Day Four in Florida with Grandpa Marvin

Day three in Florida (1/12/14) was Sunday.  Grandpa will long be remembered for 

his insightful answers in Sunday School regarding fore-ordination and in 

Priesthood because of his connection with Joseph Fielding Smith.  Grandpa
was ordained a High Priest by the very prophet we are studying this year.

Sunday I got stomped playing monopoly with Taylor,  went for a walk 

with Janna and Ammon and then we sampled citrus fruit in the grove until 

we had juice running clear to our elbows!  :)  Does it get better than that?

DAY FOUR: MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2014

Me & Grandpa at the sign near the office at the head 

of the road where Scott and Janna used to live.

Janna stops for minute in front of the visitor's center 

where some of the couple missionaries work.

Janna shows Grandpa the rattle snake skin taken form a snake caught in the area. 

Inside the visitor's center I quickly had Gus, the stuffed Gator, under control.

Grandpa was concerned that Scott didn't take pictures

 of the herds of cows  So-- we helped cover that base.

Grandpa was fascinated by the color and diversity in the herds.
Did you know the ranch weans 34,000 calves each year? 

The 295,000 acre  ranch is divided into 14 different
 stewardship areas with five cowboys assigned to each.

 

In Florida it is best to remember..."If there is water there are gators!"

Some of the local wildlife we saw.

The vegetation on the farm is diverse and amazing.

We stopped to visit one of the unit barns where 

the cowboys keep their horses and dogs.

Janna and Grandpa

Notice the unique construction on the barn.  This makes 

the barn warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Grandpa takes in every detail of the set-up.

Janna and Grandpa check out the dogs they use 

with the cattle. They don't look like "Ole Rags."

 Next on the agenda was an air boat ride.  We had 

to capture the jungle like area where the ride began.

This water way is the road to adventure. 

Dale was kind enough to use his lunch hour to take us out.  

Grandpa was assigned the first mate's seat.

Ear protection is advised with the substantial noise the engine produces.

Let the adventure begin!

With each turn the channel widens as we approached the St. John's River.

This is a bird watchers heaven! 

Our search for baby gators begins in earnest in the lily pads. 

Notice the gator carcass.  We had to intimidate the vulture to get near it.  Dale

 pulled some teeth from the jaws and sent one home with Grandpa.

This baby gator was fiesty!  Most little ones go limp and play dead, 

but this one was intent on spinning into a death roll.

Grandpa didn't want to touch the gator, but he got a good close look at him.

Dale helped us transfer the little fellow so that no one lost a finger!

We figured this little guy was about 3 1/2 feet long. 

The adventure is winding down as we  head back.

Dale describes the number of "rebuilds" he has done on this motor 

through the years.  One thing is for certain.  It doesn't lack for power.  

We left the water, scurried over the ground and right up onto the trailer. 

That afternoon we headed for the tallest light house in Florida.

It just happens to be near the famous Daytona Beach.  

Below is a bit of history for those interested.

This is our first look at the Ponce Da Leon Light House, built in 1887, taken from the parking lot.

Ammon, Grandpa and I pose near the Inlet sign.

 After getting our ticket bands we watched a movie about the lighthouse

 through the years in this little building.  It was very fascinating.

This story made both Janna and I cringe.  This little dog, Jingles was a 

family pet to Pamela and Billy Brown who lived at this lighthouse in 

1844-1945.  He went everywhere with them including to the top of the 

light house.  One day he jumped out the window near the top and landed

 on the concrete ledge.  He had no room to turn around so Billy climbed 

out to join him.  He kept his back to the brick wall and with his knee he

scooted Jingles around the light house to an open window where they were 

both able to get back in. They were will over 200 feet in the air!

This gives insight into the life of the children who lived at this light house.

 

The job of a light house keeper or assistant was a noble occupation complete with uniform.

This sign tells a little about some of the main keepers of this area. 

 The one below gives some insight into their way of life here.

Our experienced guides (Janna and Ammon)
show us the door into the light house. 

 Grandpa and I pause before heading up the 200 plus stairs to the top!

This is from the bottom looking up the beautiful spiral staircase.

 

This is from the top looking down at the checkered floor below.

This green platform prevents visitors from getting up to the light 

that now serves the lighthouse.  It to a combination of lens and prisms.  

Although some use it as a location reference today , it is shines to

 illuminate the past and as a thing of beauty!

The following shots were taken from the top.  We could see for 

over 20 miles out to sea. The view made it well worth the climb.

This photo features the high rise hotels along Daytona Beach.

This shot shows the inlet itself.  If ships could navigate this 

narrow inlet safely they had access to a whole network of rivers.

This shot shows part of the river network that meets the ocean here.

I am guessing the price tag on these residential mansions 

would be high, unless there was a hurricane just off shore!

That's me waving from the top of the light house.

This one has Grandpa with arms out stretched and gripping the guard rail.

We begin the descent back down.

Grandpa pauses on a landing for one last look up.

This photo and the next three tell their own story.

This is the old Oil storage house.

 

These barrels once held the oil that fueled the lighthouse lanterns.

Below are some models of the original building of the lighthouse in 1887.

This sign describes the restoration that took place in 2001.

This sign shows how the lights have evolved through the years.

One building houses all the old lights and assessories of the past. 

This lens is 16 feet 5 1/2 inches tall.  It weighs 12,800 pounds 

and is rated at 430,000 candle power.  It contains 368 prisms!

This shot was taken from the loft of this building.

These old oil containers were once used to measure and dispense the oil in this light house.

This show case features on old telescope, hand held fog horn, and typhoon fog signal.

I was fascinated with this model of Pharos Tower, built in Egypt in the 

third century BC and considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

This sign tells bout that ancient lighthouse era. 

Ammon was glad to be out of the car and the stroller.

He was a trooper as we traveled to our various destinations.

Did I mention that he was an adorable trooper?

The sun started to dip lower in the sky.

 

So we loaded up and said good-bye to this beautiful light house. 

Back at Janna's, Scott had prepared an FHE Cajun Boil for us and 

some neighbors.  After the meal is cooked it is just dumped 

on the table where those gathered for the meal can take what they want.

It was warm enough to warm your hands if you were from Florida and thought it was chilly.

Grandpa didn't hesitate to jump in line as he had sampled Scott's cooking on Saturday.

This is the big pot where the cooking was done.  

This shot is taken just out side Janna's front door.

Caden and Grandpa made an immediate connection 

and were good partners at every opportunity. :)

The next morning (1/14/14) we flew out early from the Orlando Airport.  

We traveled west out over the  Gulf of Mexico and then turned up

 the Mississippi River.  Finally we headed west where we had a 

short lay-over in Denver and then flew on to SLC and home.  

But---the memories created ----we brought home with us. :)

 Thanks to each of the Smith's but especially Janna and Scott!