Tag: manatees

Snapshots #233 and #234

I live less than an hour from one of the most beautiful state parks in the country. Today I decided it had been far too long since my last visit, so I remedied that problem with a trip to Wakulla Springs State Park.

No trip to the springs is complete without a boat ride through the park, and while I’ve had some great experiences in the past, today’s visit surely topped them all. Just to start the trip I took these two photos of a mama manatee and her calf.

That’s mom in picture one. I’ll call her”Madonna of the Springs,” and the one with baby, I’ve dubbed “Blissful Innocence.”

I missed the chance to snap a shot as they went beneath our boat directly in front of my first row seat. My goal was to capture them both in the same shot, but that wasn’t to be. But that’s ok. Not many things make me as happy as manatees do.

The remainder of my photos from the trip need to be edited a bit before I share. If I don’t take a nap I might do that editing this afternoon. Most of the bets are on the nap.

Peace, people.

Social Caterpillar

Last week I found myself attending social events on three consecutive evenings. I haven’t been out that many nights in a row since I was a busy mom driving kids to and from various activities. And don’t tell them, but this past week was (marginally) more fun. I’m not quite a social butterfly yet, but I am a fun-loving caterpillar.

On Wednesday I went to a group painting activity at Painting With a Twist in Tallahassee. Thursday evening I saw Train at Cascades Park. Then on Friday I attended an art show at Florida State University’s Museum of Fine Arts.

One of the women I’ve met through the Tallahassee Women’s Meetup group had a piece selected for the show, and I went to support her.

That’s Martha M. Lord, below, with her oil painting, Spring Haven. The painting was displayed incorrectly. It should have been rotated 90° to the left, and my photo doesn’t do it justice. These manatees make me happy.

I wandered around the event like I knew what I was doing, admiring art, oohing over some pieces, looking bemused at others.

Below, No Bee=No We by Rita Barker.

Magnolia by Charlie O’Toole

Boots on the Ground by Judy Lipman Schecter

I didn’t get artists’ names on these, but they all caught my unpracticed eye.

The evening was fun. I didn’t turn into a butterfly, but I think it might be time to spin my chrysalis.

Soon….