Florida Favs!

Let’s hear it for the BIRDS!

Most people hope to see Flamingos when they come to Florida and it is thrilling to see them in the wild.

But also pretty neat to see them at Homosassa Wildlife Park. They feed them a special diet that enhances their beautiful colors.

My sweet cousin Cindy and I spent the day there last week and that was extra special. Come back SOON, Cindy!

My favorite bird, the Roseate Spoonbill was in a different location and it allowed us to get up close and personal with them.

And take lots of photos!

Look at his feathers!

It was ‘lunch time’ so we got to see what was on the menu!

I did a post with Manatee pics HERE if you missed it!

It was a beautiful day! A bit of rain now but nothing bad here.

Happy Memorial Day!

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE

and Cooking and Crafting with J & J.

Now this is what I call FUN!!!

The weather has been warm and rain free! YAY! So I’ve had lots of fun! Cousin Fun!

My sweet cousin, Cindy came to Florida this week so one day we went to Homosassa Wildlife Park.

I love this wildlife park because all of the animals here live in Florida (except for one! Lu the Hippo has lived here a long time but there aren’t any other hippos here…that I know of! lol)

She was hoping to see the Manatees but the water is so warm now that most of them have gone back out into the rivers and streams.

There are 4 that live in the park though so we got to see them.

Want to see a close up?

 

I love them! And the water is so clear!

Cindy has a really great camera so I’ll steal borrow some of her pics!

I fell in love with this little Green Heron!

A precious tiny Burrowing Owl too!

And she got the best photos of a River Otter that we watched. How fun…and FAST they are!

Lots more to share another day!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

Rain Rain, go away, come again…

….when we need it!

We’ve been stuck in a rainy pattern lately. The sun shines, but then the clouds build and it rains. Every day! I know I shouldn’t complain because it’s keeping the temps very pleasant and the roses are blooming their pretty little heads off. It would be nice to space it out though and bring in some cooling showers during the summer months.

Plus I have plans for some fun activities this week! lol I’ll share when….and if I get to actually ‘have some fun’!

I kept trying to get the perfect photo of these raindrops and then hubby came to the rescue with his better camera! Thanks hubby!

It seems like everything depends on the weather.

A Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly photographed on the Florida Trails.

What’s it like where you live this week?

(I know we’re taking time off from Mosaic Monday right now but old habits are hard to break!)

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE

and Cooking and Crafting with J & J.

Sightings close to home!

Real close! We watched these two White Ibis in our backyard a couple of weeks ago.

A crow was watching them pretty close too!

Hey….don’t leave mad! lol

Up close…

at the gold tee!

Isn’t this a pretty bed of clover and an odd palm tree across the way?

And then when we walked out front one evening we saw a Red Shouldered Hawk land on the gutter of the house across the street.

It’s hard to get good photos in the evening with the low light.

But this shows the beautiful feathers of the back of this majestic bird.

That’s one of the great things about living in Florida…

lots of wildlife even in your own back (or front) yard!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

And what a joy to get up early and watch the Royal Wedding! Our very best wishes for this beautiful young couple. God bless them!

A Beautiful day for a walk at Sholom Park

I took a nice long walk at Sholom Park on Mother’s Day.

We had lots of clouds in the sky so that kept the temps lower. (about 80 when I finished)

It wasn’t the perfect Mother’s day….I missed my kids and grandkids.

(my favorite photo of the day)

But you can’t feel sad when you get out in nature, look around at the beauty that surrounds you and give thanks for all that you have!

I hope you all had a beautiful weekend too and lots to be thankful for!

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE

and Cooking and Crafting with J & J.

The Black-crowned Night Heron

We’ve sure had a lot of wonderful hikes at the Blue Run Park in Dunnellon. It’s sad to think it’s almost too hot to hike already but our hikes will be few and far between now until Fall. We’ll still get out but not for the 2 hour hikes we enjoy most.

It was a beautiful ‘warm’ day when we spotted this elusive Black-crowned Night Heron.

And we were often peeking through the vegetation trying to get these shots.

One more…

So I’ll share a few photos from my camera, a Canon SX50 HS

and my hubby’s, a Nikon Coolpix P900.

What surprised us the most was spotting a second Night Heron on our way back out.

We know there were 2 because we saw one fly and the other stay perched.

So we have a pair of Black-crowned Night Herons and hopes of baby herons in the future.

I wish it was easier to spot the nests but the vegetation is wild and healthy along the Rainbow River.

This was taken near our bird sighting. What a beautiful day to be out in a boat…or on the trail with our cameras!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

Little Miss Muffet

It still amazes me that I can dig through a box of children’s books at the old thrift store and come up with a little book that someone bought for 29 cents back in 1956! I take it out and have to resist ‘hugging’ it!

I love old books….especially children’s books.

Don’t you love the sweet poems and beautiful illustrations?

And so that you know I haven’t been ‘sitting on my tuffet’ this week…

here are some of the cards I’ve made.

And a few more in progress.

I’m waiting on a silk ribbon order from Victorian Gypsy Girl, her Etsy shop is HERE! This silk ribbon is amazing to work with. It’s fair trade Sari Silk from India and just the most beautiful silk in the world! I ordered ‘Mama’s Lipstick’, a bright pink to make more of these little ribbon flowers and ties for my oversized tags. You really should visit her Etsy shop HERE….you’ll be surprised at how affordable this ribbon is and there’s so many things you can do with it.

Have you done any fun crafting this week? Or read any good books? Or sat on a tuffet? Or been scared by a spider? heehee!

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE

and Cooking and Crafting with J & J.

Photographing the Handsome Mr. Heron!

Just about every errand I run takes me past the library pond. I have to admit, I even go out of my way sometimes to drive by. It attracts so many birds and I carry my camera with me most of the time.

I thought I would share my thoughts on photography today. Not deep thoughts….maybe more like observations.

I drove into a little parking area and walked straight to the pond and saw this beautiful Great Blue Heron.

He had his head pulled in and was in full view.

(perfect for a May calendar, don’t you think?)

Okay…one more photo from this spot.

(he’s preening in this one)

Now I’ve decided to walk down the sidewalk along the road to take a few more.

I love all of the pond grasses!

This one (my favorite) is before I get to a spot that opens up for a clear view.

Now he’s seen me and decides to stand up straight! lol

I back out to get a bit of an overview.

And when I get home and load my pics onto my computer, I’m surprised at how different they all look. They are all the same Heron, in the same spot, taken within 10 minutes of each other.

AMAZING!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.