Florida Adventure!

Dear Papafritos,

For the next two weeks you will learn about Florida, alligators, pythons, manatees, the everglades, and anything else I find in Florida that is really interesting. You will also learn how technology can be used so we can communicate easily with voice, video, text, and photos from anywhere in the world!
We will use the website KOOWY to talk to each other and see each other LIVE...with me in Florida, and you in Woodburn, 3,289 miles away!!!

How did I know that Woodburn, Oregon and Miami, Florida are exactly 3,289 miles apart? Go to http://maps.google.com/
Click "Get Directions".
In the first box, type "Woodburn, OR"
and in the second box, type "Miami, FL"
You will see a map showing how you would drive there by car, and it tells how many miles it is.

If you love technology, stomp your feet right now!

Websites for Florida:
FLORIDA: http://www.visitflorida.com/
Manatees: http://www.savethemanatee.org/places.htm
http://www.manateecenter.com/
Places to go see the Manatees!!
Blue Spring State Park
Orange City, FL (between Orlando and Daytona Beach)
386-775-3663
www.floridastateparks.org/bluespring/default.cfm
See the Blue Spring manatees in SMC's Adopt-A-Manatee program
Manatee Observation & Education Center
480 North Indian River Drive
Fort Pierce, FL 34950
(772) 466-1600 ext. 3333

http://www.manateecenter.com/
Florida Power and Light Co.
Manatee Observation Center
(usually open January 2 through February 28)
Riviera Beach, FL
1-800-552-8440
http://www.fpl.com/ (choose Environment, Environmental Education, Florida's Endangered Species, and then Florida Manatees)
Note: Due to a heightened security status, the FPL Riviera Beach Manatee Viewing Area is currently closed.
Check out FPL's Manatee Webcam during the winter months
and see manatees gathered at the warm water effluent of the power plant.
Pythons: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/01/new-super-snake-python-hybrid-florida.php
Cold Iguanas: http://www.justnews.com/news/22152242/detail.html
http://www.justnews.com/video/22153242/index.html
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/bizarre&id=7207293
Fort Lauderdale, Florida - http://ci.ftlaud.fl.us/
Florida EVERGLADES: http://www.florida-everglades.com/
Florida ALLIGATORS: http://www.comingbackalive.com/animalalligator.html
Alligator Farm: http://www.everglades.com/
Cuban Food:
Bongos Cuban Cafehttp://maps.google.com/?cid=14828281822080728359s=9861113657951711099 - 
http://www.bongoscubancafe.com/ - 601 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami - (786) 777-2100
Sazon Cuban Cuisinehttp://maps.google.com/?cid=8594602704325561350s=9861109569110440239 - 
leroncaelmango.com - 7305 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach - (305) 861-4727
Bella Cuba Inchttp://maps.google.com/?cid=5125697457371941053s=9861111341704225687 -
http://www.bella-cuba.com/ - 1659 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach - (305) 672-7466
La Carreta Restauranthttp://maps.google.com/?cid=11603326371652607085s=9861114117763470145 -  http://www.lacarreta.com/ - 3632 Southwest 8th Street, Miami - (305) 444-7501
Exquisito Restauranthttp://maps.google.com/?cid=3629071161980462869s=9861114004117594579 -
exquisitorestaurant.com - 1510 Southwest 8th Street, Miami - (305) 643-0227
Larios On the Beachhttp://maps.google.com/?cid=1412985391035563137s=9861111400890515457 -
http://www.bongoscubancafe.com/ - 820 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach - (305) 532-9577
Puerto Sagua Restauranthttp://maps.google.com/?cid=9345371979918629589s=9861111378006908313 maps.google.com - 700 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach - (305) 673-1115
   More results near Miami, FL »

Thunder's Turn! 12-29-10

HERE I GO!

I wanted to take a walk before the snow melted. I was going to take Lucy, as always, because I know she's up for it, but when we started out, two things happened...she ran ahead of me and wouldn't let me put her leash on, and Thunder followed us. She was a bad girl, so I put her in the garage and took Thunder. I wasn't sure how he would do, because he is very chubby, but I was proud of him.

There was snow when we woke up this morning, but it warmed up and started to melt pretty soon. Still, it was pretty.

A couple of BIG branches broke last night or this morning from our tree, right onto our driveway...

Thunder is a GOOD boy!

Here we go, up the road.

Sturm's Berry Farm, right up the road from us....

A beautiful fern in the snow

There is not usually a pond here.

We stopped to visit our donkey friends. They expected treats!

I love the little gray and white one! The big white one is OK but he is kind of a bully. If I don't pay enough attention to him, he bites the little one. I should name them.



Kind of surreal, isn't it?!

He is so cute!!

Donkey is smelling Thunder.

He loves me so much!

This is such a beautiful house with pretty art and a pond in front.

That's the school.

Thunder and I decided to sit and rest for a bit on the bleachers.

I love my puppy!!!

This was our view from the bleachers.

so I called my Brucey Puba just to say "Hi" and he said,

 "It's getting late and dark! You should be heading home!"

So we started back.

This is a frozen cabbage field. I love the sunset behind the trees.

My donkey saw us coming back, and came running to see us.

I don't know...he looks a little offended!

Smelling Thunder again.

And then we were challenged!!!..........

by a 200 year old dog!

Narnia!!

And then Brucey came and picked us up! It was so fun! I hadn't ridden in the back of a pickup for years. And Thunder jumped right up (I was impressed) and was so happy!

Our hero!

It was a nice adventure. I was VERY proud of Thunder and I will bring him with me again.

And hopefully we will get another pick up truck ride! Thank you Bruce!

The Cornelius Pass McMenamins Roadhouse Adventure - 12/12/10

Daniel had a concert today out in Hillsboro. He had to be there at 12:45 to start rehearsal, but the concert wasn't until 4:15 pm, so I had several hours to kill. Bruce didn't come with me because he had a cold and didn't feel like going.

I had passed by the Cornelius Pass Roadhouse once before when I had an ed tech cadre meeting in Hillsboro, so I knew where it was and I love McMenamins because of the atmosphere and artwork, so I decided to go check it out.

It was a rainy day, and there were no people walking around outside.

First I went and looked at a big barn with a wreath on the front. It was locked, but I looked through the windows and saw tables set up like a restaurant.

Then I went to the main Roadhouse. It was unlocked, so I went in, but there was no one there. The lights were on, but very dim, and the music was playing very low.

The first room I saw had tables set up like a restaurant and a big fireplace. On the other side of the hall was a room with a bar in it.

I went up the stairs and there was a Christmas tree at the top, blocking the stairs going to the 3rd floor.

 This was the coolest part of the place because of the painting of a girl at the top of the stairs. I had to see what was up there, so I went around the back of the Christmas tree and went up, but there was only one door on the top floor, and it was padlocked.



If you look at the painting of the girl at the top of the stairs, you can see a round spot on her dress. I think it's a ghost orb! The circle isn't there when you look at the painting or in other photos of her.

There was another room on this floor with a bar in the back and another dining room with a big fireplace.

I went back downstairs and went to the Imbrie House restaurant.

There were people there. I sat at the bar, which was something I've never done before alone. I told the bartender that I wanted some kind of drink with brandy but I didn't know what kind and asked for a suggestion. She suggested a brandy sidecar with brandy, triple sec, and lime. She lined the rim with sugar and it was yummy. I also got the crab fondue with pumpernickel bread.

 There was a couple sitting next to me and after a while we ended up talking. It turned out the woman is an instructional assistant and had just finished her masters in education, but was very worried about the economy and lack of jobs. I told her about online learning and ORVED (Oregon Virtual Education District) and the book that got me started with the idea of teaching online, Teaching Online and Making a Six Figure Salary by Dr. Dani Babb. They were excited about it and wrote down these things to check them out. We talked for at least 30 minutes, and we never even told each other what our names were!

Then I left and went to Fred Meyers across the street and shopped for baking supplies for making cookies. Daniel was there with his two friends from Flute Troupe and I showed them my pictures. 

Finally I went to the high school and watched Daniel and the Flute Choir and Flute Troupe perform. It was beautiful, and I really loved hearing Daniel play a solo on the bass flute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M801TTTjfNI

That's the end of this adventure.