Category Archives: Photos-Flowers, Plants, Trees

On The Road, Photos-Flowers, Plants, Trees, Photos-Landscapes

~Lake Louisa State Park

February 23, 2018 Sheila 5 Comments

~February, 2018, Lake Louisa State Park near Clermont, FL.

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~ Lake Louisa can be reached by walking along a boardwalk, which spans a swampy area filled with Cypress trees and Swamp lilies. Take a moment to stop along the boardwalk, who knows what you might see.

~A portrait only nature can paint.

~Swamp Lilies rising out of “green soup”.

~The boardwalk leads you to the sandy beach of Lake Louisa. Swimming is allowed if you are brave enough to endure its cold temperature this time of year. I declined, what a wimp I am.

~What a great place to enjoy hiking, the park offers over twenty miles of trails.

This huge Live Oak tree welcomes you to walk underneath its branches, and to adventure along the sandy trail to see what lies ahead.

As I walked slowly pasted this Live Oak, admiring its beauty, I thought I heard it whisper “Be careful, have fun and watch for snakes!”.

~Cypress trees rise out of the water.

~A solitary walk, beautiful scenery, an opportunity to be reflective.

~A lone Cypress tree stands guard over the lake. “How old are you I ask?”

~I’am not alone, looks like I found a friend. He told me hello and poses for my camera.

~Many trails in the park meander through piney woods, and if you are lucky a glimpse of its inhabitants.

~Lake Louisa State Park, one of Florida’s treasures~

Note: Header photo is a photo I took during a previous visit to the park. Many Gray Catbirds call Lake Louisa home.

Gray Catbird. Beautiful!

On The Road, Photos-Flowers, Plants, Trees, Poetry

~Poetry-Japanese Lantern Form – Yes

March 23, 2016 Sheila 5 Comments

Here is my Japanese Lantern poem. Inspired by Jane at Just Another Nature Enthusiast (see link below).

~

Yes

Smile

Positive

Simple pleasures

Yea

~

One evening last week, I captured the sun setting behind this tree. The branches form the letter Y. So as it usually goes, I wake up with words in my head. I remembered reading Jane’s post about Japanese Lantern poetry form.

~Here are the rules as posted by Jane on her blog ` Jane

A five-line, eleven-syllable shape poem take the form of a Japanese lantern.

Line 1: one syllable (usually the topic and a noun)
Line 2: two syllables about the topic
Line 3: three syllables about the topic
Line 4: four syllables about the topic
Line 5: one syllable (synonym of or related to the first line)

Say yes instead of no when you can, always offer a smile, be positive, enjoy simple pleasures and all things in nature.

On The Road, Photos-Birds, Photos-Flowers, Plants, Trees, Photos-Wildlife, Poetry

~A walk through the spirit of a day

January 28, 2016 Sheila 6 Comments

Alafia River State Park

January 26, 2016

A walk through the spirit of a day,

The path before us leads the way,

The breeze blows, tree canopies sway,

Sunbeams don’t reach the ground, the skies are gray,

Little eyes peer out of the bay,

On a log, in the water they play,

Heard the nine notes, the elusive owl looks for prey,

She will show herself we say,

It truly was delightful, yea.

Thanks for a good time!

On The Road, Photos-Flowers, Plants, Trees

~Lunch and a visit to a botanical garden

January 15, 2016 Sheila 8 Comments

Howard did his magic, and searched out another local, unique place to eat lunch. We pulled into a full parking lot at Casey’s Seafood and More here in Sarasota for a late lunch. That and the fact we had to wait a few minutes for a table, told us he made a good choice. After ordering and eating, he picked another great one.

A common method to prepare fresh, grilled fish in southern Florida, is to offer it with several choices of toppings. Casey’s had four topping offerings: Garlic and Butter; Tomatoes, Olives, Capers; Orange; and Maple. My grilled fish was delicious with the Tomatoes, Olives and Caper topping. Yum!

Even though it was a cloudy day after lunch we headed toward historic downtown Sarasota to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Please go to this web-site to read about her life and the gardens. Marie Selby

Selby Gardens is a leader in the conservation and display of epiphytes, or plants that grow on other plants without harming them, such as orchids, bromeliads, and gesneriads. (their information)

Celebrating 40 Years

I am sorry to say I don’t remember the names of most of the trees, plants or flowers we saw during our walk and tour of the gardens. I hope you enjoy seeing them.

Colorful blooms, up close….

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Koi Pond…

Water falls splash into pools, hidden secrets draw you down winding paths, color dances on pavilion floors as sunlight shines through them, these and more all contribute to a tranquil visit…

The gardens border Sarasota Bay, where you can sit on a bench and watch the sunset, enjoy a resting Little Blue Heron, or watch the boats entering or leaving the bay.

Beautiful poems…

A Succulent Garden…

Trees…

A winding path…

So many beautiful gardens, too many for me to do justice with these few photos. Howard and I enjoyed our visit to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and if you are ever in the Sarasota area, I recommend a visit.

On The Road, Photos-Flowers, Plants, Trees, Photos-Landscapes, Poetry

~Woods on Fire

December 14, 2015 Sheila 8 Comments

Walking along the path,

the woods light up changing color,

as if they are on fire.

Glancing over my shoulder,

the beauty at the end of this day,

is heart-stopping.

Another beautiful day spent enjoying the beauty of nature!

On The Road, Photos-Flowers, Plants, Trees

~For the Love of Trees~

January 4, 2015 Sheila 8 Comments

A Moss covered Oak Tree — An Oak tree covered with Moss.

I have always loved trees.

I remember, as a little girl, one of my favorite things to do was to find a tree with just the right crooked branch. One that curved just enough for me to lie in. I called it my “reading” branch. I would grab a mystery book, climb into my tree and lay there and read. What fun! You would think that time would pass slowly, but it didn’t. Before long it was time to climb down.

I also remember climbing a tree in my Brownies’ uniform/dress and falling out of it, splat! It knocked the wind out of me, but I didn’t hold a grudge against the tree!

These days I just love to take photos of gorgeous trees.

Do you have a favorite tree experience?

On The Road, Photos-Flowers, Plants, Trees, Photos-Landscapes

~With our nose pointing west….

March 31, 2014 Sheila 6 Comments

With our nose pointing west….

We sadly leave family and friends in Mississippi and Louisiana….until next time our hearts remain with each of you.

Two weeks ago we visited our family in Purvis, Mississippi. We had a wonderful time and it was truly sad leaving them. They spoil us rotten while we are there.

We stay at my brother and sister-in-law’s farm. While there we also get to see my younger sister and many nieces, nephews, greats and great-greats! Love you guys and thanks for making us feel loved and welcome!

A few Mississippi photos:

Annie She loves to chase cows and run off critters at night

Japanese Magnolia (my brother love to plant trees and blooming scrubs) — Japanese Magnolia
(my brother loves to plant trees and blooming scrubs)

Sing Baby Sing I saw twenty-three species on the farm while there — Sing Baby Sing
I saw twenty-three species, of bird this visit

Big Red, Hot rod, Lace and Fat Mama/Lena before she foaled — Big Red, Hot Rod, Lace and Fat Mama/Lena before she foaled. All across the Front Pond

Front Pond, Howard and Leland going to see if the Wood Ducks were in the bog. We saw 14!

A pair of Blue-winged Teals visiting the back pong — A pair of Blue-winged Teals visiting the Back Pond

Red Missippippi Mud -back pond — Red Missippippi Mud
-back pond

Goodbye Mississippi, we’ll be back!

After our visit in Mississippi we drove to Madisonville, Louisiana and again stayed at Fairview Riverside State Park. We stay there, because it is close to friends, who also spoil us rotten! We had a great time and hope to see yawl soon. Love you guys!

I have been posting a few photos from Fairview Riverside State Park and I have a few more to share, including my new bird sightings!

One evening we had dinner with Howard’s brother and our sister-in-law, who drove from Hobe Sound, Florida to visit with SIL’s family in Metairie. Remember we spent time visiting with them and family in Hobe Sound. We will see all of you very soon, with all our love!

We all met at a restaurant in Covington, Louisiana. Howard and Bob’s childhood friend and his family jointed us for dinner and we had a very enjoyable time visiting.

One morning we drove the 22 mile causeway over Lake Pontchartrain traveling, as they say, from the north shore to the south shore to the city of Metairie, which is near New Orleans. We went to visit with our 82 year old cousin. Joy is her name and she is a joy to be around.

As you can see we had a busy time and again our visit has come to an end. This morning we pulled out of Fairview Riverside State Park and pointed our nose west!!!

Goodbye Madisonville, Louisiana, we’ll be back!

We are slowly making our way home to Colorado, stopping along the way where ever we want, to enjoy birding, hiking, sightseeing and some more good eats!

We are staying a few days in Duson, Louisiana (can you say the cajun pronunciation of Duson). While here we will visit a state park in Abbeville, Louisiana to see if we would like to stop there on future trips through this area. We really love the State Parks!

Tomorrow night we plan to eat dinner at a restaurant near Lafayette, while a cajun band plays their unique style of music!

We have not decided on a specific route home.

We don’t have any firm plans beyond this point, except to visit some of the national wildlife areas near Beaumont, Texas, hoping to see some migrating birds.

Which way, which way shall we go?