Team Leip Travels

16 May 2026 Sanford Florida; We Bid New Jersey Goodbye

Dave and Kristine drove us over to the Philadelphia airport for our flight to Florida. We got settled in and waited for our flight. It seems like we have been flying more lately than we have flown in quite some time. The flight was a bit bumpy at the end and it was stormy in Orlando when Laura came to pick us up. We can warm up again!

Home of the Philadelphia Eagles

An American Football team

Also a World Cup venue....if it actually goes on

Lots of Navy ships

A very detailed airport decoration

Philadelphia was first in many instances. First sports stadium, first volunteer fire department, first balloon flight in America, first circus, first botanical gardens, first professional basketball league

A most interesting display of woven items

Knitty Kitty

Macramé snake skeleton

15 May 2026 Mantua: Indoctrination into the Birding Experience for Kristine

Kristine, my sister, seems to have caught the birding bug. Symptoms were already showing. She had a bird feeder and has purchased new seed to fill it. She was already aware of her neighborhood flock. The catbirds were the beginning with their cat like calls and when there are many in the area it was an easy start. I showed her the Merlin app and how to use it. We drove over to Tall Pines park early to do a decent walk through. I came away with three new birds for my list and she scored with many more! After we returned to the house Ember and Kara came by to say bon voyage. We then headed over to Roxane and Mikes to say farewell to them

Eastern bluebirds

Norther House Wren my lifebird #1

Eastern Kingbird

Blue Heron

A nice water area

Tree Swallow

Baltimore Oriel lifebird #2

Indigo Bunting lifebird #3

A mockingbird

Very wooded

Those catbirds!

More Cedar Waxwings also seen on the first picture

Heading back!

It was great getting to see all the family

Jaxon first

Then Alice

Almost missed Bridgit

But we got the whole family together in one shot!

Boooooo!

It has been 3 years and 341 days since we began our Migration

14 May 2026 Mantua: Pool Maintenance and Pizza Pi Day

Dave had a pool system that is very complex. It involved liquid chlorine and it needed to be calibrated so that his semi-automated system would work correctly. I helped him carry up a heavy umbrella system for the deck and we planned on taking the pool cover off but it was not quite the right time. We headed out to a fine Italian dinner and cruised through town on the way to see all the quaint old houses.