One of the guys I worked with at Full Sail, Eric, recommended checking out Lake Lotus Park in Altamonte Springs before leaving Orlando. I tried to go several times before I actually made it in. The first time, I walked up to the gate (at 4:00 PM on a Sunday) just as a ranger was locking it for the evening. He told me the park was closing soon (at 5:30 PM on a Saturday) and that I’d missed my chance to get in. The next time I went, I got there around noon only to find out that the park wasn’t even open on Mondays. Foolish me for not learning to check the website after the first misfire.

Anyway, I did finally make it inside. And it was pretty nice. It’s not a huge park, but there were some neat trails and cool birds. (Not to mention a much larger animal, but more on that later…)

The first wildlife I encountered, however, were a young mother and her thick-spectacled daughter, both in ankle length frocks on a hot day. They asked me what church I went to. When I told them I didn’t, they recommended the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Lincoln (not ‘the other’ Seventh Day Adventist Church in town) and suggested that in the meantime I meet their party in the picnic area for singing and a potluck. I thanked them for the offer and went on down the trail.