Ocala.....

.....Florida, Thoroughbred horses here, want to race?
Well Mister Man then you found the right place.
Here in central Florida horse farm abound,
maybe you should come to the Kingdom of the Sun and look around.

Ol' Larry has a daughter, she's a mom too,
Rhonda and Nick and Stu - howdy to you!
They've been there for so very long,
getting the chills - when Ol' Larry feels warm.

Top:  Get ready! Get set! Go!, or not.
Bottom: A downtown horse, in local colors.

Winter Haven...

...Florida, what a nice surprise,
such wonder here, I couldn't believe my eyes,
formerly the winter home of the Red Sox and Tribe,
they couldn't keep 'em here, and they didn't bribe.

Long time home of Cypress Gardens that now are gone,
making room for Lego-land, that's a reach beyond;
there are lots of lake here, waterski school abound,
Abby wants to try it, I'm staying on the ground.

Top:  A show of very nice cars.
Middle: Legoland Florida will be like this, only bigger - opens in 2011.
Bottom: Good morning: sunrise in Winter Haven.

Merritt Island...

...Florida, home of Cape Canaveral, and the shuttle too,
watching it zooming on a night launch would be so cool;
but much more is on the island that the race for space,
it's on the Banana River, how's that for a place?

There are many birds, all different in some way,
and, or course, the beaches - for a place to play;
the sun is warm, the day is lazy, time to take a break,
we won't be long, be on our way - get up for goodness sake!

Just a reminder - you can click on any image to make it larger.
Top:  A shuttle stands ready.
Middle: A spoonbill look for lunch.
Bottom: The Town of Merritt, say this looks like a good place for a runway.

Jacksonville....

....Florida, where Ol' Larry spent some time,
right up there in that picture, near the flight line,
those little bity dots near the bottom of the hexagon, not dome,
are cars in the parking lot, waiting to go home.

It was pretty easy duty that Ol' Larry had,
Jax in the summer, Iceland winters aren't that bad,
sometimes that reversed, went to the beach for a swim,
it was good while it lasted, but I know now, what I didn't then.

Top:  The hangar at the Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, it's the hex building.
Middle:  Planes fly in formation over Jax in this 1948 photo, no! I didn't take it.
Bottom:  The City of Jacksonville at night, reflected in the St. Johns River.

Lake City....

 ....Florida, a city at a cross roads, a very busy place
located on the Suwannee River, so why the rat race?
I guess it's called location, you've heard of that before,
now we must remember to take time to explore.

It's a service center in a melon growing state,
add to that the lumber, peanuts that are great,
cotton and tobacco grown around here too,
and don't forget the lakes, fun for me any you.

Top:  Down on the Suwannee River, there it is!
Middle:  Alligator Lake
Bottom:  A section of the downtown area.

Apalachicola....

.....Florida, on the "forgotten coast",
charm and neighborhoods, are reason to boast;
it's a working town, that started with a plunge,
Greek imigrant founders dove here for sponge(s).

It's now shrimp and oysters that make the town,
and the Florida Seafood Festival, doesn't leave a frown,
Trinity Episcopal Church was also a first,
number one prefab building, filled a thrist.

Top:  A view of the town.
Middle: River flows to Bay.
Bottom: The Dune Walk across the beach, looks nice.

Panama City....

....Florida, on the Gulf Coast with beaches,
I couldn't tell how far the beaches reaches;
it's a nice place to spend some time,
fishing and swimming, the water's just fine.

Abby liked to lay on the beach and sun,
I was for fishing, catch the big one.
we hadn't seen the salt water for a long time,
it's good to see that it's lasted just fine.

Top:  Panama City beaches
Middle: Good fishing
Bottom: A Gulf Coast sunset