Brevard County Zoo - A Real Treasure

Near Canaveral, about an hour from Orlando, is this great community zoo. Only 14 years old, it is a world class zoo on a small scale. Our grandson Jack loved it. They have this great display with otters where they can be seen under the water as well as on land. They were very active and everyone enjoyed their antics, especially Jack.
They have a small train that goes around part of the zoo, (you can also take a kayak tour), where you see quite a few animals like the white hippo, giraffes and other African critters. They have this great Avaiary where you can go in with many of the birds and feed some of them.


There are many alligators that you can get very close to as well as turtles and fish. They have this great family of giraffes that can see in the video below. But the best part of this zoo is the attitude. Everyone is very friendly and most are volunteers. The price is very low, about $14 for an adult adventure package. This is a place worth finding if you are in Florida.

Do all Florida Visitors Lie When They Get Home?

Living in Michigan, there seems to be a group of people that actually want to miss the glories of our Northern Michigan winters. They go to places that have funny names that are mostly located in Florida. They return to Michigan with stories of perfect weather. This perfect weather day is not a hit and miss situation but everyday it is perfect weather.

Well, this is my sixth time in Florida and only one time was the weather as good as advertised. Today, April 16th, the high temperate in Orlando is 71, less than the high in Cadillac, Michigan. With 35 knot winds and 68 degrees, the beach is a place where you really have to hold on to your hat. What is there about Florida that encourages otherwise honest people to lie about the weather on their vacations? Maybe is simply the legacy of Florida. Florida has very little history that does not involve pirates, developers, speculators or flim-flam operators. Maybe that is the reason. I hope that there someday maybe a cure for this condition.

Michigan Whitetails are Very Dear

I have always loved Whitetail deer. They are exciting to watch, their tracks always tell a interesting story, they are really fun to hunt and best of all, they taste delicious.

In our family deer hunting and deer camp was an important tradition. The opening of deer season in Michigan was one of our major holidays.

We continue this deer camp tradition that has been going on for almost 70 years. The camp with its 16 x 32 foot tent is called MASH which is short for Michigan Association of Swedish Hunters.

Spring has Sprung

On Sunday afternoon, I was skiing in the woods with really terrific snow. The sun was warm and the snow crystals made the skis fast. The snow depth was perfect in that it covered the branches and logs and you could go everywhere.
Then came Monday which I wasted at work but the warm temperatures and winds were also at work. Tuesday afternoon I was hurrying home to catch some of the last snow but I was too late. In just two days the woods went from great spring skiing to perfect weather for the neighbor maple sugar bush. As much as I hate to admit it, spring is finally here and it is time to put my skis away for the summer. Darn!

In Memory of All Stillborn Children

Elizabeth Rae Johnson was stillborn on April 2nd, 2004. She was a perfect, beautiful baby who was almost full term at the time of her death.

At the entrance to the Greenway in Cadillac a climbing area has been built in the Memory of her and all stillborn children. Elizabeth's "Mountain" has become a popular climbing area for small children.

Stillbirth Facts

• A stillborn child is one who dies in utero at 20 weeks or more, many times at full term.


• Babies are stillborn for many reasons, including maternal infection, placenta complications, umbilical cord problems, and anencephaly.


• Worldwide there are 4 million stillbirths every year.


• In the U.S there are 26,000 stillbirths annually — 71 per day. One in 200 wanted American pregnancies ends in stillbirth.