Shark Valley 5k

Jill and I drove into the Everglades before dawn for the Race Against Invasives!
Running through the park was gorgeous- alligators galore.
Fun times!

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Acroyoga

Mom came along as the photographer for our Acroyoga session.

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New roof

One day the ceiling in the Florida room looked like this!
After some googling, I called the roofer and scrubbed off the mold with bleach and a sponge.
Now I have a new roof over that part of the house. He offered to replace the entire roof, but I'm not ready for that! I better start saving!

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Agriculture Day

This field trip was my favorite so far! We visited Silver Strand Citrus Grove in Immokalee and learned how they grow, pick, and ship oranges.





We tasted the most magnificent orange on the planet.





This kind was also delicious!



We visited a real ranch (with real cowboys!) We learned how to crack a whip, lasso a calf, and brand. Here is our class photo.



We saw Collier Family Farms, which grows only organic produce. They described how difficult it is to keep pests under control when they don't use chemicals. This cherry tomato patch was wiped out in a few days due to an airborne fungus. Hence the high cost of organic produce at the store.



Then we went to Lipman Produce and toured the Roma and grape tomato packing plant.



It was incredible to see the volume of tomatoes!

I picked up this good veg at the Pinhooker Market. It is open to the public and sells any produce not going to market- either due to mishape or size, or too much was ripe and couldn't be shipped. Great prices!


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STAR Award

I traveled to Tallahassee to receive a STAR award. There was a fancy ceremony, where the Lieutenant Governor and Deputy Director spoke and then called each person on stage.
I took advantage of the opportunity to visit the Apalachicola Reserve while I was in the area.
They took me to try my first oyster! I ate nearly every one on this menu- delish!
I quickly grew to love this quaint little place! The scenery in Northwest Florida is pretty different than the rest of the state.

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