A Full-time Life

Category: Florida

  • (Meanwhile) UNDER THE BOARDWALK

     

    While still focusing on the Osprey (here) UP above the boardwalk,  I heard a splashy disturbance below. 

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    By the time I was able to focus  DOWN,  I'd missed the moment of the catch, but here's the splashing Anhinga — now balancing his prey rather precariously.  

     

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     He jumped around on the pilings some and tossed the fish this way and that.  I thought sure it would get away.   But no such luck (for the fish).

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    It's a stretch!

     

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    But he's going to get it all.

     

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    Poor fish!  Hard luck being the bottom of the food chain.

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    Sharing the story by linking to OUR WORLD TUESDAY (thank you to Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy, Gattina, Arija, and Jennifer) and to WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY (thank you to Stewart).

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • WATCHING THE WATCHER

     

    This Osprey (also known as a Fish Hawk) was waiting  for an opportunity to snag some lunch in a small pond below.

     

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     He was intent on watching for fish — and completely oblivious to his audience.

     

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    Already quite close when I spotted him above the boardwalk,  I just kept inching a little closer while looking up.  These pictures are not cropped.

     

     

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     He's really not seeing anything at all down there worth diving for.

     

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    Moving on.

    (This last one is cropped of course — I cut out a whole bunch of cloudy sky.)

     

     

    Pictures taken May 5  in North Fort Myers.

     

    Sharing with:  SATURDAY CRITTERS (thanks to Eileen); THE BIRD D'POT (thank you Annie);  and  NATURE NOTES (thank you to Michelle)

     

  • GAZING AT SIGNS AND FLOWERS

     

    We don't even have a garden, but I want this gazing globe anyway.

    (Although in our yard it wouldn't have much to reflect — which would kind of spoil the overall effect.)

     

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    It reminded me of a Kaleidoscope — which I have always loved.   I didn't keep much 'stuff' back when we we sold our home to go full-time RVing,  but a small collection of kaleidoscopes stayed with us.

     

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     The Globe and the pictures in the collage below are all from the same Garden Center in this earlier post.

     

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     If we ever were to start gardening again, the signs would undoubtedly pertain to me.  I think I'll just keep taking pictures of flowers instead.   The blue shrub is called a "Flowering Plumbago" which I think sounds like a disease.  And of course the red is a double hibiscis.

     

     

     

     

     Linking to the blogging communities at SIGNS SIGNS (thank you to Lesley);  TODAY'S FLOWERS (thank you to Denise);  I HEART MACRO (thank you to Laura);  MONDAY MACRO (thank you Gemma); and MOSAIC MONDAY (thank you Judith).  

     

     

  • SUGAR TOWN?

     

     

    cane fields

    Sugar cane field

    We visited the US Sugar Company's lands and processing plant as part of the Farm Tour we took in March.   It was the hardest part of the tour for us.  Sugar is controversial around these parts (and not just personally because we are trying hard to avoid it for health reasons).   

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    Loading cane for transport to sugar mill

     

    The broader controversy goes back many years when the big growers nearly destroyed the Everglades by turning the River of Grass into farmed fields for sugar cane.  Now some of the land is being reclaimed in an effort to save what's left.

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    The State of Florida has had an option on more lands belonging to "Big Sugar" for years and the option expires next year.  In the last election,  there was a referendum that the people of Florida approved by a margin of 75%, asking the State government to complete the purchase — to send the State's water, which is being used on the cane fields, to the Everglades. 

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    But guess what?  It appears that Big Sugar has more influence with the legislature than three-quarters of the people of the State.  The above is a cartoon by Doug MacGregor,  editorial cartoonist for the Fort Myers News Press.   We can only hope that public opinion may sway the legislators but  it does not look good at this time.

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    Here are some of the people from our tour standing, not in the snow, but on a  mountain of sugar after it has gone through step one at the processing plant.   Not very appetizing (but to be fair, it will be processed further, bleached and sterilized before it goes into the supermarket bag).

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    Although it is always  interesting to learn how things are "made",  we did not enjoy this segment as much as we did the parts of the day I blogged about earlier   — the parts that were about food we actually feel good about eating.   (Click here for the 'good stuff' post.) 

     

    LINKING to OUR WORLD.  (Thank you to Lady Fi, Arija, Gattina, Sylvia, Sandy, and Jenn) and to NATURE NOTES (though sadly this post is more about the destruction of the natural world).  Thank you to Michelle.

    Related articles

    "Big Sugar" Getting a Sweet Deal from Florida Lawmakers?

  • SUNSET AT THE BEACH

     

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    Earlier this month we, along with two other boats from Upriver spent a couple of nights at Fort Myers Beach.  This was the view from inside our boat on the first evening.  (Looking through the bimini window toward the bow. )  

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    Views of the setting sun, just strolling along the dock where we were moored.

     

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    Getting darker.

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     Last glance at the sun.  

    And definitely time to join our boating friends for dinner at the Marina Restaurant.

     

     

    Sharing with the blogging communities at SKYWATCH FRIDAY and SCENIC WEEKENDS.  (Thank you to Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy and to Gemma).

  • IMMOKALEE MARKET

     

    One more post  about  buying fresh produce in the winter time here in Southwest Florida.  I suppose after we've spent a few more years here I might start taking the winter growing season for granted.   But it hasn't happened yet!

     We visited the Immokalee Produce Market in mid-March.

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    The town of Immokalee is in the middle of the major produce growing area for this area and the Market is the local wholesale outlet for them.   Shopping here is a little bit like visiting another country without leaving the State.     (Most, if not all, of the vendors — like the people who work on the farms — are originally from Mexico or Central America.) 

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     It's not fancy.   This Market is not meant to appeal to city people or tourists, but  to provide a central outlet for restaurants and commercial food establishments to buy their fresh produce.     Most vendors will sell smaller quantities to individuals though.

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     There are several acres of stalls, tents, and tarp-covered produce.  Each vendor pays the market a fee to be there.   It's fun to look at all the different varieties of produce (most, but not all, is locally grown).   We get a good workout walking around.   It's not pedestrian-friendly and you have to take care to avoid fork lifts loading up buyer' trucks.  We watched one person buying several pickup loads full of cabbage!  I'm guessing that restaurant served a lot of slaw.

     

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    The market is open five days a week and we found out by accident that the price of produce goes down later in the week. (We went on a Thursday.)   We had picked out a pretty good-sized bagful of tomatoes and the vendor said we could have it for $4.00 or I could have the whole big boxful for the same price.  

     

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     Of course we took the crate.  Ours was fuller than these boxes are — and all the tomatoes were already perfectly ripe.   Our neighbors helped us eat them up.   (It kind of reminded me of years ago when we used to have a garden in Oregon and were always looking for ways to give away our extra produce.  That was usually zuchinni though.  We could never grow too many tomatoes.)  

     

     

    Linking to OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY.  Thank you to Lady Fi, Arija, Gattina, Sandy,  Sylvia and Jen.

     

     

     

  • MORE FROM MERRITT

    These are some more of our sightings from Merritt Island the first of this month.

     

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     We were not lucky enough to meet any expert birders on this trip, so I studied our books and Internet pictures for those birds we couldn't immediately identify.    Self-education does not always work though, so suggestions and corrections are always welcome.

     

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    Because of the pink  legs, I think the bird in the first picture and in the collage above is a Tri-Colored Heron in Adult Breeding mode.  It is the only heron I could find that has pink legs. 

    I'm pretty sure that the bird below is a Glossy Ibis.

          

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     But only pretty sure.  

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    And below, finally, one I am finally absolutely 100 percent sure of.  Because nobody who has ever seen one  could be confused about the  Roseate Spoonbill.   

     

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    The spoonbill has to be my favorite Florida bird!  It's fun to watch them forage as they fish by sweeping  that spatula-shaped bill from side-to-side through the shallow water.   One of my photo hopes is to someday get a decent flight-shot of these birds.   They are lovely to see against the blue sky.

     

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    This post is linked to Eileen's SATURDAY CRITTERS; to Annie's BIRD D'POT;  to Judith's MOSAIC MONDAY; and to Stewart's WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.    Thank you to each of these hosts for providing these sharing opportunities.  

     

     

  • EXCITED FOR SPRING

     

     This sign caught our eyes as we drove past recently.  

    Couldn't stop that day but … 

     

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    … fortunately it was still there a couple of days later when I had more time.  The sign was good for a laugh and the  Garden Center was, of course, also perfect for a quick  'flower-fix'  stroll.    

     

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    There weren't really any typical Spring flowers to get excited about.   (This is SW Florida after all and Spring is different here.)  

     

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    But the pretty hibiscus are exciting in their own way.   And I found another great sign. 

     

     All photos taken last week at Bayshore Garden Center, North Fort Myers Florida.

    THIS POST IS LINKED to the Blogging Communities at SIGNS SIGNS (thanks to Lesley);  GOOD FENCES (thanks Theresa);  TODAY'S FLOWERS (thanks to Denise); I HEART MACRO (thank you Laura); and MONDAY MACRO (thanks Gemma).

  • THE PELICAN CHORUS

     

    "The Pelican Chorus" is an old poem by Edward Lear — who was obviously inspired to write his deepest and most beautiful thoughts  utter nonsense when he looked at these crazy-looking birds.

     I apologize in advance to all readers for whom English is not their first language.    It's a silly poem with made-up words that my Dad read to us when we were kids and we read to our kids.  And I like it.  And I like pelicans.  But they really are kind of silly. 

     

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    "King and Queen of the Pelicans we;

    No other birds so grand we see!

     

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    None but we have feet like fins!

    With lovely leathery throats and chins!

     

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    Ploffskin, Pluffskin, Pelican jee!  We think no Birds so happy as we! 

     

     

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    Plumpskin, Ploshkin, Pelican Jill!

     We think so then, and we thought so still!"

     

    The (whole) Pelican Chorus by Edward Lear is here.  (I notice that Mr Lear used even more exclamation points than I usually do.  Gotta' love him for that.)

    All photos taken last week at Lover's Key (Florida) State Park.

     

    This post is linked to OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY (thanks to Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy, Gattina, and Arija); NATURE NOTES (thank you Michelle); and WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY (thank you Stewart).

     

     

  • SPACED OUT ON THE SPACE COAST

     

     Since we are originally from the West Coast (of the United States) it seems funny to hear people from where we live now in Florida refer to it as 'the West Coast.'   Of course they mean the west coast of Florida  – which is where Fort Myers is.   But it is still  East to us.

     

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    Last week we took a little trip further East though (not by rocket ship!)  

    We traveled to Florida's Space Coast — on the East side of the State, near the town of Titusville.

     We'd toured the Kennedy Space Center back when it was still operated by NASA (and hadn't been privatized) so this time the Center was just a drive-by photo-op on our way to exploring the area.

      

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     We spent most of our time on the Merritt Island Wildlife Preserve.     Beautiful skies were a lovely bonus to some great bird watching.

     

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    Usually, when I shoot the moon, it seems like something magical and dreamy (just as it seemed when I watched it as a child).  But I had different thoughts watching it while we were so  near the Space Center.  

    We are of the last generation to reach adulthood thinking that the moon was forever out of reach.    I wonder what children growing up now (like our great-grandchildren)  dream about when they look at the sky.   Just about everybody  they know (except us) has always known that the moon could be another place to visit someday.   

    Linking this post to:   SKYWATCH FRIDAY (thank you to Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy);  to SCENIC WEEKENDS (thanks Gemma); and to GOOD FENCES (thanks Theresa)  (a little less obvious, but there is one up there):

     

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    detail, Kennedy Space Center