Welcome to the cKotch.Com blog. I’m Christopher Kotcher, and this is my first post for cKotch.Com’s special Vacation Month. This is one of my favorite spots to see in Florida.
The Florida Routine
Florida has been one of my favorite recent getaways. My mom and I try to go down there yearly ever since her brother, my Uncle Rusty, moved there.
We have already formed a few patterns for these trips.
Days are spent on the beach. Afternoons feature activities. We may walk through Miami, attend community events, or go see a movie. Things fall in and out of rotation depending on whatever we want to do.
The wide range of experiences has been great for my writing. By my count, eight poems were directly inspired by our five-day trip to Florida last year alone.
Although, one poem was inspired on the flight down. So, that one may have technically come to me over Georgia.
Today, however, I would like to talk about another source of inspiration. One that is definitely found in Florida.
I speak of the one place we are always bound to visit. Davie, Florida’s own conservation site and botanical garden, Flamingo Gardens.
Entering the Gardens
I hardly remember what first got Flamingo Gardens in our heads a few trips ago. Probably either a brochure or word of mouth somewhere.
Either way, we left for the place one afternoon early in the trip.
We knew the place to be a botanical garden but did not fully know what to expect. At the very least, there would probably be some pretty plants to look at.
Reaching the gardens did not immediately reveal what we were in for. The parking lot led to a gift shop surrounded by trees.
Then I grabbed a map from the giftshop’s ticket counter. This place was more than just pretty plants.
Plants included remarkably rare species. One was even one of Florida’s tallest trees at the time. Animals abounded from all over Florida as well. Flamingos, otters, panthers, even a black bear.
As we bought our tickets into the gardens, I noticed a tram tour on the map. There would be one leaving shortly, and the next would not be for a while.
We decided the tour would a natural first step for our trip.
Taking the Tour
The tram tours were not too far from the gardens’ entrance. Still, we saw enough on the way there to know this place was special.
Certain sanctuary animals, namely iguanas and peacocks, were allowed to free roam the grounds. Animals in habitats lived in open-air spaces as they were able.
We noted quite a few places to check out later on our way to the tram station.
The tour actually took us far beyond what we could see on foot. The entrance area really did not do the size of the gardens justice.
We looped around all kinds of lakes and trails. There was so much life to this place.
All kinds of birds and lizards wandered everywhere. Trees from across the world grew wild and free.
Conservation efforts were on full display as well.
One of the things which struck me most was a group of ducks with Angel Wing syndrome. Poor things had crooked wings, twisted wrists, and stripped flight feathers. The condition likely came from people outside the gardens feeding these birds too many calories through bread.
I never would have thought bread could have done that to a bird. Feeding birds has always just seemed like such a nice hobby to me.
It was good to see these creatures both cared for and allowed to live as naturally as possible. Again, I saw this place was special.
Roaming the Grounds
The tram tour only began our time at Flamingo Gardens. We went to plenty of places on foot.
My Uncle Rusty enjoyed all the birds on display. My mom fell in love with the panthers. I laughed at the otters slipping, sliding, and swimming all over the place.
We found bigger and bigger peacocks and iguanas around every corner.
Hawks, snakes, and burrowing owls stole our hearts at the animal shows.
All these creatures still needed to remain in the gardens for one reason or another. Some were injured. Others were imprinted on humans from previous experiences.
Those running the animal show confirmed all our feelings this place was special. They said few places truly cared for their animals as much as Flamingo Gardens.
Unique Floridian Inspiration
Though the animal show was our last event that day, it is not the last thing I wish to share. This is the moment which shows you the unique inspiration vacations can provide.
We approached a deck before a grassy field. Only, we soon learned it was not grass.
It was all water. Disgusting, green, mucky water.
All of us on the deck could not believe birds were actually swimming through the junk. My mom and Uncle Rusty questioned why the gardens would allow animals in such a place.
Then I saw a small metal sign.
The muck was the birds’ natural home. It actually helped them catch bugs to eat along the water.
Soon enough, we saw one of the birds prove the sign’s point. He plunged his head through the green depths.
I was just starting on poetry at the time. I had to record this odd scene in verse.
Strange as it may be, this was actually the poem which jumpstarted many other poems written and inspired in Florida. In fact, this was one of my first poems to ever come from a vacation.
Kotcher’s Call to Action
My poem on birds swimming in muck has been added to the cKotch.Com portfolio. Please enjoy “Green Waters.”
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