Photo by The Joneses Gisela & Ralph at Holy Land Experience — — — E-mail Gisela — — — SLIDE SHOW: Taking it all in
ARCHIVES: You wouldn't believe how beautiful Canada is! Wouldn't change a thing Who knew there was so much to see in South Dakota? Time is flying by — but at least we're having fun! I (heart) Hart Ranch, South Dakota Rallyin' in Goshen, Indiana A special day From friends to work to warmer temps, we're still having fun in Florida Traveling to Texas Finally, we're in Alaska! On the way to Canada Boise sure has changed a lot Escapees Rally in Wyoming Bittersweet trip through the southeast From Boy Scouts to ‘Stars on Ice’ Michigan is full of treasures Arriving in Florida Earning our ears Celebrating Christmas and New Year's in Florida and the Disney Parks Down in the Lowcountry Making our way through Minn., Wisc. and Ill. The holidays in Florida Our time in Lakeland has come to an end Couldn't have had a better time in Omaha! Arriving in Charleston A day with friends from Frederick 'Life is good' in Lakeland, Fla. Leaving Florida, and heading north Our final days in Kentucky Into the Keys Out of Charleston and off to Indiana Dreams come true in Vermont You never know what you'll see or who you'll meet in Alaska Leaving Indiana, but not before taking some of the state's best sites Idaho is full of natural treasures — and moon-like craters, too It's all about the theme parks From prairie country to beautiful views to grand 'ol Yellowstone Thunderstorms, flooding, tornados and a visit with the 'Duke' And so it begins ... Moving days for Greg and his family The gang's all here! Happy to be in Florida again Strawberries, and more strawberries 'The RV Capital of the World' From the beautiful Maine coastline down to southern Connecticut Training for our jobs at Disney World Chillin' out at 'Camp Monaco' Under the weather Back in Florida At long last, back in the area Lots to see in the 'Show Me' state With family and spectacular sights in Hailey, Idaho Look back, look ahead Back in the Lower 48 The cold weather is hitting Florida From Dallas to devastation Back on the road again Leaving Idaho and heading east Beautiful Alaska A memorable visit to Alaska's Kenai Peninsula Watch out for flying dinner rolls

We are enjoying every day here, but the weather could be bit warmer. This is one of the coldest winters the Sunshine State has experienced in years. Of course "cold" is still a lot warmer than in the North. It just isn’t pool or beach weather and we haven’t been able to do our water aerobics for over a week. Also, due to almost no rainfall it is very dry and wildfires are a big threat.

Last week Peggy and I went exploring in downtown Lakeland.

Lakeland is a quaint mid-size town that reminds me a little of Frederick, except for the lakes. We wandered through downtown and ended up at the Lake Mirror Promenade and Park. This Promenade was designed by Charles Wellford Leavitt, a noted landscape architect, and was completed in 1928. It is said to be ‘Florida’s most significant example of the "City Beautiful Movement." I had never heard of this "movement" so I googled it and found a ton of information. In short it was to get rid of social ills in the cities and bring American cities to cultural parity with European cities.

The promenade was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was restored in the 1980s.

On one end was an ornate balustrade and seawall with classical ornaments and columns; it was very reminiscent of Italian monuments.

At the other end of the lake and promenade was a beautiful ornamental garden with flowering trees and bushes, called Hollis Garden. Within this Garden there was a Tuscan Gazebo, spring water Grotto, vine-covered trellis, and a large Garden Room. The whole area was breathtaking, beautiful and impeccably manicured. Peggy and I walked all around the Garden. What a wonderful and peaceful place for relaxing and enjoying nature, right in the middle of a town. Amazing that we should stumble on such a significant place.

Last week Ralph and I drove to Sebring, which is about 60 miles south of here to visit with friends Jerry and Sandy, who are from Frederick, and Gene and Betty, who hail from Hagerstown.

Jerry and Sandy are staying in an RV park in Sebring and drive their motorhome down there every winter. Gene and Betty have what is called a ‘park model’; they no longer drive an RV. This has something to do with Gene’s age!! I don’t want to say how old he is, but he sure looks great for his age. Quite a few years ago we were members of the Monocacy Valley Good Sam’s Camping Club. It was great spending the afternoon with them and we did much reminiscing about those camping days and the fun we had. Without any doubt Campers/RVers are the most fun people.

Sebring is near Lake Placid (Florida not NY) and we drove over there to look at murals that this small town is known for. All over town are buildings with beautiful murals painted by artists living in Lake Placid. We walked through a small garden and admired the artwork on the walls. Again I was amazed how one can find beautiful places and things in totally unexpected places. On the way back we saw an Armadillo on the road — that's interesting looking creature.

Two weeks ago was the Florida State FIRST LEGO League (FLL) robotics competition in Melbourne. I have written before about my grandson Nick being involved in this type of competition and how much we enjoy being part of it.

FIRST (For Inspirational Research in Science and Technology) was founded by Dean Kamen, inventor and entrepreneur, who, incidentally, also invented the Segway. He wanted to create an avenue for kids who excel in Math and Science to compete in a sport-like manner. And that’s what these competitions are — a sport and are very competitive.

There were 48 teams participating and unfortunately our team — the Darth Panthers — did not place. However, the boys and the parents/grandparents had a great time. Especially this grandmother! If you are interested in knowing more about FLL go to www.usfirst.org.

Last week Robin and Jordyn went with Ralph and me to the Holy Land Experience, which is a large biblical theme park set up like Jerusalem 2000 years ago. The buildings, statues, and characters all were very authentic.

The various performances were interesting and educational as well as inspirational. A large museum housed old scrolls and bibles from hundreds of years ago including one of the first bibles printed by Gutenberg. In the evening they had a beautiful dancing water demonstration.

Next week it is supposed to get warmer and more like Florida weather. I may get a tan after all.