I'm Back....

I'm back! Back from paradise, and back to reality... sigh... The cold, the snow, wearing socks... not to mention winter coats, scarves, gloves, boots. Sometimes I wonder why we live where we do, especially in winter! You've likely guessed by now, that my vacation trip was a return to southern Florida where the grass is green, the sky is blue and the palms are waving in the breeze. I am so fortunate to have a very kind and generous friend who welcomed me once again into her home, for 10 full days this time! Ten very busy days I might add - we were on the go all the time and accomplished a lot. "No stone left unturned" as they say... You'll be hearing all about it in the coming days.

The main focus of the visit was the World Quilt Show - Florida VI in West Palm Beach. It was every bit as good as last year's show, and I have many many photos of fabulous quilts to share with you in the next week or so. But first, especially for all of you who are already tired of our long cold winter, I thought I'd start off with a taste of warm weather - green grass, sunshine, and birds. Much as I love the little chickadees that frequent my feeder, it was wonderful to enjoy some colorful southern birds - what's not to love about parrots and flamingos, pelicans and egrets?

Sandi's new home is on the south fork of the St. Lucie River, and oh what a treat it was to sit on the back deck and enjoy that river and all it entails. The view and the sunsets were so beautiful. And I so enjoyed watching the birds too - the ospreys and pelicans are continually gliding by, keeping a keen eye out for their next meal or snack, the ospreys soaring high and the pelicans gracefully skimming the surface. Herons and egrets are frequent visitors....

This osprey loved to sit high up in the Live Oak. What a perch!

A young Blue Heron, a frequent morning visitor.

Herons and egrets strolled along near the shore, just feet from the deck, often snapping up a small unsuspecting fish with their lightning fast jabs underwater with those long beaks. They were so amazing to watch. Sandi frequently sees a kingfisher as well, but we did not spot him while I was there; of course we weren't home that much during the day, either.

I first visited Florida when I was 6 years old... many years ago! I can still remember a verse I learned on that trip, about the pelican....

"A gorgeous bird is the pelican
Whose bill can hold more than his bellycan.
He can put in his beak
Food enough for a week,
But I'm blessed if I can see how in hellican!"

(It was a big deal to a 6 year old to be allowed to say the word "hell"...  lol)

Well it's getting very late and I have spent way too much time on this post. I'll leave the parrots and flamingos for another day, and end this post with a sunset on the St. Lucie River. The following photos are "as is" out of the camera - the color has not been altered or edited. The sunsets were incredibly beautiful. They changed hue very quickly, some of these photos were taken just seconds apart. Enjoy. (These photos were all taken on the same evening... I simply zoomed in or out, and moved back and forth a few feet on the deck.)

At this point, I thought "Okay, that's it. The show is pretty well over." Then look what happened....

What an incredible show! All for free... right from the back deck. Life just doesn't get any better than that....

Peace,
Linda

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." ~ Lao Tzu