Raccoons on Grand Bahama Island eat out of your hands!

 We went on the Grand Bahamas Nature Tours out of Freeport, Bahamas. The tour guide was great and knowledgeable. The kayaking through the mangroves was awesome. I really recommend this tour. And the best part was the raccoons. There's no rabies on the island and the raccoons come out and beg at the lunch pavilion and are trained to stay at the edges where you can feed them. They were so cute.

The link below is for the company that gives the tours:
http://www.grandbahamanaturetours.com/tour1.html

Nature Watch at Hudson River in Staatsburgh, NY

Watchable Wildlife at Mills Norrie State Park

Staatsburgh, Dutchess County
Among the wildlife that can be enjoyed atMills Norrie State Park are: wood ducks, common mergansers, great blue herons, bluebirds, muskrats, white-tailed deer, red foxes and river otters.

River otters, members of the weasel family, are particularly popular with the public. Cute and clownish, they are natural if inadvertent entertainers. For example, when otters slide downhill through snow, they appear to be having fun as they form troughs reminiscent of the pattern left by children usingsaucers. Although river otters are active year-round, they spend most of their time in the water. Look for them there or along the shores of various water bodies.

Nature Notes: River otters are primarily visual predators; their eyes are shaped in a way that helps them see under water. When the water is murky, their whiskers help them locate the movement of prey. Read more about river otters in Conservationist, The River Otter: Surprising Little Clown (December 2013).

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/NYSDEC/bulletins/1413a23

Great Nature Trail and Park near Rochester, N.Y.

Hike of the Month: Mendon Ponds Park

Monroe County
Mendon Ponds Park, named to the National Registry of Natural Landmarks, has 30 miles of self-guided trails and abundant wildlife. A kettle pond known as the Devil's Bathtub can be accessed via an easy .67-mile walk and is one of the unique glacial features from 11,000 years ago. The challenging East Esker Trail is a 4.7-mile hilly hike and travels through woods and fields of wildflowers. Most of the ten trail loops in the 2,500-acre park are between one and three-miles long. Six lodges and seven shelters are available for rental, and the park offers a sensory garden as well.

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https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/NYSDEC/bulletins/1413a23

Traditional London Tourist Sights

The London Tower

Tower Bridge

Big Ben

the Gherkin

What to do in Florence Italy

I only had one day in Florence, soooo, do I spend a long time waiting in line to tour a museum to see the statue of "David"? Or do I take a picture of the "David" statue outside the museum meant to entice me in?  I took the outside picture and went on my way to see other things.

Like what every tourist really wants!  Gelato!  And this shop had the tallest mounds of Gelato I had ever seen, and trust me, when I am in Italy, I try to be sure to sample as much gelato as I can.

Why yes, I did cut off his head. I wanted to see the architecture in the background, but now the only thing people notice is the headless statue.

You have to see  the Baptistry of St. John. The picture doesn't do the details and coloring of this structure justice.

 The famous bronze doors, you need to see those.

And the most important thing to do before leaving Florence is to rub the nose of "El Porcinello" at the straw market because if you rub it's nose, it means you will return to Florence. It's located at the edge of the old straw market. It's worked for me twice, we'll see if I get to go back again after this third time.

Cool things to see in Venice

Venice is known for their mask making skills. There are hundreds of shops selling leather masquerade masquerade masks reasonably priced for souvenirs. However, there are a few specialty shops where the true artistry of mask making an be seen. There masks were amazing.

everyone has to see the Rialto bridge. ok, seen it. lets move on.

of course the canals and the boats.

I like some of the statues as well.  

But this was my favorite spot, there were a few trees by a bridge and the dock area was nice and cool on a hot day and looked out over the water. It was so nice to just sit there, cool down, and soak in where I was and how lucky I was to be able to go to see places like this.

Ah, the famous locks on the bridges. Couples think they can lock their love by putting a padlock on the bridge and throwing the key in the water. Nice thought, but it's causing al kinds of problems for the bridges that are old and the added constant weight is detrimental to the bridges. So the lovers may find their love locks broken at some point soon.

Whovians, did you know there's a Dr. Who museum near London?

Sure, it's just a police box, riiiiight?