A Free Book!! Celebrate With Me.

March is a special month for me. It's my birthday month!! Yes, I'm claiming the whole month while my birthdate is really St. Patrick's Day. I'm as far from being Irish as you can get but that doesn't mean I can't be green for the day.

In honor of that, I'd like to save you a little green. All during March this year, I'm offering my cozy mystery ebook, Murder Among the Orchids, for free! The offer is only good through Smashwords.com. When you go to the link and order, it will ask for a coupon number. Enter GN29G and it will let you download the book for free. All formats are available so it doesn't matter what kind of ereader you have.

This book is the first in the Casey Stengel mystery series and the second, Death Among the Deckchairs is nearing the finish and getting ready for a summer release. If you "like" my FaceBook author page, you'll be able to keep up with the news and even get in on helping to select the cover for the book.

Enjoy! And do a little jig for me on the 17th.

Through My Lens - Florida Plants

The Everglades - Anhinga Trail

One of the most interesting places in the Everglades National Park is the Anhinga Trail. It's not too far into the park (it starts at the Royal Palm Visitor Center) and is mostly a boardwalk that takes you through sawgrass marsh and gives a great view of all sorts of wildlife including the alligators.

As the name suggests, you will see lots of anhingas and in one section, come very close to their nests. The anhinga is mostly a black bird with a beautiful black and white feather pattern on its wings. The difference between the male and female markings is that the female has a silvery head and neck.

Nicknamed the snake bird, the anhinga when swimming often only has its head and neck above water thus looking like a snake. It is easy to confuse in the water with a cormorant which is similar in shape and swims in much the same fashion but is smaller than the anhinga. Both are abundant on the Anhinga trail.

Once the anhinga gets out of the water, it usually finds a spot to roost and then spreads its wings to dry them off. Some of the trees almost look like a line of laundry hanging out to dry.

Baby Anhingas in nest

"Teenaged" Anhingas

We visited twice during our month long stay in south Florida. The visits were almost three weeks apart and when we revisited the nesting area, we were amazed at how much the babies in the nest had grown. I'd call them teenagers on our second visit. They were already venturing out of the nest although not into the water. Thank goodness for that because just below the nest sat a smiling alligator waiting for someone to test their underdeveloped wings.

There were not so many vultures on the second visit and I wondered if maybe the migration north had begun. And a very excited park ranger made sure to point out that there was a roseate spoonbill at the lookout on one end of the trail. We didn't tell her we had seen it a few weeks earlier. This time however, the spoonbill was even pinker than before. It's coloring resembles a flamingo and some tourists (although I don't see how) confuse it with a flamingo. It's legs are not nearly as long and then there's that bill that they use to filter out food bits from the water.

On both visits, we watched the water birds fish and enjoy their catch although we felt sorry for the one cormorant we saw who caught a good sized gar fish and flew off with another bird in pursuit. Unfortunately the catch fell back into the water and neither bird got it. Somehow there must be a lesson on sharing in there.

Wordless Wednesday

Books For The Road - Where Treasure Hides

The advantage of posting for the Barn Door Book Loft is that I get a heads-up when a new book has hit the market. When I did the spotlight for Johnnie Alexander Donley's historical romance, Where Treasure Hides, the excerpt caught my interest and when she told me it was on sale at Kindle for $1.99, I couldn't resist. Am I glad I grabbed it!

The story is of a young woman from Rotterdam during the World War II days. She meets a young British soldier in London and it is love at first sight. Of course the war is going to come between them and Alison Shuyler isn't so certain an old family curse might not as well. Alison's family has an art museum and the suspense builds as you see them preparing to hide the old masters in their possession to keep the German Nazis from taking them and destroying them. Add to the mix a German officer in love with Alison and you have an exciting edge-of-the-seat read.

One of the things I liked most about Donley's story is her descriptive quality in the scenes she drew. We have visited many of the places she describes and I could picture myself there even though it was a WWII era.

If the romantic element in the story doesn't tug at your heartstrings the backdrop of the plight of the children of the war will. As a matter of fact, the first scene where Alison meets Ian Devlin portrays Jewish children arriving in London, sent there for safety by their parents.

I could not put this book down once I got into it. Can't say that about a lot of books I've read lately. You won't be disappointed--even if you have to pay full price for it. It's worth the money and the reading time. A fantastic book for the road!

Through My Lens - Everglades Birds

South Florida's Key Lime Pie

There's one rule to keep in mind when you are looking for Florida's signature dessert, Key Lime Pie. If it's green, it's not a real Key lime pie. You'll find the best Key lime pies are slightly yellowish in color but mostly a creamy color and consistency. Key lime trees are abundant in south Florida but sometimes you can get them in your own area grocery store. Here's an easy recipe to try:

1 9" prepared graham cracker pie crust (or make your own)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbls fresh or bottle Key lime juice

heavy cream for whipped topping

Preheat oven to 350°

Filling:
Whisk together egg yolks and condensed milk until well blended. Add Key lime juice and whisk again until blended well. Mixture should thicken a bit.

Pour into prepared crust. Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes. Cool completely on rack and then chill for 6-8 hours.

Just before serving, whip cream and spread on top of pie. Garnish with a couple of thin lime slices if available.

Florida Everglades

A trip to south Florida isn't complete without some time spent in Everglades National Park. Over 1.5 million acres in size, it is an important habitat for many rare and endangered species. Originally, water flowed freely, albeit very shallow water, from the Kissimmee River south to the Florida Bay which is just at the top of the Keys.

When development in Florida took its toll on the land in the early to mid 1900s, an area was set aside to conserve the natural landscape and prevent more damage to lands, plants and animals. In 1947 the Everglades National Park was established.

Today, there is still a threat to the eco system with further development based on Florida's popularity as a vacation or winter escape destination.

While we have visited the Everglades often on trips to Florida, this latest trip amazed us with what seems like a population explosion of vultures. At Palm Court, they line the Anhinga Trail we love to explore and hop out of the way as you walk through them. Need I mention they have a face only a mother could love. Worse, they have a taste for the rubber gasket that runs around the windshield, the wiper blades, and anything else vinyl and rubber on your vehicle. The park provides tarps that you can use to protect your vehicle. We didn't use a tarp but parked in the sun which works too, according to the sign.

Apparently the vultures are one of nature's "snow birds" migrating south to Florida for the winter which probably explains the increased population when we visited in February. I'm a little more familiar with the turkey vulture which, in our neck of the woods are called "buzzards" and signal the coming of spring with their return to Hinckley, OH, every March.

Once you realize the vultures aren't interested in you--after all, you are still alive and moving, their presence isn't a deterrent to enjoying the other flora and fauna along the Anhinga Trail which is mostly a boardwalk that runs through a section of the park. Along the way you'll see plenty of alligators and all sorts of other interesting and prettier birds, many who will put on a demonstration of their fishing skills.

We paused at several places long enough to see a wood stork and several cranes and herons of different sizes as they worked their way along the water's edge, wading and waiting and making a lunge to grab a tasty morsel of fish. All the while keeping an eye on their own predator, the alligator.

Wordless Wednesday

Through My Lens - Key Largo Pelicans

These guys are always waiting for a handout from the fishermen who clean their fish by the water. Even if you  just go and stand by the cleaning station, they come scurrying. My goal is to photograph one in flight.

Kennedy Space Center - The Shuttle and Beyond

Inspiration

Our visit to the Kennedy Space Center was a few months too early to see the space shuttle Atlantis which has its own special exhibit being prepared. A huge building right at the corner of the street where you turn into the space center is expected to be opened in August of 2013.

The Space Shuttle program known officially as the Space Transportation System operated from 1981 to 2011. The shuttle has the distinction of being the only winged manned spacecraft that not only achieved orbit but also was the lander and was the only reusable space vehicle to make multiple flights into orbit.

Walkway to shuttle at launch

When the vision for space included a space station, the shuttle idea became the key to its building and supply. Basically it was said to be a flying truck.

After watching so many landings in the sea with the earlier programs, it was exciting to see the shuttle actually land on an airstrip. Just as exciting was seeing the shuttle piggybacked on a 747 to be transported from a California landing strip to the Florida space facility.

The program lasted so long that the media rarely mentioned the launches, connections with the space shuttle and the landings. Of course they were right there for the Challenger and Columbia disasters where we unfortunately lost several astronauts and scientists and a teacher. As cable and satellite TV grew more popular, NASA came up with its own channel and true enthusiasts like my son and his son could watch every launch and every mission.

Vehicle Assembly Building

A few years ago our Florida son, Rob, was able to obtain tickets for us to go see a launch. Several members of the family went as we were at that time visiting Orlando. Unfortunately I was very ill with bronchitis and couldn't make the trip. Everyone came back with wonderful stories of their experience and I'm so glad they got to see the shuttle launched as the program was soon to be shut down.

Launch pad #39

As you tour Kennedy Space Center, the bus takes you by the Vehicle Assembly Building where the shuttle was prepared for launch. It was rolled out of the building in a vertical position thus many of those upper "garage doors" needed to be open as well. It would make its way down a gravel path to launch pad #39 where it was set in place and readied for take off.

While we couldn't see the Atlantis, up the road from Kennedy just outside the Astronauts Hall of Fame (included in your general admission ticket) is the Inspiration, a mock up of the real space shuttles. It was quite impressive and a good tease for what will be the real thing when the Atlantis exhibit opens.

Today the space station is supplied by private industry and other countries launching space vehicles. NASA is now gearing up for further adventures however. Exploring other planets and deep space is now a joint venture with some commercial companies.

We walked through a display that explained the use of robots to explore planets and outer space. The Hubble is sending back amazing pictures and the Mars rover is sending back vital information to help us learn if man can survive on Mars--all in preparation for some spectacular adventures, but a travel adventure I'll pass on for now.

Kennedy Space Center - Apollo Program

The Apollo space program followed on the heels of the Gemini program. The goal: a moon landing. The Apollo program ran from 1961 - 1972 (concurrently with Gemini which ran 1962-66). It got off to a rough start with its first planned mission when in 1967, a cabin fire killed the three Apollo 1 astronauts (Grissom, White, and Chaffee) during a practice run while still on the launch pad.

Several missions made it to the moon and back, orbiting it. Finally on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the moon while Michael Collins orbited in the command module. All three safely returned to earth a few days later on July 24.

I remember watching the landing on the moon on live television. Would the lunar module sink into yards deep lunar dust or would the surface support it? When man stepped on the moon would he disappear into a lunar hole? Or would his footsteps make him leap so far into the air it would be difficult for him to return to the surface? So much speculation. As many have seen, Armstrong took a step off the ladder and spoke his momentous words, "One small step for man. One giant leap for mankind." We sat in our friends' apartment, the coffee in our hands growing cold as we watched, thoroughly hypnotized by the whole experience.

Apollo 14 Module

The missions continued successfully until Apollo 13. Once again we held our collective breath as we watched  and prayed for the safety of the astronauts, Lovell, Swigart, and Haise, when an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the service module upon which the command module depended. Would we lose them in space? Then ingenuity took over and the astronauts along with NASA command decided to use the lunar module which was designed to land them on the moon's surface and return them to the command module, as a "lifeboat" and return to earth in that. Thankfully it all worked out well even though they didn't get to land on the moon as planned. And we all enjoyed a movie years later staring Tom Hanks.

During the landings on the moon, the astronauts collected over 800 pounds of lunar rock which were studied by a laboratory in Houston. The rocks are billions of years old and evidence supports a theory that the moon's surface was once entirely molten.

In the Saturn V Center at Kennedy Space Center, the huge long building houses a Saturn V rocket and shows the stages of the rocket from the engines and thrusters to the command module. It's size is amazing. A man could stand upright in one of the thrusters.

In a side room, you get a glimpse of the command center for Apollo and then move into a theater and watch a video of the history of the Apollo program. As you watch, the stage in front of the screen suddenly comes alive with a mock lunar lander and an astronaut with an American flag planted in the fake moonscape. Back in the days of the early moon landings, there were skeptics who thought that the live TV coverage was really filmed in a studio somewhere and made to look as though the astronauts were actually landing on the moon. As we sat there and watched, Bob poked me and said with a smile, "See. This must be where they filmed it."

The astronaut's ride to the launch pad

 Near the end of the Saturn V rocket was the astronauts' vehicle used to get them to the launch pad. Not very fancy--inside or out, but it carried many heroes of the space program. The pilots that faced the unknown and became our example of courage in action.

We wandered among the historical artifacts, a lunar module, a rover, spacesuits of several of the astronauts, and even peered at a couple of lunar rock samples. Having been a part of the generation that observed so much of the space programs, it was only a slight step back in time. But my, how far we've come in such a relatively short time. Next up would be the shuttle program and the space station. Things we'd only imagined in sci-fi books.

Kennedy Space Center - The Gemini Program

"We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win. . ." President John F. Kennedy, September 12, 1962, Rice University

NASA's Gemini program was the bridge between Mercury, the first program to put men in space, and Apollo, the program to land a man on the moon. The words of President John F. Kennedy moved the plans forward and the success of the early program earned the funding from Congress. We were aiming high and determined to reach our goals. Sadly, President Kennedy would not get to see the dream he presented fulfilled. 

Inside the Gemini capsule

The Gemini program launched men into space with ten missions from 1965-66. I was about to graduate from high school and spend my first year at college. Still, my interest int the space program didn't wane and I watched at each opportunity to see each launch and marvel at our progress. 

Gemini was the test platform to learning how to control the space craft more and gain valuable information on what travel in space did to the physical bodies of the astronauts. Of course strapping two men into such a tight space for as much as 14 days seems to be a physically taxing proposition even without going into space (think riding in a Smart car for fourteen days without stretching your legs). 

It was also important to learn how to make pinpoint landings, work outside the space craft, and be able to link with another craft in space. We held our collective breath at each stage, especially when the first space walks were done.

 

There was a lot learned and accomplished in those few years and soon NASA was ready to reach out to take one small step and a giant leap.

Wordless Wednesday

Kennedy Space Center, The Mercury Program

In 1959, NASA began its Mercury Program. Its goal: to put a man in space and do it before the Russians did. I was twelve years old and very interested in outer space. In junior high school we were assigned a research paper and I chose to write about what a man would eat in space. Needless to say, I was very intrigued with the prospects of space travel.

I remember the big announcement of the first astronauts in April of 1959. The Mercury seven included Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, Gordon Cooper and Deke Slayton.

NASA chose the East Coast of Florida as its launching port for all human spaceflight missions. There were several good reasons. First, it was close to the Atlantic Ocean which provided a safe range for launching rockets without the worry of debris falling into populated areas. The area at the time NASA was begun consisted mostly of orchards, empty beaches, and two military bases that provided support to the space operations.

The last reason is because of Earth's rotation on its axis and how close Florida is to the equator. Because the speed of rotation is greater the closer you get to the equator, the space craft launched from Kennedy Space Center are given over 900 mph worth of additional boost which saves fuel and increases efficiency.

Mercury Control Room

While most of the original seven flew in the Mercury program, some went on to participate in space programs to follow. Alan Shepard was the first American astronaut to go into space. His flight on May 5, 1961 lasted 15 nail-biting minutes. The country was euphoric when it was confirmed that his module was found and he emerged unharmed.

As we walked around Kennedy Space Center on our recent visit, I could not help but wonder again at the courage it took for those early space explorers. The tiny capsule hardly seemed like anything to feel safe in at the speeds and force of launch not to mention the sea landing. One capsule was lost but thankfully the astronaut, Gus Grissom was found safely floating in a small life raft. (Grissom would later die in a fire during a practice run for an Apollo launch.)

Of course if you are an Ohioan, you definitely know of John Glenn's accomplishment: first American to orbit the earth. Imagine the planning of trajectory, re-entry, and recovery. Today we don't think much of it. The last space shuttles often got little fanfare or media coverage but those first pioneers. . .what courage!

The Mercury program ended in 1963 while I was in high school. It was replaced with the Gemini program where two astronauts would explore the possibilities of longer space flight. Our tour would show us one very large rocket that launched those capsules.