Since I posted the photo of this little fellow I thought I should follow through and give some information about him or her.

It was back in December and my daughter was here enjoying time away from New York city and absorbing some of our warmer weather.  We spotted the little creature meandering across our driveway and naturally (being the annoying paparazzi that we are) we ran to get our cameras.

Little turtle was trying to find it way back to the sanctuary of our neighbor's pond.

 

Of course in the photo above the level of the pond was down because it had been awhile since we had a good, hard rain.  Naturally the water level fluctuates and below is a photo of how the pond looked when Tropical Storm Issac can roaring through.

 

You can tell that the pond's center island has shrunk considerably, what you can not see is that somewhere along the fence line is a shallow gully where Little Turtle can slip in and out of.  Unfortunately Little Turtle often has trouble remembering just where that shallow gully is and that's what happened on this bright and sunny day in December.

Little Turtle had lost its way and was wandering further from the safety of its pond.

We let it roam around a bit, hoping  that eventually it would find the entrance back to our neighbors pond but in the end my daughter took pity on the moss covered little creature, she carried it over to the fence line and directed it to the gully where it could return to its home.  Wish I had taken some photo of Little Turtles rescue but, alas, I did not.

Summer Snowbirds ... and some are not

Welcome to sunny southwest Florida where the snowbirds flock to flee the icy winds of northern winters and bask on our sugar white, sandy beaches. Then, when the humidity and heat show the slightest hints of climbing, they pack up and head north again.   We have, however, a couple of northern snowbirds that have chosen to stick around this summer; a pair of Canadian Geese.

Mom and pop geese built a nest on the tiny island in the middle of our neighbor's pond and proceeded to lay a clutch of 6 eggs.  For  many weeks mama goose sat patiently on her eggs and waited ... week after dreary long week, until finally her babies hatched. 

 Unfortunately only 4 of the eggs were viable but 4 out of 6 isn't too bad.  We've been enjoying watching the little fuzzy goslings grow and grow they do; very rapidly.  The parents have, so far, managed to protect their little ones from our local hawks and cats and dogs.  Now the only question is :  are the baby geese still considered Canadian or are they now native Floridian Geese ???

Waiting On The Cabinet...

Since we're still waiting on the one wall cabinet that we need I've no updates on the kitchen remodel.  Though perhaps remodel isn't quite the proper terminology, it's more like a kitchen adjustment.  The cabinet was sort-of-perhaps-maybe-supposed to have come in this past Thursday, now they're thinking maybe next Wednesday.  No big surprise to either John or I as this is the 3rd kitchen that we've remodeled and we've always had to wait extra time for the cabinets.   Think it's one of Murphy's laws.

So instead I'm  sending you a pastoral shot of a sunny pasture and an adorable calf.  I could not resist that sweet angelic face.  Wish I had a sugar cube to treat him with, but then I would have needed one for the rest of herd too.

Photo above...Okay all together now...awwwww, how cute!

THIS ONE'S FOR YOU ... ALY

I've seen this sign many times and many times I've wanted to photograph it but never had my Mickey Mouse camera with me.  This past Monday was different.  As we started to head out and make our way to the Ellenton Outlet Mall, about a 20 to 25 minute drive north of us, it dawned on me to get out of the car and go fetch my camera (Mickey Mouse though it may be). 

This one's for you Aly of AlyGator's Everywhere (a fantastic blog, by the way, for those unfamiliar with it).  This sign sits outside of one of my favorite restaurants, which I will blog about sometime in the near future.  Each time I see it  I think of Alyssa and how I'd like to post a photo of it with the words; "This One's For You Aly" ... maybe not better than a cold Bud on a hot day, but worth a smile.  : )

Photo above ... the pond behind the Crab Trap II.  In the early evening all the egrets in what seems to be a 20 mile radius, fly in and flock in these trees.  It is a very impressive sight to see.

Photo below ... self explanatory.

Look...up in the sky...it's a bird...it's a plane...

The sky is always fascinating, it changes it's wardrobe throughout the day from sunrise to sunset.  It can be clear and blue or a hazy gray or even dark, foreboding and threatening.   There can be a scattering of small clouds or an abundance of huge billowy thunderheads.  The photos below were taken just before sunset in the backyard of my Bradenton, Florida home.

Photo above...strange down cloud.  At first I was concerned that it might be a funnel cloud, a harbinger of a tornado, but it didn't have the movement nor the smooth tubular appearance of a funnel cloud.

Photo below...It was a pre-sunset sky and the golds, pinks and lavenders were just making their appearance.

Photo below...another shot of the strange cloud.  Camera set at full zoom (all 3X of it LOL).

Photo below...I wondered if perhaps it was a trail caused by a weather station rocket, though they are usually not so big nor so vertical.

Any ideas as to what you think may have caused this strange cloud ?

Divine Intervention

Photo above...Church of "Our Lady of the Angels" in Manatee county, Florida

There's something about the architecture of religious buildings that intrigues me, not sure if it's the symbolic significance behind the structure or if it is due to the reverence and devotion that went into the designing and construction of the buildings. After all they were built in honor of a higher power.

Photo above...The domed bell tower with its iron work cross, stands out strikingly against a blue sky.

Yesterday I was feeling a little depressed, could be I need a higher dosage of estrogen or psychotherapy ! To combat these doldrums I ventured out to the church of my choosing and spent a few quiet moments in prayer and meditation with my Lord.

Photo below...Some of the details of the bell tower, with its statuary, terra cotta barrel tile roof and cobalt blue ceramic tile work, there is an overall Spanish/Mediterranean look to the church. Reminds me of the missions in California.

One might say it was coincidence but upon returning home I had a couple of messages waiting. Someone wanted to come out and look at the patio set, and 3 others were interested in the sterling silver beads that I had posted on Craig's List . Later I found there was a sale from my Etsy shop waiting to be processed ! That afternoon the people came to look at the patio furniture, they liked what they saw and asked if we'd take $80, of course we would and did. So now our living room/dinning room area feels very spacious. Funny how getting rid of a little clutter opens up a room.
Guess I really need to spend more time with my Divine Creator...a lot more time !

Sarasota-BradentonAirport...Leaving On A Jet Plane

Above and Below photos...Water feature at our local Sarasota/Bradenton airport, from 2nd floor.

Photo below...water feature with manatee sculpture from different perspective.

Photo below...Tumbling waterfall and fountain jets make for interesting photo.
 

Two photos below...Close up of bronze sculpture of Manatee (aka sea cow) at top of waterfall water feature.

 

Photo below...And then there's the area's art scene. Airport poster hyping the upcoming Ringling Art Festival.

John Ringling is known for his Ringling Bros. Circus, and also his contribution to the art culture in the Sarasota and Manatee counties, with the Ringling School of Arts, the Ringling Museum of Art, and the Ringling Circus Museum.
 

Photos taken Thursday, Sept. 10th, 2009...We were awaiting our plane at our local Sarasota-Bradenton airport when a couple of items caught my eye, the lovely water feature with its bronze sculpture of a Manatee and the poster advertising the up coming Arts Festival.

Shop to You Drop

above photo: A clear blue Florida Tropic sky with soft billows of small white clouds...perfect day for shopping !

This week my daughter injured her knee and will be looking forward to knee surgery. When asked how she managed to tear a ligament at both ends, she replies; "Playing 'Ring-Around-the-Rosies' ". And yes, that is honestly how she did it, seems it happened during the "Ashes, ashes, we all fall down" part. Apparently as they all fell down, she heard and felt 2 distinct pops in her knee and then found she was unable to get back up.

At the present she is on crutches with orders to rest the knee. Once the inflammation and swelling go down the orthopedic surgeon will go in and repair the damage.

So that now takes us to my shopping trip. Since my daughter, Kathi, is basically immobile she asked if I could take the 2 girls shopping for school clothes. Having had 3 daughters I know what a chore it is to herd more than 1 small, young lady around the mall. After a short while they grow tired of the stores and the trying on of clothing and are soon taunting and teasing one another, hiding in the clothes racks and running down the aisle.
In order to make things controllable I offered to take Lexie, the eldest, shopping on Wednesday and her younger sister, Haley, on Thursday.

above photo: Haley outside of our local Bealls store, awaiting her chance to acquire a new 2009 school wardrobe...of which she'll probably out grow before Christmas !

Though it was a joy to spend time shopping with my lovely granddaughters, this old gal is no longer the "Shop to you drop; Spend to the end; Buy to you die" shopaholic that she use to be. We arrived at the stores at 10:00 am, just when they opened, and by early afternoon I was beat.

A Return to Norm...Hot and Humid

above photo: yellow wildflowers in our wetland area.

Sunday May 31st. Tomorrow, the 1st of June, the start of hurricane season. Time for Floridians to stock our pantries with canned goods and non-perishables; make sure there's an ample amount of emergency candles, first aid necessities, plywood for the windows. If we happen to have hurricane shutters, then we have to be on the ready to batten them down at the first issue of a hurricane warning.

The first of June also marks a time when the Florida year 'rounders breath a sigh of relief. Our snowbirds have gone back up to their northern homes and the traffic winds down a smidgen. Our favorite restaurants become more accessible, gone is the customary hour long wait and little need for making reservations days in advance. Quite suddenly the Florida atmosphere returns to that of the laid back, slow moving, carefree tropics...of course that might be due to the summer heat and high humidity !

I have a number of photos on my camera memory card awaiting their turn at download and editing...but not today...manana for sure...or maybe the day after that...or...whenever !

Today I want to share a few joys that I discovered back in spring, when our wetland area was in bloom, have no idea what the plants are but their blossoms are lovely...if anyone should know please make a comment and let me know too. I noticed we had two varieties, a brilliant yellow and a lovely, flaming orange.

I managed, quite accidentally as I am not a seasoned photographer...am about as green-horn a novice as can be found...through some stroke of luck to achieve a wonderful close up of the flaming orange wildflower. In it's midst is a dainty surprise, can you find it ?

It was only after downloading the photo and viewing it on my monitor that I noticed the wee little orange ladybug beetle nestled in among the flowers. I could not have captured this shot had I been trying.