American Victory Ship, Tampa, Florida

We went to tour the American Victory Ship in Tampa Harbor.  It is one of four fully operational WWII merchant ships in the country.  It was built in 1945 at the California shipyard and served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam as a cargo vessel.  It circumnavigated the globe twice.  In 1999, it was towed to Tampa and underwent a $2 million restoration to become a world-class national memorial and museum.  It's mission is to honor the dedicated men and women who provided service during times of peace and war.  

American Victory Ship

A visit from Sandhill Cranes, Ruskin, Florida

The campground we are staying at (River Oaks, which right on the Manatee River) had a surprise visit this morning by three Sandhill Cranes.  They were near the dock for a while and the local cat was completely awed by them.  It sat pretty close to them and then one of the birds started flapping its wings to chase the cat away.  Not to be deterred, as the Cranes started walking through the park, the cat followed and looked like it wanted the birds for lunch.