A Full-time Life

TOPSY-TURVY

 

 

 

Things are a wee bit topsy-turvy around here these days as we prepare to close up the Canal Cottage for the summer season.

It's also a wee bit late to start our summer migration.  

In case we hadn't noticed that summer officially started this month, then our indoor-outdoor thermometer has certainly let us know.

(And so has being outdoors, even briefly!)

It is time to head North (West) ...

 

And time for a blog break as we try to straighten things out around here!

 

 Back soon -- from a different location!

 

LINKING TO:  SKYWATCH FRIDAY and OUR WORLD on TUESDAY.

 

 (Thanks to Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy for SWF  and Lady Fi,  Arija, Gattina, Sylvia, Sandy, and Jenn for

OW.)

BIRDS FROM THE BOAT TRIP

 

 From the Beach Trip -- our last of the Season:

 

 

 

 Testing the Water  -- at Palm Island

 

 Little Egret out of place at a Pelican get-together under an old bridge

 

 

 

A couple of different views of the same old bridge as we boated past.  I like old falling-down things for some reason.

 

 

 

 

FOR WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY  and WEDNESDAY WATERS.  Thank you to Stewart and to Gemma.

THE CANAL ON EMPTY

 

It looks quiet around here these days.  

 

 Our boat in front of our cottage is way up there on the right.  It is one of only two boats still here.    There are a few other homes still occupied  (people who don't have boats).  Some stay all year round and a few others are just late getting away (like us).    But there are other neighbors around:

 

 

The ibis family makes itself at home on the lawns this time of year.  Woodpeckers are still active every morning.  And that darn crow has recently decided there is free breakfast available here -- we call him the garbage crow.

Every morning he waits on that pole for us and the other few neighbors to put out our garbage.  (Staff picks it up every morning -- but the crow tries to beat the trash trailer -- and believe me he can peck through double layers of trash bags.)   One of our neighbors has appointed himself the 'crow watch' so now we all put our bags in his yard and he shoos the crow away.    

 And the canal isn't always as empty as it looks in the top picture.  We've had some interesting activity:

 

We've had alligators swim past our house several times this month  -- that doesn't happen when there are boats here -- and more  people.    We also saw a Manatee here on a couple of evenings.  That's what the blobs on the upper right and lower left are.  It is unusual for a Manatee to even be in the river this time of year, let alone the canal  -- they usually are out further in the gulf when the weather warms up.

 And here are some more neighbors:

 

Actually only the harmless black snake was in our yard.  The other one was at Six Mile Cypress the last time I was over there.   Still I'm sure at least a few of you think the neighborhood has gone downhill fast on this post.  

But since some eccentric lady has been walking around taking (pictures of) flowers in yards where people have already left for the season, I am able to end this post on a pretty note:

 

Park staff mows grassy areas, but they don't water, so these flowers are valiant survivors to keep blooming in this summer heat with no care at all.

 

So that's our (quiet) world for this week.  Thank you to Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy, Gattina, and Arija for OUR WORLD TUESDAY and to Judith for MOSAIC MONDAY, where this post is also linked.

 

SUCCESSFUL CATCH

 

We saw this osprey way up high when we were out walking one afternoon ...  

 

 

 We wondered about that flattened out branch and the way this big bird stayed in that one rather uncomfortable-looking spot so patiently.    (We watched for quite a while and it barely moved.)    I zoomed in ...

 

 

and couldn't tell much else at the time.  But  there was a surprise when we downloaded the pictures.  Our eyes didn't see that the osprey was guarding an already headless fish.   I don't know if he was saving it to share with another osprey or just making sure he kept ahold of it until he got hungry again.

 

It's fun to get an unexpected gift from your camera!

 

 

 

Linking to SATURDAY CRITTERS and RATHER B' BIRDING.  Thank you to Eileen and to Annie.

STORMS AHEAD

 

The good weather window we had counted on went by a tiny bit quicker than we'd hoped.   Clouds were beginning to pile up as we headed home after a few days away on the boat.

 

 Beautiful -- but clouds piling up -- this time of year especially -- can be ominous.

 

 

Not so much when you're inside your house looking out or even on your porch where you know you can make a mad dash inside if the clouds bring thunder and lightening.   But definitely when you're out in a boat and not close to a safe harbor.

 

 

The captains of these fishing boats weren't worried yet.   They are fishing for tarpon at the mouth of Charlotte Harbor.  There were places where there were so many boats you could have stepped from one to the other.  (We were further out in the Gulf of Mexico and not in the middle of the crowd.)

 

 

Maybe the storm is going to blow over.

 

 

Or maybe not.

 

 

 And when we were just a few minutes away from home, the rains came down in buckets!  With thunder and distant lightening.   We were happy to be able to zip down our windows.    And we didn't get wet until we got out to tie up at our own dock (as quickly as humanly possible).  

The storms don't last for long ... we were able to go back outside later that evening and unload the boat.  

 

LINKING TO:  SKYWATCH FRIDAY (thanks to Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy);  and to SCENIC WEEKENDS (thanks to Gemma)

ANY COMPLAINTS?

 

It has been a while since I posted a silly sign all by itself.  But I still "collect"  them.

 

 

 This was on the counter of an old-fashioned (and actually very friendly) hardware store where we shopped here in Fort Myers.  

 Nobody had any complaints.

 

 

 

Linking to  Lesley's SIGNS SIGNS (but of course you already knew that!)  Thank you Lesley!

SCENE AT THE BEACH

After our overnight stay at Sanibel we followed the Intercoastal Waterway North across Charlotte Bay to Cape Haze where we docked as planned at Palm Island Marina.      

 

 

We saw dozens of dolphins along the way, but this one bad shot is all I could get.   The picture on the top left is over-water electric cables.  

Marker signs like the one the cormorant is perching on and the GPS we have on board tell us where we're going out on the open 'sea'.   The birds like to perch or even nest on the marker and warning signs.

 I showed a little about the Marina where we stayed in the previous post -- it had great amenities like free morning coffee,  this lovely swimming pool and patio, and a very nice restaurant, all of which we enjoyed.  It would have been easy to lounge around here for the whole time, but the water taxi beckoned.  So on the second day, after eating breakfast on board our own boat we boarded the taxi for a day on the Island.

 

 The beach was quiet -- it is not accessible by car and as guests of the Marina we had a pass allowing us to use it -- otherwise it is a private beach for the people who own or rent homes and condos on the Island.

 

 

Sea Turtle Nesting sites were marked off in one direction along the upper portion of the beach.  I used a zoom lens to be able to read the sign.

 

 

The lower part of the beach was covered with shells.     Here are a few we added to our collection (the same way I collect flowers and plants these days -- with photos only).

***

Sharing our time on Palm Island by linking to MOSAIC MONDAY;  OUR WORLD on TUESDAY; and WEDNESDAY WATERS

Thank you to Judith for MM;   Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy, Gattina, Arija, and Jenn for OW; and Gemma for WW.  

 

 

FLOWERS FROM THE SUNSHINE STATE

 

It has been a while since I shared flowers and plants.  Here are some varieties blooming in SW Florida in late Spring (where it actually feels like mid-summer).

 

 

 All of these pictures were taken in residential neighborhoods where we walked recently.  

As does everyone, I know that the tree above is a variety of palm, but unfortunately that is the only thing I know about any of these pictures.   

   

 

 This looks like a type of magnolia, but I couldn't find a similar picture, even though I searched Google Images.  

 

 

Probably I wasn't patient enough.   Note:  Thanks to Theresa, Ellen, and Peter B who identified this as a Plumeria tree after I posted  to Today's Flowers.  Once again, I learn so much from fellow bloggers; it is appreciated.  But I also appreciate those  who told me it was fine to not know -- to just to appreciate the beauty! 

 

 

 When we walk in pretty residential neighborhoods, there is never anybody out in the yard.  If the homeowners were around, I would ask whether I could take a picture and what the tree or bush was.  But they are always too busy working during the weekdays when we're out and about.    So I just take the picture.

 

 

 

This tree was blooming in April on Fort Myers Beach.  All of the other pictures were this month in Sanibel.

 

 

Sharing with:  TODAY'S FLOWERS; NATURE NOTES; I HEART MACRO; MONDAY MACRO; and NF TREES & BUSHES.  

Thank you to  Denise,  Michelle,  Laura,  Gemma and Monica for hosting.

CAPE HAZE - Palm Island Marina

 

After our overnight stay on Sanibel (here), we set out by boat to Cape Haze, a boat trip of about four hours.    

 

 

We docked at Palm Island Marina.    These are  miscellaneous shots from around the Marina .  There are some SIGNS, some FENCES (and railings --do they count?) , and some more beautiful blue Florida SKY.  

 

 

 The little sign on the gate into this house says "CAY PAZE" ,  a cool play on words which made me think I would like to meet the homeowners.

  

 

Palm Island is a Clean Marina.   It is clean and neat, but what this really means is they take fuel spills very seriously, and avoid them with overflow catchers, drip catchers etc.  (Boat owners pump their own gas at Florida marinas.)

 

 

 We took this Water Taxi to Palm Island itself --  there is a good restaurant there, open to the public (if they come by boat ... this is a real island, with no road access).  And there is a private beach, which we could use as overnight guests of the Marina.   (Beach scenes to come in another post.)

 

 

 I liked the palm frond theme on this home that we boated past on our way into  the Marina.  It's built on stilts as many homes on low-lying places in hurricane country are.

***

Thank you to Lesley for SIGNS SIGNS,  Theresa for GOOD FENCES, and Yogi, Sylvia, and Sandy for SKYWATCH FRIDAY.

 

 

SANIBEL ISLAND BY BOAT

 

 

 Last week, we finally got a good weather window for a summer boat trip.  You always have to be prepared for the unexpected, but there is no point at all in going out on the water when the forecast is calling for thunderstorms!   The weatherman was right this time and we had a beautiful blue sky day as we headed to Sanibel.

 

 

 Here is the Sanibel Lighthouse as we approached the Island; some of the homes that we boated by;  our boat docked at Sanibel Marina;  and the Marina entrance.  

It was a sweet little Marina, but it had the narrowest slips we've ever seen.  The Captain (Bill) did a great job docking and there weren't very many other boats, so it was OK.  But if there had been anyone docked next door to us we could have held hands out of the side of the boats.

 

 

This pretty tree-lined road led us into some lovely island residential neighborhoods for our evening walk.  It's good to stretch after a day on the boat!

Until it moved, the Egret on the boat across from us looked  like a decoration.      

 

 

Here's a pleasant thing to see from the boat; this was after we left Sanibel and were on the way to our second stop.

 

 

And here is a not so fun thing to see.  Does it look to you like our boat would fit under that bridge?  It didn't to me either.  But we made it!    To make it even more fun, the bridge is under construction and the workers enjoyed watching our maneuvers!  

 

This is just a teaser .... I'm still trying to get my land legs back, so I'll post the second part of the trip another time.   

 

This part is linked to MOSAIC MONDAY;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; and WEDNESDAY WATERS.   (Thank you to Judith for MM; the whole OWT team; and Gemma for WW).  

PAIR-a-DUCKS

 

Last week I posted City Ducks.  Here are a few duck couples that are (I think anyway) luckier in their living quarters.

 

 

 Tufted duck couple in a country pond -- North Fort Myers.

 

 This Mallard Couple hangs out near Fort Myers Yacht Basin.  They greet us every time we stop.  But they're off and away as soon as they see there are no handouts. 

 

 Mismatched couple in the same pond area as the tufted ducks above.  I can't ID either.

   

 

 Another Mallard Couple -- an old photo, not sure where this was taken.  

We are away on a boat trip, and have limited computer time and access ... will catch up with all comments and blogs when we get home.

 

 

 

 

And that's the end -- that's all I've got this week.

 

Linked to:   Annie's RATHER B-BIRDING;  Stewart's WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY;  and Eileen's SATURDAY CRITTERS.

Thank you all for hosting!!!

RANDOM PHOTOS FROM A RANDOM EXCURSION

Although the travel planner of the house had an ultimate goal in mind for last month's excursion, getting there was random (just the way we like to travel, whether our road-trips are long or short).   So these are random pictures from what turned out to be three distinct parts to the trip.   (And also for a random assortment of mid-week memes -- we may have limited internet access the rest of this week.)

First of all, we drove through the Big Cypress National Preserve stopping to walk about a little and take a few pictures (earlier post here).  

 

 

This old building stands at a pullout spot on the edge of the park.  It seems like it ought to have a story.   But there is no information; it has looked exactly the same as long as we've been coming to the Everglades area.

 

 

 

For Signs Signs (one of two)

The smallest Post Office in the United States stands nearby.  I don't know who the woman and baby in the bottom picture are; they photo-bombed the picture, but I left them in because it shows how small the building really is.

From there, we decided to explore Key Largo.  An earlier post  (here) had a few pictures from the nice hotel we found when we got there.  

 

For Wednesday Waters

Here are a few more shots from the lovely Key Largo beach.

The next morning, we headed to the goal for this trip -- the big City of Miami.  We'd driven by a couple of times, but never spent any time in the City.   We had booked an apartment hotel downtown.  It was a great location -- once we checked in we never drove the car again until we left -- we were able to walk or take public transportation everywhere we wanted to go.

  We had a great time in the City,  eating  excellent Ethnic Food, marveling at the Architecture  and people-watching.      Oddly however, my camera mostly seems to come out only when there are birds and animals around.  

 

 

ForWild Bird Wednesday and   Good Fences

 

Our hotel was on a residential block that dead-ended at Biscayne Bay .... and dozens of ducks seemed to be making their home in neighborhood yards.  Every time we left the apartment or returned,  we were accompanied by a few neighbor families who waddled right along with us.  

 

 

 A neighbor (of the human variety) told us that the ducks usual flight pattern had been disrupted by the building of high rise condo towers, so they now just lived between this neighborhood and the water.   The young ones don't  know any different.   Being an urban duck is just normal for them.

Below is the only picture I took when we visited a waterfront shopping area.  (To get there, we hopped on a free tram on our corner and then onto the free monorail/people-mover ... like what Airports have between terminals.  Excellent public transportation!  Wish we had something like that where we live.)

 

 For Signs Signs

If you don't have any customers for your Face-Painting wagon, just paint your own face!

 

 

Satisfied with a job well done!

 ***                

Thank you to Stewart for WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; Gemma for WEDNESDAY WATERS;  Lesley for SIGNS SIGNS;  and Theresa for GOOD FENCES.

JUST LIKE WE DID IN KEY LARGO

    Note:  Last Saturday, I somehow ended up with two posts I wanted to link to Saturday Critters.  This is the one I didn't link then.  I apologize if every one of you has already read it.  But it has a couple of such great critters in it that I thought it deserved a place on Eileen's great linkup party.  

 

We stayed overnight in Key Largo last month.

 

 We spent some time exploring the Florida Keys a couple of years ago, but somehow missed stopping at this one made famous in movie and song.  

 

 

The bartender at the hotel's palapa bar had a charming assistant.   Like every smart bartender, she drank only non-alcoholic beverages (that is a glass of cranberry juice). 

 

 

I spotted this guy having a snooze in the landscaping.  (He's not as big as he looks here.)

 

 

Of course the Keys are always all about the sunset.  I took a million pictures and will undoubtedly share more on a future post.  But here is one more for now.

 

****

Linking to:  OUR WORLD  on TUESDAY (thank you to Lady Fi,  Sandy, Sylvia, Arija, Gattina, and Jenn); MOSAIC MONDAY (thank you Judith)  and   SATURDAY CRITTERS (thank you Eileen).