Alligator

Why is there a sign: No Swimming?
If you had eyesight like an eagle, you would see the tiny speck in the water.Here it is: two eyes, one nose.
I was too chicken to go closer because my neighbor had told me about the swiftest 12 footer she had ever seen in one of our ponds.
This guy, however, is on the small side and never batted an eyelash. (Do alligators have eyelashes? No, but they have a semitransparent membrane or third eyelid called the nictitating membrane.)

Sandhill Crane Nest

It's a puzzle: find the nest. :-)If you haven't found it yet: it's in the lower right hand corner.
I took these photos on the walking path along Legacy's largest wetlands.

Bald Eagles

Now, folks, don't expect any close-ups. We were down on the ground, or to be more precise, on Number Two (yeah, really, this is the name of the rural road) and the birds were high up. I saw one of them swooping down with a squirrel in its talons. Otherwise, we would have driven by, just staring at the nursery to the right. At least, I would have checked out the nursery.
The white sign on the right is the nursery's.

Cool names in Central Florida: Numer Two Road leads directly to Howey-in-the-hills. (Did you think it would be Howey-on-the-pot?)

Sandhill Cranes

Maggie took this photo in Homossassa Wildlife Park. Now I am curious where our Legacy sandhill cranes nest.

 

Bobcat

This cutie posed for Reinhold right in his backyard in Legacy.

 

Niue -The Water

The poisonous sea snake is harmless to humans because his mouth is too small to bite.
Outrigger Canoe

Coastline on the more populated side of Niue
Swimming in one of the protected areas

Niue is famous for its clear water. The island has no rivers that pour silt into the ocean.
At many places along the coast, the reef is so shallow and narrow that the waves crash against the shore. At other spots, the reef extends out from the rocky coast and can be walked in low tide.

Niue -The Caves

Swiss cheese like Niue is riddled with caves.
We take a cave tour with Tali whose family owns one of the caves. He brings along flashlights and rope.
Stalagmites

One of the caves at the coast

Niue - Our Motel

There is much I could write about this island formed like a birthday cake. It is a makatea - a raised atoll, has about 1300 inhabitants, lots of unspoiled nature, the cleanest water you can imagine, a paradise for divers and tourists who like to take walks. We were only about 20 tourists. The others were a group of Kiwi retirees and of OZ divers.We stayed in the Coral Gardens Motel. Very clean and nice accommodation. You can cook because there is a kitchenette.

View from our balcony
The supply freighter is in. The dock was damaged in a storm, therefore the ship has to be unloaded by barge.
Another Driver's Licence, but we wouldn't have needed it because the police don't work on the weekends.

Niue

Walking on the wild side of Niue


White poles indicate the path through the black rock maze.

Driver's Licence

Not a joke: If you rent a car, you need a driver's licence.This stern lady administrates this great source of income.
And here we go with a spiffy car. If we hand't stopped many times, we would have made the circuit of the island in 30 minutes tops.