Traveling on the 'unknown road'!

 Is that even better than the 'back roads'? 

I love maps and enjoy the navigation maps in the new vehicles. I was surprised when we drove down this road that it was listed as an unknown road!

Perfect! I love it!

Let's see where it leads!

Oh, it leads to the Gulf of Mexico!

Well you can't go wrong with a trip down an unknown dirt road to the coast.

And it was beautiful when we got there. The parking lot was empty on a Saturday morning, which surprised us.

We took a little hike down the Withlacoochee Bay trail.

What will we see today?

Wasn't this Great White Egret gorgeous!

Hubby got a new Chevy 'pick em up' truck . 

And he even let me drive it....through a mud puddle! 

We stopped at the locks on the way home and saw a rain shower in the distance.

It sure was a fun day (and yes, we got rained on)! Thanks hubby for the beautiful Great White Egret photos and for letting me get your new truck dirty! 

Do you like to take a drive? A Sunday drive on Saturday?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !  

Fun in the good ole summertime!

 It's hot. It's August. It's Florida! 

But let's tie the jeep to the hitching post at the 49th Ave trailhead and get out on the trails.

I chose a morning after a rain and the woods were still dripping wet and it felt cooler.

Or less hot!

And I saw all kinds of pretty birds.

Isn't this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher beautiful?

And I think this was a young one flying alongside the parent.

I was pleased to get them both in the photo.

I saw lots of wildflowers and some deer grazing.

Look at that tongue! He was eating something tasty!

A Black-and-white Warbler, Zebra Swallowtail and a Flicker.

A nice day to get out early and enjoy the beauty of nature.

And it will cool off one day soon. Right?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !  

The Roseate Spoonbill

 If I've said it once....I've said it a dozen times! 

The Roseate Spoonbill is my MOST favorite Florida bird.

We rarely see it in the wild so that makes it a thrill.

This was a day trip to the Gulf of Mexico and we parked and hiked to the observation platform at the end.

But we watched these birds flying overhead from the time we got out of our vehicle.

And it is such a unique bird. When I searched online to read more about it, I found this quote from the audubon website HERE. " Gorgeous at a distance and bizarre up close is the Roseate Spoonbill."

We saw two of them and I think the one in flight is an adult and the one we watched eating is a juvenile.

They are so comical when they eat. They stand in the same spot and swing their head from side to side foraging in the shallow water. They have wide flat bills that sift the muck and uncover food.

We had a wonderful day on the coast and saw lots of beautiful birds! 

One more favorite!

Little Blue Heron

It's HOT so the hikes are shorter but it's still great to get outside.

Railroad vine also known as a beach morning glory

Are you enjoying some summertime outings?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !  

I "spotted" Bambi!

 

I finally got out on the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway this week and hiked from the 49th Ave trailhead.

Zebra Longwing Butterfly

I took the heat advisory warning seriously and stayed inside quite a bit so it felt great to be out on the open trails!

It was around 80 with just a hint of a breeze so it wasn't bad and I remembered why I love the Greenway.

Beautyberry

Of course we can't stay on the paved trail!

Beautyberry Lane

Let's get out in the woods and HIKE!

I saw 3 deer and one was a young one that still had it's spots. That was a thrill.

With all the afternoon showers we had, there were mushrooms growing all through the woods.

Lots of wildflowers and butterflied flitting everywhere.

And I got to say hello to some of my bicycle friends! A group of them were near the trailhead when I finished my hike.

My time indoors has been well spent. I threw myself into some projects around the house and feel so great about all that I've accomplished. But I probably should have taken a blog break because I didn't spend time on my computer. I'm behind visiting everyone. It was enjoyable to read blogs in the evening when I was too tired to do anything else. But I haven't commented so I will catch up soon.

I also want to mention the passing of our dear friend, Vee from A Haven for Vee. She was a blog friend from the beginning and we shared a lot of good times and bad. I'm going to miss her. She always teased me that an alligator was going to walk through my front yard when I went outside. Please keep her family in your prayers.

Butterfly weed

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !