to stay and wait for the emergence. Next time we will need to have snacks in the Jeep for emergency.
Lake Alice is right across the road from the Bat House, so we walked over to check it out. “No swimming” sign was posted. Oh, there is an alligator in there. It was not too far from the bank where we stood on. Few ibises were on an island.
When we walked back to the Bat House more spectators joined in. There was a dog wearing a Batman sweater, a couple wearing costumes with the guy wearing a Batman mask.
It was at 6:58 pm when the first bat came out of the house. The early bat gets the insect!!! About 5 minutes later thousands and thousands of bats started to emerge.
Edith was standing by the fence along with other gawkers, but had to run under the tree because of dangerous “falling” objects (urine/feces).
The emergence lasted for about 15 minutes and we stayed until the last bat left. It was such a fantastic sight to see how the bats flew around trees. They flew over the road and over Lake Alice. It was so surreal. We will want to come back here again.
We were REALLY hungry and it was almost 8 pm when we got back to the campground. Luckily for us there were leftovers and we warmed them up in the microwave. Leftovers are great time-savers.
It was a good day and we accomplished most of the tasks when we were in Jacksonville, FL. We will have to go back on October 29th for our medical appointments.
No comments:
Post a Comment