Patches Is The First To Try Out The New Furniture

Patches likes this one. She stepped up and made herself VERY comfortable. She fits in just right.

Rusty is off somewhere in the house, napping, of course. He doesn’t know about this new tree. I wonder how he will react, especially when he finds that Patches has taken possession.

 

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A Foggy Morning in South Florida

 

I usually look out my bedroom window first thing after awakening.  Even though I live in the Sunshine State, there are quite a few times when it’s not “sunny.”

Much to my surprise, I saw fog. This is a rarity, for sure.  Had to capture it.

Well, at least it wasn’t “smog.”

 

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Memories of Yosemite

Bob and I were newlyweds, and in our first full year, we planned a trip called, “The West,” which included some time in Yosemite.  It was beautiful.  That was in 1995.

I found these photos on an old memory card (has only 256mb). We stayed at the old AhWahNee Hotel.  It was very rustic, but elegant at the same time.  It doesn’t bear that name anymore; it’s known as the Majestic Yosemite Hotel.  The Ahwahnee was renamed the Majestic Yosemite Hotel on March 1, 2016, due to a legal dispute between the US Government, which owns the property, and the outgoing concessionaire, Delaware North, which claims rights to the trademarked name

The Majestic Yosemite Hotel was specifically designed to highlight its natural surroundings, featuring Yosemite Falls, Half Dome and Glacier Point. The hotel holds a historic heritage as it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark. The destination of queens and presidents alike, this distinctive Yosemite hotel offers a perfect balance of history, hospitality and elegance.

Good memories!

El Capitan Falls

In The Company Of Lizards

I spend a lot of time in front of my computer; rather, in front of my Samsung display/TV screen.  My tower is off to the side and out of the way.  The display sits on my desk in front of the window in my office, so, with the verticals drawn away to the side in the morning, I can see all the happenings of bees, mosquitos, gnats, etc., on the screen and in front of it, flitting around.  What caught my eye, er, rather, the eye of the camera, were these two quite fat, healthy, cavorting lizards.

They are doing a great job in keeping the insects and bugs populations down.  All the lizards I see around the outside of my house all have fat bellies.  It’s a paradise down here in South Florida for all types of life:  humans included.

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The Screeching Wetlands Bird: Limpkin

 

No, it doesn’t limp.  I don’t know who might have named this bird; however, it’s in my handbook of favorite Florida birds, so I guess that is its official name.

All my neighbors, including myself, call it the “screecher.”  That’s what it does:  screech.  It’s not a pleasant sound to wake up to in the early morning.  What really scares the daylights out of you is when you’re outside and one of these 2-feet-tall birds flies over your head and screeches at you and nearly gives you a heart attack!  That isn’t a far-fetched notion:  most of my neighbors are “way up there” senior citizens.

 

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What Happened To The Sun?

It is the rainy season here in South Florida, and many mornings are dark and void of sun.

Last week, it was raining – HARD.  A long time ago, someone once said, “This is weather that only the ducks will enjoy.”

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Great Blue Heron Ambulation

 

I was fortunate to catch this gangling Great Blue outside my bedroom window one morning.  They are named appropriately, for sure.

 

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Another Sultry Morning In South Florida

 

I always look out the bedroom window to see what kind of a day it is and perhaps a sign of what kind of a day it will turn out to be.

This morning, my view was of stillness.  Not a minuscule of palm fronds shifted.  The lake was quiet – not a hint of a breeze kissed it.

 

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Great White Egret And The Wind

 

It was a windy day, a few months ago (probably March – even in South Florida, we get lots of wind during that month), and I caught up with that elegant bird via camera.

To enlarge the photos, click on them.

Normally, when the egret is standing still or walking slowly in his relaxed gait, you cannot see the exquisite special feathers lurking among the others.  The breeze moves them and we are given some eye candy:  hidden feathers caught up by that stirred wind.

The breeze was getting stronger, and you can easily see the forward movement of the littoral grasses.

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A Group of White Ibises Had a Meeting…

 

…in my backyard.

Ibises are considered endangered, so it is a real treat to see them on occasion.  Sometimes, I see them gathered in the middle of the street, clacking away to each other while making a decision as to where they want to fly to next.  As I drive down the street, I stop and wait for them to make up their minds.

If you would like to see great photos of other kinds of Ibises (there are many subspecies of various colors), click on this link.

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