For better or worse, I always have to see what’s around the bend. Just a little bit further.

My insatiable curiosity isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but it works for me. It has led me some interesting places, not all of them good, but it certainly hasn’t been a boring life.

I’m looking forward to what lies ahead…

I caught this little scene at Mirror Lake the other day during my lunch break. The pond is a short stroll from work and the weather was just so lovely.

Reminded me of that little ditty from Sesame Street,

“One of these things is not like the others,

One of these things just doesn’t belong”

Do you wanna tell the duck or should I?

I came across this interpretive sign as I was exploring a new-to-me park. The title of the sign*, taken from an actual ad from the mid 1800s, is quite appropriate considering that today is National Margarita Day.

*Any Parrothead worth their salt will get this. And if you don’t “get it” I suggest you become a Parrothead, stat!

Allow me to introduce my new little friend, Gator Greg.

I “discovered” him in a neighbor’s trash* last week. How could anyone throw him away? He’s adorable!

Oh sure, he’s a little rough around the edges, but aren’t we all somedays? I think he’d make a great Muppet, he has a slightly bemused look befitting a member of that troupe. Then again, I often have that look when out and about in the world…

I love “folk art” and became even more impressed with Gator Greg when I found out he was carved from a coconut husk.

* I’m not a true dumpster diver but when something cool is peeking out the top, I just can’t resist.

Usually, water with high levels of tree detritus turns brown from all the tannins in the plant matter. So these bright green leaves and cloudy white puffs in the water on Weedon Island certainly caught my attention last week.

The striking chartreuse color on the left could very well be due to the presence of the aptly named Yellow-green Algae (Xanthophyceae sp.).

As for the other photo, in the field I thought it resembled the cloudy atmosphere of Venus. After importing the day’s images I discovered that it was an egg mass. Look in the lower righthand corner, you’ll find some developing creature staring back at you.

Nature never ceases to intrigue me!

I was unexpectedly off today, courtesy of a power outage at work. I took full advantage of the gorgeous weather (upper 70s with a few passing clouds).

After a productive morning attacking the plethora of weeds in my yard I spent a lazy afternoon at the beach. I’m sharing a snippet of video in an effort to help warm up everyone that’s affected by the massive cold front moving across the country.

Stay safe and stay cozy, my friends!

The chilly weather kept me off the beach earlier this week so I was delighted to get out there this evening. Had an incident with a shell that caused some minor damage…

A small price that I am more than willing to pay for such a lovely way to wrap up a day.

Thanks to a birthday gift from my thoughtful cousin, Shane, I finally made it out to Shell Key. Since we were heading west you would think having the wind out of the east would make paddling to the island a breeze.

Except for the minor detail that it was low tide and the wind was pushing the remaining water away. Our shallow crossing became more of a wet slog as kayaks ran aground and some folks had to get out and pull their way across the bay.

The water was chilly but not unbearable and our guide Chris had everyone laughing about the situation. At least we knew nobody was gonna drown!

After reaching the small sand bar we had about an hour to wander and explore. The beach lived up to its name as the sand was covered with shells and sand dollars. Since I already have quite a collection I happily shared my finds with a nice lady vacationing from Indiana.

On our return trip we were accompanied by a small pod of dolphins. Couldn’t have asked for a better morning!