Blog
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April 18, 2014 – Where have I been for the last two weeks?????
I have been to visit the home that I was born and raised in – Upper left window is the room of my birth 78 years ago – 1 1/2 days. 
What didI see as I traveled – One horse trailer with a flat tire and 7 horses and 4colts!!! 
Went to visit my daughter and my ex-dog – you can see how mean she treats Dyna!!! 
They sure love each other!!! 
Heather, Dyna, Caroline and I hiked – saw folks celebration spring by doing a form of meditation along the hiking trail. 
We saw a sure sign of spring – Skunk Cabbage 
We visited my Brother on the farm – boy, does he keep it in good shape. 
We had dinner with my sister in a restored mansion own by one of the industrialist in the early 1900- Mellon, Rockefeller, Carnegie –one of them rich guys anyway!!! — Next day we left for the Equine Affair in Columbus Ohio — More on that next post — in a day or two! 
More photos of this great 2 weeks soon – return each day and see if I got them posted for you. OK? -
April 3, 2014 — Every photo has a story – OR – Every stories in my day is worth a photo – I try to save some of them with a photo.
The story is: Go chase your silly white ball somewhere else – this is my bank! 
The community has a luncheon for our neighbors who are cancer survivors – Here iis one of their messages. 
My club volunteers to photo document community events – This piper stands with the organizer of the cancer survivors luncheon – Story – not sure but they all had fun and seem to enjoy everyday – getting to make the piper smile was not easy but he actually laughed out loud right after this shot 
I won’t tell who they are but I had fun getting them to clown around – because of the clowning everyone was laughing! 
The story – ? try to see things in the clouds – they only last a second sometimes. I tried to catching him laughing – but the upper-level winds prevented that – they even destroyed his face right after this shot — but I will keep trying. 
Bye -
April 2, 2014 We all love an early morning — Don’t we? Oh well, look here and you got one anyway!!!
Fog almost gone by the time I got this shot 
First I looked east!!! 
The leaning tower of Pizza. It will ,one way-or-tother, match the angle of the house today — the landscapers told me that!!! 
Lookin in. 
Come sit a spell 
Bring on the dirty bottles — We got the brushes!!! 
We are home — just knock and we can sit a spell. 
Looking out from our sit-a-spell chair 
Let’s hide the utilities 
Typical Florida OUTBACK – There is a gator at my heels!!! 
I am ready for the horses — I’ve picked my seminars, thought about visiting with friends, food, shows!!! -
March 20, 2014 — March 21 update – I have added today’s animation — Yesterday I put my first animation on the bottom of the blog – Beautiful weather in Florida – Took my camera on my bike ride this morning – I have nature stories to tell you.
I think this is Green Heron – He/She just hopped around and posed for me. Practice some camera setting to get I think a nice photo in low light setting 
This turkey walked right into my shadow! Calling and calling for his women – but they did not listen to him – none came. I think that is because he was out flying around all night. He was getting the cold shoulder! 
TGO’s always faithful geyser – called Lake Judy Geyser 
we walk along looking for breakfast 
Today both baby owls have left the nest – the nest in the dead palm on the right – see one baby flew a short distance to palm on the left. 
Telephotoed in and looked at his face – think the flight exhausted him – seems to be sound asleep. 
Baby brother/sister sitting in pine tree very near by. 
But the flight the night before was not perfect for one of them – missed his landing on the nest and flew down to a nearby parking area in front of a public rest room – Think the missed landing scared the s…. out of him — needed the bath room real bad. Oops, that is the ladies room! 
Always like to stop and look at this old canal that I cross each morning. beautiful always in all kinds of weather. 
Hey, what is that chasing a fish! 
It is an Otter! 
My first attempt at animation– I got the how – now need better photos So that has been my morning on the bike in sunny Florida! Go out and about and seen what you can find in the outdoors send me photos via text or e-mail! -
March 16, 2014 — I truly hope you thought about reflections. Now say I — Just look for things of nature as you go out and about.
Look at the wing feathers – I think this guy likes having breakfast in bed — A neighbor told me this morning that Mom brings these guys about 3 squirrels per day!! Really, I only saw one this morning. 
You like this waterfall – I expected to see a salmon jumping but, alas this fall was not out in the wilds at all — It was at the shopping mall in Orlando, Fl 
I have nothing to say about this photo – except, i like it. Nature at it’s finest!!! Both real and reflected. 
Saturday night on my way to take garbage out! 
Sunday night – one half mile away – think it is a different one He was just out walking – I mean slivering in the water. 
Finally, in Florida wild hogs are all around and often dig up the golf course and some lawns as they search for food. They are some times trapped by the “authorities” and disappear – Often wondered where they go – Now I know — into the iCloud of course! 
Let’s all cheer! Miss Heather says the snow is melting and the dogs no longer can just walk over the fence and escape into the neighborhood! -
March 11, 2014 – The outdoors seen in The Great Outdoors Community
My chubby cheeks give me away – I took more then my share – hope those turkeys do not notice 
Hey Brother, you watch the North approach and I will watch the South. OK Sis! Hey, I think someone should clean our bathroom! 
Sometimes I am a silhouette. 
Sometimes, I reflect! 
Do not tread on me. – Not even near to me! – I am sleeping! 
Weed on water and cone in water. Spring is beginning here in Florida. 
If gobblers could talk: “Love is in the air – or at least on my mind.” 
It is not a full moon – but a cloud bank like this with a faint moon -( PhotoShopdid enlarge it a little) It deserves the title “WOW” 
Hiding squirrel – waiting for me to give him an open road to his feeding ground across the fence. 
On the bridge I see a turkey! 
Tom up close – but I chopped his legs off. Anyway, I was trying to show the iridescent color on his back. 
I wish for you to have a good bright day -
March 8, 2014 – Beautiful day in Florida – I went Owl hunting with my real camera today (not just iPhone camera)!
My owl hunting vehicles. 
Why do these humans come to watch me get awake in the morning. 
OK – I will pose for you. Even tho I am just a baby. See I can wink at you. 
Is this a better pose? 
Wait a few days and I will fly away – see my wings have feathers 
Mom runs around all night and now when I want to talk, she sleeps. 
She is always near by – still sleeping! Biking again. My son says he is having a heat wave in Conn. 17.5 degrees!!! -
March 6, 2014 – Please ride with me. A friend snapped this Great Horned Owl with a telephoto lens. See end of this blog for solution to yesterdays mystery.
On my bike trip I only have my cell phone camera – Here is what the owl baby looks like to the cell camera – The baby has not flown yet! But soon, I bet he will fly – I saw him stretch his wings the other day. 
I hid behind this life ring to take this shot – of Mr. Gator! 
Then, I got brave and stood in front of the ring. Mr. Gator is still hungry and I am still on this earth to blog you! 
Yesterday’s mystery – No they are not candy corn as some suggested, nor are they small peppers! They are by this plant called a Coontie – Native to this part of Florida. 
Looking closer – see these “pine cones” growing from the base of the plant – I think, from my reading, that this is the male plant. 
As the female pine cone seed pods are fertilized and mature, they look like this. 
When they are fully mature and “explode” the ground looks like this — Now you know what they are – they are Coontie seeds. Coontie’s have been here since the dinosaurs. They are called “fossil plants” in some material I read on the web. Not only do you need male and female cones for seed-making, you also need one specific weevil, the Pharaxonotha zamiae. The weevil first eats the starchy male cones and then moves on over to the females where fertilization takes place. Next the female cones swell, the seeds become a vibrant orange color, and eventually the cones split apart, that is, if the birds and squirrels do not get to them first. I sure learned a lot about Coontie in my research these last few days.
Maybe you can come along tomorrow! Hope so. -
March 5, 2014 See the tranquil start to my morning tour of the community on my bike.
Each trip into our back yard or around the community is a great show of nature — a show of The Great Outdoors we live in – Guess that is why they chose the name The Great Outdoors.
I will try to show you just a small portion of what I often see on a 45 minute ride around the community.
First a saw these three different breeds of bird sharing breakfast in a canal I cross each day. 
Then I saw Old Tom here telling the ladies to look at him – he says “I am not the 30 pound weakling you thought I was” But he’d did not weigh more just because he puffed up his showoff form!!! 
Oops – that was not on my bike ride??? 
We are very good citizens – we do not speed – I the sign says .15 miles per hour- I go .15 miles per hour (I think the dot in front of the 1 is just fly dirt! 
Same dot — same speed!!! 
Our club logo on the ball – did it go into the cup??? 
The bird tree is dead – but no one would cut it down – always filled with birds in the morning – some tiny – some larger 
Do you think it will be a smooth landing? It was not in my opinion!!! 
What is it??? 
Glad you flew along with me this morning.
