~Vitamin Sea~

Beauty on the Beach

 

Last night I was digging around in old photos and came across this beautiful lil' tern from my files. I have a batch of favorites, and I've always loved this one. She looks so sad, in a poignant sort of way.
Or maybe she was just itchy. ;)

Miami, Matheson Hammock

Ahh, Miami.  Here's her skyline, in a closely cropped photo taken at Matheson Hammock. That's Biscayne Bay in the foreground. You see Biscayne Bay often on Miami, CSI.

  

 This is what the photo was cropped from.  I am lazy today, just using Picasa! :)

 

Matheson Hammock lies along Old Cutler Road in the southeastern part of the county.

It is truly worth your time to drive along Old Cutler Road if you're visiting town. I think it's one of the more beautiful roads in the state, and the attractions nearby are spectacular as well.

When I was a little kid, I used to come here to swim.  At the time, I thought the little atoll was almost as big as the ocean itself. Now, I'm just glad it's still there, and that still looks unspoiled.

I know that family and friends of mine who have since left Miami will see these pics and I know the memories it brings back for them will be good ones. We were all very, very lucky to grow up here in such a beautiful place. I do miss that, sometimes.

Here's Rick, Sam and her boyfriend, Owen, checking out baby barracuda. They also have signs warning about crocodiles, which was new to me.   Rick used to catch blue crab there, back in the old days. ;)

As teenagers, we'd ride our bikes here and lay in the sun, working on our skin cancer and backgammon skills.

And now, you ask, why is this gorgeous place so deserted?  Why, it was Black Friday, of course. We were in Miami for Thanksgiving to see Rick's family.  And Black Friday is the best time to go to the beach!   You will never catch me in a mall on Black Friday, nope.

Here's the snack bar. I was really glad to see it is still standing! We used to get the best fries and ice cream sandwiches here. There's a restaurant there now, but a small snack bar is still in place.

 

Now I direct your attention to the walls in the pics above and below. Check out that rock! That's coral rock, strong as an ox,  and those walls have withstood many a hurricane or two.  Rick's parent's house in Miami has a lot of coral rock just below the soil line, which makes for almost impossible digging in some areas of their back yard.

 

Behold, the talking Heads!

 

I do slay myself. ;)

All around the snack bar, we'd see these giant iguanas running across the roof, which I took for granted, until I got home and realized you might be surprised to see such a thing. So here's  another cropped photo. These guys are evidently well fed!

And here I am with our three-quarter family photo. Where is the other one-fourther? NOT taking the photo, that's for sure! No, the lazy bum was back at her grandparent's house, her nose buried in the fourth Twilight book. I am all aghast. Shoulda put my foot down!

Sometimes, it's just really good to go back home again. :)

Flowers by the Sea

From a recent early morning stroll:

 

I guess most people don't think of the beach as a good place to look for flowers, but I find myself looking for the little guys every time we hit the beach.  Yes, these "little guys" as a rule, are not very big at all!  But they are the workhorses of the shore, hardy enough to  withstand the constant sun, salt and the odd, rogue wave. They get eaten, stepped on, and blown apart. And yet, they persevere.

Take a peek inside this little random "meadow" that is blooming right now:


 

The beach Morning Glory, also known as the Railroad Vine, sends out runners throughout the dunes that help stabilize the sand to prevent erosion.  It can also be found growing along road side and into meadows, and it's succulent runners have a thick wall of milky sap that is repulsive to grazing animals who might otherwise chew it all up!

I love it when the sun comes in and lights up the star shape inside the buds.  You can find the flowers in clusters, or all alone, in shades of pink to purple, and often with bees or butterflies hovering inside.

Here you go, orangealicious!  The lil' blanket flower reminds me of an Indian summer.  A repeat bloomer, it self sows easily, great for planting in areas with sandy soil.

So remember when you're out for your morning stroll, look to the dunes sometime.  You never know what you'll find growing around the sea oats.   And there is one caveat to enjoying these flowers of the sea:  you can't take them with you.  Leave them behind, for they have critters to feed and a home to maintain, just like the rest of us. ;)

~30~

Hiatus Terminus!

Fall is rolling in and the temps will be in the upper 60's tonight. In Florida, that is huge!
Here's some photos of the beach, not that they speak of fall, but I think any time we go to the beach is a good time.
This is Indian Rocks Beach on Florida's beautiful Gulf Coast.

Did you notice the dunes that are tied off with ribbon? That showed up when Ike was bearing down on the Gulf. We had waves that completely covered this beach, and I think that might have been put in place to help anchor them more securely.

I hope to resume regular posting as early as tomorrow!  :)

Night of a Thousand Itchy Bites

I was having an interesting dream.  Brett Favre was running down the turnpike and I was trying to throw him the football so that he could catch it, only he was in Georgia and I was trying to throw it as far as New York. I kept beckoning to him to run further away.   It all made sense in the dream. 
And I don't know why I have to have football dreams instead of better ones.

Anyway, the next thing I knew, RIck was jumping out of bed and reaching for the cell phone.  There was a frown on his face, as he tried to concentrate.  Then I heard him say "you need to go to the emergency room now."

3:39 a.m.  When you're a mom, the first thing you do when the phone rings at night is look at the clock.
Samantha was in Sebring, a town roughly two hours East of here.  She was there for the weekend for the birthday of a family friend and they were all out celebrating.

I started to take in the expression on his face, trying to figure out what was up.  And mentally, I began to pack. Where were my jeans?  My purse? 

They talked some more, and he hung up.  Says she had pulled into the driveway of the house where she was staying, parked on the grass, where it was wet and damp after the rains. 

And unknowingly, stepped into a giant pile of fire ants.  She continued to reach into her car to get her stuff out. The fire ants crawled onto her feet, (she wears flip flops). 
She thought it was just the wet grass, which was tall, that was moving around her feet.   And then they started crawling up her leg.

Fire ants tend to wait till they're all congregated  in one spot and then they all go in for the kill.

By the time she called Rick, her ear was swollen, her nose and lips were giant puffy balloons. Her leg was swelling up and her wrist was swollen with a rash on it as well.   She was having trouble talking.  Rick had to ask her several times to repeat herself.

Several more phone calls.... they got her to the ER where she got a good steroid shot and benadryl.  We were now in the living room, unable to sleep.   She sent me cell phone picts from the ER. I can only show you a few for privacy reasons.

And at the ER, she learned that if you've had a bad reaction to the ant bites once, it's likely to be more severe if you get it a second time.  So now she has to keep a bottle of liquid Benadryl on hand.  The liquid works faster.

She's been bitten by bees before, but back then, there wasn't any reaction beyond the sting itself. 

As of yesterday, the swelling had died down, and there are still a few problems with her wrist and odd "feelings" as the toxins moved through her body.  Toes feel numb, hands are tingling.  Every so often, her face would develop this odd road map of red patches and then it would go away.   She's on prednisone and antibiotics.  She should be ok as time goes on.

But,  whew!  Ugh! I got the heebie jeebies just typing this out!

At the hospital, the nurse talked about fire ants that piled into her riding boots, which were laced up tight when she went horseback riding.  I can't even imagine what she went through trying to untie the boots and get them off.  UGH!

So join Samantha and tell us,  what's your worst fire ant story? 

Brooker Creek Preserve and Tarpon Springs

 

The beautiful Brooker Creek Preserve sits in the northern-most tip of Pinellas County, about an hour North of my humble, mosquito resistant abode.   Four miles of hiking trails lie within it's 8,500 acres of pristine wildlife, and as we were itching to get out of the house on Saturday, I couldn't wait to go. 

I fired up the camera battery, slid into comfy shorts, sturdy sneakers, a hat and sunscreen. Rick packed a cooler and off we went.  It was a spur of the moment decision, after having gotten rid of the kids for the day.

And let me just say that had we been better prepared, I would have more beautiful photos for you.  Brooker Creek is roughly seven miles long, and I couldn't wait to start shooting, to just get lost in nature for a little while.

Well.  It sits on a lot of swamp land.  There is quite a bit of standing water.
  Quite a bit <--- a mild understatement.   Let me just say, that as soon as we got onto the trail, the mosquitoes attacked.

And not just handfuls of mosquitoes, but swarms of them.  Swarms!  I had mosquito repellent on us, but they came in droves, landing everywhere I had missed with the spray.  At one point, I looked at Rick's back, and it was covered with them.  I sprayed his back, I sprayed my hat, I sprayed and sprayed. 

Each time I tried to get a photo, they'd go after my face, my neck, my fingers.... I just couldn't stop and shoot. We had to keep moving.

After about a 20 minute hike, we gave up and turned around.  I was hugely disappointed. 
But,  I'll be back.  Maybe on a cool day, with a lot of wind, long sleeves and slacks.  It was only 97 degrees out, after all. 

If you go, by all means, stop at the Education Center near the front of the park, It's air conditioned with great bathrooms, interactive displays and a gift shop.  The staff can give you info on where to hike and there are maps as well.

Just make sure you bring your repellent!

Photos of the spider and Penelope the endangered gopher turtle were taken by Rick, who braved the skeeters anyway.  Post photo editing was done by his otherwise excellent wife, who ended up running to the car in shame and slammed the door in their wake.

Here's a few shots of  Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs, a few minutes East of the preserve. Just before the storm from hell hit.  I thought 8/8/08 was supposed to be our lucky day. 

The Painted Shutters

From our Beach Chic vs Starving Artist Department:

We came across these painted shutters while cruising around this past weekend, in the little gulf front community of Holmes Beach,  just south of Anna Maria Island. 

I thought it was limited to this one house, but then I noticed it on this one, too. 
(shot through the car window).

I like this house, however.  I could move right in.  But I'm not so sure about the first one.  Did they abandon the theme?  Watch too much HGTV?   Run out of money after the last hurricane?  I guess when the hurricanes rip the shutters off, you might as well paint 'em back on again!

Dog Days on the Beach

Time: just before sunset, out on the dog beach.

Poor ol' Buddy.  I have to admit, this photo made me cringe!

They were actually having fun, although the lab was in perpetual motion, almost non-stop.

I feel bad for Buddy sometimes, he gets so bewildered, trying to keep tabs on everything.

Shakin out the ears:

Finally, free from the life jacket!

I could not believe how fast the little weiner dog could run. This one went from 0-60 in a NY second. By day, he races BMW's at their test facility. 

These pit bulls had everyone on edge.  They kept snapping at the other dogs and the owner would then turn around and yell at them to behave.  I ended up bringing Buddy back down the beach to where we were seated until they left.  Several other owners followed suit and pulled their dogs away.  Fortunately. the guy didn't stay very long.

And then the night came rolling in.

Storms, Boats and Brett Favre

UGH. 
GO AWAY!

Was I complaining about the drought last year?  Really?

Note to the Northeast:  Your mosquitoes called, they want to come home.  Send for them, NOW.
Why can't we come up with some sort of portable electronic zapper that will kill every flying mosquito within a certain range? 
But noooo, we had to go and invent the Ipod first.  sheesh.

Short- n- sweet football commentary:

Down here in Tampa Bay, the airwaves are spinning with the news about the Great Brett Favre coming in to play for the Bucs.
That ain't gonna happen, folks.  And I'll tell you why.

On Saturday,  Fox13 put up a photo-shopped pic of him in a Bucs uniform. 
Rick and I took one look and that just sealed it for us.
Nah..  It didn't even look right.
Favre belongs in green and gold, and that's where he needs to stay.

On the flip side, it's almost FOOTBALL season!!! YESSSSSSSSS!~

Want to go out on the boat again?

Your Salty Dawg:

I had cabin fever the other day, and with gas moving down a whole 20 cents a gallon, we decided to take advantage of the clear skies and take in some night time cruising down the Intracoastal. We had planned to head out toward the Skyway Bridge.

In any event, nature had other plans for us.

We got out to Boca Ciega bay just as the storms changed course and came rolling in across the bay.
Rick kept telling me everything would be fine.

A long time ago, I learned not to trust Rick's definition of "fine."
I have been out on the Atlantic on a little 20 ft walk-around when I noticed giant thunderclouds hovering in the distance. Rick and his brother assured me everything would be "fine".
We were in 600ft of water.  Land was far away.
We barely made it back to the dock, what with the giant swells, driving rain and lighting crackling in all around us.
Another time I smelled smoke on the boat.  Rick told me it was coming from "wayyy downstream".
It was actually coming from  the wires near the steering wheel, but.. .yeah. I'm sure it smelled downstream, too.
I have a lot of stories like that one.

Anyway, we had a good trip, but we did have to turn around after awhile after I assertively begged, snapped his head off. Just as we got the boat home, the skies opened up all over creation.  Bummer!
Click to view the rest of the pics on FlickR.

Brittany's Camera Goes to the Beach

 

Brittany has a new camera and I decided to take it with me on a morning walk down the beach.

It's an Olympus FE 280.  I liked it because it was on sale.  She liked the host of features that came with it, including image stabilization, 21 shooting modes and movie feature with sound.

I'm so used to sticking my eye in the viewfinder on my Canon Rebel that I had trouble getting used to her little point n shoot gizmo. You have no idea how often I started to put the camera up to my face to take a pic. Got a lot of funny looks that way.
I came away impressed...with the size.  And that image stabilization feature.  Boy, I really could use that image stabilization feature.  Especially when using my zoom lens.

On the other hand, nothing beats a point-n-shoot when you want to snap a quick photo and move along.  I find it a time consuming pain in the arse to switch lens when I'm in a hurry.
So I guess there are benefits to having both!

I haven't used a point-n-shoot in several years.  All this time, I've been suffering through  struggling to learn  valiantly learning how to set the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc. in order to compose a great shot.   It doesn't always work.  I am self taught, an auto idiotic autodidact amateur. We've been through a lot together, this Canon and I.  There are days when I can't stand the thing.  Sometimes I talk to it, coax it,  threaten to drop it off in the Gulf if it doesn't behave.  Once in a while, that works. 
Other times, it will refuse to snap the photo for reasons too numerous to get into here. 
Temperamental little bastard.

I didn't have that problem with the Olympus.  The only problem I did have is that I couldn't see the screen to take the picture.  The sun was so bright, I often had no idea what I was focusing on.  So I'd hold it up, pull back the zoom and hope for the best!  Viola!
Here's where that will screw you up:

In this lovely photo of a bouy, I thought I was focusing on a couple in a kayak.  I centered myself behind the dunes, held the camera up, panned till I thought they were in focus and snapped the photo. 
Do you see the couple?
Well no, they're not in the photo. The sun was so bright, all I could see was a blur on the screen. That little bouy? It stood out, so I thought that was the couple.  OHHHHHHHhhhhh.

So it has it's drawbacks, this little point-n-shoot.

But what ab-so-frookin-lootley amazes me are the 21 available shooting modes.  Ladies and Gentlemen, they have a CUISINE option on this camera.  For photographing FOOD!   Another option for taking photos behind glass.  Another option for photographing documents... you know, for when you're in the tax preparers office, he leaves the room, you lean over and ...
er, never mind. 

Well anyway, here's the photos. I did a little editing afterward.  (I can't help it).
Florida readers, perhaps used to our beaches, will probably not be impressed.  They're just standard photos that look like Every Beach.   And I'm tempted to agree.
As long as we never take a beach like this for granted. 
Clean, white and gorgeous.

50 points if you can tell me what this is for.

If you're from Florida, you only get 10 points, because you should KNOW!  right?

Dive Right In!

Beauty in the Heat

I don't normally look for photos when I'm outside during the hottest part of the day, as the sun is too bright, and that often makes for "washed out" colors in the photo.  In Florida's heat, I'm usually craving shade if I'm outside when the temps are hitting the upper 90's.

Still, I'm lucky enough to live near one of the most beautiful botanical gardens on the east coast. and it's a great place to unwind after a crazy day.  I couldn't resist shooting these photos around 3 p.m. even with the sun beating down mercilessly. 

Here's where you come in.  Does anyone know what type of vine this is? It would be gorgeous growing along our back fence!

I had planned to ask the staff but got distracted by dozens of other winged beauties and other growing things.  There is usually a marker that identifies the type of plant, but I didn't see one nearby. 
I also looked on their page that lists the plants in bloom, but didn't see it.

It was growing over a bridge that covers a pond on the premises.

By the way, I thought you'd like to know that Monets water lillies are doing very well on the other side of the pond:

I wonder what's lurking under there...

Shell Island, John's Pass.

Ok. Lotsa stuff happening on the home front lately, but all is well folks. All is well.

I had a birthday and I'm now officially over 45 and yet, still under 50.  In fact, I'm over 46, too.  I can't bring myself to type out those odd numbered ages.  Something about odd numbers makes you sound older than you are.

Anyway, young or old, today is boat day here on VitaminSea.  On the first of the month, we took my brother, his wife and kids out to Shell Island, south of St. Pete Beach.  It's a great place for exploring marine life.

We frequently see dolphin in these waters when cruising. And every so often, people ask us why we don't jump in the water and swim with them.  That is because we value our lives tremendously.  Check out the size of those guys, will ya?

And also because, a mere two weeks before our boat trip, a 9 and-a-half-foot bull shark was caught just about 10 minutes from this very island, 150 yards off the southern tip of Egmont Key.
So, no, I don't swim in these waters, thanks. 
Also, you can actually be attacked by feeding dolphin, did you know that?  Better to let the wild things be.

Now that you are sore afraid and properly cautioned, let's go out on the boat!

Rounding the corner, we're heading into John's Pass on Treasure Island along the Intracoastal Waterway. Here's a section of it.
There are hotels, shops and great restaurants here. You can go out on a dolphin cruise, rent jet ski's, parasail, or head offshore on the giant casino ships.  I personally like the little basket of corn fritters at the Friendly Fisherman in the morning, with coffee.  yummm.

Here's part of the the new bridge to Treasure Island that is under destruction. Note the state bird of Florida in the background:

What? You can't see the cranes? ;)

The older I get, the worse the puns...

Now we've headed out to the Gulf of Mexico, and pulled up onto a little island. I can tell you how to get there for a mere $19.95 a person.  If you pay for the gas, I'll take you there for free.

This is a great place for snorkeling if you like to pull up little critters and investigate.
Samantha was particularly good about finding living things buried deep in the sand. She is our family marine biologist.  ;)

You can see some of  our photos on FlickR .

But here, I've got a photo of old Fang, who lurks in these here waters.

Check out those beady eyes! He's particularly found of your big toe.

Here, my nephew shows off what I think are lightning whelks (am I right?), beautiful shells, but don't stick your finger inside there or they'll slap ya.  Shell Island is a designated wildlife sanctuary. Everything here is protected!

I hope you had a good tour. Tomorrow, we'll head to the beach for a little evening surf!

Tomato Question!

Back to the garden we go. I have a question for those of you with a PhD. in Tomatology.

What's eating my tomato plant?   The leaves have been completely stripped off of some of the stalks.  See the upper left corner of the plant: 

It doesn't appear anywhere on the lower part of the plant.  I suspected worms, but I can't find any on the plant. I searched high and low, under the leaves, inside the stalks, everywhere.  Any ideas?  Here's another photo.  The stalk in the foreground has been stripped bare.

The damage is only to the upper part of the plant. (so far).

  I have a bottle of Safer's Tomato and vegetable spray, but I only sprayed a few sections of the plant.  I'm kind of leary about using it without knowing exactly what I'm going after.

I also sprayed it in a circle around the plants, right into the mulch.  Think that will help kill the nasty invaders?

Here's one of the banana peppers:

A few good tomaters:

What type of lily is this? It was growing wild around our house when we moved in. I still haven't found out what type it is, but it is VERY hardy!  They're blooming all around town right now. They'll grow right along the sidewalks on busy roads, which I find amazing.

Below: A purple mexican petunia, (not a water-wise plant) growing wild in a bed of Blue Daze.

It has taken over my side yard, and it's so pretty that I've let it go wild. However, it needs to be watered frequently, something I'm not inclined to do.  Yet, it's hanging in there, just waiting for a good rainstorm.  If you plant them, they'll appear at random all around your yard.  Their roots were born nomads!

Here's a red hibiscus. It's relatively new to the market (by a few years) and is one of the water wise varieties.  The name is escaping me at the moment and that is driving me crazy!  Look for it in the Xeriscape section at your nursery. (I bought mine at good old Home Depot years ago).  It's just great in the sun and heat. 

The foilage is beautiful, however.  Remind me to go back out there and get a photo of the whole plant for y'all.  Then we'll get some sweet ice tea and toast to the finer things in life.

I had this one in the sun along the back fence, but then a neighbor's tree grew over it, blocking the sun. So I had a lot of foilage and few flowers.  This one has been transplanted and is doing great in the hot, hot, melanoma sun.

This concludes our Friday gardening tour and should send you into the weekend just itching to get out there and weed.

Or not.   

(I say not). 

  ~Toodles!~

Dog Days at the Beach IV

Here's Buddy at one of the few dog beaches available in our county. Having a good ol' time!

He really liked hanging out with this girl and her sister. Every time they threw something in the water, he'd come running to investigate:

Ok, I admit it, I really like the first shot because his eyes looked so clear and focused.  A lot of the time, however, they look like this:

Look at that face. He's a little worried there, his eyes are now almost completely clouded over from diabetes induced cataracts. 

Every so often, I'd get on my knees close to the water line to snap a photo, and he'd come running up and barrel right into me.  At this beach, he constantly ran into people and their chairs and beach stuff.  Everyone was a good sport about it, thank God.  It's a dog beach, after all.  Most dog owners are the best kind of folk you'll ever meet!  They all seemed to join us in warning him when he got too close. 

Meet the natives!

Body language: check out the tail held high, the stiff back, ears forward, ready to plunge at moments notice.  The other dog looks gentle and submissive.   Buddy tends to do this to other dogs that are his size or larger.

He doesn't know what to make of little dogs because they can run around faster than he can. He can't puff out his chest at them. My mom's dog, a shi-tzu mix, likes to bite him on the legs and knock him to the ground.  The only way he can control my mom's dog is to try to sit on him.

When he was a mere toddler doggy, he sized up a pit bull in the same way as shown here.  I thought my heart was gonna leap right out of my throat. The pit was so well behaved, he just stood there, looking right at his owner, while Bozo puffed his chest out and ran in circles with me in tow.

The owner was very patient until I tackled young brawn- for -brains and hauled him back into the house.  It has been nine years since that day and we still see the old pit bull and his owner on our walks.  Buddy still tries to do the same thing every time we see them.  But now the guy laughs and we always say howdy.

That is why I believe no matter how you raise them, you better keep an eye on their genes.

Now I digress!  Back to the water! Tennis Balls! Fun!

Seriously, don't drink the water, Bucko.

This is why giant beach towels are a staple around here. Baths, too.

Floridians

From my email goodies.  This has been around before, but there are some new ones. ;)

You know you're a Floridian if...

Socks are only for bowling.

 

You never use an umbrella because you know the rain will be over in five minutes.

(note from Laura,  I rarely use the umbrella because we're the lighting capital of the US!)

 

A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store, but everything to do with shade.

 

Your winter coat is made of denim.

 

You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites.

Anything under 70 degrees is chilly.

You've driven through Yeehaw Junction.

You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix.

Every other house in your neighborhood had blue roofs in 2004-2006.

You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn't worth waking up for.

You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list. They aren't Hurricane  Charley or Hurricane Frances. You know them as Andrew, Charley , Frances , Ivan and Jeanne, Wilma too.

You dread love bug season.

You know what a snowbird is and when they'll leave.

You think a six-foot alligator is actually pretty average.

'Down South' means Key West .

Flip-flops are everyday wear. Shoes are for business meetings and church, but you HAVE worn flip flops to church before.

You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.

You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls. 

(arrrgh!)

A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.

You know the four seasons really are: hurricane season, love bug season, tourist season and summer.   

You've hosted a hurricane party.

You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee , Withlacoochee and Micanopy.

You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat, than have a boat yourself.

You were 25 when you first met someone who couldn't swim.

You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas and New Years.

You recognize Miami-Dade as ' Northern Cuba

Quickie Post: Garden Photos

Not much time this morning, so I thought I'd post a few photos from the garden.

Stay tuned!

Run Forest, Runnnnnnnn!

 

  Rick found this little guy in our garbage  "non-sustainable items container" this past weekend.
I thought he/she looked rather cute.
However, I never take photos of the little buggers because of their TEETH.
Normally I just go in the house and tell Rick to get the possum looking thing out of the garbage non-sustainable item container.

After harassing Britt and her friends to come look at it, Richard took it to a nearby wildlife park and let it run free to terrorize other garbage can non-sustainable item container owners whose homes border the park.  Wasn't that nice.
Don't worry, it's a big park.
biggggggggggg

In other wild Florida news, this little guy has been in our back yard several times this week.

Rick seems to think he won't last very long around here. 
Well, after watching him run through the yard on  the first day, I thought he was a fast enough little bunny, but had second thoughts the next day after he hung around too long to let me take his photo.  Not a good thing in a yard with 3 cats. 
I'm gonna name him Forest. 
Guess why....

That is all for today on our Wild America!

Celebrating the Rain

Between our drought situation and the wildfire outbreak, this weeks rain was badly needed!
Today's post has been brought to you by Sudafed! Breaking the hold on sinus pain in heads across America.
I will return after my skull cracks and the pain goes away. Enjoy your day!

Yes Mom, It's Just You

All right, all right, this is a very random post relating to art and butterflies.  And whatnot.  Because here at VitaminSea, we are all about whatnot.
Life is too short not to include it in our focused daily endeavors.

I have a question for you all, and it pertains in part, to butterflies.  This is bugging me, people. I have raised my kids and I have failed them. Either that, or they were switched at birth.

I give you this scenario:

It is Sunday, the 18th of May. We are all gathered together as a family unit at the Gulf Coast Museum of Art,  where one of Brittany's photos is on exhibit.   County-wide public and private school art teachers were invited to submit their student's best works of art.  The pieces were then judged by an independent artist/art educator who decided which works would be included in the exhibition.
(OH! I am so proud. How can I not be??!  I'll show you a copy of the photo as soon as I can.) The works of art by these students is stunning, and in some cases, thought provoking as well.

But herein lies the problem. 
The museum sits on the grounds of one of the most beautiful botanical gardens on the west coast of Florida.
You should go there if you ever have a chance to see our area. Admission is free.

In any event, an odd thing happened after the ceremony.  Neither my hub nor my two garden-illiterate daughters wanted to tour the grounds.
I found that highly amazing. It is one of my favorite places 'round these parts.
What?!
Richard actually wanted to go home.
Samantha said she and her boyfriend were going back to his house to help him move into a smaller bedroom at  his house because his mom wants his room for an exercise room.
HA! I cackled, she's phasing him out.
Moms, you know this is true, right? Oh, for certain, although he disagreed and Samantha laughed.

Ok, so they were excused, but as they left,  they walked right past a BEAUTIFUL rose garden and several outdoor art sculptures without even LOOKING at them.
I sighed.
Samantha, I had always thought, was my creative/artsy one. 

Brittany, perhaps noticing the gigantic albatross hanging in the air that belonged to my Canon Rebel, which was glaring at her from it's viewfinder (it has a mind of it's own and it expected to be used), half- heartedly said she'd like to see if there was a gator on the premises.

I said I knew where there was one.
I'd seen it earlier in the week, and also the week before, at the retention pond behind the butterfly garden.
So we walked across the grounds, around the palms and fountains and through the stone walkways and finally, entered the wooden path that was the butterfly garden.  Butterflies, were everywhere.

Rick and Brittany walked right through it in single file, looking straight ahead.
Britt was text messaging.  Rick was talking to someone, I'm not sure who.
Butterflies, to the left and right of them, went unnoticed.
Giant blooming ginger, unappreciated.

I began to wonder, is it just me?   Am I the only one to notice these things, especially in my own family?
I guess I figured they'd just pick up on this interest of mine as time went on, but I guess not.
Sometimes in the parenting process, your kids don't always absorb what you've exposed them to by rote observation.
Or maybe they were just tired and hungry. We did go out to eat afterward for that reason.

Would you notice something like that in a garden, or are you impressed by something like that? It wasn't so long ago that almost anywhere you went in Florida, they didn't have butterfly gardens. It just wasn't that common. To walk into a wild one and see so many of them at once, in one place, is fascinating.

The young gator sensed them coming and decided to hide.  He's a little 4 footer.
Next time, he'll jump out and hiss at 'em.  Maybe that'll wake 'em up. ;)

Summer Feets ;)

Ahhh, summer. Our feet rejoice!  Feet, you see, are all about summer.

Let the photos tell the story, however you want to interpret it. But I think that feet know when summer is here. 

And they can't wait till they're out of school, free of the sneakers and closed-toed shoes, ust so they can get their toes wet.

 

 

Do you remember summer days, in years past, when your feet did all these things in the summer?

 

~the end~

All Photos courtesy of Brittany, who took these on assignment for her photography class at school. I thought it would make a great photo meme.

Want some more summer photos? 

Pure Florida takes us to the Gulf Coast for watery fun. ;)

Join us! .