Saturday, July 30, 2016

Florida Fish and Wildlife

We drove down to a boat dock and found ourselves at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission in Crystal River, FL.

flagsIMG_0946

I took a quick pic of their boat.

boatIMG_0947

And then we drove around to see this huge nesting platform.

nestIMG_0950

We didn’t see any birds on the nest but we did see a Swallow tail Kite in the sky. The nest may have been made by an Osprey.

kiteIMG_0944

But I just happen to have some photos that I took of an Osprey this summer!

ospreyIMG_0467

He looked amazing with the sun shining bright on his light colored feathers.

ospreyIMG_0468

He was high in the sky so I had to zoom to get these so they are cropped!

ospreyIMG_0472 

There’s always something to see!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

The Inglis Bypass Spillway

This was a fun drive and neat area to visit. There was a nice playground, picnic area and ball fields. Nothing was being used the day we went because of the summertime heat.

damIMG_0958

I think most people in this part of Florida stay inside or get out in the water.

waterIMG_0963

It’s always a little cooler near the water.

signIMG_0966

(no swimming here though)

cloudsIMG_0959

Don’t you love these beautiful cloud formations?

damIMG_0960

We’ve had a few pop up showers so everything is still green and beautiful.

fenceIMG_0968

Have you been able to get out this summer to see the sights in your area? There’s so much to see on the backroads here in Florida.

signIMG_0971

I'm joining Tex for Good Fences!

Monday, July 25, 2016

What could be better? A glass of cold water on a summer day!

I think we all know most of the benefits of drinking plenty of water.

DSCN2137

I found a website HERE with a list of the benefits.

Drinikng-Water-benefits-opt

But do you know how to make water taste even better?

I do.

I’ve always loved drinking water. We filter our water and that helps too.

But the secret of a better tasting glass of water is…

are you ready?

Do you promise not to tell EVERYONE?

DSCN2133

The GLASS of course!

DSCN2128

I buy vintage glasses at the thrift store, scrub them with hot soapy water (don’t put them in the dishwasher, it can ruin the design) and ENJOY!

DSCN2129

OKAY…you can tell somebody!

DSCN2130 

Go ahead and SHARE!

DSCN2134

CHEERS!

I’m joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J HERE!

Which one do you like best?

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Unusual Critters!

We see so much variety here in Florida and many times we see something we’ve never seen before!

dragonflyIMG_0668

But first let’s start with this beautiful dragonfly.

dragonflyIMG_0667

We were driving to a Park for a picnic and rolled down the car window for these photos!

cattailsIMG_0619

A few of the pretty cattails we saw too. (not on a critter! lol)

skinkIMG_0656

Then later when we took a ‘short walk’ in the heat, we spotted this Broad headed Skink.

skinkcloseIMG_0660

He made quite a rustle in the grass and actually scared me. He’s much bigger than the usual lizards, anoles and skinks that we usually see and the first one of this type we’ve identified.

I’ll end with some birds we see often here in North Central Florida.

egretIMG_0919

Cattle Egret are common here.

(you can see the difference between the egret and ibis in these 2 photos)

ibisIMG_0978

I still get a thrill when I see the Ibis but they are regulars around here too.

ibisIMG_0981

We spotted the Ibis at the Inglis Locks.

ibisIMG_0975

I know I’ve taken better bird photos than these but these were taken this past week.

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Spruce Boat Ramp in Dunnellon, Florida

We drive into Dunnellon pretty often for one reason or another.

boatrampIMG_0823

And one day we went down a little side street to this public boat ramp.

boatrampIMG_0826

What a VIEW down the Withlacoochee River!

It was spectacular!

boatrIMG_0827

Sometimes you see boats in the river and often people fishing off the dock.

When we drove over there last time, it was too hot to fish!

boatrIMG_0829

Too hot to FISH? Now that’s pretty hot! lol

bobberIMG_0892

Another common sight…

a bobber on a fishing line, stuck in the tree limbs!

(no it’s not mine! haha)

I'm joining Tex for Good Fences!

Monday, July 18, 2016

‘A Nautical Bracelet’ Craft Project!

I made something!

DSCN1860 

I know you think I drive around taking photos all the time, but sometimes I just have to get ‘creative’!

DSCN1856

This was a project I saw on the Etsy blog and I had all the supplies handy to give it a go!

I won’t try to give you a tutorial because you can click in the link HERE to get the full supply list and tutorial with tips and excellent photos.

DSCN1857

It wasn’t hard and I’ve worn mine several times and think it looks cute with summer time fashions.

DSCN1858

I had hoped it would be so easy, I would make several, but so far I have just this one!

DSCN1861

I’m joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J HERE!

0

Have you made any easy projects this summer?

Share the link to the tutorial if you have!

SunHappy Crafting! Sun

Saturday, July 16, 2016

A Boat-Tailed Grackle and a REALLY big baby!

We got the biggest kick watching this baby bird fluttering around and begging to be fed.

babyIMG_0880

And it must be a full time job to keep this big baby fed!

bIMG_0881

He fluttered so much that he slid right off of the rail one time.

bIMG_0882

How many bugs and seeds does this young one need?

babyIMG_0883

It’s enough to try a mother’s patience!

mamaIMG_0883

And it was neat to identify as a Boat-Tailed Grackle mama and baby.

babymamaIMG_0883 

You’ll have to think of a caption for this shot!

grackleIMG_0879

“Okay bud, the next bite is mine!”

My friend Margaret came up with this caption!

Thanks girlfriend! Island with a palm tree

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.