We relax this evening after a second day in the warmth.  With Mom & Dad and Mary Helen we joined the Friday evening potluck supper here at Heritage Cove and were happy to find familiar faces. 

We brought in the New Year at Princeton with my sister and slid about on a very icy canal trail on the morning of the 1st to start our Year 2013 bird list.  On January 2 we returned to South Mountain via Long Beach Island NJ where we enjoyed finding  winter specialties including fabulous Long-tailed Ducks and Harlequin Ducks along the jetty at Barnegat Lighthouse.

At home, we were greeted by a snowbank in front of our driveway and ten inches of dense snow about the house.  We shoveled our way in and went to bed.  I said to Anne that I had had enough snow for the season and was ready to go to Florida.  We left on Sunday when we drove hard to Columbia SC.  The next morning we went to the Phinizy Marsh preserve (a series of sewer lagoons) at Augusta GA where we added significantly to our year list of birds on an icy morning.  In the afternoon we drove and walked about the Harris Neck NWR on the GA coast. 

On Tuesday morning we crossed the St. Mary’s River and then turned east to look for sea birds from the northernmost pier in FL at Fort Clinch State Park.  We nearly froze and didn’t see much but enjoyed the fresh air very much.  Then we drove to Lake Woodruff NWR near Ocala and opened our doors to 75 degree air.  What a shock!  We found a house wren in the bushes in front of the office and walked levees through the marsh.  We lodged at Lakeland.

On Wednesday morning we drove to Apollo Beach and there watched and listened to the cacophony of boat-tailed grackles and watched a pair of white pelicans paddle along the bay beach.  We made two more stops for birds before arriving here at supper time. 

We shared company and news with the folks here and settled in.  Yesterday we unpacked and today we shopped.  All is under control and we will begin projects next week.  On the weekend we will just enjoy the fine weather.