Dora Canal -- A new trip with lots of wildlife!

We took advantage of the great weather to take another cruise down the Dora Canal and surrounding areas in the hopes of seeing more birds and wildlife and we were not disappointed!

 

Our first destination was down this small side canal off the main canal. Rick has often seen birds and gators in this lightly traveled area and hoped we would see some interesting wildlife. It is hard to believe you are within a few hundred yards of a busy road as you cruise though this wild looking area.

Sure enough, we had gone only a few yards when we spotted this owl who was carefully watching us. We were surprised to see this fellow since it was almost noon, but apparently he was up and looking for lunch.

 

Soon after, this group of ibis (we think) came into view. These are beautiful birds and it was fun to see them together only a few feet away from the boat.

We left the small canal and emerged in the much more popular Dora Canal. This mile long waterway is about 3 to 4' deep and winds through the cedar trees. Still, we can usually see some interesting wildlife in the canal.

Here is a normal Dora Canal resident who was not concerned about the boaters at all. He looked to be a good size gator and is surely the master of all he surveys.

While the gator was interesting, this osprey nest stole the show. Here, an osprey is returning to the nest and we wondered if the hawk had caught anything. Soon after, we found out.

Here comes the other osprey with a nice fish meal. One look at those talons and we could tell that the fish never had a chance. Now this is a real fisherman!

This made for a great finish to our canal cruise and we headed off to the waterfront restaurant for lunch. A great day all the way around!

A nice boat cruise on the Harris Chain

We took a great boat run on the Harris Chain of Lakes and the Dora Canal, which is a beautiful waterway that connects two of the lakes in the area. Our pontoon boat is perfect for these runs and easily seats the 7 of us.

The canal is full of wild animals, especially birds and gators. This critter was a big boy and was easily over 10' long. 

The birds are beautiful and this great egret was happy to pose for us. 

 Here is another gator which was not at all afraid of us. The gators are at the top of the food chain and certainly know they are in control. These are very impressive predators.

One of the great things with a cruise on the canal, is a nice lunch at a waterside grill. We especially enjoyed the chance to eat outside on the porch in perfect weather. That is why we are in Florida for the winter!

On the way back, we cranked up the motor and experienced a nice breeze on the boat. However, Jim's cap was a bit loose and flew nicely off and into the lake. Fortunately, Jim is good with a boat hook and was able to rescue the cap from a watery doom!

Rick's Martin Outboard Restore Project

All this boat show activity has caused Rick to pine for his restored Martin outboard. So, what better way to scratch the old outboard itch, than to post his video of the restoration effort.

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Rick was delighted with the way the motor came out and it now seems like a real bridge to the early 1950's. They sure don't build them like this anymore!

I plan to bring this little motor to Florida next season and run it on our small Ghenoe, which should work great. It is't everyone that can run a motor that is the same (young!) age as the operator!

Tavares Boat Show Part 2

There are so many great boats and related items, we will have to have two entries on the blog. Many of these boats date from the late 1920's to about 1955, with most seeming to range in the 30's to 40's. It is quite a labor of love to restore one of these to like new condition.

In addition to the great classic boats, the Tavares lake shore is also a full-fledged seaplane port. As a result, seaplanes moved in and out of the dock area during the show, which added an interesting comparison to the classic boats.

Wow -- here is a boat that traces her heritage back to Alexander Bell's boat building business (part of Bell Labs) in Baddeck, Nova Scotia. This boat, "Tolka" was built in 1928 and used by Bell's partner, Casey Baldwin. This boat is now in perfect condition -- but it sure wasn't always that way as you can see below.

Here is the Tolka before it was restored after sitting in a field for 40 years. This give you an idea as to the amount of work needed to restore it to pristine condition. 

 

 Now, the Tolka is virtually perfect. This is just an amazing glimpse into the past!

Of course, Rick always goes GAGA over old outboards! He thought this 1957 Johnson was in great shape and would love to bring it home.

Sure enough, a vendor was featuring Rick's favorite -- Martin Outboards! Rick has a special place for these as he has restored one of these himself. 

In fact, here is Rick's restored 1951 Martin 60 (about 7.2 hp). This motor was purchased new by Rick's grandfather who gave it to Rick in about 1978. Rick dismantled it and restored it a couple years ago. Now, it runs like a new one and brings a real smile to Rick!

Tavares Classic Boat Show -- Rick is Delighted!

Tavares, FL hosts a large, classic boat show each year and Rick was excited to attend. This show features amazing boats from the golden era of boating -- focusing on the late 20's to the 50's. Boats like this magnificent 1927 Chris-Craft shows us how boating used to be. 

Rick is in his glory looking at the amazing boats and motors. He loved this late 1950's Evinrude Lark 35hp outboard. He had an early 60's version of this same motor -- of course when Rick had it, the motor was just "old" and not yet a classic.

Walt, a friend of Rick's from the RV park, has owned several classic boats like this Chris Craft. Walt knew all about these wooden masterpieces and seemed to really enjoy the show as well. 

One of the cool features of this show is that most of these boats are actually used and as a result, we can see them in action. The owners of these boats are real enthusiasts as they restore and operate boats that might be 80 or more years old. Pretty cool!

Rick and Walt got a real kick out of the several race boats that were present, including this Baby Gar boat, built by Mr. Garfield Wood. This 33' boat was built for speed and looked it as it tooled by us.

Speaking of speed, how about this Gar Wood boat -- "Miss America IX" which in 1930, was the first boat in the world to exceed 100 miles an hour. Today, the restored boat operated twin Chevy 454 engines and is every bit as potent as it was in 1930. 

Back in 1930, Mr. Wood installed twin Packard supercharged engines, with each one developing over 1,200 hp! Yikes -- imagine a boat this size with 2,400 hp and made of wood. This restoration is amazing and really brings the past to life today. 

A Picnic for the E-Fliers at Old Mill Stream

 

We have had a great season here at the Old Mill Stream RV Resort and have really enjoyed the electric RC Flyers club here at the park. Now that the season is winding down, we decided that the club should have a get together to celebrate a great season.  Here are many of the flyers with a SloStick model that we fly in the park.

Here Jim, Rick and Walt are planning their next plane and enjoying the evening. 

  We were delighted that our wives wanted to come and enjoy the picnic. Of course, we also were delighted that they brought things for dinner!

 Rick was one of the official flight instructors for the club and decided that we should celebrate the accomplishments of the fliers with some "award" certificates. Here, Jim received the award for the best unplugging of the training cord by stepping on it during flight (opps!).

Not to be outdone, Butch received his well earned award for achieving the remarkable feat of flying into various objects such as trees. Fortunately, all our planes are small and lightweight so no damage was done -- except, perhaps to our pride. We had no shortage of certificate worthy events, so everyone seemed to have a great time 

Naturally, there was lots of supervision around the grill. It did seem that there was more supervision than action, but what the heck -- we are retired!

 Dick knows how to relax and wait for dinner to be served. He has done a great job in learning to fly radio control aircraft and is looking forward to next season.

  Dinner is served. We had a great meal and great conversation. Perhaps the best thing about the RV lifestyle are the great folks that we meet. This is a friendly park and we are looking forward to coming again next year.

Rick expands RC flying -- into the multipurpose building!

Rick and Orinda have had a great winter -- but have been pretty slack in posting to the blog. Hopefully, Rick will do a better job from here on out. 

We have participated in several activities here at the Old Mill Stream RV park, but perhaps the most unusual has been INDOOR RC flying! The park has a large, multi-purpose building that is used for several things, including flying inside as Rick demonstrates above.

Naturally, we have to fly smaller, lighter planes, such as this Night Vapor, which fly great. We have a number of folks now flying indoors with these aircraft and have a blast. This plane weighs just a couple ounces, yet features full throttle, rudder and elevator control.

Here, Butch, a newer flyer, is flying his Vapor very successfully inside. This is great since even on windy or rainy days, we can fly.

The Vapor is available ready to fly and costs only about $100 with battery, charger and all the needed servos. This is a perfect plane for the RVer as it can fit in almost any rig as we travel.

The slow flight abilities are amazing as Gary shows as he serves as the "carrier" for a Vapor making a very slow approach. The plane is so light that we can easily catch it if needed. It also means that these planes can run into walls, floors, etc. with no damage which means it can fly anywhere. 

How about a quick touch and go from a small board? Hard to believe a bunch of retired guys can have a great time flying around in a small building --but we do!