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Thursday, April 14, 2016

Home Again and a New Post, Finally!

The last half of March and the first part of April passed in a blur, first with all the Holy Week/Easter singing and then with a trip to Florida.  That trip was our most unusual yet as we spent a lot of it sleeping of the choir crud that came with us. But we are home again, done with our jury duty and ready to get back to our normal activities. Hurrah!


As you can see from our attire and the blue sky, we were not in Washington.  This was the first day we were back to "normal," and just in time to visit our friends, the Malones.


We shared a fun lunch at Ulele's on the waterfront and then took a boat ride on the Pirate Water Taxi which was lots of  fun. Unfortunately we didn't have our camera with us, so we have no photos of the scenery on the Tampa waterfront.  The next day we visited with Dee and Steve and finally got to meet the famous Giroux.  However, once again we failed in the photography detail.  Our brains weren't functioning yet, I guess.


On Monday we flew home on a late flight so decided to explore the trails at the hotel complex across from where we stayed. We weren't deterred by this sign, but it wasn't kidding. We saw two gators swimming, and I am sure I heard another grunting in the brush.


Despite the sign, we saw other wildlife enjoying the pond.  These turtles at least were out of the water! The one in the front really seems to be enjoying the sunshine.


Dick was the first to spot this pair.  He also caught their serious discussion.  We saw another heron in the tree a few yards from this nest.



Lots of other birds seem to frequent these waters, and it was fun to see them.





Not a bad way to while away some time, eh?  We were glad the last few days of our trip were fun and very sorry not to see my cousins.  Next time, hopefully.

11 comments:

Araignee said...

What a fun trip! Just look at all those birds. I am amazed. As for those gators....they scare me even from this safe distance.

Anonymous said...

Wow! You got to see night herons. In over 30 years of living here, I've only seen 1 night heron. Cool!!!!

We were so glad that you got to visit. Giroux says THANKS for the little mousie. I say THANKS For the beautiful yarn and the delicious tea!

Merry said...

As always great photos, even if you forgot your camera a couple of times. Those turtles seem to be really enjoying themselves.

Anonymous said...

You know a part of me is so jealous that you have each other and can take these adventures together, right? =) Thank you for sharing the photos. That is a wonderful bird collection. I'm glad you are feeling much better than when you left!

Sharon said...

The birds are spectacular - am so glad you were able to enjoy and photograph them. And happy you enjoyed most of your vacation.

kathy b said...

Oh it sounds like you all enjoyed the Giroux stop! You look just great JUDY!!

Did you knit along the way?

Jury duty.....that's one thing I will not live in fear of if we move. 26th and California is the WORST area of Chicago and Cook County. Everyone dreads jury duty there. Were you called to sit on a jury?
We have one day or one trial obligations.

Mereknits said...

SO glad you had a fun trip, I hope Florida treated you well. So glad you met up with Dee and Steve, they are some of my favorite people.
Hugs,
Meredith

Tired Teacher said...

Your trip and time with friends look and sound fantastic. I'm jealous that you met Dee, Steve, and Giroux!

Love the photos of the birds and gators. Hope you have given the crud the brush off and now feel better.

karen said...

love birds and your photos are gorgeous!! looks like picture perfect weather :)

Wildflowerhouse said...

Love the birds, gators would scar me to death. Sounds like you have been traveling a lot and having fun.
I'm sorry about your cherry tree. I can't believe mine is still alive after all it has been through, elk chewing on it, me moving it from 20 miles away, and it is very old. Maybe cause I talk to it helps.....

Crazee4books said...

Hello Judy,

I see that you and your DH have been traveling quite a bit lately. I love
seeing pictures of bloggers vacations and the fascinating places that they
have been to. There are so many (endless) places I would love to go to
myself but realize that you just can't do it all.

Arizona may be too hot for my taste but there is so much to see there.
That three hundred year old church was incredible! Impressive enough
on the outside (and so beautiful with the white facade against the deep
blue sky) but the inside is just stunning. Some of it looks so ornate
my eyes had a hard time focusing on it. I love the inside of the dome.
Mosaics or painted images?

The wildlife is equally as interesting ... and perhaps a bit cuter? Love
that owl and of course the Road Runner.

Your trip to Florida looked wonderful too. THough I'm not too keen
on gators (they grunt? Really?) the turtles were fun doing their sun
bathing and the birds are amazing!

Going back further .... the Andean Chullo hat that you knitted was
gorgeous!!! Those colours and the patterns and the tassels!!! It
might have been a challenge to knit but it looks wonderful!

Cheers!