A Full-time Life

LATE SPRING IN FLORIDA

  RUBY TUESDAY -- YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO!   

We are usually on our way back to the Pacific Northwest by this time of the year and so certainly would have missed these lovely red blossoms.  One of these days I'm going to make time to learn what all these strange and wonderful Florida flowers actually are.   The yellow flowering trees of a couple of months ago have shed their blossoms.  Instead, all over town now  we see this beautiful tree:   

 

This tree was so colorful against the clear blue sky.  We stopped to take its picture on a day otherwise devoted to boring shopping.  A bright and cheerful break in a routine day.

THE STILLNESS OF NATURE

 SCENIC SUNDAY - my first post to this meme.  Click on the blue and then on the listed links to vist other blogger's favorite  scenes of the week.   AND FOR EVERYDAY LIFE which has a theme this week of "Places to Relax."  Click to see where to relax in other places around the world.   

"My heart is tuned to the quietness that the stillness of nature inspires."  Hahrat Inayat Khan.

Pictures are from a morning Walk at Six Mile Cypress Slough. May 2010

 
 
  

 

Just a little quiet morning magic right in the middle of the City of Fort Myers. 

CLOSE TO HOME ADVENTURES

(A few pretty bad pictures, but they'll explain what's been keeping us close to home lately.  And why THIS IS OUR WORLD right now.  (Click on the blue link for "That's My World."  Most of the entries are more scenic!) 

Yesterday morning Bill looked out our (screened)  window and wondered what that blue and white thing tied up out there was. (Awww.)  It HAS been a while since we've been out on the River.   Instead, here's what's keeping us occupied right here at our little Canal Cottage: 

  

Hooray.   No more QUARTERED TO DEATH. 

There is finish-work to complete, but the part of the house where a corner cupboard and catch-all closet were taken out to make room for the laundry room is already looking much better than it did.

It's definitely worth hanging around home for a while.   

YESTERDAY IT RAINED

Click here for more  WEEKEND REFLECTIONS  hosted by James.    WATERY WEDNESDAY  meme posts are here.

 

It's supposed to be the rainy season here in Southwest Florida, but it hasn't been terribly wet so far.  It rains in the early evening sometimes, but there's not much evidence of it by morning.   

OUR KIND OF PET SHOP

 RUBY TUESDAY has lots of lovely red images.  Scroll down to see red in this post. 

How much are those puppies in the (toy-shop) window?

 It sure made us look twice! (Along with everybody else strolling Fisherman's Village at Puenta Gorda last Sunday.)

I'm pretty sure they didn't used to make stuffed animals this realistic a century or so ago  -- or even almost half-a-century, when we were buying them for our kids.

 

WAKE-UP CALL, FLORIDA

MORE MELLOW YELLOW MONDAY POSTS HERE  and also EVERY DAY LIFE which asks for a picture of a tree this week! 
 

In Oregon  LAST FALL and winter, we were wakened by the geese.  Here at Upriver, it is the mockingbirds.   A cheerful alarm clock and one that varies from day to day.

No matter what they're copying, their song seems to say "All's right with the world!"

SLICED TOMATOES -- A (not-so) SIMPLE THING

THAT'S MY WORLD .  Today my link to this meme is different.  It is about part of my world that I  don't love.

 
(This picture was taken late last Summer.  Back in Oregon and after one of our amost daily raids of Cyndi and Jeff's garden.) 

Next season -- when we're finished with some of our projects around the cottage here at Upriver -- I just might have to stick a tomato plant in a pot out on our deck.   (Even though we haven't gardened at all for years and didn't really plan to start again.)

Buying tomatoes when we're in Florida should be the easiest thing in the world -- they grow really well here.  The town of Immokolee, a few miles from where we live, is the US center for tomato farming.  Many, if not most, of the fast food chains and many grocery chains  buy tomatoes from commercial growers based there.  However, the owners have, for years, gotten away with paying less-than-living wages to the farm workers.  There is a community-based worker organization called The Coalition of Immokalee Workers that is actively trying to remedy these conditions.  

A few landowners have even kept their workers in slavery. (In Immokalee there is a Museum of Modern Slavery -- really). This story from GOURMET MAGAZINE tells about just such an Immokalee landowner.  The trial, where several members of one  family were convicted of keeping workers in slave conditions, happened when we were here last year. 

After years of work on the part of the Coalition, some large purchasers have agreed to pay more for the tomatoes, with the added cost going to the Coalition for better wages.  These purchasers include Taco Bell, Burger King, Mickey D's and Whole Foods.  Kudos to Taco Bell and Burger King, but that's not, as a rule, where we want to get our fresh tomatoes.  And the only Whole Foods in our area is over at Naples -- close enough for a day trip to the beach, but not close enough for a weekly grocery buying trip.  (We wish it were closer -- for this and many other grocery-related reasons!)

Sadly, Publix, which is the major supermarket chain in this area (and the one closest to us)  has refused to sign on.   (The Coalition is asking Publix to pay one cent --  ONE PENNY -- more per pound for the tomatoes they buy.  That money would go to raising wages and improving living conditions for the workers.).   

Now, in the past we probably bought tomatoes from sources that didn't pay their workers fairly, without even thinking about where they came from. But you can't read these stories -- and drive past the exit to Immokalee fairly often -- without having to do something -- small as it may be. 

 CLICK HERE to read one article that also gives the Publix side of the controversy.  (I wanted to be fair.)

It's obvious which side we're on, so tomatoes have been off our shopping list except when we can go to local Farmer's Markets.  But just now in yesterday's local paper, we read an article saying that six tomato vendors at a private farmer's market in Immokalee have been served with misdemeanor violations for failing to comply with food-safety rules.  It seems that Florida requires tomatoes be sanitized to reduce microbial contamination and requires that they be harvested into plastic boxes.  HUH? 

I can't wait to visit one of the Farmer's Markets that are NOT in Immokalee to see if they comply with these regulations.   I can't help but wonder.

Meanwhile -- I wish I had that tomato plant out on our deck. 

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Bacon's bad for us, can't buy tomatoes.  Anybody for a bread and lettuce sandwich?

EARLY MORNING ON THE CANAL

For  WATERY WEDNESDAY  (go get your eyes wet)  and  SKYWATCH FRIDAY .

On the Canal this week --  before the sun is up -- still almost dark, still almost cool.  These  pictures are on the end of our Canal, looking at the Caloosahatchie River.

 
 
 

 

Here comes the sun.  Time for breakfast.

I don't get out and around this early very often.  It was worth it. 

SHOOTING FROM THE PIER

THAT'S MY WORLD .  Click on the entrants -- there are pictures here from some fascinating places. 

 

There's nothing much in the world more colorful than a day at the Beach.  Lots going on.   We just went walking -- and pointing and shooting, mostly from the Naples Pier.

 

These were taken last week.  Nobody seemed very concerned about the possibility of the oil spill reaching here.  I hope they are not unpleasantly surprised and that it will be contained.

 

 

   
  

TIE-DYED EUGENE

Eugene is the big City near where we stay when we visit in Oregon (and near where we used to live).  It can be a real throw-back to the '60s at times.  These are some pictures from the Holiday Market last December.  They seemed perfect for MELLOW YELLOW MONDAY and for RUBY TUESDAY too. They'd be even mellower if the patchouli -- and other -- scents could be transmitted. 

These fair-goers are looking at "fresh picked rainbows".  The only trouble is that to get the full effect, you'd have to buy the whole display.  But they are fun to look at.

The guy below and his parrot both seemed to be enjoying themselves.

STALKING THE WILD HARE

SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY  at Hey Harriet for more shadowy images.

On her morning walk, the twelve-foot tall woman stalks her quarry, which tries to escape by hiding in plain sight. 

But the tall woman is successful in her hunt and captures the rabbit for eternity.

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 This tall woman is quite easy to please; it doesn't take much to make her morning walk a great one.  

  

SWAMP DREAMS -- OR NIGHTMARES?

Reflections in a Swamp.  There's a whole other world down there!  Come and join us. 

And for other people's reflective pictures click here:  WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

  

SEA OF WATER, SEA OF GRASS

Click the links on SKYWATCH FRIDAY  for this week's  collection of beautiful skies from everywhere.   

 

Naples Pier, the Gulf of Mexico.  And then, below, about 20 miles Southeast, the edge of the Everglades.

 

Just a recent day trip from Upriver -- a loop drive.  We had fun walking on the beach, looking at the shops and homes in Naples and Marco island and then driving past the edge of the Everglades before circling back home.  

 

 

LIBRARY CHALLENGE (non)Update

FOR WATERY WEDNESDAY this foggy waterfront from an April boat trip. 

 

 Last month  -- on an overcast Saturday morning -- we went to a boat club lunch at Doc Ford's on Fort Myers Beach.  It is one of a couple of restaurants owned by Randy Wayne White, a local author whose best-selling adventure novels feature Doc Ford, for whom he has named his bar and grills.  Doc Ford (the character) is a marine biologist and adventurer who works out of a lab that White has set on Sanibel Island.  Randy Wayne White (the author) really lives on Sannibel and his first restaurant is there. 

Bill really enjoys these books and when he's reading one, he usually shares some of the passages that have great descriptions of this area. 

I love place-oriented novels, especially when they're about somewhere we've stayed, so I really wanted to like this series -- and I really tried, but I just couldn't get into the adventure. 

And it would have made such a great lead-in to an update post on my Library Challenge.  What can I say?  I'm just a book wimp.   

I like my mysteries and adventures on the cozy side like this one  -- where nobody anyone cares about ever gets killed.  And look!  This reprint even has a pink cover.  Yup, a real girly murder mystery. THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY

 (There is an Agatha Christie challenge going on at some of the Book Blogs I read.  I'm not taking part, but I was happy to be reminded of Dame Agatha and  it is fun to read some of these books that I either missed or have forgotten.)

But for those with more adventurous tastes in reading, the Doc Ford series would be a good one -- and you'd get all those great descriptions and history of this part of Florida.  Below are a couple of framed blow-up posters of the series book covers.  They were hanging on the wall behind the bar. 

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Here's the Amazon link to all of the Doc Ford Books:DOC FORD NOVELS CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

WEEDS OR WILDFLOWERS?

TODAY'S FLOWERS ,  MELLOW YELLOW MONDAY and RUBY TUESDAY.  Each of these memes will give you great ideas and beautiful sights to see. 

 

I don't really  know  what the difference is between a weed and a wildflower.  I just know I like to see color on the ground when I go for a walk. 

It helps that I am no longer responsible for what goes where in the garden -- I don't have to pull anything or dig anything or plant anything.  I just have to enjoy.    And sometimes take a picture. 

REFLECTING ON AN ALMOST EMPTY CANAL

Guy at THIS LINK has started a new meme called EveryDay Life.   He asks this week for a picture of a typical house in our area.  This is what our small neighborhood looks like right now.  James at Newton Daily Photo hosts WEEKEND REFLECTIONS.  Click on the links listed there to see   reflective posts from everywhere. 

 

Most of the snowbirds have left Upriver (and the other sunny places where this not-so-rare breed hangs out) by now. But because of our delayed start getting here this winter, we are staying on a while.   We have some work to do on the house and places to see here in Florida.   

Our cross-canal neighbor, Gary, took this picture of our little cottage and boat early in the morning just a few days before he and Sylvia  left to go back to Alaska where they live during the summer.  The canal was as smooth as glass.  (We do get some tide action and the breezes blow the water around a lot.)    You can see that both of our next-door neighbors have shuttered their winter homes against possible hurricanes while they are up North.

About 15 homes in the park are occupied year-round and a few more people  will stay through June, so we are not all alone in the resort.  One year, when we were traveling with our fifth-wheel RV just after the season ended, we stayed, for about two months, at a huge park in the Mission Valley of Texas where we were the only people.  Now that was kind of eerie!

Below is how the Canal looked during the Winter Season.   It IS a lot easier to dock now!  But not as companionable. 

FRIDAY FLASHBACK - FAVORITE PLACES, FAVORITE SKIES

For SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SUNDAY FAVORITES AT CHERI'S and Favorite Places at Margot's JOYFULLY RETIRED;  I am reposting this comparison of skies and birds.  We visited North Dakota last summer for the first time.  The metal sculptures of geese on the Enchanted Highway reminded us of the real thing in New Mexico, one of our favorite places ever.  You can click RIGHT HERE to see our photo album of Bosque Del Apache and the purple link in the repost below to read more about the Enchanted Highway.

 

Here is the original post written in August of last year:

Ever since we saw the sculpture of geese in flight on North Dakota's Enchanted Highway, I've been thinking about one of our best bird watching experiences ever. In 2006, we stayed near New Mexico's Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge during Fall Migration.  That was our second Autum visit -- it's such a beautiful time to be there.  

I thought it would be fun to compare the North Dakota and New Mexico flights:

 

 

 

 

Maybe the Enchanted Highway sculpture was Art imitating Life -- maybe.  At the very least it was craftwork that we enjoyed both for itself and for the memories of a lovely time in New Mexico.  

 

 

 

The major difference between the two experiences, though, is this:  We're glad we went to see Enchanted Highway and the story behind it was interesting, but having seen it once, we probably won't go again.  But we'd go out of our way to go back to the beautiful Bosque  -- and we really hope we do someday.

 

 

 

Here is the original post written in August of last year:

Ever since we saw the sculpture of geese in flight on North Dakota's Enchanted Highway, I've been thinking about one of our best bird watching experiences ever. In 2006, we stayed near New Mexico's Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge during Fall Migration.  That was our second Autum visit -- it's such a beautiful time to be there.  

I thought it would be fun to compare the North Dakota and New Mexico flights:

 

 

 

 

Maybe the Enchanted Highway sculpture was Art imitating Life -- maybe.  At the very least it was craftwork that we enjoyed both for itself and for the memories of a lovely time in New Mexico.  

 

 

 

The major difference between the two experiences, though, is this:  We're glad we went to see Enchanted Highway and the story behind it was interesting, but having seen it once, we probably won't go again.  But we'd go out of our way to go back to the beautiful Bosque  -- and we really hope we do someday.

 

 

 

Here is the original post written in August of last year:

Ever since we saw the sculpture of geese in flight on North Dakota's Enchanted Highway, I've been thinking about one of our best bird watching experiences ever. In 2006, we stayed near New Mexico's Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge during Fall Migration.  That was our second Autum visit -- it's such a beautiful time to be there.  

I thought it would be fun to compare the North Dakota and New Mexico flights:

 

 

 

 

Maybe the Enchanted Highway sculpture was Art imitating Life -- maybe.  At the very least it was craftwork that we enjoyed both for itself and for the memories of a lovely time in New Mexico.  

 

 

 

The major difference between the two experiences, though, is this:  We're glad we went to see Enchanted Highway and the story behind it was interesting, but having seen it once, we probably won't go again.  But we'd go out of our way to go back to the beautiful Bosque  -- and we really hope we do someday.

 

 

 

WEEKEND BIRDING

We weren't seriously birding last weekend -- but here are a few of the birds we saw without really trying.

Drive-by (or boat-by) birding!

I need to take a Florida birding  class, but to the best of my knowledge these are:  little blue heron, cattle egret, sandhill crane, snowy egret, and osceola turkeys.  (These wild turkeys are more colorful than the kind we've seen in Oregon and elsewhere.  Their feathers are a burnished bronze color.). 

WEEKEND ON THE WATER

For THAT'S MY WORLD and  WATERY WEDNESDAY here's our watery weekend. 

 

We were lucky to have a visit from our son Geoff this weekend.  The three of us spent practically the whole three days on the water -- that's what you do in Florida in the Summer.   (And it seems like Summer here now, never mind what the calendar has to say!)

We took the boat up the river, through Franklin Lock and back.  These pictures are at a little county park in the town of Alva. 

 

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Geoff and his Dad look like they're trying to figure out where we are -- or maybe where we're going!  I guess it worked, because we got home safe and sound to rest up for another day of water-filled adventure.

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We spent a short time on the beach at Sanibel Island.  None of us are lounge-around-in-the-sun types, but it was fun to dip our feet in the Gulf.  (And as the horrible oil spill comes closer, it may have been our last chance to see the beach in this pristine condition.)

We also visited the Ding Darling Wildlife preserve on Sanibel. 

Geoff and I kayaked through a marked channel (that's the picture on top of this post).  (Bill chose to stay behind.)   

It was a great experience  -- I had never kayaked before, but it was fun learning -- and really good exercise for Geoff, who (literally) shouldered most of the burden.  The path was beautiful -- we saw lots of birds and an alligator.  I have a few bird pictures for another post.

Back at the Visitor Center, we watched a pair of Manatees -- it's mating season, so they were in an out of the water more than usual. 

So it was another great Florida day on the water!

The next day,we toured the Babcock Wilderness.  It's a huge privately-owned ranch here in North Ft. Myers which encompasses several of the watery ecosystems of this area of Florida. 

The picture below is part of the Cypress Swamp area of the ranch.

 

A large part of the property was purchased by the State last year and will remain as a preserve while still allowing farming to take place.

We had a great weekend.  Happy of course that Geoff came and happy because the watery weekend didn't include RAIN.  His visit broke the record we've had recently -- no matter whetherin Oregon or Florida, it has rained whenever we have out-of-town company. But not this time! 

In fact, Geoff went home to Colorado with a slight sunburn as a Florida souvenir.

HAPPY MAY!

 A virtual flower basket for May Day.

I wonder if kids anywhere still deliver baskets of flowers to their neighbors on this day?