A Full-time Life: Christmas

Christmas Memories

We're making a different kind of memories this Christmas Season here at the Canal Cottage -- not necessarily photo-worthy ones, but certainly days we will remember!

Meanwhile, here are some memories from the not-too-distant past -- Holiday getaways from other Christmases spent in Florida.

Christmas, at least by our advanced age, is surely the most nostalgic time of the year. Our photo albums at home in Oregon are filled with older Christmas memories. (In the days when snapshots were more carefully rationed because the film had to be developed, family Holidays were when everybody's camera came out.) Although I never actually get around to it, every year I think about scanning those old pictures and making a real Christmas memory post (it would be very long!).

I hope everybody is staying warm, cozy, and well during this crazy winter storm season. We have had cooler than normal temperatures for here in SW Florida -- and that is actually a very good thing for us. It's better working weather and perfect without needing an air-conditioner.

The Christmas pictures are from a trip a few years ago to Mt Dora -- a sweet town in Central Florida that really goes all out on decorations. Pictures in the collage below are from a New Year's Holiday spent at the beach. Sadly, the resort where we stayed that year is gone because of the hurricane. Many of our favorite places are reopening though and we hope and expect that we'll get caught up enough to visit some of them later this season.

Comments on this post are closed for the Holidays.

and for catch-up time

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Posted at 11:36 AM in Christmas | Permalink | Comments (0)

OUR DECEMBER IN FLORIDA

This is a collection of our December activities, not including the un-photographed ones involved in getting the Canal Cottage livable again (we arrived here on the 5th of the month) and not necessarily in order.

Anastasia State Park, St Augustine

The beach was lovely, but chilly -- that warning flag was blowing like crazy.

Ollie's Pond, Port Charlotte

It looked like the Black-bellied whistling ducks were admiring the beautiful pink spoonbill who had somehow appeared in their midst. The whole walk around the pond, we saw only the one Roseate Spoonbill. And dozens of the ducks.

Holiday sparkle in St Augustine. The whole city was beautifully decorated, but all in sparkly white lights which didn't photograph too well (by me at least). The colored ornaments were in a restaurant.... the palmettos outside the window added a definite Florida touch!

Peace River Wildlife Center

We visited the Wildlife Rehab Center in Punta Gorda on our way back from Port Charlotte, but the Great Egret was wild and could have been photographed anywhere. It makes me smile when we see wild birds in rehabilitation places. I always wonder if they are there to visit friends.

Ollie's Pond

A few more of the whistling ducks, a ground dove, white ibis -- and I think the bird hiding in the reeds is a common gallinule. We dashed up the freeway to Port Charlotte early in the month because the kind of sunglasses I needed were on sale there. Somehow, I lost mine between Oregon and here (unless they are still on the table in our Oregon apartment ... it was zero dark thirty when we left there!!)

We had a lot to do at home at that point, so I was surprised and more than happy when Bill (the person who did not lose his sunglasses) suggested a couple of bird-y stops on our way home -- and I'm happy to have good sunglasses too, needless to say.

Upriver Sky

We've had some rain and cool-ish days, but there is sun in between -- and warmth. (And even cool-ish isn't really very).

New Year's Eve Sparkle, downtown Fort Myers

With our good boating buddies from the resort, we spent three nights at the Fort Myers Yacht Basin (the city marina). A good time was had by all.

December is always a busy month for us -- as it is for just about everybody. Nowadays, it's a different kind of busy than it was over half-a-century ago when we played Santa -- or even thirty years ago more or less when we hosted Santa-believing grandchildren (and their parents, and aunts and uncles) for part of their holidays. We're thankful for all of those good memories, but also more than grateful to be here to enjoy this stage of life.