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The Peace River, which wraps around the RV Park
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The trail along the river almost always revealed something interesting
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Stumpy is the resident gator - so named because of that missing rear leg
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The entrance to the Historic Bok Sanctuary, atop peninsular Florida's highest point - 298 ft Iron Mountain
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For us, the main attraction was the carillon - this is a duplicate of the keyboard for the bell tower
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In the courtyard, the pavement evokes groomed gravel in Japanese gardens
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Some of the wildlife in the gardens
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The heron moved just enough to prove it was alive
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And then it jumped into the water . . .
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There are several acres of well-maintained gardens laced with meandering paths
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Not a lot of blooms in January, but these azaleas were showy
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Pollenation, however, knows no season . . .
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The singing tower dominates the entire sanctuary
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The bell tower houses a 60-bell carillon - one of the largest in the country
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All the bells are behind those marvelous grilles
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People who donate big bucks can tour the tower. We didn't
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The gargoyles on the bell tower all represent native birds
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Closeup of some of the grille work near the top of the tower
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During the carillon recital, you can watch the carillonneur on a video screen
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The door to the bell tower is a marvelous work in brass
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Don't often see a sundial mounted vertically
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The tower was designed by several world-renowned artists
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After the recital, a Q&A with one of the nation's few full-time, paid carillonneurs
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Wrought-iron work atop the bell tower fence
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There are lagoons and moats that completely surround the tower
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Squirrels in Florida eat on the spot - no need to stash stuff for a cold winter
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Judy trying to photograph a beautiful swan on that island
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The bird refused to pose properly.
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AHA! The swan, exposed
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Back in the gardens, more tropical beauty
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Curious cloud formation
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Ferns growing on the side of a tree.
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Now that's a leaf! Why bother with puny fig leaves?
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Pretty flowers
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Sculpture as we leave the sanctuary
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At Peace River, if you want to move to a site with sewer, you have to pick from a list
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This is the one we picked . . .
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Some days Stumpy shows her good side. She's an impressive 10-12 ft gator.
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Those little lizards move fast!
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The entrance gate to Solomon's Castle
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The castle is covered in aluminum printing plates
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There are several stained glass windows in the castle
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Neat sidewalk. Painted with a foam mop. Really!
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Judy's occasionally attracted to a knight in shining armor
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Some of the interesting artwork from the mind of Howard Solomon
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They claim it's all made from recycled stuff salvaged from dumps and area farms
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Some of the sculpted paintings are very good
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But will it float?
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Somebody gave him the carousel collection
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The bat below the cat? A Lions Club. Ha Ha Ha
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These 3-D paintings are very cool
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The tusks are manatee rib bones, they said
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Some say the artwork displayed is what the artist couldn't sell. We're not so sure
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A self-portrait of Howard Solomon
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More stained glass in the kitchen
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A castle needs a moat, and this one has a ship in it - actually a pretty good restaurant
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Outdoor dining is quite nice when the sky is blue
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Another view of the castle
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Harp Sighting! Actually a lyre - music-themed items abound here
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Just another sculpture along the path - a whopper of a mosquito
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A mural and whimsical fence surround an outbuilding
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Judy says it's a big thing. The plant, she means . . .
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There's Stumpy again. She was almost always in the same spot
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Sometimes she was partially in the river
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Why do vultures circle over the RV park? Average age of the residents?
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These are turkey buzzards. Some were black vultures
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Handy place to sit if you're a small fuzzy rodent
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There were hundreds of vultures and buzzards in these trees
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A restored steam engine in a county park
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Today, Stumpy didn't even get out of the water
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Finally, an ibis, just hanging out