This WAS a hot tub??

Can you believe this was a hot tub in its former life?  Today it is a fish pond and fountain in the middle of Terry & Dernell's back yard.  So cute.....

Not a large yard but just perfect.  Notice the beautiful Dalia standing under the triangular shade sails, a rescue who is quite at home with me.  She is my girl for at least part of the day...

And here she is again...  Such a beauty....

Kiss a Frog

Today Terry and I went shopping for shorts for me.  Not very successful but we did have fun and then went for lunch at Jack Willies - great nachos and the best margaritas !!!!!  I WANT MORE!

We abandoned shopping after lunch (I wonder why?) and went back to Terry's place and she decided that it was time to do something with her poor, bedraggled, sun-faded frogs.  Our afternoon was spent creating new paint jobs for these fun pottery critters.  I will post the finished results later.  They still need a coat of paint and some sealer and then they will be done....

Not much else today - a bit cooler than yesterday.  Relaxing.....

CALADESI ISLAND (Clearwater Florida)

 Slow to rise, had a leisurely breakfast and then my girlfriend, Terry, and I decided it looked like a great day for a walk on the beach.  The sun was shining through filtering clouds.  The temperature was 94 F with a breeze.

Terry drove us to Honeymoon State Park where we took a little walk-on ferry to Caladesi Island State Park.  This is one of the little barrier islands along the west coast.  Undisturbed pine flatwoods such as the one on Caladesi are rare on Florida's barrier islands.  On the eastern shore of the island, red, black and white mangroves, along with buttonwood, comprise the mangrove forest.  These trees provide shoreline protection and nursery habitat for many fish and invertebrates. 

The beach here has been named the number one beach in America twice, a record!  It has nearly four miles of beach of the finest white sand I have ever walked on.  It is on the Great Florida Birding Trail and one is likely to see shorebirds, loggerhead and green sea turtles, egrets and porpoise swimming in the Gulf of Mexico.

Today we saw two adults and a baby porpoise swimming in the shallow waters between Caladesi Island and the mainland, while we were on the ferry.  Cute little porpoise.  Later,  as Terry and I were sitting on the beach, just looking out and chatting away, we saw another porpoise breaching and playing in the waves.

Pic above is of Terry walking along the beach, before she got a sunburn!!!   She is a little pink this evening.  I am dark but not burned...

I wonder what will happen tomorrow!!!!

Where have I been for the last six months????

Well, right now I am in Clearwater Florida visiting a good friend whom I went to high school with and we have remained good friends since.  Now, how many years ago was that??  Too many to mention.

The flight was a long journey but it was fabulous.  I stopped in Calgary for about 7 hours and rented a car and had brunch with my son, Tony.  It was just so wonderful to see him.  He does come home every other weekend but he is there to see the kids and his wife.  Great brunch at a little place along 12th Avenue called Lumiere (I think) - absolutely delicious.

Next leg was to get to Toronto and I stayed the night in Delta Airport Hotel - NOT!!! This is the only hotel in the whole airport row that does not send a regular bus to pick up customers.  We found out after standing at C22 pole for over 30 minutes that we had to phone to get a ride back to the hotel.  Not impressed.  There were 6 people waiting and none of us knew this.  Hmm.....Guess the hotel will not get my vote.

Next stop Tampa Florida and then over to Clearwater, where my girl friend lives.  After getting refreshed, my girlfriend, her boyfriend and I went to a great little place on the water for appies and a drink (2 for 1).  Margaritas!!!!  Ya! Ya!

Today Terry and I went to the Chilhuly Collection and then to the Chilhuly Hot Shop.  Beautiful work and learned at the Hot Shop.  More tomorrow.

In the meantime, I am off to bed - it is 12:30 am here and tomorrow we are off to hike around a little Island not too far from here.  I will have my trusty camera along for the ride and send some pics in the next blog....

April, I miss you

On our way to another ADVENTURE!!!

Mexico, here we come!  Looking forward to the sun and fun and beach and the pool and just relaxing.   I will be taking lots of pictures and not thinking of you!!!

Happy December everyone.  I know I will be enjoying it...

Our furkid is two years old

We took a walk through Green Timbers Park (Surrey BC), saw bunnies, ducks, people.  He was so good, no barking and just kept his nose to the ground, sniffing new smells.  I think GypsyBlu is finally becoming an adult!

What is so interesting??

On a recent walk around Crescent Beach (White Rock) BC I came upon this group of five trying to see through the cracks in the fence.

I wonder what was so interesting???