Let’s DO the Blue!

How about another hike at Blue Run in Dunnellon?

It’s been neat to see so many flowers in bloom this summer. We’ve had just the right amount of rain to keep everything green and beautiful!

And I’m trying to stay active and lose the 5 pounds I gained earlier this year.

Oh WOW….now I’ve lost 10 just by stretching my photo! Of course I’m probably as tall as my 6 ft tall hubby now but we girls do what we have to do to look good! hahahaha!

And I just had to include a couple of the other photos my sweet hubby took on this hike.

Isn’t this a gorgeous Great White Heron?

And a pretty red leaf among the green foliage!

(photos straight out of the camera)

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE.

The colorful Green Heron plus one!

We hiked at Blue Run Park in Dunnellon a few days ago. We thought it was amazing to see a Green Heron along the river. We haven’t seen one in several months!

And then we saw another one!

We still had the one in our view when another one flew in.

They called and called to each other.

It was exciting to get to watch the two of them interact.

Then when we made our turn around to start back to the car, we were looking as hard as we could to hopefully spot them again…

and we saw this beautiful Black-Crowned Night Heron!

The foliage is so thick now that it’s hard to see through it to the water.

So it’s quite a challenge to see anything at all.

But we had a really great day of hiking and it was only 82 when we finished at 10:30 am. Not bad for Florida in July! And yes, you’ll be happy to know I sprayed repellent on my legs and arms. But the only thing we heard or saw were a few pesky mosquitoes buzzing by. Nothing bit us…thankfully!

Have you had a chance to get outside this week?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

“The Little Free Library”

I went online to find out where some of the Little Free Libraries were and ‘lo and behold’….there was one in a building next to the Farmer’s Market I go to every Thursday! It’s inside the building so I had no idea!

This community is called “On Top of the World” and has classes for seniors called Master the Possibilities.

I walked in with my book bag and a book by one of my favorite authors to leave for someone else.

I took Images of America Deerfield Beach. I’ve never been there so I’m looking forward to reading it.

The room was beautiful and a nice place to relax and read a book.

They had some neat displays too!

I love these featuring the history of our area.

Do you have a Little Free Library near you? Go online and find out!

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays.

Once Upon a Time….

there was a crazy lady Princess that liked to take her nice car horse drawn carriage and go off road on country lanes!

She liked to go to the countryside (or Halpata Tastanaki Preserve) with her camera sketch pad and pencils.

Oh what beauty everywhere she looks!

And when she gets home she can write all about it in a sonnet (or on her blog)!

Well, a girl has to do what a girl has to do with what she has!

And share her fun with….

Mosaic Monday HERE.

Pruitt Trailhead with no scary horse flies dragons in sight!

The Florida Scrub Jay!

I was so fortunate to see a flock of Florida Scrub Jays on a hike I took July 1st at Halpata Tastanaki Preserve.

I drove out there just to get out of my car and look around at the trailhead.

But it was early enough and it had rained overnight so it didn’t seem too bad (hot)! So the trail called me to wander! lol

I thought about starting this post with HELP!!! I need HELP!!! But I’ll be nice and show you my Scrub Jay photos while I tell you my sad tale.

I finally had a bad experience hiking. NO….I didn’t get chased by an alligator or a bear….or a wild boar! NO, it was nothing THAT BIG! It was small in fact. I had been hiking for about 40 minutes (some of which I used to take these photos) when a deer fly or a horse fly got after me. It was big and solid black.

I had on my ‘pink baseball cap’ that I wear on all my hikes. So I took it off and starting batting at the fly. The cap had a metal buckle on it so that meant that the fly was either biting me or I was beating myself to death with the metal buckle. I danced around all the way back to the car. I walked a LOT faster back to the car but it still took me about 20 minutes…hitting at the fly around my arms….then down on my legs…never scaring him away. When I got to my car, I literally threw myself inside! I hadn’t been able to stop to look around, or even get a drink of water on the way back. And I had little irritating bites all over. I probably got bit 20 or 30 times. Nothing life threatening but I would say more than just aggravating. It HURT when it bit me.

So have you ever had this happen? Any ideas on what to do when it does? I know not to wear any kind of scent or dark clothing. And since we really haven’t had any problem with bugs this year, I wasn’t wearing any repellant. I WILL next time. (but I still hate to wear it, especially on my face)

So Hike #42 was worth it to see the beauty of Halpata Tastanaki Preserve

AND the Florida Scrub Jays.

I also saw a Rufous Sided Towhee.

They are usually on the ground in the brush and hard to see.

So this was very special!

Thanks for reading this long post and I look forward to your comments and your HELP!!!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

Quilts of Valor

What a joy to attend the Open House hosted by our local Quilt Club and see the presentation of quilts to worthy Veterans in our community.

Quilts of Valor

My photos don’t do justice to the beauty of these quilts.

I’ve always loved the red white and blue patriotic quilts.

And these are all made by the members and given to our veterans.

It was a moving presentation and an honor to thank these brave men.

And a special thanks to all of the ladies who work so hard and are so giving…AND talented!

(there were a LOT of ladies involved, I just got a few at the refreshment table!)

I found the website HERE if any of you are interested in this program.

Enjoy your day!

Happy Fourth of July from Florida….over the years!

I was looking for photos to use for a new post this year and found some from past years.

So I’ll share those today.

This one was taken in Sholom Park…

and that might be where I spend my day today!

It’s HOT but a beautiful time to be out and about.

And I have so much to be thankful for!

Have a FABULOUS holiday here in the USA!

Stay safe and HAVE FUN!

I have a few Wednesday Wee Ones in this post and

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays.

A Tag Journal!

When my sweet cousin Cindy came to visit, she brought me lots of ‘pressies’! She filled a huge bag with crafting supplies from her stash and oh what fun I had playing with everything!

She also made a few pockets with tags. And that gave me an idea. I’ve seen the tag journals so I decided to make a couple of them.

I sent this one off to her. It was great fun to make and nicer that a thank you note, don’t you think?

(one without the silk ribbon so that you can read it)

The tiny photos are selfies she took with her phone and then printed out on her handy dandy printer!

Have you made anything like this?

I enjoy small projects more and more! And it’s nice when you have lots of new supplies to play with!

The one I made for myself!

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE

and Cooking and Crafting with J & J.