Little bit of Florida sunshine

June is now upon us and I have no idea what happened to May!  Oh, that's right.  I became the mama of two puppies!  I am surrounded by chaos.

Not so long ago, there was much order in my life.  Like in April.  Like when we took time to visit our home in Anna Maria.  Actually, that week ended up not being so relaxing.  There were a number of repairs and yard work to get done.  I didn't take as many photos as I often do but did have a chance here and there while biking around.

Nowadays, just being able to sit and do nothing would be the most rewarding treat ever!  

(I now speak in dog language.)

I never tire of trying to capture some of my favorite birds.

The Great Blue Heron.

And my most favorite, those pelicans.

I can watch them endlessly dive and cruise above the waters.

I think they are magnificent.

But always, the best time is the evenings.

As the day begins to disappear into night.

It reminds me how extraordinary the universe is 

in all of its grandeur.

And I am thankful.

(And I will be more thankful once my puppies are house broken!)

And there went April ....

Here we are, well into May and it has been almost a month since my last post.  Bad me.  Each day I had good intentions of posting, god knows I have enough photos!  But actually ...  it was kind of nice taking the break.  I think the thing I have come to like most about blogging is that it's like having a journal of thoughts tracked and stored among the daily ordinariness of life.  As well as hearing from all of you and your adventures.

But let's move on, and let me catch you up on April's events.

You'll recall, we trekked out to Napa Valley in early April.  Here's a couple of images of the Golden Gate Bridge as we headed back to the airport.

When we returned to Philly, Spring had finally begun to make an appearance, 

along with some stormy days.

We journeyed down to Fredericksburg for a weekend to visit our brother-in-law for a few days and his sweet pack of dogs.  We always have a good time hitting the flea markets and sharing lots of wine and laughter in the evenings.  He has carved out a walking path around his pond which is where I captured the below image.  And it must have been there that I inherited the tick I discovered on my waist the following day.  Ewww!  Fortunately, he had not fully attached himself.

Back to Philly, and spring continued to blossom 

with more and more of my birdie friends returning, 

and I caught up with an old friend who visited for a couple of days.

I continued to monitor a major bath renovation in our Rockport home that was started in February.

I had great hopes of its completion by the end of April.  

But as with all renovations, things never seem to run on schedule.  

Ugh.

April was also a time to catch up on some medical appointments.  A Synvisc injection for my cranky arthritic left knee in attempts to hold off replacement.  

And of course, the boob squishing mammogram 

with the continuous good news all is a.o.k.

Another friend from Seattle joined us for a few days to attend The Professor's 

Corporate Governance conference in Philly.

Our friend's daughter had heard of the Mutter Museum and wanted him to check it out.  

So one afternoon, we spent viewing medical oddities and body parts.

Definitely disturbing.

I made a trip down to Anna Maria to check up on our vacation properties 

and deal with some maintenance issues.  

Not much time for any R & R like these folks below, 

but I did get a few bike rides in and a couple of sunsets.

It's a pretty time of the year down there with the terns, skimmers and plovers 

mating and nesting ...  

along with the turtles beginning to return to lay their eggs.

And there you have it.

A full month of family, friends, travels, renovations and a 

'few'

Vesper martinis in the mix

to ease my achy ole soul.

Looking forward to things slowing down a bit this month.

Taking more photos and getting back into the groove of blogging

and catching up with all of you.

Gonna be a hot one...

Well, it seems that summer will finally arrive. 

We're anticipating temps in the 90's this week!

Too hot, too soon for this part of the country!  

We might as well be in Anna Maria.

 At least there I could enjoy 

warm sea breezes on the pier

 afternoon walks with sand 

between my toes

photographing some feather friends

like the Anhinga above

and the green heron below

or the blue-eyed 

Cormorant.

There in Florida, 

I could enjoy the azure seas

and sunsets 

that take my breath away.

Oh yeh, 

tolerating 90 degree temps on the beach 

would be a whole lot easier there!

Maybe with a margarita or two.

Wouldn't you agree?!

A Spa Visit

Over the last several days, I've been organizing and editing photos, which seems to always be an endless task, and realized I had not shared this humorous Yellow-Crowned Night Heron who visits us at our home in Anna Maria.

He stops by occasionally and has taken a liking to our spa,

sitting there for 15-20 minutes.

Guess he likes the warm water!

He always keeps his eye on me, 

making sure I keep my distance.

And I do.  

I totally respect his privacy!

Once he steps out of the spa, he spends about 5 minutes shaking and drying off.

As well as clearing the taste of the chlorine from his mouth!

Nasty stuff!

After a bit, he hops over to the side of the pool ....

 And saunters down to the dock to continue more air-drying time.

And then some bug eating time.

I like our little visitor.  

As long as he doesn't bring more guests!

(P.S. The house feels so empty now with the passing of Kramer.  Such a gentle and old soul kitty, he will always be in our hearts.  Thank you for all your wonderful comments.  It was very comforting!)

At Peace with the World

When The Professor and I visit Anna Maria, one of our favorite things to do is to walk to the beach for sunset, plop our chairs down and take in the beauty of the day's end.  Sometimes, we may be the only ones there.  And that's ok with us.

Of course, we aren't totally alone.  

 The terns and skimmers keep us company as well as entertained

as they dip and dive for food

while sandpipers skirt along the water.

But I think it is the skimmers that I enjoy the most.

So stoic and uncomplaining.

At peace with the world.

And that's not a bad way to be.

There are moments

there are moments
when the world sighs
and the winds change

altering
us forever

love, death, birth

new worlds
knocking at our door
unfamiliar in our hearts

redefining
reshaping

we open
our arms wide
and embrace
and invite
everything to change

and then
there are
the small moments
that go unnoticed
with a passing whisper

a kiss goodbye, a wave, a touch

a summer sunset

that weave our days 

into a tapestry of routine

filling us up
to reach out for
another day

~~~

Bird thoughts

With all the snowstorms and odd weather of late, I could use some warming up.  And no better way for me to do that than to think of myself sitting on the beach at sunset and taking in the scenery.  Here's a few archive photos from Anna Maria this past January.

Two gulls were fighting over a dead fish that had washed up.  Notice the guy on the right sneaking up while the other one is busy?  I think the two were in cahoots to steal the fish!

The Royal Terns, of course, had no interest in stealing any fish and remained their regal 

spikey-head-haired selves.

I find myself oftentimes wondering what birds think.  Like the guy above, just standing there. 

Is he hungry, tired, lonely, bored, happy or sad?

But then again, 

I imagine their thoughts are nothing quite that complex. 

Perhaps it is simply a way for me

to pause,

and ask those questions 

of myself.

~ ~ ~

Have a great weekend, my friends!