Monday, April 30, 2018

I’ve been busy!

Making cards…

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and buying pretties to make ‘more’ cards.

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I try my best to use what I have but then I look at Etsy and see all of the ‘pretties’ that other people make. Don’t you love the tags and card making ephemera that Kristy makes for her Etsy shop HERE?

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I bought these and they are even prettier in person and so well packaged….oh and reasonably priced too!

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Tags and card are fun to make because they are quick and easy. And nice to have on hand to give to neighbors and friends.

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Have you done any crafting lately?

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE

and Cooking and Crafting with J & J.

Saturday, April 28, 2018

The Golden Dragonfly and the Wood Ducks

They weren’t together but we saw them both on a hike at Blue Run Park in Dunnellon.

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The Golden Dragonfly was the first sighting on the day…

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at the beginning of the trail.

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We had never seen one so large!

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I cropped this one so that you could see the details in his wings.

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And it’s pretty rare for us to get a good sighting of the Wood Ducks that swim in the swamp side of the trail.

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We usually hear them and sometimes get a glimpse of them swimming.

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But they stay back in the Cypress trees in dark areas that are hard to photograph.

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This photo shows the little swirl…showing where he’s swimming.

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And now I’ll show you one..

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right after another…

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to give you a good idea of how beautiful they were…

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once upon a hike….

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at Blue Run Park!

What a magical day!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

Friday, April 27, 2018

Roses are Red!

And they are growing all around the Lavender Cottage this Spring.

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(and yes, a few are PINK!)

My sweet husband started planting Knock Out Roses a couple of years ago and we now have 40 rose bushes!

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They are blooming beautifully this Spring.

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I went back and ‘collected’ a few photos that I’ve taken recently AND in years past to share.

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They make some of the prettiest mosaics.

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So I’ll include those too.

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Knock Out Roses grow and bloom well here in North Central Florida.

I think that is the key to growing beautiful flowers….finding out what grows best in your location.

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We saw lots of these growing in our neighborhood and one evening when we were riding our bikes, we stopped and asked a neighbor what type roses they were. And that’s how we got started replacing old plants and shrubs with red roses.

I’m joining the Garden Party HERE

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and Thankful Thursdays too!

Monday, April 23, 2018

She Sells Seashells by the Seashore

Well, I haven’t ever sold any but I’ve given quite a few away over the years.

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Because I LOVE to collect them!

And Canaveral National Seashore is an amazing beach to hunt for seashells.

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There are not nearly as many people there and probably 15 miles or so of seashore to walk! Lots of parking areas to walk down to the beach too.

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Much of the beach looks like this.

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Tiny ground up pieces….

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and then you’ll walk up to mounds of shells like this.

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And come home with THIS! lol

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We even found around a dozen pieces of seaglass this time.

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Have you ever walked the beach picking up shells? It’s the best feeling in the world! Kind of like a treasure hunt!

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I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE

and Cooking and Crafting with J & J.

Saturday, April 21, 2018

Beach Birds at Canaveral National Seashore

We drove over to the beach with our picnic and snacks (and water)packed in the ice chest to spend the day!

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And it was gorgeous! Perfect weather….80s with a light breeze, nice and cool blowing off the ocean.

We walked and walked, picking up pretty shells. (I’ll show you those later) We don’t carry a camera on the beach for obvious reasons. (we usually get WET! lol)

But hubby had his phone with him and snapped off a few pics to share. He’s been enjoying your sweet comments on his photos. (me too!)

These are Willets

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and these are Sanderlings.

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That’s our best shore bird ID guess!

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I stood on the boardwalk and took these of a pretty seagull that flew over and then landed nearby.

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I know I was ‘leaning’ looking up!

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He was so nice to stop and pose for me!

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He looked rather comical.

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Maybe showing off for the camera?

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What do you think?

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…one of the things we like best about Florida!

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(this is the photo hubby took with his phone and I cropped for my new banner)

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

Monday, April 16, 2018

The Water Lily

One perfect flower!

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When we hike Ross Prairie State Forest, the trail makes a big loop.

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We turn at this pretty little pond.

Do you see a little white dot at the top right of the water?

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And when we hiked there a couple of weeks ago, we saw ONE perfect flower!

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Isn’t it gorgeous?

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I’ll be anxious to take this hike again to see more.

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Thanks hubby for these close ups!

I had a lot of neat photos to share, so I decided to make a mosaic out of most of them.

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A nice hike through the pines and oaks. Listening to birds and stopping to see wildflowers. You never know what you’ll see.

I thought of ‘beauty and the beast’ for my caption when I decided to include this photo.

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It’s just sap leaking out of a tree but it looks a bit ‘beastly’, doesn’t it?

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE

and Cooking and Crafting with J & J.