Lost and Found

You can always tell whenever small children have paid a visit to the Canoe Park. There are (not so subtle) reminders scattered all around. Like these rose colored sunglasses left behind on top of a canoe...

or this highly fashionable picture book, forgotten on a bench.

Were we ever that careless about our possessions as kids? Don't think so. I did not have much...but what I had, I cared about. Maybe that's the secret.

Killer trees

We have some beautiful...and aggressive vegetation in Florida.

Here's a perfect example - a bougainvillea tree trying to swallow up my neighbor's house!

I guess that's what they call herbicide ;-)

Let it snow rain!

photo taken through the screen of the lanai

Finally! Thank you Olga!

Woke up Sunday morning to the sound of the rain - a rare occurrence here in the wintertime but very welcome! Like most of the South this year, Florida is suffering from extreme drought. I will expand on it in a later post.

I love rain...In the rain, no one can tell that you are crying...

Patchwork quilt

This is just a small sample of the driveways I cross on my habitual walks through the community.

"The powers that be" would prefer that all driveways were built using individual bricks/stones. But as you can see, most homeowners opt for the easier, less expensive method of pouring concrete and "stamping" out a design...

See anything you like?

Through the looking glass

This is the front door of an estate house in my neighborhood.

Through it, you can see all the way into backyard, which slopes down to Spring Creek.

(That's one benefit of living in a gated community - security is not an issue.)

Flower power

Bougainvillea in my neighbor's garden

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature." ~ Anne Frank

All Hallows Eve

A murder of crows at Pelican's Nest Country Club

"And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!"

~ Edgar Allan Poe The Raven

"Strange animal facts" #13:

Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.

Quiz Tuesday part 35

This is a fairly new beach house downtown Naples (and it's for sale, too ;-))

Today's question: what is unusual about its architecture?

Hidden

home in my community

I've heard of a "privacy hedge", but this is ridiculous ;-)

Pretty in pink?

Just a courtyard of the neighboring house. Would make a great "pink theme day" on the DCP, wouldn't it?

Hypothetically speaking: it's the 1920's, you just had a baby boy, what color booties would you get him?

WRONG! According to Wikipedia: "Despite being widely considered the color of females, before the 1930s, pink was considered to be a color for boys in America. Because pink is a watered down version of red, it was considered a color of power and strength, as red is still today. Blue was for girls!"

So there...You learned something new today...I keep telling you, I'm not just a pretty face ;-)

Quiz Tuesday part 32

These are called "attached villas" in my community.

No, it's not an observation test (how many differences can you spot...), but I will test your powers of deduction.

Today's question: why is the landscaping so vastly diverse in front of the 2 villas?

August 1st Theme Day - Typical Breakfast

Inside a caged lanai, where one would breakfast, if one was so inclined.


Sorry, I did not prepare anything special and did not register for this month's theme post until the last moment, so you probably won't visit me. But I will be taking a tour around the world, to check out your breakfast habits ;-)

And, in case you are wondering, most days I enjoy a tall glass of freshly squeezed orange juice (this is Florida!)

and a slice of a vegetable frittata.

Preferably, served in bed ;-)

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Almost 100 DP bloggers will share their "typical breakfast" with you. Please visit them here:

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Forsaken

This pool (one of many in my community) is representative of the summers in Naples - sunny, wet and...deserted ;-)

Wish you were here!

The Big House

This is the Municipal Jail of Naples. Notice the guard tower?

All the hard-core criminals - those that mispronounce "bruschetta", drink white wine with beef bourguignon or wear black socks with shorts - serve their time here.

So be forewarned: unless you drive a Lexus on your visit to Naples, you could end up here as well ;-)

There goes the neighborhood (5)

To finish up our (controversial!) home series, I'm presenting a typical backyard landscape. What's unusual is this children's playhouse, next to the caged lanai.

The family enjoys both the golf course and the lake views.

And yes, that's a cormorant in flight...

There goes the neighborhood (4)

Continuing our homes series (please see the previous 3 posts, if you've just arrived).

Pineapple Palm tree, circular drive, and another fairly typical home style. All one level (with cathedral ceilings), but notice that extra room above the garage.

Guest suite...or maid quarters?

Quiz Tuesday part 29 (plus home series 3)

Continuing our homes series (please see the previous 2 posts, if you've just arrived).
Also, I promise to address all the issues you raised concerning this subject, on a special post, at the end of the series.

If you are a frequent visitor to this blog (and why wouldn't you be?), you might notice that this particular home does not fit in with the prevailing Mediterranean architectural style of Naples.

Obviously, the owners recreated their beloved, pre-retirement home - most likely from the Eastern part of the country (New England, would be my guess).

Today's challenge: To find as many un-Floridian aspects to this photo as you can! I can assure you that there are no less than five...

I will start you off: 1. grey, rainy skies (yes, we do get them occasionally)

There goes the neighborhood (2)

Continuing our homes series (please see yesterday's post if you've just arrived).

This is a typical 2 story executive home. Everything is doubled in size - the square footage, the front entrance, the back cage over the lanai, the palm trees...

And the mortgage payment, no doubt ;-)

Update: For those of you, unfamiliar with a "caged lanai" - it is a back patio, tiled or paved, with a heated pool and a spa (jacuzzi) that is completely screened in. No bugs, no errant leaves, no mess. See some examples here.

There goes the neighborhood (1)

Today I'm starting a new series - homes in my community. It will also let you see the typical residential landscaping.

Most communities consist of garden condominiums, coach homes, villas, single-family homes, executive homes, premium estates and luxury high-risers, but I will concentrate on the middle of the road executive homes (price range $1-3 million).

This one is representative of the Naples gated community 1-level style homes. In the rear, it sports a large caged lanai with a pool and a view of a lake...or a golf course...or both ;-)

Quiz Tuesday part 27

Without exaggerating, there are hundreds of known varieties of palm trees, and, without exaggerating again, you'll find most of them in my own community.

Some are more exotic and more ornamental than others. And you know the saying "Keeping up with the Joneses "? Well, around here, it's more like "My palm is nicer than your palm" ;-).

Today's question: can you name this palm tree?