Late afternoon's sun reflecting on a golf course gazebo.
"The descending fire descends;
The ascending fire ascends.
The smile of Light Watches their tasks divine
From across the empty space
Where the hands of ether
Salute the golden mystic sun."
Sri Chinmoy
To me, the real beauty of Florida is in its flora. Sure, we are surrounded by water and lots of beaches (this is a peninsula, after all), but the flowers were what first met the eyes of the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon, who in 1513 named the region Florida, which means "full of flowers" in Spanish.
Thanks to Naples' subtropical climate, there is always something abloom around here and this is one of my favorites.
Today's question is: can you name this flowering tree?
There's a small canoe and kayak launch in my community. If you feel vigorous enough for a 3 hour round trip, you can paddle along Spring Creek to Estero Bay all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. There are many fun twists and turns as you meander between the coast and barrier islands. The only things to watch out for are the currents and the occasional alligator sizing you up...Feel lucky today?
Great Heron fishing for his Sunday brunch.
I am very fortunate to be living in an Aubudon Sanctuary Area where the birds and other wildlife are protected from human aggression. To me the benefits are quite palpable: I can approach most birds - wading and some raptors - without them even flinching. Quite the opposite, they seem to enjoy the attention and some of them, like this heron, strike a pose...
Hickory Island beach at low tide.
Every time we walk along a beach some ancient urge disturbs us so that we find ourselves shedding shoes and garments or scavenging among seaweed and whitened timbers like the homesick refugees of a long war. ~Loren Eiseley
Gite in Provence? Pensione in Tuscany? Nope, just a garage in the neighborhood. As for the rest of the house...well, I'll leave it up to your imagination ;-). Think big!
Have a great week-end, everyone!
Spider web suspended over the water reflecting tree leaves. No photo editing was committed ;-)
“The means to gain happiness is to throw out from oneself like a spider in all directions an adhesive web of love, and to catch in it all that comes”
Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy
Wilbur (runty pig): I think you're beautiful.
Charlotte (heroic spider): Well, I am pretty. Nearly all spiders are good looking. I'm not as flashy as some, but I'll do.
E. B. White Charlotte's Web
I've always had a soft spot for Brown Pelicans. They seem to defy gravity when they launch their heavy (up to 15 lbs!) bellies into the air. And they look rather comical with their short, stubby legs and fat pouches under their long bills (not unlike my uncle Teddy, but I digress).
But not everyone is thrilled with pelicans. They are a big nuisance to fisherman, by hanging around the fishing piers and stealing their catch. Losing one fish to a bird is not a catastrophe. The real problem arises when the pelicans get hooked themselves, or get tangled in fishing line - they can get seriously hurt.
There's a Conservancy group in Naples that rehabilitates wounded pelicans, but it's like putting a band-aid on bullet wounds. There should be some resolution to the fisherman-pelicans controversy...Maybe we need to put up a sign: "No pelicans allowed on fishing pier". Think it will work?
The bromeliad plant, is a native of Florida. This plant family contains over 3000 species, including the most well known bromeliad - and the only edible one - the pineapple.
Today's question is: How many lizards can you find on the plant?
This exotic fountain from Thailand adorns the entrance to J. Semmler International Collections, an interior/exterior decorating store (and one of my favorite for window shopping) in downtown Naples.
"Avoid places that disturb your mind, and always remain where your virtues increase." Venerable Atisha
A bit of father-son bonding at the beach of Naples.
"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." ~Clarence Budington Kelland~
