The Time of the Hawk

The natural scene on islands have their own time schedules.  Here there is a season for butterflies, another for dragon flies and another for hawks to name a few.  The screee of hawks as they call from 

tree to tree is unmistakable.  Sometimes we will see a beauty up close and we have our treat for the day. The trees in our backyard seem to be a favorite haunt for them, or perhaps it is the naturalized garden 

boasting of small animal life that attracts them. One of the more humorous sightings is when the squirrels decide to play tag with juvenile hawks in front of our back windows giving us a ringside seat. The squirrels know the hawks are too young to be a threat and are still learning to stalk. 

 The game is on!

One day, I saw an article in our local paper about hawks with a photo of two of them in a birdbath.
Well, we upped that one with this photo of three of them in our own birdbath. I sent it in and lo and behold it made the paper.  Our Red Shouldered hawk trio were famous.

Living here in Amelia Island one can enjoy all kinds of bird life.  But, if you want

to go further afield, head for The Alligator Farm in St. Augustine which is

about an hour away.  The Alligator Farm boasts many local and exotic

alligator species.  But, for the photographer, the real draw in the

myriads of birds nesting in the trees over the pond.  There are loud cries as feathered parents

tend to their young.  It is bird chaos.  Warning: do not go on a hot day, the smell of

guana is overpowering.  I got this photo on a visit there, our only one thus far.

My husband says, once is enough!

I just read on their website that now they have a zipline over the Alligator Pond!

What an opportunity for the daredevils among us...

http://www.alligatorfarm.com

Old friends, new friends.....silver and gold.

Life on an island resembles that of a Village.  Prepare to amble and ramble, to slow your steps.  We have learned to do that.  Learned to let life flow and carry us along.  The gurus remind us of that maxim all the time, but sometimes it takes an island, like a Village, to bring that home.

Just yesterday is a case in point.  Getting up early before the heat we headed out for a walk around our neighborhood.  Almost home, we caught up with a new neighbor who invited us in for a  tour and chat. The tour was great and the chat told us we had much in common....new friend!

Once home we decided to go out to breakfast.  As we started the car out of the drive, we were stopped by two fledgling pileated woodpeckers who were playing about on our front lawn  practicing hunting for bugs in two smaller trees. It was delightful! Of course, my camera was in the house! Thats a lesson I never learn.  The woodpeckers nest each year in a neighbors yard and we had not seen them this year. To our delight here they were!!

                                                         Photo borrowed from the Internet


Finally we drove down the road and arrived at a new found Breakfast place: The Mustard Seed Cafe at Nassau Health Store here on the Island.  We met the chef and staff and they personally attended to our specific orders while at the same time we got to know each other.  That included the fact that the chef is an experienced artist, like me.  We sat in front of a beautiful mural which an artist friend of mine had completed this past year.  While we awaited our omlets, I shopped for items I needed.  Our omlets were superb!  And I found what I wanted in the aisles.

Then we were off to our grocery store.  Of course, we met friends there and concluded some volunteer planning discussions as well as sharing the goodies with good prices that day.  The checkout folks are old friends, too.  No long lines here.  No hassle. 

 Slllloooowwww living done up southern style.

By this time our morning had gone the way of delightful mornings and we arrived back home ready for an afternoon siesta.  If we had gone downtown we would have no doubt had more adventures. That is the way it is on a little Island.  It is a good feeling, a smiling feeling, a feeling of home.

      Old friends, new friends....one is silver the other is gold.  Remember that from your childhood?

The Island is doggie-friendly.  Often, shop owners and tenders are assisted by their own pooches who

perform a welcoming function all their own.  Here one of our favorites 

welcomes another just-the-right size customer.

            When I looked up synonoms for small I found such words as: fine, without force or
                         loudness, fragile.  Yes, that sounds like our Island and our life here.
                                 

                             

THE FOURTH ON AN ISLAND

Each year the Fourth of July is always a busy time on Amelia Island. This one was no exception!  Here is a wonderful photo by Billy Robertson of a Harbor sunset downtown this week.

We spent the Fourth on a boat moored there with the perfect combination of good friends, good food and drink, all topped off with a spectacular Fireworks display.

                                              How better to spend our Nation's birthday?

Billy's  photograph is of a display put on by Mother Nature preceeding the fireworks the next night.

The Island was inundated with folks spending time at the beach, in the shops and moored in the harbor.

The whole week the weather had been iffy at best and showered us with thunderstorms in the afternoon, drenching rain,  and no promise of a good Fourth.

 Then; amazingly it all changed to beautiful skies and perfect weather.

We wandered to the beach for a bit, too, earlier in the day. It was busier than ever. Amid the sparkling sea scene we spied this group working their way down the surf line in some sort of beach game . For younger folk than we....fun to watch, though. I t felt good to see that even they were out of breath!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!

          May you stay safe and sound and true to yourself!!!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

Happy Fourth of July from Amelia Island!

This little guy has quite a history on the Island.  It's owner (who happens to be me) inherited it when we purchased our home here.  After some resistance and reminding that he/she was a fixture here I consented to dress him/her. It gets smiles and chuckles.  Children love to visit it. 

Who am I to fight tradition!

Everything else is decked out in Fourth finery, so why not?

 Fourth of July, the ubiquitous American holiday.  A time for us all to

remember the courage of our founders in fighting to ensure the incredible

freedoms that are ours today.  A reminder to treasure, to cherish,

to safeguard them.  Each generation is called upon to

help that goal become a reality all along the continuum of life.

The duck is made of cement, but nonetheless sends a message that the

Fourth is more than flags flying and fireworks.

A safe happy Holiday to you and yours!!

ISLAND REFLECTIONS

This morning, as I took my early morning walk, my reflections walked along with me.  A strange evening electrical storm had left its calling cards everywhere.  The storm was unlike anything we have seen here.  It lit up the horizon constantly for nearly a half a hour like some sort of celebration.  Except that the continuous lighting flashing across the sky reminded one of the tremendous power inherent in such a display.  It went on and on and on....silently except for far away thunder,  Now, today, only puddles and bits of fallen branches remind us of what we witnessed.

Such an event makes one think.  I caught the photo above as the hard pavement reflected a clearing sky and one of our beautiful Georgia pines.  For once I had my little red camera with me.  As I walked along I then met one of our neighbors....this prompted more reflections on my part. I will tell you why in a moment.  But first...an introduction:

  This is Shadow.  She is twenty-two years old!!  Yes: 22 !!!  Usually she can be seen napping on her front driveway.  But, sometimes she is out and about as she was this morning when she came to greet me.  We have seen her walking along with no leash following her mistress with their dog who is on a leash!  It is a sight to see.  This is a cat with personality and one who enjoys longevity

..maybe they are linked??

Shadow reminded me of what a New England cardiologist once told me.  She said that in her practice she found, on average, her patients who spent at least 6 months a year on a warm climate lived longer.  Sounded good to me.  So we added an island, just to boost the possibilities.

Walking farther along, I came upon a profusion of hydrangeas in a neighbor's yard.  Another reminderthat  Florida Island living is kind to: people, cats, and flowers....

                           p.s.      I used some artistc iPhoto editing license with my photo...

How to tickle a lizard and other important things....

But, first....I am so proud of this photo!

Farmer's Market photo of the day from my wee little red camera....

Walking downtown we often hear foreign languages from passing  tourists. There are often large sailing vessels in port, especially the American River tours.  But, I do not think that universality registered with me. Then today I received a repin for one of my Pinterest Amelia island photos from a Pinner living in San Antonio, Texas.  She, in turn, had repinned a photo from a British website Metro.co.uk.  This photo below came through that internet journey: the article : Top 10 U.S. Islands.

A very pretty photo of our downtown.

At various times of the day, the sidewalks are filled with strollers, including us.

If you do not know what Pinterest is....check it out.  You will

never be the same.

................

Now to something silly, but perhaps useful some day?

Photo taken in front of a historic home downtown.  Our model : an obliging gecko 

who appeared and stayed still for as long as I needed.... 

"The time to tickle a lizard,

is before, or after, a blizzard.

Now, the place to begin

is just under his chin,-

And here's more advice:

don't poke more than twice

at an intimate place

like his gizzard."

                                                    Theodore Roethke

Another day in paradise

Well, almost anyway....

John Grisham, the author thinks so....he will soon move here.

Look how nostalgiac our sweet historic downtown looked over the weekend....this photo reminds of treed streets that are no more where I grew up.

People even come here to get married! I just caught this scene meandering through the streets in one of our wonderful horse drawn buggies.  When one of these steeds has a birthday, they throw a party for him or her.  They are well loved.

Best wishes you two...your smiles and happiness lit up the day.