Beautiful Beginning

 

Here's a look at last week's sunrise  from our dock:

 

 We had a couple weeks of "Winter weather" in Florida, but it seems to be over for now.    Days are warm and sunny.

 

 

On the same morning, just a few steps away from the Cottage, this red-bellied woodpecker was doing his best to make sure the neighborhood was awake.    Next is a picture of what's keeping us close to home these days.

 

The multi-talented travel planner in the family is wearing another hat these days as he adds a new bathroom to a corner of the Cottage.  Photographs are to show him where the infrastructure is located when he needs to know after the walls are finished.  I'm including just this one picture for our own memories.   The rest of these pictures are follow-up from a nature walk the week before last.

 Hickey Creek Park is a mitigation park originally established to protect the endangered Florida Gopher Tortoise.   

 

 

Environmental mitigation is an attempt to offset the detrimental impacts of development on native plants and animals.  The land for this park was purchased through a conservation trust.  Usually, a walk in this park  is a serene almost jungle-like experience (but with established trails).  And indeed, most of the time last week it was exactly that.   Except for a while during the first portion.

 

I knew there had been a prescribed burn early in November.  This sign at the entrance explained the benefits of the burn.  One section says that the burn reduces overgrown vegetation, resulting in a more open landscape, including for keystone species like the gopher tortoise.  It says the burn will increase soil fertility and vegetation re-growth.    Controlled burns also reduce wildfire danger by reducing overgrown vegetation.  Controlled burns mimic the natural process that existed  before population growth required them to be suppressed.    I understand all this and I'm glad it happened.  But even so  ...

 

 

 

 ...   I almost turned around and gave up on my walk before it really even started, because this is what it still looked like almost three months after the burn.   I was glad to read that the fire had been monitored closely by trained burn professionals, because it is scary to think of it being out of control.    

It seemed like longer than it was as I walked past the burned area before again seeing the beautiful woodsy landscapes that I remembered from other years.

 

Here's one more beautiful morning from our dock:  

 Winter morning, Florida style.   

Thankful for good weather and beautiful views, even when we don't really go anywhere.

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LINKING THIS WEEK TO THE FOLLOWING:

Thank you hosts!

NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;   TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS; and  SATURDAY CRITTERS;

 

Comments

[Sharon Wagner]

The dock photo is indeed beautiful! I can't wait to be back in Florida. Soon. And the weather looks great. So long snow.

[KB]

Gorgeous sunrise.

[DeniseinVA]

Please tell your multi-talented travel planner that he is very welcome to come and visit so that he can add a new bathroom here :) I am so impressed! I loved all your photos Sallie, each and every one of them, but that fanned plant is gorgeous! I understand the idea about controlled burns but it’s hard to see any fire. Happy Valentine’s Day!

[My Corner of the World]

Awesome photos, Sallie! You have winter chill and we've had a chill in summer as Hurricane Dovi passed by!

Thanks for sharing your link at My Corner of the World this week!

[handmade by amalia]

Well worth getting up early on a chilly morning to see such a beautiful sunrise.
Amalia
xo

[Lady Fi]

Wow - that first shot is stunning!

Thank you so much for your kind words on my blog.

[Breathtaking]

Hello Sallie, :=) Most years our forests are devastated by wild fires, but in no time at all new life begins to grow. The wood ash from our wood burning fireplace is distributed around the garden because it's good for the soil, it does indeed increase soil fertility just like the sign indicates. In a controlled fire it depends on what type of trees are planted,as to how fast they grow again. Your photo of the Palms does look out of place in an established environment, so I guess they don't grow as fast as Pines Eucalyptus,and Austalias.

I have seen farmers burning their fields on purpose to better the quality of the soil,so on the whole it's a good thing.

I love your woodpecker image and your two morning sunrises.
Best wishes, from Portugal.

[Jm, Illinois, U.S.A.]

Greetings and Salutations! Looks like a BIG project for your husband is underway. Such wonderful views of the sunrises. I heard about the cold weather in Florida. Glad it is warming up now. Take care.

[mae]

Your lIfe in Florida looks lovely despite all the current cold weather and nasty politics and various types of environmental damage already inflicted. Sometimes I wish I could see how it looked 100 years ago when nobody lived there.

best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

[John's Island]

Hi Sallie, What an interesting post about Hickey Creek Park. I appreciate the way you explained the “prescribed burn” as a part of environmental mitigation. It encourages me to see that as humanity evolves there are those of us who are trying to undo the harm we’ve done as we’ve populated the planet. I also enjoyed your sunrise photos. Happy Saturday to you and the multi-talented travel planner. :-) John

[Eileen]

Hello,
Love your Woodpecker, they are one of my favorite birds. Your sunrise image is lovely. I hope the bathroom renovation is going well. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend.

[Lavender Dreams]

I just read an article in our newspaper about how important these control burns are and it helped me appreciate them more. It doesn't take long for things to green back up after they do it and it's so good for the wildlife. Hope you have a nice weekend. It's going to be beautiful again today! Hugs, Diane

[Veronica Lee]

Glorious sunrises, Sallie!

Love the woodpecker.

Good luck on the house project!

[riitta k]

Stunning sunrises Sallie. Life is quiet also here, but the covid restrictions are all going away in February. I am still careful.

[Amila]

Beautiful photos. Wonderful sunrise picture..

[Michelle Keltner]

Any type of work going on in the home takes a lot of labor, I think. So, good luck to your husband! Thanks for linking up!

[Diane]

Well that's the reason for living there isn't it. To have beauty all around you.

[Linda Walcroft]

Interesting post.

[Shiju Sugunan]

Beautiful sunrise! I enjoyed the photographs. Controlled burns benefit the ecosystem.

[Peter B.]

Smart idea to photograph the plumbing and wiring. Sounds like a big project. Good luck with it!

[Jim, Sydney, Australia]

Beautiful sky.

[Amy Franks]

So when you say a prescribed burn off does that mean like you had to apply to burn your stuff?

[Lorrie Orr]

Beautiful nature walk photos, and that sunset in the first photo is glorious! Good luck on the house project!

[Gaelyn]

Oh boy, house projects. Hard to look at even knowing the benefits of the burn.

[Jim, Sydney, Australia]

Beautiful.

[David Gascoigne]

Controlled burns done properly and for the right reasons are beneficial, but I have seen burns where I have been far from convinced that enough wisdom was applied before taking the decision to burn. Every time I see news from Florida, Sallie, I think of people like you with a solid liberal conscience, valuing all life and embracing new ideas, living in the midst of ultra right wing politicians determined to ban books, masks, and bent on restricting the vote to only those who will get them re-elected, and I truly cannot imagine what it's like to be there.

[Alan]

I'm impressed, you guys are multitalented.

Our Turkey Mountain is supposed to have a program of controlled burns soon and I am looking forward to it. An area that burned non-controlled years ago is still the best woods in the park free of so much underbrush and thorns.

[tomthebackroadstraveller]

...a beautiful start to your day! Fire is an important of the management of forests. Thanks for the reminder.

[Lillian]

So amazing sunset

[Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie]

Such a pretty sunrise to greet your new day! Glad you are getting some warmer weather. A new bathroom sounds wonderful and so nice to have your very own 'handy-man' to do it, too. Burned out areas are so scary - I think of all the little creatures... Hope you have a good week!

[Debbie]

the sunrise is so pretty, i always wish i were an early riser so i could enjoy them. the hubs does the same thing when he works on big projects. i do it when i dust the china cabinet and built in cabinets, so i can remember how to place the items i have taken out of them!!

i am glad things are warming up there in florida, people don't move there so they can freeze during the winter. i have such mixed feelings about controlled burns, if you have a few hours i could explain why!!

[ellen b.]

Wonderful sunrises from your deck. Another bathroom will be nice! It's good to have a handy husband!

[Carol]

I've heard it is healthy to have controlled burns but I like the new growth photos

[William Kendall]

So different from here.

[Michelle Banks]

Oh for warm temps and plants....Michelle

[somewhereinireland]

The view from your dock is gorgeous. Taking photos of where the infrastructure is located is a smart move. I like the woodpecker knocking on the tree. Have a wonderful week, Sallie.

[Fun60]

The new growth looks good on the burnt wood. It will be interesting to see how quickly it grows.

[Yvonne]

That's impressive that your husband is tackling adding the bathroom on himself. What a beautiful area to greet you each morning. Seems like you both picked the perfect place to stay awhile.

[Ken Schneider]

That was an unusual cold snap you just endured. Iguanas must have been dropping off the trees. We had one in Florida about 10 years ago. It killed many of the exotic fishes and even some native ones which were not adapted to the cold. Here at our new home in Connecticut It has been below freezing almost every day since before Christmas.

[A ShutterBug Explores]

Gorgeous sunrise and nature photos ~ love to see the 'green' ~ And great that you photographed the 'infrastructure' for new bath ~ also great hubby is a handy man Xo

Wishing you happiness in your days ~

A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

[SONDRA]

Hi Sallie, good on getting a new bath.. Im like you I know the burns are good in the long run but I always get worried about it getting out of control and it's ugly for a while. ITS still cold up here...Im ready for some warm up. Happy Week.

[Juliet (craftygreenpoet)]

A lovely sunrise and woodpecker! Fire is a natural part of a lot of landscapes and controlled burns are essential to prevent accidental fires that might get out of control, but gosh it looks so sad, doesn't it?

[Eileen]

Hello Sallie,
I love the pretty sunrise. Nice shot of the Red-bellied Woodpecker.
It is wonderful to have a hubby that can do such a project like a new bathroom. The burn area does look sad, I can see the reason for a control burn. Have a happy day and a great new week!

[Taken For Granted]

Sallie, thank you for your kind comments about my photos. We do have Cardinals around here. They mostly stay around here all winter showing they are hardy bird that can tolerate high winds and cold temperatures. You are lucky to be in Florida where it is sunny and warm. I enjoy seeing your photos from your walk, and your sunrise shots. Good luck on the construction project.

[Martha]

Hi Sallie! We sure did have some warm days last week but such dreary weather again this weekend (at least where I am). It's always a bit depressing to see the results of those burns even when we understand why and how it's all done. Beautiful sunrise from your dock! Have a fantastic week - oh and good luck on the new bathroom. Someone's going to be busy!