Happy Birthday, Bok Tower and Gardens!
In honor of the 80th birthday of their Carillon, the Bok Tower Gardens was offering free admission to all visitors today. Ed lives the Massapequa Motto "If it's free, it's for me" and hey, we both wanted to check it out. This is peak time for blooms on many flowering bushes and plants.
Since there were so many pretty flowers, I played with the close up with Donna's camera. Too bad as soon as I focused, the breeze would start! No, I can't tell you what most of these flowers were, other than they all were very pretty:
When you enter the gates (and normally pay 10 bucks an adult, and 3 bucks per kid 3-12), you pass through orange groves on both sides of the road. These were beautiful trees, with perfect looking fruit. This was taken from the slow moving car, but you get an idea of what we were surrounded by.
The tower is situated on the highest hill in Florida. Our ears didn't pop, it's only 298 feet! This picture looks down below (and towards the general viscinity of Spook Hill.
The tower can be seen for miles around. Not a surprise, since it is a 225 tower atop the 298 foot hill.
The top is adorned with beautiful tilework.
The entrance to the Carillon has a beautiful brass door depicting scenes of the Creation.
I was reminded vaguely of Hick's Peaceable Kingdom.
Some close up of the iron railing of the moat leading to the Carillon.
I think this is going to be my new picture of Gameboy in the blog header. Any time I stick out my tongue at him, he has to show me that he can roll his. He finds it quite comical that I can't do this!
The men being silly while they waited for me to take more pictures of flowers
The silver swan, who living, had no note...
There was a special Carillon concert twice today to honor the 80th birthday. We sat through about 2/3 of the later performance. Ed and I are both quite spoiled, between living in Hagerstown and Frederick (and being close to DC). There were many churches with bell towers, admittedly not as elaborate. The bells sounded 'tinny'. Perhaps the humidity isn't a good thing? We're not sure.
I did record one song with the plan of uploading it and I may still do that tomorrow.
Another thing we can chalk off the list of places to visit. Would I pay 26 bucks for all of us to go? Probably not. However, if we get a membership to the Florida Aquarium (the next thing on our list when we have the funds), there's a reciprocal program that would allow us free admission. In that case, yes, I'd come back.
Afterwards, we went to visit Spook Hill. It had great signs-until you got over there. In reading the Wiki page, it looks like there wasn't a sign to turn to arrive at the school. There IS a very nice lake with a park, so the next time we're in Lake Wales, we will try again. Sputnik wanted to go backwards uphill and won't rest until we do it.
Since there were so many pretty flowers, I played with the close up with Donna's camera. Too bad as soon as I focused, the breeze would start! No, I can't tell you what most of these flowers were, other than they all were very pretty:
When you enter the gates (and normally pay 10 bucks an adult, and 3 bucks per kid 3-12), you pass through orange groves on both sides of the road. These were beautiful trees, with perfect looking fruit. This was taken from the slow moving car, but you get an idea of what we were surrounded by.
The tower is situated on the highest hill in Florida. Our ears didn't pop, it's only 298 feet! This picture looks down below (and towards the general viscinity of Spook Hill. 
The tower can be seen for miles around. Not a surprise, since it is a 225 tower atop the 298 foot hill.
The top is adorned with beautiful tilework.
The entrance to the Carillon has a beautiful brass door depicting scenes of the Creation.
I was reminded vaguely of Hick's Peaceable Kingdom. 
Some close up of the iron railing of the moat leading to the Carillon. 
I think this is going to be my new picture of Gameboy in the blog header. Any time I stick out my tongue at him, he has to show me that he can roll his. He finds it quite comical that I can't do this!
The men being silly while they waited for me to take more pictures of flowers
The silver swan, who living, had no note...
There was a special Carillon concert twice today to honor the 80th birthday. We sat through about 2/3 of the later performance. Ed and I are both quite spoiled, between living in Hagerstown and Frederick (and being close to DC). There were many churches with bell towers, admittedly not as elaborate. The bells sounded 'tinny'. Perhaps the humidity isn't a good thing? We're not sure.
I did record one song with the plan of uploading it and I may still do that tomorrow.
Another thing we can chalk off the list of places to visit. Would I pay 26 bucks for all of us to go? Probably not. However, if we get a membership to the Florida Aquarium (the next thing on our list when we have the funds), there's a reciprocal program that would allow us free admission. In that case, yes, I'd come back.
Afterwards, we went to visit Spook Hill. It had great signs-until you got over there. In reading the Wiki page, it looks like there wasn't a sign to turn to arrive at the school. There IS a very nice lake with a park, so the next time we're in Lake Wales, we will try again. Sputnik wanted to go backwards uphill and won't rest until we do it.
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