Dec 11, 11

This is the ice show at Busch Gardens.  It is held at the Moroccan Palace Theater.  comfortable seating.

Below is our place at Charlies Park.  It is mostly trailers, with a few park models and a few motor homes or 5th wheel RVs.  We are the transients and live in the ghetto of the park.  so we were told the first year we were here.  Now that person talks with us and we have become known to several of the people living here year around or come every year for the last 20 years or so.

So we are the newbies on the block.  Michigan, Indiana and New York are the states that are represented here.  Right at the back of the car, on the corner of our patio is my garden. (that white ring area) I have a poinsettia, two grapefruit trees about 6 inches tall, small aloe plant, two pansy plant and a tomato plant that now has two small tomatoes.  And I also have a flat of green onions planted.  They said it was to be a mild winter here, so we shall see if I get a ripe tomato or not.

Two of the animal keepers with Kasi the cheetah and Mtani, a mixed breed dog
acquired at an animal shelter as a companion for Kasi.  Cheetah's will bond with their siblings, but Kasi was brought to Busch Gardens as an orphaned baby Cheetah.  They thought at first the Mtani was mostly a lab mix dog.  But now that he has grown more they are not so sure there is much lab in him.  But the two have formed a great companionship.  they run and play and live together.  they have not put either of them with the other cheetahs.  We figure the dog would not last.  so for the time being the dog and the cheetah are kept separate from the rest of the pack.  The keepers were petting the dog and the cheetah as if they were both dogs.  How long will they be able to do that?

These two elves wore their legs off working for Santa and so are in the boxes.

They greet you as you come into the Gardens.   These pictures were taken with our new cell phones.  We are learning how to use them and finally found the correct web site for info on how to  use them.

A few persons living in the park have flown home for the holidays.

Most of us stay here, no one wants to go home to cold weather.  We bought some Ruskin tomatoes the other day.  almost as good as Indiana tomatoes.

or is that blasphemy!    We stopped Sunday and had a strawberry parfait.  they will be available only until Dec. 24.  the 26 you have to get the strawberry boat.   We split that, it is big.  but the parfaits are so good.  Parksdale now has Duncan grapefruit.  It is a sweet grapefruit.  Its fault is that there are many seeds in it.  5 grapefruit for $1.00  so we can scoop the seeds out for that price.

It is getting late.  Have a good day.  jkc