Tag: Florida

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Bible Blogging Christian Church Driving God Ministry Nature Photography Scripture Travel

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday June 06TH 2021, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us look upon our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ for guidance and direction – for safety and security.

I have returned from a 77-hour / 472-mile summer vacation road-trip to and from Florida’s Treasure Coast. I spent some quality time, I learned a lot, I had a lot of fun, and I met some great people along the way from Stuart to Sebastian Inlet State Park.

I have at least a month’s worth of new material to write about, and I’ll be sharing that for the next 4 or 5 Thursdays starting this Thursday June 10TH 2021.

One of my many fun visits was to the McKee Botanical Garden just south of the city limits of Vero Beach off U.S. 1. It’s on the U.S. National Register Of Historic Places. From 1932 to 1976 it was known as McKee Jungle Gardens, and it was a popular roadside tourist attraction right alongside the main highway for the U.S. East Coast.

That’s the King James Version from the Book Of Genesis – Chapter 2 – Verses 8 & 9a.

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

All rights reserved (c) 2021 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

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Blogging Driving Military Nature Photography Travel Weather

A Cold Day In The Everglades

Back in November when I found out that The United States Secretary Of The Interior David Bernhardt made it free for life for U.S. Veterans to enter America’s National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, and other public federal lands – first of all I was extremely grateful. It’s probably the best gift that has ever been given to me as a Veteran. After all this is a gift that keeps on giving every single day – not just on Veterans’ Day.

I live between two U.S. National Parks – Biscayne National Park to the east – and Everglades National Park to the west. Both are about 10 miles away from my home. Biscayne does not charge an entry fee. It’s free for everyone. Everglades charges $30 per vehicle for a 7 consecutive day pass, or $55 for an annual pass. I no longer have to pay either fee. I’m free !

I actually got in to Everglades National Park for free during 2 consecutive winter seasons (2015-2016 and 2016-2017) when I worked out there as a volunteer (in uniform) giving tours at the NIKE Missile Site (HM-69). I worked 31 Saturdays out there showing hundreds of visitors from around the world a sampling of authentic military history from the mid-1960s to the late-1970s (when it was an active duty base out in the middle of the Park).

Back in November I said to myself that I would visit the Park on a cold day this winter season, and so last Saturday was that cold day. With temperatures in the upper-40s and lower-50s at dawn I entered the Park for the first time since my last Saturday working out there in March of 2017. It was like a homecoming for me. I actually drove the entire 38-mile main park road down to Flamingo on Florida Bay. It was my first visit there in nearly 7 years. I took a fun 90-minute organized boat tour up-and-down the waters north of Flamingo. I took the same tour almost 8 years ago.

After the boat tour I did a lot of walking all around Flamingo and then at a couple of stops along the way back up the main park road. I took a lot of pictures. I walked over 13,000 steps / 6 miles.

The Park was packed on that Saturday / day after Christmas. Everyone else had the same idea as me to visit during a rare cold South Florida day.

Now I need to figure out what my next fun cold day out will be here in my local area. Maybe Vizcaya ? (also free for life for U.S. Veterans)

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

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Driving Photography Travel Weather

Pensacola

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During my recent 9-day / 2-state / 1,690-mile road-trip I visited Florida’s westernmost city – Pensacola. Over 50,000 call Pensacola home, and over 500,000 live in the metro area. I live almost 700 miles away in the far southeastern corner of Florida. This was my very first visit to Pensacola. I had previously only driven along I-10 north of the city limits. (A small portion of the city actually crosses over I-10 to the north side.)

This side-visit to Pensacola was planned in advance. I spent the night at a hotel very near their airport, and then the next morning I drove in to the historic downtown district to walk around, take lots of photos (coming soon to a blog near you), and visit two of their biggest museums. (Most of their smaller museums and other historic buildings were actually closed due to COVID-19. They are slowly reopening some of these other facilities.)

It was a fun 2½-hour visit on a hot and sunny Saturday morning. Had everything been opened for visitors I could have easily spent all day there, and maybe even part of the next day. I’ll have to consider a future visit the next time I drive to and from North Texas to visit my family.

Pensacola is considered to be the “icebox” of Florida. Their weather is just like the rest of the state from about April to October – hot and humid with scattered showers and thunderstorms. But in the wintertime – watch out – because it gets cold there, and it can even sleet, ice, and snow there. I wouldn’t want to live there when I retire, but it’s a nice city to visit for a day or two.

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

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Career Driving Life Military Travel

My Final 3½ Years Of My Air Force Career

I am currently in my final 3½ years of my Air Force career (hence the title above). In 2 weeks I’ll observe my 35TH anniversary as an Air Force employee. After 5 years, and 10 years, and 15 years, and even 20 years – I never imagined making this my career. Even in 2007 after 22 years I was on the verge of moving on. But then the greatest 13 years of my career began, and it continues to this day.

According to my plans – which are always superseded by God’s plans (I wrote and preached an entire sermon on that) – I’ll be retiring sometime in December 2023 at the age of 56½ (my minimum retirement age). I plan to move about 3 hours north of where I am now – up into the central part of the state of Florida along the Lake Wales Ridge – the spine of the peninsular part of Florida. A long long time ago when present-day Florida was submerged underwater – only the spine existed as a narrow series of small islands (much like the Keys exist today). The sandy ground of the region are remants of when beaches existed there.

There’s a 54-mile stretch of U.S. 27 that rides high atop the Lakes Wales Ridge from State Road 70 to the south to State Road 60 to the north. It includes the historic small towns of Lake Placid, Sebring, Avon Park, and Lake Wales. That’s my retirement destination – with Sebring being Ground Zero.

I’ve already selected a few neighborhoods (online) that I’d like to check-out for future living possibilities. At some of them you have to be 55 years of age or older. OK – I’ll see you all in 2022.

Sebring Pier over Lake Jackson looking back towards downtown

During my retirement years I hope to work part-time somewhere (maybe Publix), and volunteer hours at various places such as a local military museum and a large state park. I also hope to go in to full-time ministry with a local church. I’ll be very busy during my upcoming retirement years, but I’ll also make time to travel more – especially right here stateside – where I’ve only set foot in a little more than half of our 50 states.

It’ll be a brave new world that I’ll enter into in about 3½ years, but I’ll be ready for it.

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries