This beach is the one they used for the white sand scene in Pirates of the Caribbean. This view was from our lunch pavilion with the Grand Bahamas Nature Tours. After lunch we were given tim to swim or walk on the beach. The sand was so soft and the waves were gentle. By far the best beach I have ever been on.

http://www.grandbahamanaturetours.com/

Dolphins Jumping in Close Encounter by UNEXSO

We went on the UNEXSO Dolphin Tours in Freeport Grand Bahamas.  They offer choices of swimming with the dolphins, or to be kissed by a dolphin. The staff was entertaining and knowledgeable. We chose the meet the dolphin and got kissed by the dolphins, but the following pictures were of the two dolphins we got to meet as they swam around and showed off after they were used as educators.

https://unexso.com/tours/dolphin-close-encounter-2/

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.

---

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.