Roaming Around Florida

For two weeks we have roamed around the south tip of Florida. From Orlando we drove to Key Largo, the first Key south of Miami. We had the pleasure of staying at some friends’ condo for five days overlooking the ocean. It was warm and beautiful. One day we drove to Key West, the last Key in the 90-mile chain of islands connected by 42 bridges, one being seven miles long. It was fun to see although not all that attractive or appealing to us. Another day we went on a boat ride four miles out to a coral reef. The waves were about four feet that day so both of us didn’t feel too well after looking through the glass-bottom boat for about 30 minutes. But it was a good tour.

Each morning they served a complimentary continental breakfast at the cafe, then we would try to do some walking, before enjoying the pool. One day it rained most of the time so we stayed in the condo most of the time; a good chance to read and relax. We explored the area some, enjoyed a delicious seafood sandwich one evening, and found a good ice cream shop.

After we checked out of the condo we went to Flamingo, the south tip of the Everglades National Park. We stayed there two nights, walked some trails, took a boat tour up a canal into a large bay, enjoyed the ranger programs each night; saw lots of alligators and birds. The Everglades were not quite what we had expected but it was fun.


From there we went up the Gulf coast; drove through Marco Island, up to Fort Myers. We stayed one night with some friends in Sarasota, then joined friends vacationing at an RV resort in Dunedin, north of St. Petersburg, for two days. It was fun to be together, especially since they have camped there before and knew the area very well. They showed us the best sights, including sunsets over the Gulf.


Yesterday we came back to Wycliffe in Orlando to pick up our mail. I worked on the building project again for a day and a half. Tomorrow morning we say goodbye to our new friends here and head up to St. Augustine for a day, then up to Savannah, GA for a few days to see the historic city and visit some friends too.

We have enjoyed the six weeks in Florida, especially the 80 degree weather, sunshine, evening breezes and getting to meet many lovely people. Hopefully, it won’t get too cold as we go north.
Hope you are doing well and enjoying the springtime.

By clicking the ‘comment’ button you can let us know you read this and tell a bit of what you are up to.

God bless!

Finished At Wycliffe

Believe it or not, we have been in Orlando (at Wycliffe Bible Translators) for four and a half weeks. It has been a fun experience.

The weather has been beautiful -- most days in the high 70s or low 80s with lots of blue sky and sunshine. Several nights were in the 40s, but that isn’t hard to take when it warms up so quickly as the sun comes out.

I (Abner) have been working on the new building every day, four or five days a week. My work has been varied; some on the outside of the new building, some in the inside. Usually I have worked with two or three other guys, some very skilled, others more like helpers.

We have fabricated and installed metal boxes and soffits, put up mesh and plastic expansion joints for the stucco exterior, cut and welded window mullions, and lots of other smaller stuff. It has been very enjoyable and they have assured me that I would be welcome to come back on the job anytime.

Rosie has been working in a variety of jobs -- answering phones, working at a thrift shop, purging old clinic files, sorting stamps, washing dishes in the Cafe, helping serve lunch to a kids group, etc. Two weeks ago she fell and hurt her wrist/hand so she has been limited recently on what she can do. The swelling has diminished and it is feeling much better, though not completely healed.

We took two Fridays off; one to go to the Kennedy Space Center (about 45 miles east), and one to go to North Palm Beach for a weekend to visit friends.
The KSC was very enjoyable, seeing the launch pads, exhibits of all the space travel, rockets and engines, IMAX movies of landing on the moon and the International Space Station. One astronaut (in person) described some of his space travel, including a trip to the ISS. The next space shuttle was on the launch pad to lift of in mid-March, but a severe hailstorm did some damage to the fuel tank so it had to be moved back into the “shop.” It would have been fun to see a liftoff while were were down here, but it has been rescheduled to mid-April.

We had a relaxing visit with Kevin and Eloise Dyer in North Palm Beach. It was great to reminisce, eat Indian curry, look out over the inland waterway with its many boats, shop a bit, and spend some time in prayer together. It was a refreshing time.

As the days have gone by we have met many very nice people, some that we have known in the past, or who know people that we know, etc. It is a small world, especially among Christians with whom we share so much in common. We have had several visits with Dave and Linda Marcy (from ACC) who have been on staff with Wycliffe for over 25 years. Last evening we had dinner together at the famous Dixie Crossroads in Titusville.

Today we visited the Holy Land Experience, a Christian exhibit center not far from Disney World. It is a mock Jerusalem with walls, gates, a marketplace, the temple court, a scriptorium, Golgotha, and the garden tomb. There were several stages where they did musicals, enacted a wedding in Cana, Jesus talking to people, healing the sick, movies explaining the biblical message, etc. All well done, and worth the hefty price tag!

Tomorrow morning we plan to leave for Key Largo and the Keys for a week. We will be staying in some friends’ condo right on the beach. That should be fun; no schedules to keep, no work to do, just relax and enjoy! We are looking forward to the experience.

We would love to hear from you; you can make comments at the end of the blog or send us an email: abner_bauman@wowway.com.

The Lord be with you,

Abner & Rosie