Toni's Tribute to All Countries, But Mostly America

 I do declare the Fort Lauderdale, FL, temple to be the most beautiful temple I have yet visited.  Relatively new, this small but exquisite temple impresses from the immaculate tropical landscaping to the blue & green hues throughout the interior punctuated with stunning and plentiful stained glass windows and palm inspired decor.  It truly was spectacular.  Aaron lingered in the ethereal celestial room for quite a long time.  Besides the dazzling visual feast, we were treated to yet another spiritual feast.  As is usual in The House of the Lord. Biscayne National Park, set on the idyllic Biscayne Bay, is a park of water, reef, and barrier islands.  In fact, the Florida Keys begin in this national park.  To experience this particular park, one must be on the water.  Tomorrow we have reserved a morning snorkel tour and will kayak in the afternoon, but today we rode our bikes along one of the myriad canals draining The Glades and through th...

 Today was a spectacular paddle north then south along the stunningly beautiful and intriguing Turner River on the gulf coast side of the Everglades.  Gators, birds, more gators, sunshine and blue skies, crystal clear waters, cypress swamps, and tight mangrove tunnels...what an absolute blast! Three amazing things:  1- Hot showers at the end of a day when one smells so ripe she can't even smell her rank companion are simply divine.  2- Passing a 12-foot gator swimming in a narrow channel no more than 4 feet from my tiny kayak only inches above the water.  And not becoming lunch.  3- We were lost on a river somewhere deep in The Everglades, and I was hungry.  Jokingly, I told Aaron to find me a landing spot on which to have a picnic.  Which was funny because there was absolutely nowhere high and dry for miles around.  With no other options, we tied up together and floated downstream while eating our protein bars and dried fruit when I spotted ...

 Rain, rain, rain.  It rained all day.  After agonizing all morning about whether or not to gear up and face the elements, we finally decided that a day of kayaking and camping in a chilly rain didn't sound like so much fun after all.  So we spent the day in Miami instead, first touring the winter home of magnate Charles Deering of International Harvester fame, then on to.... The Ancient Spanish Monastery.  Built in Spain in 1133, the monastery fell into ruin when William Randolph Hearst saw it, fell in love with it, dismantled it, marked and then packed in hay each stone, and shipped it all to America.  But the depression hit, Hearst had to sell his goods, and the blocks sat in storage for  26 years before being put back together in Miami like a giant jigsaw puzzle.  The monastery and church are exquisite; tranquil, beguiling and difficult to leave.   Three amazing things:  1-Someone actually fell in love with a dilapidated monaste...

 Three amazing things:   1- Shark Valley 15-mile bike ride.  On our mission in Thailand, we organized a weekend retreat for 24 senior missionaries at a UNESCO site filled with stunning ancient ruins. One of the seniors made a comment which I initially thought was his idea of a joke, only he wasn't kidding when he said, "Well, if you've seen one Buddist temple, you've seen them all."  However, on today's bike ride along a canal deep in The Everglades, I finally sympathized with his perspective:  we've now seen so many alligators that we've become somewhat snobbish and complacent, judging them by their size or unique pose.  How does one tire of seeing yet another alligator! 2- Big Cypress Scenic canal drive.  More alligators and more spectacular birds and more stunning scenery was had along this drive.  To complete the experience, an ominous storm cell moved in and literally dumped buckets on us.  The skys here appear immense and endless w...