Category Archives: Photos-Flowers, Plants, Trees
~Lake Louisa State Park
~February, 2018, Lake Louisa State Park near Clermont, FL.
~ 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.
~Poetry-Japanese Lantern Form – Yes
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.
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Line 1: one syllable (usually the topic and a noun)
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Line 2: two syllables about the topic
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Line 3: three syllables about the topic
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Line 4: four syllables about the topic
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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.
~A walk through the spirit of a day
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!
~Lunch and a visit to a botanical garden
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….
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.
