Life...which trail will you follow?

 

Many of you have followed my blog for close to 20 years now. How time flies and how much can change over the years.

 

But one thing I still cling to is my love of nature and the more 'natural' it is, the more at home I am. 

I started an evening hike at 49th Ave trailhead and was pleasantly surprised at how many people were taking advantage of a 'less hot' evening.

This is the trail I walked on.

And this is the one that 'pulled' me in. 

There are a lot of deer in this area so I was happy to see several on my hike.

This is actually the smallest Buck I have ever seen.

Don't you love his spikes!

They moved into the brush and those are my favorite photos!

They were browsing! 

I waved and took photos of this group of joggers. They were enthusiastic and I loved seeing them enjoying some time together on the Greenway.

It's still too hot to get out much but I can't resist one of those 'trails less traveled'.

Casa Viola News! 

A BIG shout out to Brent for painting my house this week and doing such a fabulous job! I enjoyed having you around and getting to know you better too! THANKS Brent!!!

What's new at your house this week? 

Stay cool, safe and calm!

Hugs, Diane 💜

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE!

Playing favorites?

 

There are a lot of birds and critters that we hope to see when we hike.

But some are more fun than others.

We haven't seen a Sherman's Fox Squirrel in several months and this one was good enough to climb a tree near the trail.

And he stayed there and looked down on us. Maybe we were a funny sighting for him...we didn't think to ask. We do go tsk tsk tsk to let him know he's safe around us.

You can see his 'foxy' tail in this one!

We spotted him on a hike from the 49 Ave Trailhead, walking West.

And then there are the Florida Scrub Jays!

We saw a small flock of these at the Halpata Tastanaki Preserve this week.

As a matter of fact, we hiked for over 2 hours and saw them when we were in sight of the Jeep at the end of our hike. They are so special to see. They are only found in Florida and very rare.

It's also fun to spot deer out in the woods.

And how about this Juvenile Eagle? He was soaring right over our heads at HTP.

It's been such a good week of special sightings and beautiful weather.

But did someone say 'favs'?

What's new in your part of the world?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’. 

Garberia, Fall Wildflowers

 The woods and preserves have been covered in Swamp Sunflowers for a couple of months and we are still seeing quite a few but now the Garberia is in full bloom.

"Garberia is unlike most species in the Asteraceae family in that its growth habit is woody and shrubby rather than herbaceous. Garberia is endemic to Florida’s north and central peninsula, and occurs naturally in scrub and xeric hammocks. It typically flowers in late fall but has been known to flower sparsely throughout the year. It is a state-listed threatened species." Quote taken from the website HERE.

Most of the blooms are a pretty lavender color and they look beautiful out in the woods with the pine trees.

The butterflies love Garberia!

We've hiked a lot of different trails lately and seen so many things. But one day, we headed off in a different direction in the woods, staying off the paved trail. And when we were finishing our hike and intersecting with the paved Florida Trails, I saw the blower coming. 

(this is a photo from the past)

Volunteers drive this ATV on the paved trails, blowing the leaves and pine needles off. And over the years I have talked to the couple that does this job. They always stop to let you pass, so that they don't blow leaves all over you and it's been a chance to chat. We would swap sightings and stories and they even gave me maps of the trails. So when I saw them coming I waited. But it was two women. And when they stopped the lady I knew told me her husband had passed away. That was very sad and I felt so blessed to have a chance to talk to her. She was planning to move away so I probably won't see her again. And she told me they had a bench dedicated to her husband near the 49th Ave trailhead.

It took us 2 hikes to find it but we did! We won't ever forget Kenny and his sweet wife. They have made such a difference in our lives.

 Always clearing the path for everyone with a wave and a smile! 

(a photo from the past)

Enjoy your week!

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE . 

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays and

I like Thursdays HERE too! 

Be Quick but Stay Calm!

 

It's exciting to get out in nature and wonder what marvelous thing you will see. And yes, every time you hike you see something amazing.

We saw this Yellow-billed Cuckoo bird (above photo cropped) on a hike this week at the very beginning of a hike.

And we only got to take 3 photos. I took one of him in a tree,

hubby took him in flight...

and then I saw where he landed. (he took off right after this) We were hoping to see him again but we didn't. And we were also hoping the photos we took were in focus!

 A yellow-billed cuckoo bird...I love the sound of that!

And when we hiked at the 49th Ave trailhead of the Florida trails, hubby saw this deer in the woods at the same time the deer saw him. 

They both stopped in their tracks.

We watched it grooming itself and acting very nonchalant! lol

We decided it was waiting for us to go on down the trail so that it could cross the trail.

And just as we walked on, a bike came and he stopped too.

You never know what you'll see around the next bend. So get out there in nature for some excitement!

 It's a beautiful time of year to explore!

 

Do you have a favorite trail or park to visit?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’. 

Just for fun!

 The cloud formations have been beautiful this week.

What do you see? 

I'll leave my scary banner up one more day to explain how it is really a collage, or mosaic!

"You are in Bear Country"

It started with a sign at the 49th Ave Trailhead, that cautions hikers of the bear activity in the area. And yes, several people have stopped to tell us they saw a bear. But we haven't seen one....yet! 

I took that sign and put a cropped photo of a tree on each side to create a collage. And then put the 'BOO' on it. Were you scared? Just a little? Tell the truth now! Which would scare you most, a bear or an alligator? We see alligators pretty often so I think a bear sighting would scare me more!

And I got some new Wet cloths this week. They have a good sale going on and they even sent me a free one. The link is HERE.

It looks like a little mosaic, doesn't it?

I also ordered some beautiful cards with original art from an Etsy shop HERE.

And I decided to cut some paper and sew it into one of them to create a journal.

 This is my favorite so I'll just have the bunny I made a long time ago, hold it for me!

 Do you love Etsy shopping too? 

Do you have some favorites this week to share?

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE . 

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays and

I like Thursdays HERE too!

A rare and exotic Wildflower!

 

It still amazes me that we can go out into the wild and see so many amazing things.

We were fortunate to see this Longspurred Mint, Dicerandra Cornutissima on the Florida trails this week. It was between the 49th Ave trailhead and the Landbridge Trailhead. 

It is endemic to this part of Florida and is listed as endangered. More info HERE. 

We've seen it in another area nearby but this is the first time we've seen it on this part of the trail.

And to share one of my favorite things this week....

here's the big pad of Forest Scrapbook paper I bought to work on junk journals.

I've already been cutting the cover page in case it looks a bit 'wonky'!

There are so many beautiful  images and it's all a nice weight of cardstock.

I'll use these for bookmarks.

It's enjoyable to put together these journals and then sit down and embellish them later.

I thought I would write some nature quotes on some of the pages.

This is a tag journal 'in progress'. 

They are so quick and easy and I love the way they turn out!

Have you been working on creative projects this week?

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE . 

Also I like Thursdays HERE.