WARMTH AND SUNSHINE CLOSE TO HOME

We stayed close to home this week, working on home improvement projects and planning future trips.  (To be honest, that was pretty much the other half of the 'we'.)  I was happy to be here 'just in case of need'  and  even without that excuse, sometimes it's good just to stay home.   It was definitely a good week to be in SW Florida.   Our Oregon families were braving the 'snowmageddon' — (you may have seen or read about the Amtrak train that was stuck in the unexpected Oregon snow.  That happened near a small town in Lane County where we live  — east of Eugene and  in the Mountains.)  But even on the valley floor, where most of our family lives, there was  a snow accumulation almost unheard of in that part of the State.  And our Colorado family, although more used to the snow, did get home from their visit here  to more snow and icy conditions.    And here we are in the sunshine.    

So our weather alone is a lot to be grateful for, but, as the ad slogan goes  "wait, there's more!"  Here in this area, there  is so much beauty around us every day, even without venturing far from home.

  

 

We don't have the usual early Spring flowers here (because it's too hot) but we have air plants.   I snapped these beauties on Monday morning in the backyard of my yoga teacher's home.  (She has a studio there.)  I used the view of that tree through the studio window  as my balance focus.  After class, I walked outside and took some pictures.  (It was actually a good way to transition before driving.  The last thing this and every Yoga class does is a few minutes of total relaxation and sometimes it takes me a few moments to come back to the real world.)   

 

 

 I  did go out of our resort a couple of other times for routine errands and  grocery shopping.   And almost directly across from the supermarket is our now world-famous SW Florida Eagle Nest.   Here's the pasture on a beautiful blue sky afternoon.   (This was on  the same day, by the way, that we'd received several text pictures of backyards in Oregon that we know and love showing the over seven inches of snow that they all woke up to that morning.)  I almost felt guilty.  Almost.  

 

 

 

 This picture is from a different day  when I stopped by.  It was fairly early  and the light was terrible that morning.   But the eaglets were active and fun to watch.  It's getting  close to the time when they'll leave home … one of them has already flown to the branches above the nest but on this day they were just busy hopping on the edge of the nest and exercising their wings.

 

 

This is the same day as the first sky picture above — it was afternoon, the light was great, but the 'twins' were just sitting there probably waiting for mom or dad to bring home their dinner.  (About the only action was a couple of plaintive cries.)   I would have liked to see the parent fly in with food, but my real purpose for being in the neighborhood that day was to get to the people food across the street at the supermarket.    I didn't want to be making plaintive hunger cries myself.  

 

 

 This one's not my picture, but it was posted on our resort's community Facebook page with an invitation to 'feel free to steal'.  I saw these Sandhill Cranes on the edge of the park while I was driving out one day, but couldn't stop at the time.   It is probably the same pair that we've seen here every Spring.  But particularly notable this season, because the golf course area where they've always hung out before is completely torn up this year.   (The resort's owner is adding more sites and there is really only a very small lawn area left, plus lots of construction equipment and noise.)  I assume the Sandhill pair was surprised to find that out and hope that they'll find a better place, but it was fun to see them.

 

Meanwhile, back at the Eagle pasture, these horses couldn't have cared less about the birds or the people on their way to grocery shop .  They were busy eating their own dinner.

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LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to the hosts and to visitors, especially all who leave a comment.  

 

NATURE NOTES;   ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS;  MOSAIC MONDAY; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; SAY CHEESE; WILD BIRD Wednesday;   MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;   SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY  BLISS;   SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING