Travel & Places
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Monday Garden Musings
It is fairly quiet in the garden these days. After the cold snap, everything took a hit. I like this time of year because it isn’t so overwhelming. The grass doesn’t grow 10′ in a day and the vines aren’t trying to suffocate each other. It’s more relaxing. A little bit more reverse lens technique for some closeups: A fly buzzing the loquat flowers Plantain flowers Hibiscus grandideri about to bloom A less mature H. grandidieri blossom Chalice vine Variegated vanilla A little fern, a little recruit… I’ve been enjoying these garden blogs lately: Chiot’s Run The Inadvertent Farmer Fennel and Fern: they have a blog but it appears their…
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Washed Up
I’m a little lonely today. It’s cloudy outside, the sun hasn’t peaked out and said hello, the cats are curled up, and everyone is out somewhere, doing something and I’m not. Reviewing the rest of the Cayo Costa photos make me a little depressed. Call it two weekends of not getting outside, that’s probably my problem. So, I’m savoring the washed up fauna that found its way onto the shore… Oystercatchers…the first time I’ve seen these birds. A gannett…not sure if it was injured or feigning injury, but it was nice to see the bird up close. An ancient animal, horseshoe crab… Even the man-made objects get washed up…
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Wordless Wednesday
Play along here
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Beachcombers
I was Marc and Eliana’s last night for dinner and was lamenting to Eliana that we needed to have spent more time at Cayo Costa State Park while we were there over Christmas weekend. It was truly a beautiful and magical little place. To get there you have to drive north of Cape Coral to Pine Island and nearly to the tip of that island and then catch a ferry over. We thought there wouldn’t be too many people two days after Christmas, but the ferry was packed. The downside is that the ride costs, I think $50 a person, to get over there unless you have your own boat.…
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Garden Bits—in Reverse
I had the day off for a doctors appointment and spent the morning mowing the back yard. It was seriously over grown, weeds had over taken half the yard. I also surveyed the frost damage from last week. It always takes two to three days for the damage to be known and sure enough the tell-tale signs of browning and curling were beginning. The ylang ylang took a hit as did the tropical almond and other tenders. I once had a starfruit seedling that bit the dust after a 45* night. Very tender tropicals. I think most everything will recover now that it has warmed up, but I will keep…
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Battle of the Bulls
We were at Dinner Island WMA on Sunday afternoon, driving around with our friends Randy and Kathy, when through the cattle pasture we heard this high pitched noise. Eventually we came up to the two bulls making the noise, in the midst of what seemed like a territory war of some sort, or maybe one was miffed the other took his gal. Who knows, but it was hilarious to watch them! Check out the puffs of steam coming out of his mouth—see it was cold here! Lots of throwing of dirt…it was great entertainment! The photo challenge is up over at Meghan’s blog: Strangers on the Street. I know there…
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BRRRRR!
My brother asked me last night how I liked the cold weather. I replied that I was ready for it to go away. He’s in Texas where they’ve had more snow than I can remember this past month. A month ago I would have enjoyed it, the holiday season, etc. But, it’s just too cold for me now! Yes, living in gardening zone 10B, where we push the tropical zone limits and enjoy all sorts of beautiful plants that love warmth and humidity, has made my blood too thin. I’m the iguana that hangs onto the tree, hoping not to fall off when it gets too cold. I’ve almost gone…
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Sanibel Sunset
Until I get the comments working again, I’ve put in my old commenting system that you can use. I’m finally trying to finish up our Christmas weekend trip to Sanibel. Here are the sunset photos from the day after Christmas. All but the last were taken at Blind Pass, the pass between Sanibel and Captiva islands. The last was taken at the last public access beach on Captiva. This one is Chris’. I like it…very wild and untamed look to it. I always feel a little reluctant to leave the beach after a sunset like that—a sad goodbye to a great day.
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Sunset—New Years Eve on Turner River Road
I know, comments aren’t working. boo on you wordpress…trying to get up up and running soon. Chris and I got off early on New Years Eve and decided to hit Big Cypress National Preserve to capture the last sunset of the decade. We also were aiming for photos of the Blue Moon but were unsuccessful due to clouds in the east that prevented a decent moon rise from being seen. The only glimpse we saw was for a few minutes but it was still partially hidden between the clouds. By the time it was up and shining, it was dark and we couldn’t find a decent place to take a…
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Samson and his Snuggie
Samson hasn’t made a post here in awhile, so today I decided to capitalize on the fact he was looking adorably sweet on the bed with the Snuggie. I got the Snuggie in a gift exchange at work and the instant I brought it home it was stolen from me by Leo and Samson and immediately it became theirs. See, all warm and toasty in the Snuggie. Chris and I were both off today for dentist appointments and when we came back in the house after being out a few times we found both Leo and Samson snuggling together on the blanket. It was 56* in the house this morning—still…