A Full-time Life

LOOKING FOR CABLE COMPANY, FINDING BURROWING OWL

 Linking to Stewart's WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY. Thank you.

 The whole City of Cape Coral -- next door to where we live in Florida -- was built  on open land that had been habitat for burrowing owls .  Dedicated birders have worked  to ensure that some of their habitat remained even as the city grew around them. 

  On our way out of town after closing up the Canal Cottage, we had to go to Cape Coral  to drop off the modem that we rent from the cable company.  (It's our Internet access, so of course we couldn't do this until the very last minute.)  

 

 It should have been a quick errand, but the Cable Company had moved.  The sign on the old door gave a number on Tenth as the new address...the trouble was that there was a 10th Street, a 10th Circle, a 10th Plaza, and a 10th Place...Cape Coral is a horribly confusing City to get around.

 

But at one of the Tenths -- not the right one, we were in front of somebody's house -- we did see this adorable burrowing owl sitting on the sign post.  

 

We weren't in a real good mood as we drove around following our GPS and map from one tenth to the next, but seeing this adorable little guy made our late getaway quite a bit happier!      (This was our first and only owl sighting this year. )

 

ROAD TRIP WITH MERMAIDS

   

 Before we ever even left Florida last week, we stayed one night at Weeki Wachee Springs.  

Weeki Wachee is a former tourist trap attraction that is now a State Park (only in Florida).  It is is the one where you can see a LIVE! MERMAID! SHOW!   

  In the 1940s, entrepeuners developed  a lot of roadside attractions as they tried to attract tourist dollars.  It actually makes sense that the State has bought up some of the best ones and restored them, in order to preserve the history.   

 And of couse, tourism is still a huge part of Florida's economy.  So the State gets some of the dollars.  It doesn't feel like a State Park, but it was definitely worth the stop...

 

 

...  Because I've wanted to see this show since I was about seven years old, when I lived in Eastern Washington State and Florida might as well have been Timbuktoo!   We both remember reading about the live mermaids when we were little children.  I'm sure it was in Life Magazine, which I used to read cover to cover as soon as it arrived in my parents' mailbox!     

 

 


The mermaid tank is in a real deep-water spring and real animals live there (they get fed by the mermaids, so they arrive on time for the show).  

It was hokey, but it was fun -- not as magical as it would have been if I'd seen it when I was seven, but definitely worth it.  

 

FOR:  OUR WORLD.  Thank you hosts.

 

 

THEY'RE IN CHARGE NOW

 

We are heading North for the Summer,

leaving our little Canal Cottage in charge of these recent visitors:

 

 

I believe that rabbits  are a lucky charm.

 

 

I hope it works!

 (No hurricanes please.)

***

Or maybe this other recent visitor will scare any bad luck away:

 

We really don't see alligators right here in our "back yard"  too often,  but last week this one decided to swim up the Canal  toward our dock.      The Canal is empty now --  all the boats that usually live in it are stored for the season, so it was a nice swimming hole for the gator.

****

I will try to post from the road as we travel and, if I can, I will link this post to next Saturday's Camera Critters .

END OF THE SEASON BIRDS

 

We are getting ready to close up the Canal Cottage for the season, so we had no time to go exploring last week.   There are some pretty birds here in the neighborhood though -- providing a good show for those of us snowbirds who are slow to migrate north for the summer.   

 One morning there were at least four common flickers:  

 

 

 Another morning, the woodpeckers were out in force ..  apparently with their newly-fledged babies.    You might as well get up at first light when these guys are right outside your bedroom window.  They're bad pictures because of the low light, but I loved that I saw the baby being fed.

 

Below are some miscellaneous birds around the RV Park.  The kildeer ran all over trying to lead me away from her two babies (really I wouldn't have bothered them, but kildeer parents never believe that).    I saw the babies skitter around behind her, but couldn't get a picture.  And the usual mockingbirds (one morning I counted fifteen before I lost track).  And, as always,  the Ibis.  

 

 

 Apparently the flickers were just  flying through, because we saw them early in the week and then not again.  The woodpeckers are still here.  I still didn't get the perfect picture.  

I kind of hate thinking about the summer birds we'll miss, but I look forward to what we'll see back in Oregon -- and along the way as we travel.

 

 

Thank you to Stewart for hosting WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY and to all the wonderful birders who share their pictures and knowledge!

WEEDS OR WILDFLOWERS, FLORIDA EDITION

 

Fields of flowers?  Or fields of weeds?

 

I found all of these growing wild in fields and lawns around the neighborhood.    (Not our yard, so it was easy to see only the beauty.)   Maybe, back when we used to  garden, I would have pulled these out.

 

 But, on closer look, that would have been a shame!

 

 

 

  

 

 

 For:    Denise's  TODAY'S FLOWERS, Laura's I HEART MACRO, and Mary's MOSAIC MONDAY.  Thank you for what you do!

 

 

 

WATER COLORS FROM THE SWAMP

 

Looking back .  It's a good reminder that we need the summer rainy season here in Southwest Florida, so that our swamps and sloughs will still be wet and wild during the winter dry season!

 

 

 

 

For Gemma's SCENIC WEEKENDS and STRAIGHT OUT OF THE CAMERA also hosted by Gemma, along with Magical Mystery Teacher.     Thank you!

REALLY RAINY SEASON

 

 We had about two minutes of golden sky last week.

 

 

 And then the clouds moved in.

 

 

And they've pretty much stuck around ever since.   Today, we're on the edge of a tropical storm watch and getting heavy rains.  

 

 

Ever since 2008, the first year we came to Florida, we've extended the winter season by staying into June.   But until this year, Southwest Florida  has been in a drought situation and we really didn't see a lot of rain.  

 So this is the first time we've actually experienced the true summer rainy season.

I am glad the drought is (apparently) over and it's good to know what the rainy season is really like....

 

 

 

 But honestly?        I would just as soon have it happen while I'm not here. 

 

Share your shots at SKYWATCH FRIDAY.

MORE "YARD" BIRDS

 

 The whole Ibis clan was out for a morning walk last week:

Now that the "snowbirds" have left, these birds are  fine strolling down the middle of the street.  There's not too much traffic in the Park:

 

On the same morning walk, I spied this red-shouldered hawk in the wetlands: 

 

The little mockingbird wasn't worried about being so close to this bird of prey.

 

He seemed to know that the hawk had his eye on something in another direction.

 

 

 And there he goes.

**

Stewart is the host of WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.  Visit his blogs and those of the other birders who link up to the best birding on the web.

ROYAL POINCIANA

 

Also known as a "Flame Tree", the Royal Poinciana blooms in late May and early June.   It's  not native to this area, but is yet another exotic species that does beautifully here.  We see the bright red flowers in every neighborhood.

 

 

 

Another bonus for those of us who don't head North too early.

 

Thank you to NATURE FOOTSTEP for hosting BLO-MA.   

GOODBYE OLD KITCHEN

 

 

In OUR WORLD last week, we said goodbye to the remains of our old kitchen.  This is the third time we've remodeled a kitchen while living in the house and ... so far ... we're still together.   I'm pretty sure that says something about our relationship (I'm just not sure what!).  

 

Going.....

 

 

Decades ago, when we worked on our first and second homes, we hauled the leftover stuff to the dump/landfill ourselves...many many pickup loads (they were bigger houses).    

     

Going..

 

 Now there's this cool object called 'dumpster in a bag'.   This is great  (a) because we no longer own a pickup and (b) the cost to have the bag picked up is quite reasonable, compared to landfill fees.   

 

 

 

GONE!!!

 

 Too bad we still had to load up the dumpster bag ourselves.  (While we worked, all that stuff was under the house or ... toward the end of the project ...  on the screen porch.)  

 

Habitat for Humanity was glad to come and collect the usable leftovers -- kitchen cabinets, table and chairs, stove, sink.   That made us happy too.

And, needless to say, we are happy to be back to what passes for normal!

 

Thank you to Jenn and the OUR WORLD team.  Go click.  The rest of the links probably won't be about getting rid of garbage!