A Full-time Life

Saturday Special

 

We took yesterday off -- a rare thing on a weekend.    The weekend part is rare only because we usually choose to go places on weekdays,  leaving Saturday and Sunday for people who work the rest of the week  (as we used to once upon a time).  But the day off part (on any day of the week) is a little more rare this year than usual for reasons I've already mentioned probably too many times.  

 

Ann Olesky Park, Collier County Florida

So of course since this is Southwest Florida during the snowbird season, we were not alone in our getaway plans. September's devastating hurricane didn't seem to stop snowbirds from coming to this area for the warmer Winter.   Although we try to pretend otherwise after all these years of wintering here, we are  included in that number so we can't complain (too much).    Saturday traffic was seriously heavy and the lots at our original destinations, Corkscrew Sanctuary and CREW Environmental Area, were nearly full. 

     

 

We wanted to avoid the crowds, but we didn't give up.  First of all, we found wildlife along the canals on the way to Corkscrew.   After driving along that Canal we headed to Lake Trafford, another place where we always see birds.

 

 

The collage above shows how the area along the Canal near Corkscrew would appear to people in the cars that hurry by intent on getting to the "official" wildlife areas.  There are several spots along the road to pull off and the shoulders along the road are wide.  All it takes is a little time to look and focus and you will see wildlife.    Mostly birds, but also take a closer look at the top left photo above.   Or below:

 

 

Keeping a close eye on the passer-by (me),  our first alligator of this season was about six feet away as I walked along that shoulder.

 

Six feet away and about six feet long.

This is the closest I've ever accidentally come to an alligator (as far as I know anyway).   It was a  good reminder to look down as well as up.

Lake Trafford 

Ann Olesky Park on Lake Trafford was next on our itinerary and it was far less crowded.  The people who were there were mostly families fishing.  It was a beautiful day -- slightly overcast which made it perfect for walking and watching.    It was 70 to 75 degrees F, only a bit cooler than normal this month -- our cold spell seems to be over.  And of course that last sentence goes far to explain  why there are so many people here this time of year. 

  

 

Lake Trafford is more noted as a fishing place than a birding destination and the people we see there always seem to be locals.  And we always see birds.  Not as many this time as we have seen, but enough to make me happy!

 

 

Though we'll try to make the next outing on a less popular day of the week, we were happy with our Saturday.  We saw some good birds (and other interesting creatures).  And we were grateful just to be relaxing outdoors on a beautiful day.   It was a good one.

 

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; WILD BIRD Wednesday; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   SATURDAY CRITTERS   and  RATHER B' BIRDING

Rebuilding -- in nature and at home

 

We stayed close to home last week because we're busy rebuilding our own nest.  But one day we  stopped to visit our Eagle neighbors at theirs.  (We were on the way to the big-box home improvement store, as nobody will be surprised to hear.) 

 

Hurricane Ian completely wiped out their nest but the intrepid pair returned safe and sound, rebuilt in the same tree, and continued on with their lives.  A hopeful metaphor for the Fort Myers area, as the billboard above indicates.   Their two chicks hatched the first week of the year, on January 4 and 7 and seem to be  doing well.   

 

The top picture in this mosaic with the black border is this year's nest -- the lower two are from January 2022 -- a year ago and before the hurricane.

It was a lucky break last year to be there when Harriet (or maybe her partner) popped their head out of the nest -- most of the time one parent will be away hunting for the next meal and the other will be tending the hatchlings down in the nest bowl.  

 The new nest is much smaller  -- the pair will continue to add to it when they can this year and hopefully in years following.  The one that blew down was huge, the product of sixteen years of remodeling and adding on.  Harriet and Ozzie, her original partner, built that one in 2006.   

 

 

Here are pictures of the Eagle pasture on a cold but sunny day.   The people (strangers to us) are two of several photographers who spend hours waiting for eagle action and the perfect picture.    Nothing much was visible while we were there  -- and it really was cold (for here, I know).    At this stage of the eagle's lives,  no matter what the temperature is outside, it's really better to watch the action on the Eagle webcams because they can see down into the nest.     (Link)

 

The pasture is home to other creatures as well as the Eagle pair.   The horse greeted that photographer like an old friend, as I'm sure he is by now.  (This is the first time I've seen horses with blankets here in  usually subtropical Southwest Florida.  (Did I mention  cold? ) 

And finally, here are a couple of pictures taken earlier this month from our back porch:

 

 

 January 6 full moon (Wolf Moon)

 

The moon rises early here now -- about 6:30, so even early to bed people can get a few pictures.  I always like how it seems to be peeking through the tropical plants.  The next picture is an absolutely terrible one -- the product of  a shaky-handed photographer in too much of a hurry:

 

 

But as I started to push delete (as I do with about half of the pictures I take) I was struck by the accidental shape. I know people who collect  hearts in nature and I've found rocks and leaves and shells myself without really trying too hard.  But this is the first time I've added a heart-shaped moon.   

Here's wishing everyone a continued joyful New Year full of growth and love.   

Thank you to the hosts of the following sharing opportunities, where I'm linking this week:

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; WILD BIRD Wednesday; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS and RATHER B' BIRDING  

All About the Birds

All about the birds today -- and our get-away to go see them.   We actually took a few days off from our restoration work at the end of last month.    It was a lovely time, made even lovelier because it had turned cold (for here) and heat on chilly mornings comes from the same presently non-existent source as air conditioning on hot days.  (We lost our heat pump/air conditioner and all the duct work as well as under the floor insulation because of  Hurricane Ian. ) 

 

Brown Pelican -- Chokoloskee Bay, Everglades  

 

We went to the Everglades/Big Cypress where it was beautiful and as birdy as ever  ... and the camper van was snug and warm whether we were driving or camping.  It was a wonderful birding trip.    If anything, we spotted even more than usual for this time of year.  Apparently the hurricane didn't  affect the birds much.  (That's an entirely unscientific observation -- I hope it is correct.)

 

Big Cypress National Preserve

The sign is a sign of good things happening.   The National Park Service is currently in the process of restoring many acres of land.    They are turning the Everglades back into the river of grass it is meant to be.  And the wetlands the restoration creates are definitely for the birds.   And birders.   

The other pictures in the mosaic really only go a little way toward showing the sheer number  of birds we could see all at once. 

 

Snowy Egret (yellow slippers)

I tried  several times to count but kept losing track.     It was more fun to try for pictures of the individual birds, although sometimes it was hard to focus because there were so many places to look.

 

?

Everyone will understand why I related to  the following from the National Park Service facebook page:

 

Me: “I’m an expert at identifying birds.”

Friend: “OK, what about those ones flying over there?”

Me: “Yep, they're all birds.

 

Whoever does the NPS page has a great sense of humor, but provides good (serious) information too.   The page is well worth checking out often.   Here's a link:  National Park Service

 

 

So yes, as usual IDs were not easy for me.    But whether I know their names or not, observing the birds is the important thing.  The wildlife, the water, the nature -- that's really why we keep coming to Florida.   

 

Tri-Colored Heron ? Night Heron?

 

 White Ibis

Playing a game of peek-a-boo maybe?

 

Great Blue Heron 

It didn't matter whether you looked in the marshes, in the water, or up in the Cypress trees, birds were everywhere.

 

?

We stayed at Midway Campground in Everglades National Park but most of the birds we saw were on loop roads in Big Cypress National Preserve -- the two Parks adjoin.  

 

Little Blue Heron

We enjoyed our little break from reality.    Our cottage and our snowbird neighborhood are almost back to normal (pre-Ian).  But it's still a bit of a construction zone around here so we are reminded daily of the damages that storm caused.  But it was not nearly as bad for us as for much of the Fort Myers area. 

We drove a different route on our way home coming back along along the recently reopened road through Fort Myers Beach, the area that was most devastated.  So very sad still.   A full three months after the storm there is very little recognizable about this seaside town.    

 

Wood Stork

 

It was quite a contrast -- from the  beauty of the Everglades area which seemed unchanged to the beach which may never be the same.   We were glad to get away from it all but glad to be home too especially with the reminder of how fortunate we really were.  

 

LINKING this week to the following:  Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; WILD BIRD Wednesday;  SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  SATURDAY CRITTERS   and  RATHER B' BIRDING

 

 

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!

 

 

 

 

Our Canal Cottage update

Just one pretty picture from the road before we get down to business:

 

Most of the time this blog is my happy place and I don't have to work hard at all to find the joy.    There's lots of blog-worthy life going on.  And a review of past posts is always a good reminder to practice gratitude. But of course the blog also serves a second purpose as a journal of our "Full-Time Life."  And today, that journal needs to record more about Hurricane Ian and the effect it had on the RV resort where we have our winter home.  (As a review, the Category 4 hurricane happened here in Florida in late September when we were at home in Oregon.  Water in our Canal surged several feet above the sea-wall and caused much damage.)

The picture above is the view we had from our porch on November 20, the day we arrived back at Upriver.  That's what's left of the two houses directly across the Canal from ours. The yellow one is probably going to be removed also.

So yes, we are in our winter home now and doing fine.  But many of our neighbors along our Canal were not so fortunate.  Almost all the damage in our neighborhood was  from the water surge rather than wind.  Here in Florida, most homes do not carry water damage insurance.  About a third of the homes along the Canal were total losses, including our dear next-door neighbor's home.  

Ruined park model next door to us -- You can see the roof line of ours through the arm of the excavator.

Below is the now-empty lot right next door to us.  The yellow house (next door but one to us)will be renovated but is now completely stripped to the studs because it had water damage inside.  

 

 

Our house sits higher off the ground than either of these did -- we had water damage underneath (in the storage area/crawl space)  but nothing inside.    I wrote last week about all the work our newly-retired son Geoff did for us when he came from Colorado before we were able to get here.  Below is the first picture he sent  when he arrived, only a few days after the mandatory evacuation order had been lifted:  

 

Like most winter-residents, we put  hurricane shutters on all the windows when we leave Florida every year and then take them down when we get here for the season.  They  served their purpose this time.

Most of that debris on our side yard  washed in from elsewhere.  But the surge also soaked our under-the-house  insulation,  ruined a lot of stored items from our own "basement", and (most expensively) ruined the air-conditioner and its duct-work .  Thanks to Geoff all of the debris was gone by the time we got here.  Bill is doing a lot of the work  on  renovation of the damage himself.   He is replacing plumbing drains, fastening water lines and wiring because most were knocked loose, and eventually will need to replace all the skirting.  We will have to have all the insulation replaced as well as the ducting and the air-conditioner itself.  

    (Old snapshots of inside -- all the same today except for no fresh flowers right now)

Because the crawl space got opened up and all of the wet insulation pulled out, there was no damage inside our "Canal Cottage" -- it is the same as ever.  The floors need a good scrubbing by now and the windows need to be washed, but I don't think I can get away with blaming Ian entirely for that.  

Old (better) times on the Canal   (about ten years ago)

So "we" have a lot of work to do, a whole lot to be grateful for, and much to look forward to.    We will return to the usual blog programming soon! 

  #

LINKS:   THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; and SKYWATCH FRIDAY

 

It's good to be back again ...

.... both  at the Canal Cottage in real life and posting all about it here  in blogland. 

Our calm and peaceful Oregon backyard, early October

(around the time we were learning about the hurricane damage to our winter home in Florida)  

Thank you to everybody who reached out with good wishes as we found out about  the mess that Hurricane Ian left behind here in SW Florida.  The rest of the pictures today are postcards I could have sent  while we were on our  cross-country roadtrip to get here.

Mt. Shasta California 

There were so many trucks on the road -- it is hard to believe there's a shortage of anything anywhere!  

 

Sidewinder Grade -- Just past Oatman Arizona on Route 66

That's our car/camper in the background

Because of the hurricane, we left Oregon about a month before we'd originally planned and we drove and camped across the country in our Roadtrek van.     

 

Oatman Arizona -- wild burros come into town a couple of times a day to be fed and admired.

(Here's one of many reference sites for more information).

It was even more fun to spot the donkeys who chose to stay up in the hills:

We've never enjoyed drive-till-you-drop road trips.  We do enjoy the journey, even when we're anxious to reach our destination.    

Just a few people, some of whom you might recognize, doing what you do in Winslow Arizona.

(More information here  -- and many other places)

We drove 3,775 miles in just over three weeks.  Because there had already been a snowstorm in Colorado, we sadly missed visiting our family there.  We especially missed thanking them in person, because our son was able to spend some time at  the Canal Cottage as soon as people were allowed back into our neighborhood after the mandatory evacuation (well before we even left Oregon).    He did a lot of the necessary cleanup and hard preliminary work  to save our house from most mold and water damage.   We are beyond grateful.  (I'll share some more information and  pictures  in a later post.) 

 

 

Window Shot -- the roads were mostly flat -- the scenery sometimes more interesting.

Instead of  our preferred route through the mountain west, we took the flatter route -- from our Oregon home, we stayed at least overnight in California, Arizona, New Mexico, a small portion of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and home to Florida.   

 

Sunset from our campsite somewhere along the way. 

This is one reason why we like a camping road trip.-- you seldom see sunsets  from a freeway motel room.

We are in our winter home now and doing fine, although it will still take a little while and a lot of work to whip the Canal Cottage back into the shape it was in before the hurricane.   Many people were not as fortunate -- we count our blessings.     

 

Linking (with thanks) to the following:

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  and SATURDAY CRITTERS  

In-between

 

We can't quite decide here in Eugene whether it is Autumn or late Summer.   

 

Stella de Oro Daylily

Colorful flowers are still blooming in the neighborhood ...

 

But the squirrels are busy gathering as many acorns as they can.

 

Skies are smoky some days ...

 

And bright blue on others.

 

 It's a beautiful time to be in Eugene and we're always grateful to be here, and especially this year.   But we are personally feeling very in-between seasons too.  It's hard to enjoy beautiful Eugene when we're worried about our winter home in storm-damaged Fort Myers.

So we're thinking we'll spend a shorter time here this year than we'd originally planned.  We know there will  be  lots of work to do at the Canal Cottage.   And oh so much in the area that we will miss.  The pictures in the Mosaic below are memories of   happier years at Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island and  Six Mile Cypress Slough.  Both are among the many nature areas that are closed because of hurricane damage.    

 We remain hopeful -- and, no matter what,  grateful for the memories.

 

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to the hosts.

 

 MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  and SATURDAY CRITTERS    

 

 

  

Meanwhile in Oregon ...

Here at home in Oregon, the sun is shining, temperatures are still late summer-like and flowers are still blooming.  

But my head has been in Florida thinking about the after-effects of Hurricane Ian.    

So many people in the Fort Myers area where our winter home is lost everything.   We are incredibly fortunate that our winter home is still standing and did not sustain wind or water damage inside. 

We know this now because our son, who lives in Colorado, was able to drive to Fort Myers to assess the damage, take pictures,  and do the awful job of outside cleanup.   We are so grateful.   

 

So Geoff is camping out in our Florida house -- there is no electricity but the water has been turned back on (with boil drinking water warnings).   No air conditioner either and in Florida this time of year that really is a necessity.   I am sure  he is not sleeping very well.

The hurricane left all manner of debris  around the cottage (and the whole neighborhood).   Some of that is from the storage area under the house (basement crawl space) but much of it is from other places  -- it could have blown in from other houses in the resort or the Canal could have washed it in from who knows where.  It's very sad -- and a lot of cleanup work.    

 

Nobody who lives in our resort was injured, not  even the people who are permanent residents. But there was a lot of damage from the terrible winds and from water surge from the Canal and River.  Our next door neighbor's home was just about totaled,  They will not be returning and we will miss them.     We do still plan to return later -- but it won't be the same.     

 

 

Meanwhile though, as we plan for our return to a changed Florida, we continue to enjoy this  beautiful Pacific Northwest Autumn.  And we never forget to be grateful.

 

 

The Dahlias are from a garden at our Lane County (Oregon) Fairgrounds.   When we stopped to take pictures I talked to a garden-club volunteer who was cutting flowers.  She told me that September was their prime blooming month and that I should put the Club's annual Dahlia Show on my calendar for next year.  I will try to remember.

Blue Sky - Oregon October

 

Linking this week to the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to the hosts:

 NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  and FRIDAY  BLISS 

What happened last month?

Happy October!

Oregon October 2022

 What in the world happened to September?      I missed a couple of weeks here in blog land for no particular reason --  we were busy with appointments and family.  And we read books and watched TV and ate good meals and went for walks in places that I've already blogged about a million times.   So not-exactly-boring....just nothing much that seemed blog worthy.  And then of course there was this past week ...

Please note:  (This may be a confusing post because the pictures are all from last week here in Oregon, even though all the rest of the words are about Florida.)  

Oregon -- October 2022

We spent a lot of time last week watching Hurricane Ian destroy much of the area where our winter home is located.    I prefer not-exactly-boring any time.    Our winter home is all the way across the country but we mostly watched local Fort Myers TV while sitting here in our Oregon living room.  It gave us a slightly better picture than national news.

 

McDowell Park, Linn County Oregon October 1,  2022

We have been notified that our Florida Canal Cottage is still standing, but don't really have detailed news about its condition yet.  The problem will probably be  storm surge damage (water, mold etc.).   There is still no electricity or water for the houses along the canal.  Neighbors who live in our resort year-round were under evacuation orders and have been told not to return yet.  (The majority of the residents are snow-birds like us.)  

 

Majestic Falls, McDowell Park

No matter what we learn, we are  fortunate to be where we are (and to have another place  -- out of  the hurricane zone -- to call home).  As everyone knows by now, many people in the Fort Myers area were not so lucky.   

Majestic Falls

Many homes and businesses in Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach were destroyed.   The beach front as we knew it   is pretty much gone.  Two of our favorite places to visit when we're living in Florida, Sanibel Island and Matlacha on Pine Island, have also suffered devastating damage.  From what we've seen, it is hard to imagine  exactly how they will ever be the same. 

McDowell Park

So right now it's a waiting game.  Waiting to hear from Florida, waiting to see when we will go back to Florida, waiting to see what the damages are, waiting to see what we can or should do about it all.  But while we're waiting we are here and safe and Autumn is a beautiful season here in Oregon.  

 

 

 

 

End of September Eugene Oregon 2022  

 However, right now at the beginning of October it still feels like late summer here in Eugene.  It hasn't been cold enough to add much color and in fact most trees in our neighborhood are still fully-leaved and green.   No doubt  we'll  still be here to get pictures when they turn.  

 

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to the hosts:

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  and FRIDAY  BLISS   

Ankeny Wildlife Refuge

We have been under a smoke advisory  here in our part of the Valley and by Friday I had reached the point where I just needed to get outside.    The smoky  conditions here are because of the Cedar Creek wildfire which is burning east of us.  Oakridge, a town in our county about 45 miles away has been evacuated and the highway to it is closed.   

Hoping to get out from under the smoke, we headed to the Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge around 55 miles   North of us.  

 

     

We are not in  danger here in Eugene and staying indoors because of the smoke drift is a small sacrifice, but it did  really feel  good to see some blue sky.

 

Pintail Marsh

And seeing wildlife is always a bonus.     We stopped to walk around at the  Pintail Marsh Trail and overlook.  

 

There were lots of birds, but they were pretty far away from shore.   It was also hot and quite windy.  It's not good to even think about wind during fire season.   

 

 

In fact, there were windy conditions here at home also and the day after our drive, utility companies in our county shut down power in rural areas as a safety precaution.  

 

 When we left the wildlife refuge, we drove to the village of Buena Vista where we took this small ferry a distance of 720 feet across the Willamette River.    Ferry service has existed here since 1852.  Back then this connection provided  settlers a much easier way to cross the river.    Nowadays, there are other ways to get from Marion to Polk County, with not too much more effort.  But for the $3.00 crossing fee, this electrically-operated modern version was much more fun than driving.  

 

We watched this Osprey nest while we waited for the ferry to cross back to where we were the first (and only) car in line to board.  Actually, I barely had time to get out of the car and snap a couple of pictures.   

 

LINKING this week to the following, with thanks to the hosts:

THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  and SATURDAY CRITTERS