the last of Blue Spring, I promise...

Blue Spring Gentle Giants...

My friend Jan took all four photos on this page.

Park rangers said they counted 66 manatees this day.
We saw a couple dozen.

A mama sea cow and two babies,
most likely only one is hers.

Mama liked doing rollovers.

Blue Spring State Park...

Took another walk-about, this time to
Blue Spring, to ooh and ah at the manatees
that enjoy the warm waters here in the winter.
Before we got to the manatees and other wildlife, we wandered
over to the Thursby House. One of the founding families
for this area and who originally owned this huge property...













An artist's rendition of a manatee in mosaic
lounges on the front porch. (Just for you, Boxer!)




















It started to rain lightly, so we ducked into
the gift shop for shelter and browsing.
That's my friend, Jan, looking at manatee
Christmas ornaments on the tree. She's
taking a day off from bear patrol duty.

The wood sculpture of the mama sea cow
and her calf is about four feet tall.


When the rain stopped, we headed for the park trail,
after taking good note of the warning signs for the
ever-possible alligator. Watch out, Jimbo! heh.

Yes, I took photos of the manatees and oodles of
other nature-y things. Have patience, folks.
This could be a series, like the roses and autumn hiking.