Florda Bird Watching

1. Just getting starting on our bird watching. Chestnut Park is full of beautiful things to see.

2. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect bird watching day. 

 3. We spotted coons right off the bat. We have lots of this type of bird in our own back yard. 

 4. Here is a red faced variety of the same bird.

5. A large blue heron stayed right here the entire time, keeping a watchful eye on a 10 foot alligator. 

6. We stumble across what I thought was poison oak but I don't think the leaves are jagged enough to be poison oak. I didn't touch it just in case.

7. This plant had a peppery smell to it. I didn't touch it either just in case. 

8. I love nature and can usually rattle off the names of every plant and tree in the Midwest. But Florida has me walking around in wide eyed amazement trying to figure out what's what. 

9. This heart shaped leave looks like a mini elephant ear. Not sure what it is though. 

10. Lots of moss and vegetation with little critters hidden everywhere. 

11.  We saw this rabbit quietly eating until a dog came by and scared the bejeezers out of him.

12. This is palmetto, if I am remembering correctly.

13. This cardinal is stunning. He's waiting on his turn at the bird seed that a tourist was freely handing out to the birds. If you recognize any of the following please let me know.

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25. Mi Miguel waiting and watching for that one special bird.

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31. So we're not very good sand artists. We did make an effort though didn't we?3

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35. We had a great time. You know you viewed the photos carefully if you saw the black snake that is tucked away sunbathing in one of the photos. 
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A Valentine's Day Treat

Valentine's Day is  my favorite holiday. It's more about love than material things. It garners no religious ceremonies. There are no family traditions involved. It's about love, just plain old fashioned love. 

The day is about the two of you and the measure of your love. The day is about what you've accomplished as a couple since the previous Valentine's Day. The day is also about maintaining a common path that will lead you to your next Valentine's Day. 

Our disastrous Wedding Day story has been told many times. Here is long story short;  Mi Miguel and I were married on Valentine's Day thirty two years ago. This is the only wedding photo of that day, many were taken but this is all we have. Does anyone ever actually go back and look at their wedding photos? To us, a  marriage is not about the wedding, it's about the marriage.

Celebration of Christmas is great but I don't  understood the mess it has become. Halloween is fun if you're into all that is scary...I'm not. The whole family Thanksgiving hasn't been the same since my dad passed away over seventeen years ago.  Fourth of July is special because we make an effort every year to spend that day with our son who was born within a few days of Independence Day. Our family is too scattered to enjoy the traditional barbecue holidays. Our daughter has grown into her beautiful adult wings and left us with an empty-nester void that we've yet to fulfill.  All of this is why Valentine's Day is the one holiday I truly understand. 

There is no pressure when the day is centered around plain old love. There is no shopping frenzy (except for the mad dash on February fourteenth at five o' clock p.m. when forgetful husbands bombard the Walgreen's greeting card aisle at the very last minute.) But all in all, Valentine's Day is about two people in love.

This year we're sharing our Valentine's Day and anniversary with our new Florida friends. Yes, this was our version of hors d'oeuvres when I was growing up in Indiana. It just wouldn't be a holiday if I didn't make these delicious appetizers. Because you see, you can take a girl out of Muncie but you will never take the Muncie out of that girl.

 

I've tried my hand at cake pops. Quick tip: Definitely buy a cake pop stand to hold all your pops so they can dry properly. Not too shabby for my first attempt, eh?

Valentine's Day is a great day to do those little things that show how you feel about someone. The Valentine's Day cones have been around for centuries. I put my own little twist on it and can't wait to share them with our friends. 

All other holidays always leave me feeling inadequate. But Valentine's Day, well I've got this one. This is one holiday that I can celebrate with my whole heart and never feel disappointed.  

We Have A Paint Color Winner!

While out for our usual evening walk, it struck me. As we strolled through our neighborhood the moss that clings to the trees caught my eye. That's it! That's the color of paint we need for the house. I grabbed a chunk of it and off to the paint store we went.

This is definitely the one. It has a hint of green and pulls out the mossy green hues in the stone. It leaves the stones neither too yellow or to orange. It's perfect, right?

After looking at these three choices for about a month, we decided they were either too peach, too grey or too much of a glow.

Here's a close up of the three colors. Way too pale and just not quite right with the color.

We were close to choosing Hazelnut Cream, the patch of color on the bottom. 

 We put a patch to the left and even did an extra patch of it next to the stone.

Overall I think the mossy green will make the stone look a little elegant. In case you didn't notice, there's Mi Miguel. He's kind of blending in with all that peachiness going on with the house and the shirt. 

 Right now, we like the house. Hopefully the mossy green will give the house that little pop of color that it needs and we can then start really loving this house.

At one time a lot of people were doing the yellow and the soft orange tones with this Italian stone. It's time for a change. It's also time to find a person that works in masonry for the removal of the arch that's over the sidewalk. 

I think I just may paint the back of the house today for Mi Miguel. I'm that excited to see what the new mossy green color will look like. It's the one, don't you think?

Let's hope it looks amazing! It's time to go paint all things a lovely shade of green! 

Florida, Warmth And Water: Florida State Fair

Florida, Warmth And Water: Florida State Fair: Yes, the Florida State Fair is here February fourth through the fifteenth . It's been a little too chilly, windy and rainy to g...

Florida State Fair

Yes, the Florida State Fair is here February fourth through the fifteenth. It's been a little too chilly, windy and rainy to go, but it's on our list of things to do this week.

Since we've been really worn out lately, we took the weekend to just rest. Which led us somehow into buying a third Beta fish. We've named them Chaos, Hermes and Eros for absolutely no particular reason.

This is Hermes, he belongs to Mi Miguel. He is mostly blue with bright red jagged markings. Hermes is "his".

Here we have Eros. He is red and blue with very detailed black outlined markings on his tail. Eros is "mine".

You see, the third fish was needed to complete our colorful fish family. This is Chaos, he is lighter, almost white with an all red tail. Chaos is "ours".

Now that the fish are balanced out we've moved on to working on the dining room decor. My weekend was spent painting a potting bench, above is before photo.

Here is the same shabby chic (which isn't my taste) potting bench with a bit of a beach cottage feel to it.

The mermaid's tail adds just enough of a beach effect to cause the potting bench to flow with the look we're striving to achieve. 

We were using this chest of drawers in our "glamorous" guest bathroom in Indiana. But now, with a fresh coat of colorful paint, we are using it in our dining room. 

We're still on the lookout for just the right rug, but the dresser is exactly what we needed in this spot. There isn't room for a buffet or sideboard so this little mini chest of drawers is just the ticket!

The goal is steering clear of this uptight style living room that we had in the St. Louis area. It's nice but not for us anymore.  A fun and relaxing lifestyle is more conducive to living in Florida.

While waiting for our turn with the company that is rebuilding the seawall, Mi Miguel has been jotting down notes so he can build the master closet walls.

It's been a roller coaster ride since moving to Florida. We've sold most of our belongings. We've left behind 30 years in the Midwest to return to Mi Miguel's childhood state of Florida. It's been stressful, emotional and has taken it's toll. But, we're happy to be letting go of all that drags us down.

There really isn't a need for all that stuff when you can have this. This photo was taken September 2015 a few months after moving here. Nothing calms your stress and emotions like a gorgeous beach-side sunset.

We are embracing what we really came here for; the beautiful warmth and water. But this week we feel it is important to take a day and pay homage to the roller coaster ride of moving to Florida.