Lucky me, my friend Lisa flew in from Oregon for the week to help celebrate my birthday. The first few days of her visit were unseasonably (and unreasonably) cold. Thankfully, the last few were warmer and sunnier.

No matter the weather, we filled our time with fun: museums, breweries, parks, live music, tasty restaurants, bonfires, beach walks, wildlife encounters, and sunsets – not a bad way to spend a week!

It’s been awfully gray and chilly around here lately. Our highs are in the mid-fifties, which is way too far below 70° for my liking (and sadly, it’s forecast to be the same for another week or so).

This was my reward for braving the elements yesterday evening. It’s the little things…

It’s been so chilly down here that even the Gulf needs a warm, fluffy blanket! 🥶 (And yes, I’m well aware that I’m a wimp!)

The sunset last night inspired some camera play. The shot above was taken with the Live setting which I changed to Long Exposure for that airbrushed look.

The shot below was also taken Live but I opted to Loop it for a very relaxing, serene show. I hope you enjoy them!

My friend Katie and I took advantage of the sunny, mild weather this afternoon and paddled out to Shell Key. I haven’t been out on the water since hurricane season, when the Gulf of Mexico decided to enter so many of the homes around here (including mine).

It seems the Gulf and I need to work on our relationship, and today was a good start. While floating on the calm, clear water I admired the view and asked it to kindly refrain from entering my home again in the future. Here’s hoping that works!

There weren’t very many other folks out today. We only had to share the island with the snowbirds: dunlins, gulls, pipers, plovers, sanderlings, and turnstones along with a squadron of White Pelicans.

What a lovely way to start the year!

In 2025, may our days be bright, our dreams take flight, and our hearts be light…💖

As for resolutions, I’m with Calvin. 😉

However you celebrate, I hope your holidays are full of warmth and cheer! 🎄

Cats are well-known for creating toys out of the most ordinary objects and Westley is no exception. This evening my mischievous boy stole a cotton ball from me and proceeded to have a very energetic solo snowball fight.

Thankfully, that’s the only kind of snow we’ll have to deal around here. ☃️

When leaving work this afternoon I noticed something peculiar in the parking garage. Not sure why someone left a parliament of owls on the alarm box but I was amused by the quirky display. It was a charming bright spot during my otherwise hectic day.