Memories

Today as we went walking in the rain, I couldn't help reminiscing about last week's trip. I'm not sure I will ever get over my amazement at the variety of flora and fauna that seem to be routine in Florida. Today we felt fortunate to see a lone robin! Last week we saw egrets, ibis, alligators, and anhingas to name just a few.Reflections
Many of the birds were in their mating plumage and looked extra fancy. This anhinga is trying to get warm after a swim.
Drying out
We saw several kinds of herons. My favorite is the stately great blue heron which we also see here in Bellevue.
Among the other types of smaller herons that we saw was this little fellow.
Little blue heron
In Shark Valley alligators are everywhere. They appear to be quite lazy, but they can move surprising fast after prey or if provoked. Our guide said that they can swim 29 MPH!
Smile!
As you can see in this photo, the other animals seem rather nonchalant toward the gators. We did, however,on another occasion see an alligator chase down a turtle like this one.
Coexisting?
We were just a little early to see many spring flowers, but we did spot this beauty tucked in the woods.Hibiscus
And no trip to Florida is complete without a sunset photo.
Goodbye to another day.
In addition to spending lots of time outdoors, we also did a little bit of shopping. I found an intriguing yarn shop called Needles and Knobs. Can you guess what the knobs were? I didn't buy any, but I did find some yarn! Surprise, surprise.