It is not so much the destination as the journey itself that matters.
Welcome to the second version of our FullTime Life. We’re still making memories and still blogging about them.
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Here are two more memory pages to click on: Blog history. And a smidgen of our real-life retirement journey .
Blue sky days have been rare the last couple of weeks, but on one pretty morning I saw some interesting wild-flowers in the wetlands across the street. They were the tallest flowering plants I think I’ve ever seen. I zoomed in on the flowers. It’s easier to walk closer to the wetlands after the winter season because the RV lots along that side of the street are vacant.
I’m marginally better with bird ID than with wildflowers — keep meaning to install that app. I think the two ducks below are Lesser Scaups.
The Scaups were swimming on Merritt Island Parkway last month. We have been sticking closer to home this month. It’s a busy time for us and the weather is iffy anyway. The wet/rainy season is here and at the same time most days are very hot and humid. Weather is different here. The skies in the picture below are a good sample of what we’ve seen most days lately.
It’s going to pour down any minute now!
You really don’t want to be outside in a Florida rainstorm. It comes down in walls and buckets and this time of year it comes with thunder and lightning. And even though this is our umpteenth season here, I never get used to the other thing about Florida rain. Which is that it can come down in those buckets and with all that noise for an hour or two and then suddenly just stop completely. Then the sun comes out and you can’t even tell it rained. The picture below is the calm after the storm. It is taken from the end of the canal.
After the Rain
There are a few people who live here year-round, but most are snowbirds who head to their home “up north” by April. The snowbird season is typically November through March. We’re snowbirds too of course, but we come later and stay later than most. Autumn is beautiful where we live in Oregon so we love being there then. Late Spring is beautiful there too but grass-seed is a major crop and so it is also a hay-fever magnet. We are thankful to skip allergy season as long as we can.
Below is another memory from last month. The osprey didn’t seem to be impressed by the roseate spoonbill coming in for a perfect landing.
“When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.”
Chief Tecumseh
LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities, with thanks to the hosts:
SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY; THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; and THANKFUL THURSDAY
Happy June! An old superstition claims that if your first words on the first day of the month are 'Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit' you are guaranteed good luck for the next thirty days. I don't think Bill was too impressed when I mumbled them early this morning, but he did return the greeting a little while later — so I think we're good to go. (As long as I remember to avoid black cats and ladders and all those other superstitions I also don't really believe.)
This lucky bunny was snacking on grass growing on the canal walls — he hopped past while we were relaxing on our covered porch (called a Lanai here in Florida) enjoying the relatively cool evening temperatures. Our breeze comes from the wall on the Canal side which is screened with one sliding window that opens to the outside. But the grass and the rabbit were on the other end, so the picture is through the glass windbreak wall on that end. I'm grateful to have this outdoor living area, especially on these long evenings.
Unexpected wildlife is a nice bonus. Here's another close to home sighting:
Coming back from a short evening stroll last week I spied these two Yellow-Crowned Night Herons patrolling the walk just across the Canal from our house. We do see more birds in our neighborhood this time of year because most of the people are gone.
We had a close wildlife encounter of another kind when we were away last month:
Why did the turtle cross the road? Because he had help from a gallant rescuer. Cars were backed up both ways along Merritt Parkway waiting for this turtle and the poor thing couldn't quite make up its mind whether to proceed or go back. So Bill just jumped out of ours and very gently assisted it into the grassy verge along the beach. He got thumbs up and smiles from quite a few drivers. There were no angry honks at all. Sometimes faith in humanity is restored in unexpected ways.
Enjoy the Month — and Good Luck!
LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to the hosts and for all visitors and comments.
NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY; THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY and SATURDAY CRITTERS;
More bird sightings from our trip earlier this month. But first a picture taken this week much closer to the Canal Cottage :
Royal Poinciana trees are in full bloom all over the area. This one is in the swamp across the street from us. It's very hot here right now and this bright and showy tree contributes to the tropical ambience. A common name for this beauty is Flamboyant Tree which I think fits well.
And now back to our trip to the wetlands.
We spotted this adult Sandhill Crane with two juveniles as we started our second day's walk at Orlando Wetlands. It's always a bit startling to see how big these birds are.
It was definitely family day at the park, because I spotted the tribe below almost as soon as we stepped onto the boardwalk.
Common Gallinules are not a rare bird, but they can be hard to spot because they nest and hide in the reeds and vegetation at the water's edge. This pair obligingly took their family out for a morning swim just as we arrived.
The babies were so cute — it was hard to stop taking pictures.
But soon they made it easy for me to move on as they headed back to their hidden home:
Bill got a bit tired of watching baby gallinules and had gone ahead a little way. When I caught up, he pointed out some birds I might have missed.
The Great Blue Heron above and the Little Blue below were waiting patiently, but not for me. Instead, like all Heron species, they were biding their time watching for the perfect meal to swim past. I took advantage of their stillness.
Our trip was exactly what we needed and the Canal Cottage was nice to come back to. It's summer here for sure now, beautiful early mornings and long evenings but hibernation time during the heat of the day. Here are one day's skies, morning and evening:
LINKING to the following sharing opportunities: Thank you to everyone.
NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY; THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;
WILD BIRD Wednesday; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY and SATURDAY CRITTERS;
We took a little mid-week getaway trip last week, staying in Titusville on what's known as Florida's Space Coast. But we went to see the birds, not the rockets. We spent most of two days walking in the Orlando Wetlands near the strangely named village of Christmas.
Making angel wings!
Bowls of Roseate Spoonbills were everywhere. (That really is the collective noun for groups of Spoonbills.) I'm happy any time I even glimpse those beautiful pink wings. On this trip they gave us more than glimpses.
Great Blue Heron and habitat scenery, Orlando Wetlands
"In the midst of chaos, find peace. In the midst of sorrow, find joy. In the midst of loss, find hope.”
Margaret Renkl, “Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss"
Roseate Spoonbill
Usually we see spoonbills foraging in shallow water. They use that bill to sweep the water stirring little fishes and insects up from the bottom. So that bill (more spatula-shaped than spoon in my opinion) is a necessary survival feature, but it really isn't exactly what makes them so photogenic. On this day they must have already eaten because all we saw were perched up above the water. All the better to show off their color and wingspread.
A whole bowl of Spoonbills
This was an accidental flight-shot, but I'm rather proud of it anyway. I'm usually too slow on the button to catch that action.
Foraging Roseate Spoonbill (from an old post)
We saw other birds on our two days of walking the Wetlands and again on our Merritt Island drive-through on our way home, but they need their own future post. These beauties somehow almost took over this one.
Spending time in nature is a path toward calm and peace. I'm grateful we were able to go there.
Thanks to everyone for your support. I'm Linking to the following sharing opportunities, with thanks to the hosts:
SATURDAY CRITTERS; NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY; THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; WILD BIRD Wednesday; THANKFUL THURSDAY; and SKYWATCH FRIDAY
Thank you for the kind thoughts on my last post. They helped and continue to do so. I wrote that very personal post during the weeks we were in Oregon and first thought I was writing just for the two of us and maybe family. (I don't keep a journal and really the blog has become the only writing format that feels comfortable.) When we returned to our Canal Cottage, I realized I'd never be able to blog again if I didn't share that post first. I really had meant to close off comments, but I forgot to click that button and now I am glad I did. Good thoughts and especially the empathy really do help.
I am working to collect small moments of joy — really always possible to find and becoming easier day by day. I haven't stopped taking pictures and they remind me of those moments. I've also been reading and collecting wisdom. Because my attention span is short these days, it is mostly in the form of appropriate quotations. Those help too.
In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on.
Robert Frost
Grief starts to become indulgent, and it doesn't serve anyone, and it's painful. But if you transform it into remembrance, then you're magnifying the person you lost and also giving something of that person to other people, so they can experience something of that person. Patti Smith
Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.
Joseph Campbell
We were surprised one morning to see wild turkeys strutting their stuff right in front of our Oregon balcony — a decidedly non-wild urban area. They are certainly adaptable birds.
I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. Wendell Berry
The walls we build around us to keep sadness out also keep out the joy
Jim Rohn
Thank you for visiting and thank you to the hosts of these sharing opportunities:
NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY and SATURDAY CRITTERS;
Our brave, bright, beautiful daughter died unexpectedly last week. She was 65.
Her spirit will live on through her loved and loving husband, three children and their spouses, six grandchildren, her brothers, and her parents.
We are here in Oregon sharing hugs and tears and memories and gratitude with our dear son-in-law and grandchildren.
As the only daughter in a busy family with four children, Cyndi was a force of nature, seemingly born to manage and mother her brothers, cousins, and often half the neighborhood children. She was a water baby who loved swimming, enjoyed hiking and skiing, was an honor roll student, and editor of the school yearbook. She worked several different after-school and summer jobs and her favorite ones somehow always seemed to involve working with small children. Her decision to study Early Childhood Education after graduation was almost a foregone conclusion.
Cyndi met her future husband while working one of those after-school jobs. She and Jeff were partners in life and often in business as well for over 40 years. They took classes, worked in their two businesses, raised three amazing, adventurous and resilient children and, in the course of time, were active and loving grandparents. She was a mother figure to the many toddlers who came to the Day Care that they owned while their own children were young. They were also dedicated foster parents to a number of children and later Cyndi served for several years as a teaching assistant in the public school system, working closely with special needs children.
All of these accomplishments and more took place while she also dealt with the devastating up and down nature of MS, the chronic disease with which she lived for over 30 years. She did not let her illness define her, always bounced back from the down times and lived life with joy. For much of that time she made it possible for us to forget how hard she worked to stay well. Only in the last couple of years did pain and exhaustion begin to overcome her resistance.
She enjoyed the Oregon Coast, walks around the Lake near their home, some travel, even riding a motorcycle in earlier years. Best of all, she loved her family life and raising her children in the country where she drove a wicked tractor over the back acreage! She loved “playing” in their yard, was especially fond of spring flowers and wild birds.
She loved being a grandmother. She delighted in reading to her grands, teaching, playing, and just watching them grow, especially as they played in their grandma and grandpas big backyard out there in the country.
Our broken hearts will eventually heal but with lasting scars. We will keep the good memories and remember that she is now free of pain.
(this photo by Geoff Rainville, Cyndi's brother)
We have always loved her and we have always been proud of her and we always will be. We are blessed to have been her parents.
Not speaking metaphorically (at least not here on this blog) – only about the great outdoors. Specifically, several of our favorite nearby places to walk. They call them swamps or sloughs or just nature preserves around here, but they are about as close to a jungle as I'll ever get.
It's beautiful and quiet out there, but it can seem a little closed in — almost claustrophobic, especially to anyone used to wide open spaces.
But then you come to a clearing where the beautiful blue sky magically appears. Bright and clear, even when you look down.
And there are birds .. everywhere if you pay attention:
Look up:
There's a Florida Wood Stork looking like the King of the Hill!
Look Across:
Spot something bright red through all the greenery … It's a Red-Bellied Woodpecker finding a meal in an almost fallen tree.
Look Down:
A Green Heron patiently waits for dinner to swim by
Once in a great while, I'm even able to identify some of the plant life:
These are Resurrection Ferns — the top row looking their best (from April last year) and in the second row unresurrected in February this year. But they will come back — fittingly, right around Easter Time.
Yes, our Jungles are full of life and beauty when you look for it.
Tri-Colored Heron, Six Mile
Anhinga, Loop Road, Big Cypress
Limpkin, Six Mile
And of course if you're walking in the jungle, you better be looking down for your own safety, eek:
This is a Cotton Mouth, one of Florida's poisonous snakes. (We were actually on a Board Walk well above this sleeping creature. ) Too bad about the branch spoiling a perfect shot, but we certainly weren't about to move it.
One more picture to end on a pretty note. At first glance, Limpkins are an unassuming brown bird, but this close-up shot I think shows that they're quite handsome with their interesting feather pattern.
I'm grateful to have there are quite a few places near us conserving nature and animal life. I hope the work continues.
Linking to the following sharing opportunities, with thanks to the hosts:
NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY; THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY and SATURDAY CRITTERS;
Ah Spring! That time of year when it's apparent we aren't in Oregon any more! There's really not a lot to mark the change from winter here in the subtropics. So I'm celebrating the season with golden memories. And adding a few photos I managed to recover from the end of our season in Oregon. Actually that was last December, so I guess every photo in this post is an oldie…. golden or otherwise.
Oregon daffodils, 2021
Farmers grow a lot of grass seed in our part of Oregon. We don't miss the Spring sneezes and wheezes that come with the start of grass season. But I do miss my favorite Spring flowers. We see some beautiful blooms here in Florida of course, but they tend to be more flamboyant and just not quite the same.
In the following photos we were still in Oregon, but not quite so long ago. These photos from last December were still on the camera when we downloaded it here last month. We went on a day-trip to Florence on the Oregon Coast. About 60 miles from our Oregon home, this charming coastal town is a favorite getaway.
Siuslaw River Bridge, Florence December 2024
It was a gorgeous day — actually fairly typical of December in our part of Oregon. We had a few chilly days before we left, but mostly blue skies and mild weather. The icy days came in January after we left (not by coincidence). That actually is typical weather for the region, although it definitely seems like the January ice and winds have gotten more severe in the last few years. We count our blessings when we miss out on those days.
Hooded Merganser, Siuslaw River, Florence Oregon
During this December day trip, we did check to make sure the Pacific Ocean was still there, knowing we wouldn't see it again for a few months. However, the pictures are from the coastal Siuslaw River where we always stop to walk when we go to Florence.
It was exciting to see several Hooded Mergansers enjoying the sunny day. I've never before seen that many of them in one place. They were swimming quite near the shore and were fun to watch.
Oregon family photo, December 2024
These two live with our daughter and son-in-law. It never fails to amaze me the way their pets always get along so well. And here's another golden oldie from the same household:
Literally a 'Golden Oldie' since we always called this tree a Golden Chain and the photo was taken quite a few years ago. Sadly, it's a memorial picture now because our daughter told us that one of those recent winter windstorms completely uprooted it — the golden chain is no more. When I posted this exact picture years ago, I learned from fellow bloggers that the tree's official name is Laburnum. Blogging is an educational experience — I appreciate all the help I can get.
Just a bit more color for my virtual memory scrapbook:
Yellow flowers always seem like little spots of sunshine.
Here's to more golden spring days ahead. Thank you to all who visit and to the hosts of these sharing opportunities:
NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY; THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY and SATURDAY CRITTERS;
In our real (full-time) life we're back again at the Florida Canal Cottage. And back in blogland after too long an unexplained absence. I've always hated it when bloggers I follow disappear without a trace and I really wish I hadn't done the same exact thing. This post is my attempt to catch up a little bit. All pictures the are from the current season here in Florida. But not all the words.
I've missed blogging, but it has been hard to get started again. We've been busy since the last time I posted at the end of October, but honestly the real reason I haven't posted has more to do with the disastrous result of November's election. I've always thought of the blog as my "happy place" — where good memories are stored. Although I don't dwell on the state of the world every moment while we're living our lives, whenever I thought about putting a post together for the blog, it somehow seemed shallow to be chronicling only happy times when our whole country honestly seems to be falling apart.
Black-Crowned Night Heron at Ding Darling
He looks cranky, but I think its just because of the photographer and not because of the state of the world
I hate the feeling that there's really not much we can do. But wallowing in depression certainly isn't good for me or for anybody else, so I am back to chronicle the good memories and to share them with anybody who happens by. Even though I'm afraid the nation's problems aren't going away anytime soon, further posts will, I hope, be more about our personal life and less about worry.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming:
Looking up — at Six Mile Cypress Slough in Florida
We stayed at home in Oregon longer than usual this time, enjoying lots of happy times with our Oregon families including two of our "kids"* , our grown grandchildren, the five great-grands who live in Oregon, and even our grand-family of three from Europe who visited for almost a month while we were also in town. A big bonus was spending both Thanksgiving and Christmas with family, for the first time in quite a while.
Loop Road, Big Cypress
Another happy, but harder, kind of busy happened because we moved our Oregon "home-base" to a newly-opened independent senior community. We enjoyed our shiny new "lock and leave" home along with the amenities the community provides and look forward to taking even more advantage of those when we return this summer.
Roseate Spoonbills, White Pelicans and Night Heron at Ding Darling. Little Blue Heron at Six-Mile Cypress
Although feeling barely settled in our new Oregon digs, in early January we made our semi-annual cross-country migration. We spent the majority of that month opening the Canal Cottage and happily getting re-adjusted to the subtropical winter here in southwest Florida.
Green Heron, Big Cypress Refuge
We had a joyful week in February, when we had a visit from all three of our sons. They came from Colorado, Texas, and Oregon for a brothers' reunion and to see the old folks (and for two of them to visit us here in Florida for the first time.) We loved showing them around some of our favorite places. We missed our Oregon daughter and son-in-law and our daughters-in-law, but it was a delight to see our boys* all together. Almost all of the family pictures I took, both here and from Oregon are on my phone and somehow those don't seem to want to upload easily to the blog.
*All four of our children are old enough to be eligible for residence in our senior communities, although none of them are remotely interested in such a thing just yet. But it's sure a reminder of our own advanced age!
Great Egret in front of everybody's favorite (?) Florida icon in the background , at Big Cypress
It always seems to happen that we see several of one certain species whenever we go to one of our 'nature places.' The Black- Crowned Night Heron is that one so far this season, as we've seen at least one on every outing. Below is just one more picture of this pretty heron.
Black-Crowned Night Heron. Big Cypress
It's good to be back to blogging again . Thanks to everyone who reads, visits, comments, and hosts.
SATURDAY CRITTERS; NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY; THROUGH MY LENS; ; WILD BIRD Wednesday; THANKFUL THURSDAY; and SKYWATCH FRIDAY