A Full-time Life

TRAVELING, CLOSER TO HOME

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Today's pictures are from two recent overnight trips… one by boat, one by car.      We are fortunate to have so many interesting destinations near our winter home.         

  

Salty sam's new years eve 2017

 

I'm convinced that  Southwest Florida is blessed with some of the most beautiful skies in the world.  The above pictures were taken on our New Year's Eve boat trip.  We stayed two nights (on the boat) at Salty Sam's Marina on  Estero Island. There were fireworks on the beach at midnight  … but honestly, they couldn't rival the earlier sunset.

  

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Earlier in the month we traveled by car to the Crystal River and visited Homasassa State Park.   A large population of flamingos calls  the Park home. 

 

Homasassa and Crystal River

 

Amazing to observe these beautiful birds from the boardwalk …  Wonderful whether they were awake or asleep — and whether standing on one leg or two!  It really was usually on one,  just like picture books and cartoons always show them.    

 

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Skipping back  to the start of this post (or ahead in time) to our New Year's boat trip.  We had a pleasant boat ride getting there and a lovely time while docked at the Marina.    This picture (above)  is the OH! Zone — our boat — across from a somewhat larger one.  The boat behind ours belongs to friends  from our RV resort … we traveled with two other couples.  It was great to spend the Holiday  with our boating friends in this beautiful location  … and definitely a time to give thanks for our mild winter weather.

 

Salty sam's new years eve 20171

 

Pictures from the Marina –  in the center is a sailboat mast decorated for the Christmas Holidays … it must have been quite a feat to climb up that high with those lights!   The third boat on this trip is in the lower right photo.      

 

I've been posting for a couple of months about our recent longer trip on a bigger boat to get home this season — and  here in blog-land we haven't even made it through the Panama Canal yet, so there will be more cruise posts to come.  But in real time we're happily at home in our corner of the world collecting more memories.  And we're more than grateful that we can do that.

 

 

Thank you to the hosts of these sharing opportunities:     OUR WORLD on Tuesday; ALL SEASONS; MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING.  

 

 

 

We appreciate all visitors and commenters! Thank you.

58 responses to “TRAVELING, CLOSER TO HOME”

  1. Michelle

    Love seeing those Flamingo photos. I think they are so beautiful!! Thank you for linking up and I hope to see you back next Thursday!

  2. Pat

    I loved your flamingo photos, Sallie, and especially the one with the reflection in the water. We will be in FL next month on a trip to Disneyworld with our granddaughter, so I’ll be seeing those pretty Florida sunsets. I did not blog this weekend as we had a quick trip to NYC and Maryland to attend a wake and see an ill relative….sad trip.

  3. Peter B.

    LOL, love the name of your boat! Very creative. Western Florida is an area I’ve wanted to visit for some time now. Your photos just kicked it up a notch! One of these days…

  4. Gaelyn

    Love your boat. Brings back memories of boat-camping with my family. Beautiful sunsets beat fireworks any night. Looking forward to more of your bigger boat journey.

  5. Phil

    Hi Sallie. Now you have made me very envious with those clear skies and flamingoes. I remember seeing very pink ones like that in Africa at Lake Nakuru, shimmering pink in the heat haze of a Kenya morning. Occasionally we see one or two in May in Menorca, left overs from the few that winter there from mainland Spain.
    Good to see you boat. Just the right size for two? It looks quite easy to manage – says the landlubber.

  6. NatureFootstep PhotoArt

    beautiful sunsets fror sure and such gorgeous flamingoes. Tehy are very colorful. I have seen some on my trips but not this colorful. Thanks for sharing.

  7. GreenComotion

    Hi Sallie-
    The Flamingo photos are truly beautiful as are those pretty birds. Glad you got to enjoy NY eve on your boat. It looks beautiful as well.
    When you travel via Texas, next time, please do call on me. We will make you a Espresso Martini. I only make the Espresso. My wife does the rest, as I don’t drink 🙂
    Have a Happy Day!
    Peace 🙂

  8. Jeanna

    The the flamingo reflections.

  9. Annie

    You are right ! Florida’s skies are wonderful… and flamingoes too. In France, we can see them in “Camargue’, just at the end of the river RhĂ´ne. They stay here during winter.
    I like a lot the way you spent New Year day ! Here, we gathered all my husband’s family with a question : “Could they arrive because of the snow, or not?” Happily, they could.

  10. Life Images by Jill

    I’ve only seen flamingos once – outside of a zoo – and that was on the Mediterranean in France. I never knew they flew there! Have a fabulous week.

  11. Lisa | Handmade in Israel

    Oh wow, those flamingo looks amazing. Is it right that they look more orange than pink?

  12. Amy

    I love the birds, I have no idea how they manage to stand on one leg so successfully.

  13. MaryBeth Schwartz

    Wow Sallie what a fun time you all are having. Just amazing.
    MB

  14. Breathtaking

    Hello Sallie!:) Those sunsets are very beautiful, and I loved seeing your shots of the marina, and Oh Sally, Oh Zone, is not bad either!!!:=) Must have been fun spending time with your friends. The flamingos are sooo orange, how beautiful they look in a large gathering, (don’t know the correct term for a group of flamingos) Just like you I’m posting holiday photos. I’m still sharing photos from our trip to the Algarve. Thanks for sharing yours.:)

  15. Lucy Corrander

    Specially like the elegant photo of the flamingos standing in the water, and their reflections.

  16. Gattina

    Wished I had some blue sky and flamingos walking in the street instead of sour looking people with raincoats and umbrellas !
    What a nice place for winter !

  17. diane

    Beautiful skies and the flamingoes are so exotic. The boat trip with friends sounds like so much fun. Keep on having fun.

  18. Colleen LOOSELEAFNOTES

    So much orange and it isn’t even fall. It looks like a fiesta there!

  19. Lady Fi

    Wow – fabulous skies and just amazing shots of the flamingos too! You live in paradise.

  20. Lorrie

    I think flamingos are so pretty and graceful. You do capture some lovely skies, and what a treat to be out on your boat for New Year’s. That would be a lot of fun! Enjoy the moments!

  21. ellen b

    That sounds like a great way to spend New Year’s! Beautiful skies indeed. I’ll look forward to more from your canal trip. It’s good to enjoy the places you travel to and the places you are afforded to live. Lovely!

  22. Su-sieee! Mac

    Orange flamingos! I had no idea they were this color, too. I love the name of your boat — Oh! Zone. There’s nothing like a good pun.
    Sallie, thanks for the reassurance. I’m back from moping, now for some kitchen mopping.

  23. Angie

    The flamingoes are my favorites in this set of shots. At the ski resort near us, someone has placed several inflatable flamingoes directly below one of the lifts. The closest tree is decorated with an assortment of other tropical creatures such as parrots and reef fish. That’s probably as close as we are going to get to the tropics, here in white Montana!

  24. Photo Cache

    The wildlife in Florida is incredible. It’s a great place to watch them.
    Worth a Thousand Words

  25. Al

    That is indeed a lot of lovely scenery close to your home. Tropical sunsets and Colorado sunsets rival each other for the best 🙂

  26. tanya breese

    great pictures…love the flamingos…i used to stand like that as a teenager and younger years…don’t know why but it was comfortable haha…i love the decorated mast too!

  27. bill burke

    Love the Flamingos! Love your boat too, very nice. Glad to hear you are enjoying your time with friends. Have fun and a wonderful week.

  28. Fun60

    What a fabulous way to see in the new year. The sunsets look gorgeous. I agree we have much to be thankful for.

  29. Lavender Dreamer

    I thought those flamingos looked familiar! heehee! We visit there often since it’s close to where we live. I usually go on my birthday but this year we decided on a hike closer to home. Love seeing your nature photos! We are blessed! Hugs, Diane

  30. David Gascoigne

    Hi Sallie: Once, many, many years ago I stayed on Estero Island. I don’t have vivid memories except I know that we arrived late and could only get a room in a swanky place that cost a small fortune. And we didn’t have time to appreciate what we paid for since we left early the next morning. Recently I started to throw away a bunch of useless stuff I have collected over the years for no reason, and I came across a receipt for a motel in Ashland, Virginia we stayed at in 1968 and the price was $14.00 per night! Now you can barely buy the appetizer for dinner for fourteen bucks! As for taking a cruise, it would have been renting a rowboat for an hour or two!

  31. William Kendall

    The flamingos are real beauties!

  32. Lois

    What a nice way to ring in the New Year. When I was growing up, our fireworks show was always on the beach and we could see them from our front yard. I love those photos of the flamingos and their reflections.

  33. Lowell

    Methinks you have an idyllic life! It’s really wonderful. And I’ve always loved southwest Florida. We used to spend many days there every year, riding bikes among other things. We always enjoyed Sanibel and Captiva, but like you say there are so many wonderful places to visit in that area. Your boat is beautiful and what a fun trip that must have been. Love that first flamingo photo which has a pastel feel and beautiful reflections.
    I thought it interesting when you mentioned you seldom watch regular TV. We also have given it up since we got involved with Netflix. Who wants to watch a program with a ton of stupid commercials every 5-7 minutes? We’re watching “Episodes” now…what a riot. The language is pretty bad but it’s a great satire on the movie/tv business.
    I’m sure you’re glad to be back home – I mean there’s no place like home, right? And I thank you for your delightful comments!

  34. gillena

    All your photos are nice.but i luv your moon shots best.
    Happy
    Mosaic
    Monday
    Muchđź’ťlove

  35. A ShutterBug Explores

    Oh so lovely and inviting ~ beautiful place and such a gift!
    Happy Week to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

  36. Debbie

    wherever you go, you will love and appreciate the environment, that’s just how you are!!
    the flamingos are just amazing, the colors are so vivid!!!
    and the skies and the moon, looking up, it never disappoints!!!

  37. Lea @ Lea's Menagerie

    Love the Flamingos!
    Have a great week!

  38. Maggie

    Your corner of Florida is beautiful, thank you for sharing these small glimpses into la vie quotidienne in the Sunshine State.
    Love those flamingoes, especially the first shot against the grey background. Great name for a boat by the way!
    Happy Mosaic Monday.

  39. Eileen

    Hello, gorgeous captures of the sunset. Lovely colors and sky. The boat trip sounds like fun. I love the flamingos, they are beautiful birds. Sounds like you had a great time celebrating New Years! Happy Monday, enjoy your day and new week!

  40. Penelope Puddlisms

    What a beautiful shot of the flamingos, their full reflections in the water. It’s interesting to see that their feathers are not as pink as they look in cartoons but rather more peachy and orange. The birds also look more graceful than the caricatures and the curve of their necks have the elegance of a swan. Lovely!

  41. Wil Francois

    Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos. I hope that you don’t suffer from the heavy snowfall, which we saw on TV.
    Thank you for your emails . I also miss you and a number of other bloggers of ABC Wednesday. I have been busy dealing with my age and the fact that my children don’t live near me.
    Well I shall try to see my daughter in Australia this year.

  42. Bob Bushell

    I love the Flamingos, gorgeous.

  43. nancy chan

    The flamingos are beautiful. Florida is a beautiful place.

  44. Jesh StG

    Love when the boats in the marina are decorated for the holidays – such a festive touch! Wow, the flamingo’s are stunning and so elegant! Many thanks for sharing your beautiful and interesting trips with All Seasons:) Have a lovely week, Sallie!

  45. Daniela

    Dearest Sallie,
    thank you for sharing your so wonderful shots, I’m feeling in awe facing such wonders!!!
    Wishing you a most lovely new week ahead,
    with sincere gratitude
    XOXO Daniela at ~ My little old world ~ (Dany)

  46. Yogi

    I love the flamingo pics, especially with the reflections. I love your boat. It looks very cozy. I love that you are having a good time.

  47. tomthebackroadstraveller

    …flamingos have always fascinated me, there’s a yard near here that has about 20. They look a bit strange in the snow!

  48. Sondra

    What a wonderful place to spend New Yrs Eve. I love the Flamingos! Your boat is really NICE!! It has sleeping quarters below deck?

  49. Carol

    I agree that Florida has amazing sunsets. One of my favorite things about living here. Your shots are beautiful as usual. That Christmas-New Year trip looks fabulous.

  50. Florence

    Beautiful flamingoes and the reflections in the water are just lovely.

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