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I’ve been in Orlando for work this week, staying at a very nice hotel. Although this was my first time in Orlando FL, I never left the hotel. Everything we did was at the hotel or attached convention center. That said, it was nice and I spent time exploring as I walked to and from meetings and took the occasional lunch at the pool. The entire hotel is enclosed in two large atriums with lush landscaping and a style somewhere between the San Diego Zoo and the Pirates of the Caribbean portion of Disneyland. You won’t see much of Orlando in these pictures, but you can explore the hotel grounds with me if you like. All pictures were taken using my Pirate cell phone.

The view from my room was nice, allowing me to look out over one of the atriums. At night with both doors open, I fell asleep listening to the sound of waterfalls, waking in the morning to the grunts of baby alligators and the peep of frogs.

Don’t forget to look up.

There were baby Alligators in a few places around the resort.

Several pools had Koi or a variety of local fish lurking in the water.  I really enjoyed the reflections of light on the water from the atrium above.

There were two very nice pools.

Random vegetation around the resort.

Images from my walks around the property.

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OK, who doesn’t love a dancing cat?

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After another fabulous breakfast in Ocean Beach, I decided to walk a little bit of it off before heading back to my Pirate ship. Once I was back in Point Loma, I decided to stop by Liberty Station for a walkabout before heading back to the Island. Liberty Station is built on what was originally the Naval Training Center San Diego. NTC trained Navy recruits from 1923 until it was closed in 1993. Liberty Station remade the area into homes, shops, business, restauarants and a waterfront park.

Here’s an overview of a portion of Liberty Station.

Here’s my path along the water.

Yeah, I think she’s well and truly grounded.

This is the USS Recruit, or as it was called by the recruits, the SS NeverSail. It was used to train recruits in basic ship skills before getting on a real ship where they could damage something. It remains in its original spot.

 

There are hundreds (millions?) of ground squirrels living along the water front. You really have to watch your footing if you’re off the sidewalk, as you can easily step into one of their innumerable dens.

I know you’re in there, I can hear you breathing.

Ground Squirrel condos.

It’s the time of the season when Palm trees start to grow berries.

The commercial jets from Lindbergh Field fly right over Point Loma generally, and Liberty Station specifically.

Outrigger canoes waiting patiently for their time in the water.

I have no idea what kind of tree this is, but it’s beautiful.

I assume these were used to keep the wayward women away from the recruits when this was still a training center.

This is part of the 52 Boats Memorial, honoring the 52 submarines and crew lost during WW II. There are two walkways like this, with a total of 52 granite memorials, 52 flags and 52 Elm trees.

http://home.roadrunner.com/~eternalpatrol/TheLostBoats.html

I think this is going to require more than WD-40 to loosen these bolts.

Man made items rarely age well when unattended. Doesn’t stop sea life from using it for their own purposes.

There is a low wall around one of the children’s playgrounds that has inset tiles on the top, hand painted by local kids.

All Pirate images (except the first two) were taken with my Pirate cell phone.

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There is a short section of Highway 15 in the southwestern desert that runs through Nevada, Arizona and Utah, all within a 30 mile distance. A small portion of that 30 miles contains some beautiful and amazing rock formations. You can easily see the upheavals of the earth as it grew through adolescence. There are no safe places to stop along this short twisty stretch of highway, so if you want to capture any pictures, you better be good at juggling a cellphone camera while driving. I am that good. All images were taken with my Pirate cell phone.