Hello! Adventure Dog and I have been so busy— I took him on a road trip to Miami, and he’s been going to the beach and meeting all my friends! He’s also had fun going to college classes with me.
We drove to Miami from my house in Tampa. Before we left my pet dog, Davout (Dah-voo), and Adventure Dog looked at a map to see how many miles we were going to drive. From Tampa to Miami is 300 miles! It took us about five hours to drive to Miami.Once we got here Adventure Dog was excited to meet some of my friends and go to the Key Biscayne Light House. This lighthouse is actually the oldest building in all of Miami! It was built in 1825 and most of the original structure exists to this day. We went to the top of the lighthouse and took some really great pictures! Adventure Dog was so brave-- we climbed all 110 steps together, and he didn't get scared once!
We climbed to the top of the lighthouse, which is about 100 feet tall!
We were also lucky enough to climb to the very highest part of the lighthouse, which is where the powerful Fresnel lens is located inside a glass room. The Fresnel lens was designed especially for lighthouses so that sailors at sea could more easily spot the light and navigate their ships away from the dangerous shoreline.
After we finished looking out from the top of the lighthouse, Adventure Dog and I went to visit the cottage where the original lighthouse keepers used to live. A lighthouse keeper is a person who was hired to make sure the lighthouse operated correctly every night.
Adventure Dog even got to meet a Florida Park Ranger! We took a picture with him after he gave us a tour of the cottage.
Adventure Dog also investigated a few coconut trees! He learned that coconuts have "hair" on the inside of their shells. The inside of the coconut seed, the white, fleshy part, is called the "meat" and is the edible portion. The milk of the coconut is drinkable, and is clear like water but tastes sweet.
Adventure Dog also wanted to let you know that his favorite plane we saw was the F-16 Fighting Falcon because it accelerated the fastest and could fly the highest! All of the planes we saw could be used to drop bombs; the predecessor of the B-50 Superfortress was the type of plane that dropped the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which helped end World War II.
Adventure Dog actually got to visit an amusement park while my cousin Hunter was visiting me! We went on a roller coaster at Busch Gardens, the amusement park near my home in Tampa. I went to Disney many years ago, but where I really want to go is Sea World! Adventure Dog also said he'd like the chance to see more marine animals.
Speaking of marine animals, Adventure Dog is relieved that there haven't been any shark sightings in Florida recently. Fortunately there haven't been any shark attacks recently Dylan, which is good news for all the people who enjoy water sports like surfing! It is a good question to ask, though, because in December and January Australia had a slew of shark attacks that worried many people. Apparently the deadly Great White Shark was taking a bite out of Australian swimmers! According to National Geographic, there are only 16 shark attacks in the United States each year, but thankfully almost all of the victims survive; about one person dies every two years. It might also make you feel better to know that, while around 375 shark species have been identified, only about a dozen of these species have been known to attack humans. The most dangerous sharks are the Great White, the Tiger, and the Bull sharks. Here's a picture I found of a Great White Shark in Australia:
I think it looks really scary!! I also can't believe how big this Tiger Shark is compared to the diver next to him!
Here's a picture of a baby Bull Shark: 
To answer Sonny's question, skate parks are really popular here when people want to skate instead of surf! In fact, a lot of my friends who go skating have said that some of the best skate parks in America are here. The only problem, they said, was that it's so hot that they get soaked in sweat once they start!! So after they skate they head to the beach for a swim to cool off.
Adventure Dog and I are amazed at how accurate Hunter and Theo's picture of a Floridian neighborhood is!! We love how you included details like a baseball field and a big yellow school bus. We also love the pool and the palm trees!! It looks a lot like the neighborhood I live in back in Tampa. You could even add in a few convertible cars (cars that have retractable roofs) if it's a hot Florida day! You two did a really great job!! I love it!
Sadly I have to say goodbye to Adventure Dog so he can travel to his next destination-- Tennessee!! He had a really great time here, and even has a few more pictures to share with you of him at my school.
If you have any more questions about Florida before our last post, feel free to let us know! :)
1 comment:
I just wanted to let you know, I was searching google images for the light house in key biscayne when I came across this page. My grandfather spent the last years of his life there, and loved the park. I lost him in June of this year. Two and a half months later, I lost my dog, Trixie as well. She was an old girl that I had adopted from Miami Dade animal shelter in 98 when she was just 8 weeks old. I'm telling you this because Adventure Dog is the same beanie baby that my mother gave me because it was a "Trixie dog". If these two things weren't coincidence enough, I'm actually a sister of ZTA at UMiami, so when I saw the letters din the photo I started crying!
These little things remind me that my grandfather and Trixie are both always with me, and probably taking walks together. Just wanted to let you know what finding this meant to me!
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