It was cloudy and gray this afternoon but the tourist-filled boats were still optimistically heading out to catch sunset. Note the crewman climbing the mast…

After hearing about this amazing location for the past couple years, I finally had a chance to check out John Chestnut Sr. Park up in Palm Harbor. I spent four enjoyable hours wandering the various trails and boardwalks.

Keep in mind, for every cooperative subject I managed to capture, there were at least two others that snuck away. It was a stellar way to spend the day.

So, imagine my surprise when I overheard a young woman talking on her phone, “Nah, there isn’t anything interesting to see here.” It certainly gave me a chuckle…

I caught this action yesterday afternoon during my breezy beach walk. I rarely manipulate my photos but I really liked that ray from the sun and wanted to make it pop. So, I filtered out the daylight. I rather like it.

I first noticed this sign right after I moved here three years ago. Yesterday, I finally took the time to snap a picture of it.

It’s a bit incongruous here along the Florida Gulf Coast, but it I enjoy seeing it since it reminds me of my old stomping grounds in the Sonoran Desert.

When you come home late from work and encounter some cattitude, bringing a little token of affection goes a long way. I lucked out this time, because it’s now Westley’s new favorite.

He plays with it nonstop and carries it everywhere. In fact, I have to put it away at night so we can get some sleep!

Work brought me out to the beach today. Since my job wrapped up early I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather. This is the reason I keep a swimsuit, shorts, t-shirt, and flip flops in a beach bag in the back of my car.

Friend: What are you doing tonight?

Me: Hanging with my emotional support carrot.

Friend: …

My Carrot: Who needs a hug?

Tonight’s first course. Thank you, garden!

I parked near this mural while working downtown today. It stopped me in my tracks since it was one of the first things Linda said to me when we met.

I was sitting at Gators during happy hour one evening, watching the sun set. I could tell she was upset when she sat down near me. After she ordered her drink (Tito’s and soda, as I recall), I glanced over and said, “I don’t mean to pry but whatever is going on, I’m sure you can handle it.”

She smiled through her tears, we started talking about life, and by the time the night was over, we were friends. That was three years ago, almost to the day.

Often Linda would call me up and say, “Sunshine, let’s go have fun!” She passed away unexpectedly four months later but we certainly made a lot of good memories during that time. ❤

I was poked by something in my bed this morning. A quick search turned up two little milk teeth. These tiny, hollow shells are typically shed by kittens around four months of age.

Westley is a bit ahead of the curve, since he just turned three months old this past week. Thank goodness my friend Katie recently gave him a teething toy. As far as I know, Westley has 24 more teeth to go, so he’s certainly gonna need something to chew on!

I’m so very grateful for the friends who made my birthday week such a blast! Lisa, my friend since college (not going to talk about how long ago that was), flew over from Portland for the week.

We squeezed in as much exploring as possible: sunsets, dolphins, manatees, kayaking to Shell Key (thank you for the loaner, Katie), Herrmann’s Royal Lipizzans, belly dancing, live music, lots (and lots) of sunscreen, raccoons, the obligatory alligator, and, of course, a fun birthday celebration with Alyssa.

Sadly, Lisa had to leave before the Gasparilla concert yesterday but my friend Loretta came over and played pirate with me. It was an epic birthday week and now I need a little recovery time (after all, I’m not as young as I used to be).