It may still sound a bit warm to some folks but the humidity here has dropped and now that we are officially under 12 hours of sunlight each day the nights finally have a chance to cool off.

The next six months should be fantastic!

I had a few visitors the other night while working on a project in my carport. The furry ones allowed me to pet them (lucky me). Rudely, none of them offered to lend a hand (or paw, as it were).

Interesting what my front porch light attracts…

I recently watched a video about the history of Sarasota (just about an hour south of me). While I enjoyed the content of the show, it was this little song that stuck in my head.

Recorded in 1952 in an effort to draw tourists to the burgeoning, bayside town, this snazzy little number could also easily describe my area.

Hard to believe it’s already been a year since I moved into my little house. I purchased a fixer-upper so there has been plenty of work to do. While I’ve crossed quite a few things off my list, there are still a number of projects for me to tackle. So far, I think its coming along nicely…

Caught this view of Boca Ciega Bay last week. Wishing you calm seas this weekend!

I saw a posting on Facebook Marketplace last week, someone was moving and wanted to give away some frozen bait. I zipped over to pick it up and during the meeting I mentioned that I was just learning how to saltwater fish.

The nice young couple made my day even better when they gave me a rod and reel, lures, and a bait bucket on top of the 20 pounds of frozen squid. Lookout fishies!

My neighborhood tomcat not only “owns” this whole block but he’s a bad*ss on a bike. I call him Morrissey, not that it matters because he doesn’t answer…

Caught this Great Blue Heron last week at the tail end of the “golden hour”. The light was fading fast which limited the crispness of the image but I was rather delighted with the painterly outcome.

Though I have artist friends who I know could paint a much better rendition, it’s not bad for a photo taken with my cell phone.

I was driving home when I saw a handwritten, cardboard sign by the road, “Free Raspberries.” As a big berry lover I was not one to pass up this deal (especially when the sign uses my favorite four-letter word).

It didn’t bother me one bit that the berries were not, in fact, as advertised (black instead of red). After some washing and pureeing (with a bit of sugar) I ended up with four large jars of blackberry syrup. It’ll be perfect over ice cream or pancakes, as the base for bbq sauce, or even as a fruity mixer for drinks.

Berry-licious!