Some of you may remember when I wrote about the alligator we had in the park. Well now we see coyotes roaming through the park, as well.
Several people have seen evidence of the coyotes, and some even took pictures of them during the day. We’re warning our residents to keep their pets indoors or to be close at hand when they go outside.
What’s next? One of our residents recently returned from a fantastic two-fold trip to Anchorage, Alaska. Caroline Wagoner left from Tampa to Bakersfield, California, where she spent a week visiting her daughter, Yvonne.
From there, Caroline and Yvonne flew to Anchorage. There they were met by Caroline’s brother in an authentic 1968 Volkswagen bus restored by her brother, Charles Bates and wife Liz, who lived in Anchorage for many years since his stint in Vietnam.
Caroline was reminiscing about the wonderful time she had sightseeing in that VW bus.
The weather was wonderful with temperatures in the mid 60s, even though it can go as low as in the 20s in winter days, which makes it perfect for skiing, skating or dog mushing. She explained how Anchorage is more affordable than a lot of U.S. cities because they have no sales tax.
Hundreds of bird species call Anchorage home, such as loons, pintail ducks and terns. Potter Marsh also is a good spot for beavers and moose, which can be seen along the Tony Knowles coastal trail that stretches 11 miles along Cook Inlet from downtown to Kincaid Park.
She also saw terrific views along Mount McKinley and Mount Susitna, also known as Sleeping Lady.
The day cruise she took was exciting when she heard a sharp crack followed by a long rumble and suddenly there was a massive piece of ice falling from the face of a glacier into the water below.
Among many of her highlights was the Alaska Native Heritage Center where you can hear storytelling, authentic song and dance routines, and see finely made crafts by skilled natives.
There are so many terrific places to fish in the area, and the drive north to Talkeetna will take you by several good salmon spots. The largest salmon caught in Alaska weighed in at 97 pounds, and the largest halibut was 459 pounds.
There are five kinds of salmon — chub, sockeye, king, silver and pink. I knew of only two, the king or red and the pink, because of the cans they come in.
They took a train ride to Talkeetna where they met the honorary mayor, a cat named Mr. Stubbs.
They went through the Whittier tunnel on the way to Kenai Fjords National Park, and took a 6.5-hour cruise and saw otters, five humpback whales, a pod of beluga whales, and lots of bird life. Caroline has told me she already is planning to go back in two years and stay a little longer, but no matter how long you stay, you can’t see it all. It’s just a beautiful state.
Now that September is here, we’re already learning of several of our residents planning to return. It’s still mighty hot and August “dog” days were brutal, but you just can’t stay away from Zephyrhills.
Loretta Green has returned from visiting family and friends in New York, and our president, Al Bennett, and wife Deanie are returning from Massachusetts in time to oversee construction of the addition to our clubhouse.
I missed a couple of August birthdays for Vicki Bluhm and Brent Slipp. Sorry about that. September birthday wishes go out to Madeline Macomber, Carol Farnsworth and Ron Plummer. Please let me know if I missed anyone.
By Lee Heffelfinger
Published September 3, 2014
