My friend Amber and I spent the morning cleaning up the beach. People left an awful lot of trash behind after their celebrations last night. Sigh.
But then again, it was a good excuse to get my toes in the sand, so I shan’t complain.
Hopefully your day started off better than this girl’s:
Ah, my favorite beach. There isn’t anywhere I’d rather be on the final day of 2023!
As for my wishes for us all in the coming year, I’ll echo The Paperboys, in hoping that it’s better than the last.
Yes, I know, I have shared this song before, but I find it pertinent (and I just love this band and their music). Happy New Year!🥂
I’d like to formally introduce you to CJ, swindler extraordinaire. You may recall a couple months ago when I came home to find a cat that looked remarkably like my Westley sitting on my front porch.
It surprised me because I’d left my cat in the house. Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was just a doppelgänger and not my boy (who was peacefully napping on his cat tree at the time).
The little stranger tugged at my heartstrings with its pathetic mew and demands for attention. I offered it a scoop of food, which it immediately scarfed down. It made me worry that it had been left behind by one of the neighbors that had recently moved away.
That first night I left the cat alone, hoping it would find its way home. Which I presumed happened because I didn’t see kitty for about a week. When it showed up again one morning I sprang into action. I lured kitty into a cage with some food and drove over to my vet to have it scanned for a microchip.
After a few phone calls, I was able to reunite her with her family which lives down at the end of my block. We had a good chuckle over her antics when I walked CJ back home because even though she acted ravenous around me, she is a well-loved and well-cared for cat. Apparently, she just knew I was a soft touch!
CJ still visits occasionally, though she doesn’t stay long. She is severely disappointed in my lack of concern regarding her “malnourishment”!
Sadly, the dearth of snow down here means we can’t participate in many typical winter activities. Thankfully, we have plenty of white, fluffy sand which at least allows us to practice building snowmen.
For what it’s worth, while sand is a good medium in this instance, I do not recommend substituting it for snowball fights.
I know which one I like best, but which one is your favorite?
Heading out to the beach for my sunset walk today, I opted to wander south instead of north just to get a different view.
My direction ended up not mattering at all because the fog started rolling in shortly after I stepped onto the sand. When I left my house it was 71º and sunny. By the time I left the beach 45 minutes later, the temperature had dropped 10 degrees and visibility was under a mile.
The fog, cool breeze, and choppy sea took me back to my beach walking days on the Oregon Coast.
I was not expecting a holiday theme when I drove over to explore a new nature park in nearby Dunedin but I was pleasantly surprised. Within five minutes on the trail at the Gladys E. Douglas Preserve I encountered Reindeer Lichen (Cladonia spp).
It’s only found in undisturbed areas, so even though I’ve tramped numerous miles through scores of parklands here in Florida over the past few years it was my first ever sighting. As the common name implies, it also grows north of the Arctic Circle where caribou (aka reindeer) browse on it in the winter.
Further down the trail was a Hog Plum tree (Spondias mombin) with a few late-season fruits still hanging on. While the small fruit is edible, a quick nibble proved it was the opposite of a sugar plum.
Turning around I spotted Christmas Wreath Lichen (Cryptothecia rubrocincta) growing on a tree trunk. The name is based on the color combination along with its typically round shape.
I noted some cheery red and green pops of color along the trail. Then, tucked back in the woods, I spied a tall, scraggly orange tree. I had to wander over and get a closer look. It felt like I found a little gift because there was one ripe orange on the ground (while the rest of the fruit was at least 10 feet in the air and well out of my reach). I’ll be planting the seeds soon, it will be interesting to see if I can get it to grow.
Speaking of presents, a few minutes later I stumbled across a pretty painted rock. I enjoy finding these and sometimes I take them with me, but this one I left so that someone else can experience the joy of discovery.
Next a thin, yellowish twining vine caught my eye. It looked remarkably similar to one from the desert southwest of my childhood but this dodder is called Love Vine (Cuscuta europaea).
In a small clearing nearby I was treated to a sweet and simple sight, someone had decorated a pine seedling for the season. It made an adorable little Christmas tree. Whoever you are, thank you for the giving me a smile.
Near the end of the loop I looked up and received the best gift of the day, my first sighting of a Barred Owl (Strix varia). Thankfully, this one was so involved in a preening session that it didn’t mind me taking photos. It was a treat to share a few peaceful minutes together.
Who says Florida doesn’t celebrate the season? What a wonderful way to spend part of the holidays!
Wishing you peace, love, and joy, not just on Christmas but throughout the coming year! 🎄
Ran into Santa on my beach a couple weeks ago. I guess he was getting in some relaxation before the big night.
I imagine that by now he’s on his way to your place…🎅🎄
Cutting it rather close on the decorating but I saved the best for last. I must admit this one is pretty spectacular. These Wood Storks are not just big and showy but apparently, they are also capable of belting out the jolliest of carols (well, at least one of them is).
Note: This entire series was photographed within the past month. This Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla) towers over a bend in the creek which makes it a very desirable location for all our neighborhood avians. Lucky for me, it is visible from my kitchen window.
I had some time to kill in Tampa this afternoon, so I popped into a curiosity shop (more about that later). Though there were innumerable oddities, I only made one small purchase.
I passed over the shrunken heads, buying instead a little novelty item. As you can see, the Fortune Teller Miracle Fish thinks I’m passionate (though I’m not sure I needed a little plastic fish to tell me that).
This curio is definitely misnamed, since it is (purportedly) picking up on my current feelings, and not, in actuality, divining upcoming life events. So, there’s no need to toss out your crystal ball!
The secret to this phenomenon? A thin coating of sodium polyacrylate that reacts to the moisture secreted by sweat glands in our palms. Watch it in action:
3rin's View... 