A Full-time Life

Category: Florida

HOME and HOW WE GOT HERE THIS YEAR

We have been at the Florida "Canal Cottage" for a week (since Sunday November 26) …..

and this year we came by boat:

Actually it was a ship … the picture above is the Ruby Princess, a sister to the one we took; it left the port at San Pedro (Los Angeles) about half an hour before our boat (Island Princess). It was on a shorter cruise, to ports in Mexico.

We sailed from Los Angeles California (a short flight from our Oregon home) to Port Everglades Florida (a short drive to our Florida cottage) … going from sea to sea through the amazing Panama Canal…. a fifteen day cruise. This sign on the ship's promenade deck showed the route and the ports of call.

Here Bill is re-boarding after one of our port days later on the cruise. The other pictures this week are from our first day, but I wanted to show 'our' ship.

I'm still sorting pictures from the days on shore … there will certainly be more cruise blogging to come. Of course at the same time we're whipping our cottage into shape after being away for half a year. (And re-adjusting to little things like having to make our own beds and our own coffee …. you get spoiled for regular life after two weeks on board a cruise ship. )

Here are just a few snaps of the ship's interior — from the atrium and lounges, a couple shots of the balcony of our stateroom and one of the room itself — on the first day before we'd even unpacked. The orange things on the bed are life jackets… we were waiting for the obligatory drill which is the first activity of any cruise. Then we put them away on a closet shelf and forgot about them (fortunately). (The weather was calm and beautiful and this ship is so big you hardly know you're at sea.)

We loved the Canal Crossing and our adventures at each of the ports of call, just as we expected to do. But I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed the days on board. There was a lot to explore, plenty of time to relax of course — and if we got tired of that, there were always activities (and things to eat and drink)…. and it is nice to be spoiled sometimes.

More to come, but linking quickly this week (as we adjust again to real life). Grateful for the journey and the destination …. and for the hosts of these sharing opportunities:

ALL SEASONS; MOSAIC MONDAY; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; THROUGH MY LENS; SIGNS SIGNS; and THANKFUL THURSDAY

December 3, 2017
HALFWAY DOWN THE ROAD

We've been in Colorado for a week… about halfway to our summertime destination in Oregon. We enjoyed the journey (most of it anyway) and it's good to be here at what feels like our home away from home (or our halfway house, maybe). Beautiful scenery here in this gorgeous state, lovely weather, and best of all our very own Colorado family.

There's more sky than mountains in this 'through the car window' shot, but it's a tradition to snap a picture of the first mountain range we see after living in flatland Florida for half the year. This shot is getting close to our Colorado destination and I will probably be blogging about Colorado until well after we're home in Oregon.

The rest of today's post however is about the journey to get this far. Our first two stops along the Florida Coast were in small cities that Google Map apparently doesn't think deserve more than a dot on the map (and Google is probably right).

The third night we stayed in beautiful Gulf Shores State Park in Alabama. After that, we stayed in Vidalia Louisiana (directly across the Mississippi River from Natches.) Those were both wonderful stops and Google really should have given them credit. After that, over-night stops in Mt. Pleasant and Vernon both in East Texas, Raton in New Mexico, and Canon City on the Colorado border. And then we were 'home' (at the kids).

It was not the most efficient route nor the fastest, but we like to avoid freeways when we can …it is a better way to see what the country really looks like. It is slower, but more interesting — and we're fortunate to have lots of time. And because we do, as is obvious, we also drive short days.

However we didn't see much beautiful scenery for the first three days of the trip. It was pouring when we left our Florida home and that hard rain continued as we made our way along the coast.

It would have been churlish to complain, because Florida has been in a drought for some time and the rain was much needed. (But I must confess to wishing it would stop for a few minutes every so often.)

We were in Alabama before we saw the sun….and here it is setting at Gulf Shores State Park after we stopped for the night. This beautiful park is near Foley Alabama. We spent a winter near here back when we were full-time RVers and it was fun to see familiar places (and have an early dinner in a favorite restaurant, which was just as good as we remembered from way back then).

Evening walks with beautiful sunsets and birds are amenities that freeway motels don't usually offer. But they are common benefits when camping across the country. The Purple Martin houses were at Vidalia and the other birds along one of the trails at Gulf Shores.

At Vidalia, this cute little guy (and a few more of his family members) visited our front yard. The first black squirrels we've ever seen.

This picture is taken from in back of our camper van at Riverview RV Park in Vidalia. We were settled in to our spot just yards away from the mighty Mississippi River. The tugboat is pushing a row of barges that must have been a quarter mile long. It had to go under that bridge and around a curve in the river. We admired the pilot's skill as we walked along the lovely walking path between the river and the park.

LINKING these recent travel memories to: OUR WORLD on Tuesday; NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY; ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING. Thank you to all of the hosts.

June 18, 2017
LOOKING FORWARD and LOOKING BACK



Somewhere around 3500 miles from Florida to Oregon via Colorado

We are on the road again this week… Excited to be traveling back across the country… can't wait to see family in Colorado and in the Pacific Northwest. And we're also looking forward to our adventure getting there.   Sometimes we fly back and forth, but this trip we are driving our camper van back home to Oregon… not hurrying too fast along the way. We have a long history of RV travel (see here) and, though we don't spend as much time on the road as we once did, we still enjoy traveling that way. So,  while looking forward to our destination, we plan to enjoy the voyage getting there!

Ten years ago this week, we were even further from our Oregon home, in wonderful London, beginning the second month of three that we stayed there.



June 2007, London

I couldn't help but think of the dates on reading this morning's news. Travel brings joy … but when bad things happen in places you know and love, it hits home quickly.

RIP to the victims of terrorism in London and in Manchester,

to the victims of the domestic terrorist closer to our Oregon home in Portland,

And to every other place on this globe.



Blogging (and visiting) will no doubt be a bit sporadic as we travel, but I will catch up whenever I can.



LINKING TO: OUR WORLD on Tuesday and ALL SEASONS. Thank you to the hosts.

June 4, 2017
BABY BLUE’S LUNCH

We've seen hundreds of Great Blue Herons and I've probably photographed nearly that many — but it doesn't have to be a new bird to make me happy. Especially when we get to observe behavior we haven't seen before.

We saw and heard this little screaming match going on up in the greenery at Wakodahatchee. I was glad we tore our eyes away from the nesting storks (here) and looked up, because these herons unknowingly let us witness a great show.    Just a slice of daily life for the birds, but a new learning experience for these bird observers.

Baby Great Blue Heron was hungry. And he let the parent (could be either mom or dad) know by tapping the adult's gullet.

Ouch!

This little one had obviously been around long enough to know where dinner comes from: The adult swallows the fish and then regurgitates it back up into the babies beak.

After about half an hour, the adult bird finally gave in and (rather roughly it seemed) gave the kid its meal. I wonder if making the baby wait a while is the beginning of the weaning process. It would be interesting to watch the whole process from hatch to fledge the way I've been able to do with the Bald Eagles that nest nearer to us.

Here are some other Wakodahatchee birds showing off their fine feathers:

(L): Snowy Egret, Boat-Tailed Grackle; (C): Green Heron preening; (R): Little Blue Heron; Green Heron

These are the last pictures from our last overnight excursion this Florida season and I'm linking  them with the following sharing opportunities:

OUR WORLD on Tuesday; NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY; ALL SEASONS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; RATHER B'BIRDING; and THROUGH MY LENS

Thank you to all of the hosts.

May 28, 2017
CATCHING UP



The time for our late Spring cross-country migration is approaching. And that means it's time to clean up the odd little corners around here — time for using up, straightening, giving away, or throwing out. We're going through the refrigerator/freezer …the clothes closets … the filing cabinets … the junk drawers … and, look, even the photo archives. Here are some picture memories that almost didn't get shared, but that I certainly didn't want to throw out.

Because I only post once a week these days, usually on Saturday or Sunday, one of my favorite sharing sites, SkyWatch Friday, has gotten a little neglected. But I still gaze up and take pictures. Above is a collection of evening sky and moon shots from throughout the season.

This is the last picture I took of 'our' local eaglet before he left home for life's adventures in the big wide wonderful world. According to the folks at the Eagle Cam website, E9  was last seen on May 2nd. (This picture is from late April.) Harriet and M-15 did a good job of teaching their offspring all the Eagle lessons they could. Everyone hopes they'll enjoy their quiet season safely and come back next winter to begin the parenting process anew.

These pictures are from a visit to Sarasota's Mote Aquarium. We stopped there on our way home from one of our overnight exploring trips. And there were so many bird pictures from that trip that the fish didn't have a chance to make it into the post. The Aquarium is home to over a hundred marine species — these are some of the more photogenic inhabitants (or at least those who live in some of the better-lighted tanks).

The Aquarium is the informal science education branch of Mote Marine Laboratory (see more here). Mote scientists are noted for their work on saving coral reefs and for shark research. The huge shark tank was impressive, but not easy to photograph.

So all three of the above photo groups are memories from the past months here in Florida. But as we clean up and plan for our travels next month, daily life here at Upriver goes on.

It's a different and quieter world now that most of our neighbors have already left. When I swim these days, it's almost always a private pool – and, oh my goodness, is that pool lovely when it's 90 degrees outside!

But it's only the quiet season as far as people are concerned — the birds and the flowering trees are either noisy or flamboyant (or both).

We see (and hear) Pileated woodpeckers often and the smaller Red-bellied woodpeckers are often spotted on morning walks. The Royal Poinciana tree which blossoms this time of year is actually also known as the Flamboyant Tree. And it really is.

We still have a few more weeks to enjoy the quiet (or different kind of noise) — and maybe even time for another close-to-home adventure before we close up the Cottage. So I hope to post another time or two from here.

These memories are linked to the following sharing opportunities: Thank you to all of the generous hosts.

OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; WEDNESDAY WATERS; THROUGH MY LENS; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING.

May 21, 2017
THE BABIES THE STORKS BROUGHT



Happy Mother's Day!

Grown-up Wood Storks aren't the loveliest birds in the world …



"… but they're so cute when they're little."

Look at those big feet!

All of the storks in this post were seen on the same day at Wakodahatchee Wetlands. It was a very active and busy rookery. And that's really wonderful news because our native Florida wood stork has been endangered for some time due to ongoing drought conditions during what is supposed to be the rainy season in Florida (summer). In dry conditions, there are storks around, but they don't breed.

We were surprised that there were babies at so many stages of development (we saw nests of even newer babies, but those didn't show well in the pictures). There's a little cattle egret photo-bombing the stork portrait in the bottom right picture. Herons, egrets, and anhingas seemed happy to share this wetland real estate with the hundreds of storks.



Guano Happens.

All my bird books said that Wood Storks have long black legs. I went on line to see why these, especially the younger ones, had grayish white ones. When I found out, I was kind of sorry I'd done the research (see photo caption). But I learned that the birds may do this on purpose because it cools them down in terribly hot weather.

While the Wood Storks were definitely the stars of the show at Wakodahatchee, we enjoyed watching the supporting players as well. Below are a few more of them (there are others in the previous post, Part one of this excursion):

Little Blue Heron, Purple Marten, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Great Blue Herons with Anhinga in background; and an unknown (to me) perching bird that kept showing up everywhere.

Wakodatchee Wetlands in Del Ray Beach and nearby Green Cay were created as part of the water filtration system for Palm Beach County. The water and plantings make them  great places for birds and wildlife. And that would be true whether people visited or not.   The County deserves praise and thanks for the wetlands and for the amenities that make them an oasis for bird-watchers and nature lovers as well as for the wildlife.

LINKING this week to: SATURDAY CRITTERS; RATHER B'BIRDING; ALL SEASONS; NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; and WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY. Many thanks to each of the generous hosts.

May 12, 2017
GREEN CAY and WAKODAHATCHEE WETLANDS , part one



It seems like it's either no birds or nothing but birds around FullTime-Life these days. Last  week it was 'nothing but' (at least as far as pictures go). Only, oh my gosh, there was a whole lot of different kinds of 'nothing but' – and I still can't stop smiling.

Green Heron

We spent a few days last week RoadTrek camping in Fort Lauderdale. We went mid-week — the retired people version of a long weekend away. We found some great restaurants (grown-up camping means eating most meals out). But we were there mostly to go birding and we visited two amazing wetland areas:    Wakodahatchee and Green Cay.

Whistling Ducks

Both places are created wetlands for Palm Beach County. In addition to their practical purposes, these areas provide wonderful habitat for birds. The boardwalks in both places were well-maintained and optimal for viewing .

Little Blue Heron

Even after weeding the pictures down to a somewhat manageable number, I couldn't even begin to choose favorites — and nor could I show even one of each variety we saw in one post. That is why I already know that this is only Part I from  this excursion.

Common Gallinules

Common Gallinules are — well — common in every wetlands we've ever visited. But seeing the babies or juveniles (like the ones on the top and bottom corners) was a first. All we saw at first was this dot of red looking like it was rolling through the marsh grass. It took a while to see the rest of the baby bird.   These water birds (they're not ducks)  are sometimes known as Marsh Hens.

Least Terns

There were birds everywhere — even on the roof of this shelter (which we welcomed — it was a hot day).

Glossy Ibis

The practical purpose of the wetlands is to filter and clean treated waste water. Purple pickerel weed and other plants serve as natural filters — and they also make wonderful habitat for water birds. It was a little hard to get decent pictures because the grasses and reeds tended to obscure the birds' faces. It took some time and patience, but it was worth it.

There will be more un-obscured faces from both places in another post. These are shared with the following:

ALL SEASONS; NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY; OUR WORLD on TUESDAY; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; WEDNESDAY WATERS; and THROUGH MY LENS .

Huge thanks to each of the hosts for the opportunities they provide.

May 7, 2017
MAY DAY 2017



May Day is for giving away flowers.

When I was little we made May Day construction paper cornucopias and arranged jammed some garden flowers into them. The tradition was to hang these baskets on neighbors' doorknobs, ring the bell and then run and hide. I don't think the run-away part carried on to the next generation, but our kids used to take flowers to neighbors to celebrate the day.    And Bill and I always took bouquets from the garden to our work.

We don't garden any longer and anyway most of our close neighbors here have already left for the summer season…. but here is a virtual arrangement for you — our virtual neighbors.

These certainly are not the same Spring flowers we (and our kids) enjoyed when we lived in the Pacific Northwest. But they are good examples of the more tropical blooms we see here on Florida's Gulf Coast this time of year.

    No rhododendrons, no lilacs, no tulips ….. but Plan B flowers are good too!

All of the flowers today are from our April visit to Naples Botanical Gardens. I was fascinated by the purple centers on those daisy-like flowers and the blue-green tendrils on the vine in the center. An unreal color — but occurring naturally (no photo enhancement on any of these pictures).

I'm pretty sure the sign really says "Dancing Tree", but I'd like to pretend the lizard's foot  is covering an "F" instead and it it means that he is Dancing Free… as all lizards should.

Here is one more of the origami sculptures at the Gardens (there are more here at this earlier post). This one is doing a lovely job of pointing out the beautiful blue Florida sky.    (Which is a definite advantage to spending April and May here.)

Linking this week to: NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; MOSAIC MONDAY; MACRO MONDAY; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; THROUGH MY LENS; FLORAL BLISS; SIGNS SIGNS; WEDNESDAY WATERS; and SKYWATCH FRIDAY. THANK YOU to all of the hosts.

April 29, 2017
BIRD BRAINS



On a recent mini-roadtrip to Cortez Florida, on the Gulf of Mexico, we did what we almost always do when we go away — watched beautiful birds and observed their behavior.

This handsome Great Blue Heron patiently waited for prey to swim by.



More birds looking for their next meal. The Little Blue Heron walked along the shore hunting; Ibis (in breeding colors) searched for and caught small fish; and the always opportunistic gulls were probably hoping for a handout from the photographer.



Shortly after we returned from that trip, my sister sent an e-mail linking to a review of this book. I've always thought birds are smarter than usually credited and was happy to find the book at our Library. I'd just started reading it when we went away on another short road-trip.

On our way home, we found a bird that definitely didn't qualify as a subject for the book.   We were driving our RoadTrek camper van just outside Sarasota when a car in the next lane beeped and made the universal gesture that something was wrong with our car. Slightly panicked, I rolled down the window and the fellow shouted "You have a bird living in your air-conditioner … I think it may be trapped."

Poor thing!

We pulled in at the very next driveway and there the poor mockingbird was — trapped for sure in our roof A/C unit and growing more and more frantic. She'd apparently flown in through the wider opening at the bottom, but couldn't see it once she was inside.    We had camped in the van the night before and run the A/C, so we knew the bird hadn't been there very long. She must have flown in while we were making a short pit-stop just a few minutes earlier. (In fact we were still sipping our iced coffees.)

Luckily, the driveway happened to be to a parking lot for an AutoZone. And this auto parts/repair store had the right tools to loosen the heavy bolts holding the unit. This employee started the work — he was tall enough not to need a ladder. But even with the A/C unit lifted partly up, the frantic bird was still afraid to fly out. After about 20 minutes, the store manager came out wearing gloves and was finally able to reach in and catch the bird. Which quickly flew back the way we'd come.   Definitely not a good example of the genius of birds, but I hope she was at least smart enough to have learned a lesson.

The manager tightened the bolts again, just laughed about the whole thing, and didn't charge us at all for the time. Bill said that AutoZone had always been his first choice when he needed car parts and service – and it certainly is now.

The picture below is a different mockingbird (maybe smarter, maybe luckier, definitely happier.)

Linking to the following sharing opportunities: OUR WORLD on Tuesday; NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY; ALL SEASONS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; WEDNESDAY WATERS; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING. Thank you to all of the hosts.

April 23, 2017
PEACE IN THE GARDEN

When we visited Naples Botanical Gardens last Tuesday, a group was learning to make mandalas from fallen flower petals. Although we didn't take part in the activity, I found that gazing at the arrangements and making photographs were meditative experiences in themselves.

We went to the Gardens to see the Origami Sculptures that are on display this month.

And of course to enjoy the flowers.

The tower of cranes in the center was created by sculptors Kevin and Jennifer Box. Called "MasterPeace", it was inspired by the Japanese “Senbazuru," the act of creating one thousand origami cranes within a single year as a wish for peace, long life and good health. Five hundred of the thousand cranes they created are scattered around the world as individual sculptures. The other 500 are gathered together here in this 25-foot tall monument. (All one thousand cranes are represented as together through the reflection in the pond.)

The single white crane is a symbol of peace and also a symbol of the spirit or soul.

Botanical Gardens always make me feel good …

and on this visit, the hopeful symbolism of the origami cranes and of the mandalas was a beautiful bonus.

Someday in this world I hope our wish for peace comes true.

Linking to: ALL SEASONS; MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; FLORAL BLISS; and OUR WORLD on Tuesday. Thank you to all of the hosts.

April 15, 2017