Category: Florida

Cypress Trees

Studly Doright and I took the visiting grandkids and their friend, Sophia, to visit the Tallahassee Museum and Zoo on Friday. I’m still sorting through photos of our adventure to post another day, but I thought I’d share some of my favorite nature photos from the trip in the meantime.

Cypress trees are beautifully spooky even in the middle of a sunshiny summer day:

This dragonfly followed me for awhile:

Squirrel!!!

Swamp scenes:

I’ll share photos of the kids and Studly tomorrow, but for now, I’m pooped.

Peace, people!

Photos from Birdsong

On Sunday I met up with members of the Tallahassee Women’s Meetup group for a visit to Birdsong Nature Center outside of Thomasville, Georgia. This was my second visit to Birdsong, and I had eagerly anticipated the trip.

http://www.birdsongnaturecenter.org

Anticipation can sometimes be the enemy, and leave one feeling disappointed by reality, but Birdsong delivered the magic once again.

Here are just a few of my extremely amateurish photos.

Dogwood in bloom:

A titmouse at the window:

A bright red cardinal:

Wild azaleas:

A nice fat woodpecker:

An even fatter squirrel:

The Listening Place:

And one more cardinal:

What a glorious day!

Peace, people.

2018 Snapshot #1, or Who Can Identify This Plant?

Last year I posted snapshots and tried to number them reliably, but I’m rather a disorganized soul, and soon jumbled up the count. I’ve never let disorganization stop me in the past, though, so I’m just going to number these things according to an ever changing set of rules.

I snapped this photo yesterday in the garden area of my dentist’s office in Tallahassee. Then I proceeded to ask everyone what it was. No one in the office had a clue. I guess that’s why they went into dentistry and not botany.

Anyway, perhaps a reader with some gardening knowledge can help me out:

The blossoms aren’t on the plant itself, so kindly ignore them. Do note the purplish serrated looking leaves, and the oddly bare trunk-like stem. The plant is striking in its almost alien demeanor. I imagine if plants grew on Venus, this is what they’d look like.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Peace, people.

Wakulla Springs Ride

Yesterday while poor Studly Doright had to toil away at the office I rode my CanAm Spyder RT out to Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park. From our home outside of Tallahassee it’s only about 42 miles to the park, and best of all, most of the ride was on shaded back roads with very light traffic.

Once at Wakulla Springs I walked around the park, had a light lunch, and enjoyed the scenic boat ride before starting home. I had intended to take photos for the blog, but using my cell phone as a gps ran my battery awfully low, so I only snapped a few pics:

A beautiful blue heron

A not-so-beautiful, but impressive gator

A tree framed by the window of the boat

Next time I’ll take along a charger for my phone. There were so many more shots that had to be foregone.

This was my second adventure on my Spyder, and I’m really beginning to enjoy the ride. I’m much more visible to drivers on this machine, and that’s always a good thing. The Spyder has plenty of power, and I feel comfortable in the seat. The only thing I haven’t tested yet is its performance on the interstate. Soon.

This is me pre-ride on the Spyder, before I put on all my gear:

My brother commented that I look tiny on the bike. Yay! For once something makes my butt look small.

Peace, people.

Hanging Out In Quincy, FL

Doright Manor, where I reside with my husband, Studly Doright, is in a rural housing development about eight miles west of Tallahassee, Florida. We have a Havana, FL, address, but we’re geographically closer to the town of Quincy.

Typically when I shop I head to Tallahassee, with Havana being my second choice, but on Wednesday I needed something small (eye liner) and decided to see if I could find it in Quincy at the CVS. Sure enough they had what I wanted and much too soon I was driving home.

Quincy is the county seat, so I drove around the courthouse square to see if there was anything of interest. I noticed a business I hadn’t seen on any of my previous visits. Could it be an antique/junk shop? It was! Be still my heart!

My photos aren’t great, but the shop is. It’s called The Junktion and it’s been open for a couple of months. The delightful owner, (whose name I’ve forgotten thanks to my advanced age) is still sorting through things and she has some treasures.

I couldn’t quite keep myself out of the photo above. It is always all about me anyway.

And the owner is in this one above. She is adorable and has big plans for her shop. The photos, as I said, aren’t great, but the shop is.

Just next door to The Junktion is the Gadsden Arts Center. I wasn’t in any hurry to go home, so I popped in there for bit.

I’d never taken the time to properly stroll through the galleries of the arts center, having in the past merely popped in for directions or to ask a question, but now after spending some time there I realize that the Gadsden Arts Center is a real gem. In addition to the galleries, the center is adding a gift shop, and they offer classes and studio time. I’m not much of an artist, but it would be fun to take a class.

http://gadsdenarts.org/exhibitions.aspx

I definitely need to spend more time in Quincy.

Peace, people.

To Epcot or Not to Epcot

Next week Studly Doright has to be in Orlando for a meeting, but he’s also taking a day of vacation while he’s there to have his golf swing analyzed. Heck, I offered to save him a great deal of time and money by watching his backswing and laughing for free. He wasn’t amused.

Apparently he didn’t hold my snarky comment against me, though, suggesting that I accompany him to Orlando. Instead of taking his company car, we’d drive one of our own vehicles, and I could visit one of the theme parks on the day he has to work. I might’ve jumped up and down like a little kid.

I haven’t been to Epcot in years, so that’s the park topping my list. I geek out a little thinking about Future World, and I’ve never once made it completely around the World Showcase, so that’s my goal for this trip.

The only possible downside is that the weather predicted for the day I’ll visit isn’t optimal with temperatures expected to be in the 50’s. I’ll more than likely need to wear jeans and real shoes! Maybe even a jacket! Oh, the humanity!But, on the plus side, maybe the cooler weather will keep the crowd sizes down, and I won’t have to worry about long lines.

The only other park in the running would be Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, but my heart is saying Epcot, and the heart wants what the heart wants, am I right?

Forest Photo

I had nothing to publish on this Wednesday morning. Sitting in my favorite chair with a cup of peppermint tea in hand, I was stymied. As is the norm these days, the television news was depressing, so I turned off the tv and looked out the windows onto our back yard that slopes down to a small lake.

Seemingly overnight the leaves had overwhelmed the green grass resulting in a carpet of fall colors. Now I’m thinking about putting on a hoody and some boots for some serious leaf crunching. I’m sure Studly Doright would appreciate it if I did some raking while I’m out there, too.

In Today’s News…

I slept an (almost) uninterrupted twelve hours on Saturday night. Only my cats and my bladder kept me from reaching a state of perfection, but perfect people are so boring.

Studly Doright and I arrived home from our Thanksgiving/birthday celebration late yesterday evening. We’d flown from Amarillo to Orlando, and should have been safely back at Doright Manor around 5 p.m., but staggering holiday traffic and the resulting accidents on I-75 convinced us to travel backroads.

We stopped at a German bakery/delicatessen in Yalaha, Florida, for lunch and then meandered along two lane roads for much of the afternoon. After a couple of hours of aimless driving we declared ourselves lost, so we found a Walmart and purchased a gps.

The cats, Scout and Patches, welcomed us home around eight p.m. with meows and kisses. After quick showers we all snuggled into our bed and went immediately to sleep. There really is no place like home.

Acclimated

Studly Doright and I have been in the Tallahassee area for four years now, having moved from central Illinois where we resided for eight years. This morning I realized I’d finally acclimated to the weather here when upon hearing that the high in our area would be in the mid-60’s today, I said to myself, “Better wear a sweater!”

I’m not complaining. I’ll wear that sweater all winter thanking my lucky stars I don’t need a heavy jacket and snow boots.

Truly everything is relative. We lived in North Dakota for four years where an ambient temperature of 34° on a winter day had folks digging out their bikinis and sunscreen.

Even in the mid-west the definition of cold is a matter of season. Forty degrees in November feels cool, while the same temperature in February is positively balmy.

The most difficult part for me when the weather turns cool is having to put away my flip flops. Although, I have been known to pull this stunt:

But only to take out the garbage. If I go downtown, I’ll put my pants on….

No matter where you are, I hope you have a great day. Pants optional.

Peace, people.

Havana (Florida) Car Show

Studly Doright and I had dinner in downtown Havana, Florida, last evening, and got more than just a great meal. After enjoying a delicious dinner and a glass of wine at The English Rose Cafe we wandered around Havana where an antique car show was in progress. Studly even won $35 in a raffle! Not too shabby.

Studly’s favorite vehicle in the show was the green ‘65 Ford pickup. Can you guess which one I’m fondest of?

If you ever find yourself in the area be sure to stop by The English Rose Café. It’s a little slice of British heaven in the Florida panhandle. (Note: I don’t receive any type of compensation for mentioning Millie’s restaurant—I just really like her food!)

Peace, people!

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