Everyone’s thoughts turn to the Magic of Disney, or Universal Studios or SeaWorld, or many of the other theme parks and attractions  when they think of Florida, but this is a large State with many other special places, some well-known and some of them off the well-beaten track.

So this weekend, we went to MOSI, the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa for the DaVinci Exhibition.  Easy to get to, and loads of parking was the first impression.  MOSI is huge!  There is such a lot going on there, and it’s a magnet for families.  Big families, little families, babes in arms to teenagers were enjoying all that the Museum can offer.  And don’t be misled by the word Museum;  this is not a  fusty old place where everyone walks around with hands clasped behind their backs and talks in hushed voices.  This is a full-on, hands on, enjoy yourself, kind of place.

I wanted to visit the DaVinci exhibition  hence that Sunday afternoon trip.  The name is familiar from the books written by Dan Brown, many of us learned about Leonardo in school ( a long time ago, in my case) and have forgotten most of what we know.  His fame comes mainly from the world renowned portrait of Mona Lisa, and the wall painting of the Last Supper, although scholars will tell you that he did much more then just  paint, and this exhibition will show you just how much of a Renaissance Man he was.  A musician, a mathemetician, artist, modeller, theorist, scientist – all sorts of labels can be given to his name and abilities.

It was quite fascinating to see the copies of his inventions or improvements on earlier inventions, as well as the extremely high quality copies of many of his works of art.

Leonardo Da Vinci  (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519),

Born the illegitimate son of a notary, Piero da Vinci, and a peasant woman, Caterina, at Vinci, Italy, Leonardo was educated in the studio of the  Florentine painter, Verrochio.  Leonardo had one main patron Ludovico il Moro and passed much of his working life in Milan, Rome and Venice.  He spent his last years in France, at the home awarded him by the French king Francis 1st.

Apart from his well known paintings, many of his works have been lost, mainly due to Leonardo’s desire for experimentation with paints, and the mixes he used.  He was also very prone to altering his paintings, never being satisfied with each attempt.  Much of what we know about his works have come to us from the notebooks that fortunately have survived the centuries.  Many of his experiments failed, although to this day we are using items that he dreamed of and drew, such as the bicycle, the helicopter, the parachute and such things as a double hulled ship.

He was also deeply interested in the human body, and although this is little known, he examined possibly thirty or more bodies after their death to learn how the body works and to draw diagrams of the skeletal structure and muscles.

Many of the wooden and fabric models on display in the exhibition show the immensity and range of Da Vinci ’s visions, from concepts of a tank to a submarine, from winches to bobbin winders.

For me it was the art that appealed the most;  much of what I saw on display was new to me, and there were several portraits of young

Italian women where the jeweled colours positively glowed. The exhibits were of extremely high quality reproductions.  Also of interest were the infra red enlargements of the portrait of Mona Lisa, showing that what the average person sees nowadays bears little resemblance to the colours that Leonardo painted.  The accumulation of years of varnish discolouration, the damage caused by vandals some years ago, and the techniques that Da Vinci himself  used, have combined to produce a dim reflection of the original.

Whether its art that interests you, or mechanical items, or mathematics, or musical instruments, this exhibition shows just what a talent Leonardo possessed.  And if this exhibition is not to your taste, go upstairs to the dinosaur display or the Art of Flight exhibition, or the butterfly garden, sit in the sun  or just go and have a cup of coffee in the cafe……….  Someone in your family will find something of interest here at MOSI.

To find out more about the exhibition go to the MOSI website – click here.

We are the proud and loving owners of  a  Jack Russell terrier called Jilly.  She is affectionate and stubborn and totally frustrating when she is chasing squirrels or searching our garage for mice that may have some in out of the winter cold.  However, she is an important member of our family and spends her days with me in the office and her evenings  curled up on the sofa with us.

So for this very reason, we cannot possibly conceive of putting her in a kennel if we want to go away.  Therefore, for us to take a vacation means finding accommodation that will take our pet.

There are a  few pointers to safely and comfortably taking your pet on vacation with you.  Firstly make sure that the place where you want to stay is happy about your dog or cat.  Some accommodations have restrictions on weight or size, or even breed restrictions.

Most of us who intend to have our pet with us already know that our beloved dog or cat is house-trained and fully vaccinated, but the owner of the accommodation might need to be reassured on that count.  It’s also useful to check for local pet stores in the area where you are going so that you can get Fido’s special treats, or Kitty’s toy mice, should you happen to need them.   Here are a few pointers that may help to keep you and your pet safe and comfortable on your vacation.

1. Firstly you should assess your pet’s traveling capabilities. Very old or very young pets can be affected greatly by the experience of a long trip. If your pet has any illness or injury make sure to be informed about his or her condition and whether it will complicate during travel by asking your vetinarian.
2. You should also talk with your vet about where you will be traveling, how and for how long. Be sure to ascertain about any ticks, fleas or heartworms that can harm your pet at any of the places that you plan to go. If your pet has any problems while traveling such as motion sickness ask your vet about treatments or medication he could prescribe.
3. Ask your vet if your pet has all the necessary up to date vaccinations and obtain a health and rabies certificate. This is especially important if you will be traveling by plane since airports require that you have the certificate issued no earlier than 10 days before you take off.
4. Make sure to buy the appropriate crate for your pet’s travels, this includes: sturdiness, plentiful ventilation, a door that securely locks, an interior free of affliction possibilities and above all plenty of space to move around. You should also get one that can be grabbed easily from the outside where the animal can’t harm.
5. Put tags on your pet that have all the current information such as owner’s name, a phone number, an address and proof of vaccination. As an extra security measure you might want to get your pet micro chipped which will make it very easy to find him or her in case you become separated.
6. Before you depart make sure to clip your pet’s nails so that he or will be easier to restrain as well as diminish the prospect of causing unwanted damage. If your pet has fleas or ticks make sure to apply the proper treatments so that he or she doesn’t infest their new environments.
7. For the worst case scenario in which you and your pet become separated you should come with a list of helpful information regarding him or her as well as a recent photograph. Among the information included you should have the breed, call name, age, coat type, color, characteristic markings and microchip number.
8. You should always have plenty of fresh water at your side. Don’t introduce food to your pet that is very different from what you ordinarily feed him to avoid any complications. If you can’t find your dog’s brand of food you should introduce him or her to a new type gradually and be attentive to any changes due to diet.
9. You should bring with you a strong leash, sheets for your dog to lay as to make sure he is not sitting on furniture or bedding, plenty of pet food that may not be available, lots of water, your pets food and water bowl and make sure to wash them regularly, and toys for them to play with for some stimulation.
10. You might also want to bring with you tweezers for removing unwanted creatures or objects, baby wipes to clean them off, waste removal bags, first aid kit (especially if you’re traveling somewhere remote), a flashlight for walks out in the dark, comfortable bedding, disinfectant spray may come in handy and also carpet cleaning items.

This list might at first glance seem like a lot of things to worry about, but traveling with children requires very similar needs to be filled.  OK, perhaps not the rabies certificate or the pet crate but…………….

One of the fun things to do with your dog are the walks together;  this is Jilly on Fort de Soto beach; she actually dislikes getting wet, so rather than running into the sea, she ran alongside the little ripples of breaking waves, barking madly.  Cleverly, I thought, I rolled up my trousers, and went into the sea to my knees, beckoning and calling for her to come in with me.  No chance!  so when I had had enough I turned to look out to sea.

There was  a huge splash, and the back of my trousers were soaked through.  Jilly had launched herself into the sea, well beyond her depth and now was panic stricken and swimming wildly towards me.  After that she reverted to running along the sand.  No way was she going to do that again.!

Fort De Soto is on the Gulf Coast of Florida and is an interesting place, not just because it has a full length dog beach, and a dog park.  The dog park is fully fenced, and has two sections, one for small dogs and the other side is for larger dogs whose boisterous play may scare some of the smaller or elderly dogs.

There is also an actual fort, a beach for humans to swim and sunbathe , a fishing pier, cycle hire, canoe hire and picnic areas, as well as walks through the woods .  The best time to visit Fort De Soto is early in the year;  as the weather warms up it can become rather crowded, and during the height of the summer it may even be too warm for you and your pet.

There are many dog friendly parks in the Central Florida area;  Orlando, Kissimmee, Winter Park, Wekiva Springs and other towns in the area, have Off-leash parks for pets and their owners.  As well as the dog parks, there are many outdoor restaurants and cafes where you can sit and eat or drink with your pet.  That’s the pleasure of having a  sunny and warm climate.   We always carry a bottle of water with us as it can get very warm when out walking.  Celebration in Florida is a great place to walk our dog;  there is a good long walk around the lake, there’s a Farmer’s Market to visit on Sundays, tables and chairs outside most of the restaurants and coffee shops, and lots of other people with the same idea, so socialised dogs  are very welcome.

Many of our smaller towns and cities welcome your pet and have specialised pet shops where you can buy  clothes, bakery goods, jewelled collars  and so on – all for your dog or cat.

As you can see, we enjoy our time with  Jilly, and we know how important that pleasure  is to other pet lovers, so if you decide to visit Central Florida call us – we have pet friendly vacation rental homes waiting to give you and your family pet  a vacation that’s not to be sniffed at !