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(Finally. This is the last chapter of reporting on our only day this summer we were able to explore nature. It was August 15 and we were in the Lake Wales Ridge State Forest in central Florida.) (Click on images to enlarge, click again to zoom.) It would have been easy to talk ourselves out of this trip. Both recovering from surgeries, horrible curve balls from Life, middle of Florida’s hot and… Read More

(Click on images to enlarge, click again to zoom.) Dew-bejeweled wisps of webs atop brown grass stalks sparkled with the first rays of sun as we made our way along the red clay road through the forest. The call of a Northern Cardinal was as clear as the bright blue sky overhead. Mid-summer. Hot. Humid. Surely a day meant for mad dogs. Indeed. Flowers appeared in profusion every few yards. Birds and… Read More

(Click on images to enlarge, click again to zoom.) Our timing was good. Driving through the fringe of the city limits in the dark of pre-dawn is sometimes a harrowing experience. Drivers tail-gating, anxious to pass at the first opportunity, or in many cases, making their own (dangerous) opportunity. They either love their jobs so much they just can’t wait to get there, or they overslept again. We suspect the latter. On… Read More

(Gini and I have just returned from a week-long road trip to southwest Florida. We wanted a change of venue to celebrate our 56th wedding anniversary. Instead of exploring the familiar swamps near home, where else would a couple of native Floridian nature lovers go for such a momentous celebration than — bigger swamps? More to come. In the meantime, this post will be a description of our visit to a favorite… Read More

Pine trees. Tall. Green. Rough, thick, scaly bark. Be careful in handling the pine cone or you may wind up with a hand full of small holes. Close your eyes and breathe in. The air of a pine forest can soothe one’s very soul. Our two souls were busy being soothed when the shriek of a Red-shouldered Hawk roused us from our reverie. Gini and I have almost come to treat each… Read More