Gizmo & I want to thank Jodi of Heart Like a Dog for graciously allowing us to co-host the Follow-Up Friday Blog Hop this week. It was our first time hosting a hop, and we thank Jodi for providing excellent technical assistance in getting the “linky thing” to work.
Now on to the “Week in Review”…
Saturday I shared the fun Gizmo & I had visiting the Giving Tree at The Doggie Bag. I’ve heard so many nice things about this post, but truly, this was a gift to myself. I don’t have the funds to make a large donation, but to be able to help out, in even a small way, brought home the spirit of the season. I’m committed to doing it again on my birthday in February and again on Gizmo’s Gotcha Day in October…and of course, next Christmas. Folks said they’d like to try this idea where they live, and I hope they do. I’d really love to see the idea spread. If you do start a project like this, please let me know.
Sunday and Monday were Florida photo ops. Regular visitors know that I’m all about showing off the Florida that I love…beyond the beaches and suntan lotion. The B&W Pure Florida photo amazed even me at how mystic it looked. I don’t think of Florida in B&W, but I liked this one a lot.
Our recent spate of cold weather (stop laughing all you Northerners) let me show you what Florida looks like in Winter and it surprised a lot of people who didn’t realize how cold it sometimes gets here (sorry Tourist Board). We have a city here in Polk County called Frostproof...but it isn’t ;).This link provides great information on how cold temperatures affect citrus trees.
Tuesday I posted my wish for all our friends, near and far. The photo was taken across the street from our house at sunrise on Christmas morning. Look hard and you can see Gizmo in the lower left corner. I only hope this wish comes true.
Wednesday I took my readers on a kayak trip down the Weeki Wachee River to see the manatees. For those of you who love kayaking, or just love beautiful places I want to introduce you to the Juniper Run in the Ocala National Forest. Juniper Run is considered one of the top 25 paddle trips in the United States. Having done it twice now, I heartily concur. This video trip is reversed from the way I’ve usually done it. It starts at what used to be known as Redneck Beach, but the State has cleaned that up now, and ends near the canoe launch.
For folks visiting Florida who’d like to see some manatees but aren’t up to kayaking, Tampa Electric Company has a very popular Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach, on the Gulf Coast.
There were a couple of photos in that post of a Florida native known as the Cooter. You need to know that I used to live just outside the town of Inverness, FL which proudly hosts an annual Cooter Festival. A few years ago, The Daily Show’s Ed Helms visited Inverness and reported on the Festival. The video quality here is not the best, but you’ll get the idea. (N.B. Be warned that the video is a tad bit risque)
And on Thursday I thanked our friend Kirby of Kirby’s Dawg Blog for giving us an award as The Next Big Thing . This award was most unexpected and I’m proud to display the badge here in the sidebar. I was able to pass the award on to three blogs that I think deserve the title Emma of My GBGV Life , Mollie & Alfie of Mollie & Alfie’s blog , and Cathy Keisha, and her Stunning Keisha blog . All three are fun reading and you should check them out if you haven’t already.
That’s it for this edition of Follow-Up Friday, the blog hop that lets you wrap up your week and leads you right into the weekend…
Gizmo Out!
Thanks to Life With Dogs, Confessions of the Plume and Two Little Cavaliers for hosting the Saturday Blog Hop.
Terrier Torrent 
What a great recap and thank you so much for co-hosting FUF with me, you are welcome to co-host anytime, just drop me a line in the beginning of the week letting me know you’re interested.
I loved your photos, one of my favorite FL photos I took on an airboat trip on the St. John’s (Lake Washington?) area in Melbourne. It is of a lone tree with Spanish Moss dripping from it. It’s a lovely area!
As soon as I get to work, I’m going to watch the videos. 🙂
Again thanks for hosting,you did a great job!!
Thank you Jodi for the opportunity and the assistance…This was the first recap post I’d done and I enjoyed doing it and found I’m happy to join you on a regular basis if you’ll have me )
Awwww fank youz for the award 🙂 You ae such a fantaztic pal. We hope you had a wonderful Christmas 🙂 Big hugs and slobbers xx00xx
Mollie and Alfie
You’re most welcome guyz Your blog makes us laugh every day and no has too much laughter & fun in their life Mom & I are so happy we’ve met you! 🙂
Great recap of the week. I guess I did not know you were in Florida until today. Have a great weekend!
Thank you Emma! Yes, I’m a Florida dawg, born & bred…Love my swamps & critters 🙂
Hey Gizmo! Great Follow Up Friday post! I loved your Florida photos, as you know…and I know mom is thinking about heading up that way to try that kayak trip (when it warms up!!!! By the way, I woke up to temps in the 50s today here in South FL. Brrrrr! BOL).
Again, let me congratulate you and everyone on that fantastic award this week! All are great blogs!
Have a pawesome weekend, pal!
Thanks Oz! Our moms can talk about kayaking next month while we play 🙂 Freezing again here today…woke up to 30’s again, but should be warming up tomorrow…Mom’s not working this weekend so I sniff some hiking on my schedule Yippee!
Hey Jet! It’s warming up here today – Saturday!! Woof-hoo! I hope you get some warmer weather so you can go for a hike. I replied to your comment (thank you) on my blog ’cause I’m thinking we could make blog pledges together & help each other out! You let me know!
Hey Oz…it’s me Gizmo *laughshardnow* but it’s OK if you think I’m Jetty…he’s a good pal too…Mom will go take a look back at your blog comments
The giving tree sounds like a great idea. The rescue that I often donate to has a list of items it would like on its website, but the tree sounds like more fun. 🙂 When I was growing up I spent all my winter breaks in Florida. It did get cold some years.
It was fun and me, Gizmo, I’m all about the fun! Maybe your rescue could find a local shop willing to host it? Our weather is so changeable in winter we only have to wait a day and it’s back up into the 70’s 🙂
I don’t work at that rescue, but have a friend who is really involved with it and I am going to suggest it.
Excellent! Let me know how they receive the idea… Happy Saturday!
That’s a great recap of your week, and ya, I’m laughing at your “cold” weather.
Mom sez we’re wimps BOL!
Hey Giz, Jetty here. Hi Miss JG.
Fabulous hosting job, just great! Love your recap, especially since we read all the posts previously… We know the Northerners get a kick out of our cold snaps, however… when you live in t-shirts and the temp drops 40 degrees over night, it’s a shock!
Hiya Jetty! First time I’ve ever done a Week in Review post like that…I’m glad it came out OK It was good to have the chance to add a few things I might have forgotten & I was pleased to have the chance to co-host for the first time…Mom has two sets of work clothes (remember she works from home) There’s shorts & a tank top and then there’s sweats BOL! And with our crazy weather she never knows which it will be till we get up in the morning Take good care of yourself pal…You need to get all healed up…*WeekendSnoogles* to you, JJ and Miss L
Lol I love Cooters! Turtles anyways. Got to help a couple of Cooters out when I worked at the vet hospital and yes we did have quite a bit of fun with their name…
Aren’t they cute? 🙂 I love watching groups of them sunning themselves on a log as we paddle by…and if we’re quiet enough they won’t all jump ship and dive into the river 🙂
Hi Y’all!
Hey, hey…livin’ in the southeast, still a good piece from FL, I’ve discovered cold is relative and when there is wind, it doesn’t matter if we are in the mountains or at the shore, whether it is below freezing or just damp and in the 40’s, it’s COLD!
Now my Humans left their beloved south and spent some time in Canada as well as the mountains of Europe. They said now they suffer from the south’s cold, but remind themselves of cold so cold cars and trucks have to have blankets plugged in when they stop or they won’t start again and exposed skin freezes when in the outside air. Dog paws need booties and mushers wax to keep from suffering frost bite and the salt and calcium chloride used in some states on icy roads wouldn’t melt anything, ever.
Congratulations on your wonderful award!
Y’all come back now,
Hawk aka BrownDog
I’m gonna have to check out this Cooter Festival. Pop thought I said Hooters. Whatever ploats his boat.
OMC! TW is on the floor laughing. She thought she knew them all.
BTW, thanks for the award!
Your welcome honored kitteh…Always glad to share some humor 🙂
Manatees live in rivers?! Well ya learn something every day. I love them because they remind me of a mix between a beluga whale and a hippopotamus which just happen to be my two favorite animals. And wow your winter looks really cold (ROFL) here we just have a little BLIZZARD! going on! haha love you gizzies! Love your pals Kirby and his ma!
Yes we find them in the rivers, and in the winter they move to warmer water…often that means power plants along the coast where the cooling water from the plants is discharged…strange, but a popular place to see manatees is a center run by the Tampa Electric company http://www.tampaelectric.com/company/mvc/
Oh what a great week, Gizmo ;o)… I would like a kayak trip too – but it’s impossible without water, right? how sad ;o)
Thanks Easy! Maybe your folks will take you on vacation this year…A good dog like you deserves it. Happy Saturday!
Sounds like you had a great week and we really like that idea of the giving tree. What a cool idea!
Thank you! The Giving Tree was not my original idea, but I hope by blogging about it i can help the idea to spread Happy Saturday!
Hey Gizmo–Congratulations on your recent awards! You rock!! Have a great weekend!
Thanks Loy! It does feel nice 🙂 Happy Saturday!
Wow, Gizmo! You scored with awards. Loved your Florida pictures. Mom used to live in Florida and it brought back a lot of memories for her.
Your pal, Sage
Thank you Sage…ask yur mom what part of Florida she wants to see next Happy Saturday!
Mom did her undergraduate work at U of Fla, so Gainesville would be fun. It’s changed soooo much since they were there (that would be back when dinosaurs roamed the earth 🙂 ).
Mom sez we’ll see if we can help her out with some memories 🙂
You’ve been busy! I feel pretty lazy in comparison as all I’ve managed to accomplish today is eating half my weight in chocolate. Clearly I need to get moving!
Congratulations on another award!
Thank you…and know that I’m jealous… Been trying to wean myself off my massive chocolate habit and now I want to run to the store and load up on yumminess LOL Happy Saturday!
Hi Gizmo,
Great round-up post. I missed your Christmas day greeting-beautiful photo! If you have a chance, please spread the word about my Rin Tin Tin book giveaway via Twitter or whatever-I’d really appreciate it!
Thanks and Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you!
Hiya Bocci! Thank you & certainly I’ll tell folks they also have a chance to win this book 🙂
Wow! You gave us lots of cool links to look at!! We love to go to Florida with our parents…especially in like March when it is freezing here and we are sick and tired of the snow! We like to go to a place called Flagler Beach….and Beverly Beach…and St. Augustine and we also have a favorite RV park in Jacksonville and in Williston! We don’t know if we will be able to go this spring or not. We sure hope so!! xoxo Chloe and LadyBug
Hi furriends! Mom sez those beaches near St. Augustine are bootiful. She’s been to Williston too but not fur a while…Hope you get a chance to come down & thaw out this year *pawhugs*