After the Showers...and Prayers!!

"If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom."  ~Terri Guillemets


We are just passing halfway of this week back at work, I have to say, I think more everyday about retiring and that wonderful beach/island life in Florida.  We talk about it all the time!! Thanks to my parents, coming over and watering my plants mid week last week, we have blooms coming up all over!! I have to say, it is really pretty here in the spring.  I have one garden dedicated to the tropics, which has lilies, calla lilies and Hibiscus.  I have to plant the Hibiscus every year though because they just can't make it through the winter here, but that's okay, that just means they change every year!!  I saw some Hibiscus trees at the store today, but they weren't exactly what I wanted, but they are expecting another truck any day and will call me....so then my gardens will be complete!!


Here are some things that are blooming now, these pics were taken after today's rain...I love the spring....every week we have new flowers!!  Enjoy!!

Clematis

Clematis are beginning to climb the trellis!

Clematis

Chinese Orchids

Columbine, I continually pull these because they are growing like weeds...I finally gave in and let some of them stay!!

Iris

Iris Twins

Iris

Princess Lilies

My patriotic plant is beginning to fill in!! (Thanks to Dad and Mom!)

I wanted to update you on the wind tunnel progress at work....this is how it looked on Monday, after a week and a half....it's all gone!!  They are now working on the other end....before long it will be a parking lot!!...So Sad!! 


(Click Here to see how it looked at the beginning!!)

Please join me in sending prayers to all the people in Georgia and Alabama after the over 100 tornados tore through there tonight!!




{::Hugs::}

Happy Easter!!

"The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances."  ~Robert Flatt



We have finally arrived home. We had a good trip, but it is always full of mixed emotions...we love Sanibel Island, but I guess it is good to be back to our 'normal' real life.  One day soon, we will retire, and hopefully will spend more time where we love on that beautiful island!!


I made these bunnies for my grandbaby girls and wanted to wait until they got them before I show them to you all....I got the idea from She sells sea shells owner there in Sanibel.....aren't they cute??  I think the girls loved them and they were such fun to make!!  Shell crafting is one of my most favorite things to do!!

All done!

Everything is shells except the eyes, ribbon on the carrot and of course the bows!!

Aren't they cure?

Bunny bottoms, before their tales!!

Bunny side

Before they were finished Bunny A

Bunny B

I played with some other shells, and made other stuff....that'll have to be another blog!! 


I hope you all had a happy Easter, we are home safe and sound!!


{::Hugs::}

Sanibel Goodbye!!

No Man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one!! --Elbert Hubbard

This is our last post from Sanibel....we didn't do any shelling today, just sat on the beach and watched dolphin, sandpipers, people and plovers!!  We even saw an eagle...I didn't have time to get his picture, he was already too far away when I realized it!! We went to Gramma Dots for some fried grouper and homemade chips, and of course had to top it off with my favorite Key Lime pie on the island!! The weather was as near perfect as it could be!!

I did have a little fun on the beach today....Thinking about my Grandbabies!!

XOXO Hailey!

XOXO Chloe!

   I only took a couple more pics of the birds....even the pelican is leaving =(

Brown Pelican

Snowy Plover

I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did....I will continue it from home...maybe Spring has finally sprung there and all my flowers are in bloom!!

{::Hugs::}

The party's nearly over!

"At the beach, life is different. Time doesn't move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides and follow the sun."
-Unknown (posted by Blondiemom on Best of Sanibel Captiva Forum)

We sat out on the beach under the umbrella for a couple of hours yesterday, and it was so nice....I took a few pics to share....missed a great photo-op of an osprey with his catch....a fairly large fish...I'm just not fast enough on the trigger!!

Osprey

Plover (?)

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret

Brown Pelican

Frigatebird

Sandpiper (?)

Kite

 
Last night's shelling was not very good, low tide was around midnight, so it never got very low, the gulf was still pretty 'churned' up from the waves....we got a few things, but with no daytime low tide, it's difficult to find much.  I guess we will watch the high tide lines today!!

 
I guess the party is nearly over, it seems time is so different down here....the first half takes its time, you savor every moment, once you cross that halfway point though time just flies by and before you know it it's time to pack up and go back to real life!!  I think the plan is more beach time, a final supper at Gramma Dots for some of their excellent fried grouper...then I assume I will have to think about packing up some stuff!!  We will leave for the long 2 day drive beginning tomorrow morning.  The Auto train was full, probably because of the holiday weekend, so we will have to drive. I don't anticipate I will have any more shell pics to share, at least until June!!  But you never know!!

{::Hugs::} 

A small Adventure here in paradise!

"We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine."--Dwight Moody

We decided to take a little adventure yesterday and tour the island, we had not been to Blind Pass since it was opened up and although it was high tide, we decided to go and check it out.  We actually found a parking spot on the Sanibel side and did a short little walk down the beach.  Where the sand bar is beginning to form was a mountain of shells being washed up....with a bang!!  It is really crazy the force of those waves, there are warnings all over not to swim there because of the currents...and I believe it you sure could feel the pull!!

We decided to walk across the bridge to the Captiva side just to see the shell mound that Pam at I love shelling always shows us great pictures of!.....some advice....wear shoes!!  The sand was absolutely blistering hot!!  The mound had been reduced quite a bit, but there were several people "parked" there still looking through.  I really wanted to find a flat, but never found one, but we only stayed a few minutes!

Captiva side from the bridge

Captiva from Sanibel side bridge

Sanibel Side from bridge

Across the bridge..toward bay...Beautiful

 We left there and decided to drive all the way to the other end of the island to the lighthouse, I wanted to find a wentletrap and Pam said they were there, high tide or not, I was going!!  I haven't been to the lighthouse in a long time...it was very busy and with the tide so high there was very little beach....but I did it, I got my wentletrap, right beside the fishing pier as Pam suggested!! We decided to try the walk back to the car, through the path....talk about an adventure, it's a trip through the mangroves on a very nice boardwalk that was erected by the City of Sanibel....very nice...but much longer than you might realize!!

Sanibel Light

All these adventures made us hungry so where better to go than to Hungry Heron to see our favorite waitress....would you believe she saw us in the parking lot and had our drinks ready on our table!!  I feel like I belong now...like one of the locals!! ......Maybe one day that will be true!! 

We didn't have high hopes for shelling since the only low tide of the day was well after dark, but I think we did okay.....what do you think?

Keyhole limpet...very colorful!

True Tulip and Banded Tulip

 One final trip to Jerry's this morning for breakfast and pastries for the last 2 days =(  I anticipate we will spend some time on the beach then off to Gramma Dots or Sanibel Grill for an early dinner!!  Talk to you again tomorrow!!

{::Hugs::}

Full Moon "Day 3"

"The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient.  One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach--waiting for a gift from the sea" Anne Morrow Lindbergh


Today was to be the lowest tide of the week!  When we got up, the Gulf was really rough, huge waves, big enough that many of the kids were out there on their boogie boards!!  I was really concerned that the sandbar wouldn't stop the waves during low tide!

We had another leisurely day, sat out under the umbrella again...I have to tell you, I normally don't do that, but it is so pleasant and relaxing, and I could just sit there and dig my feet in the sand, have a cool beverage and soak it all in....for hours!  I could really get used to this!!

We came in around 6:00 from the beach and Junonia Jim decided to head east this time, I had a phone call to make so would either catch up with him or go back to the west as we had done before....nope...decided to go east and catch up with him, I knew the sand bars came out there first, so maybe it would be calm.  Caught up with him and we walked for a LONG time to find the tidal pools, we did find some things in there, but decided we better shell back since we had so far to go....I decided I would walk all the way back to the west of the condo and hit that tidal pool I had the night before!  To make a long story short, I didn't make it....passed a couple of pools I was not familiar with to go to "the tried and true' place I was familiar with....decided I wouldn't make it, came back only to run out of time!!  How sad is that, what I had gotten earlier was it, on this the last night of really low tide when we could see!  That's what I get for being 'greedy'!!

Oh well, I got lots of exercise, which I do need badly!!  Below are pics of last nights "catch", a video I took of an Ibis....and the secret I told you about!!

Junonia Jim's Florida cone

Today's find

Junonia Jim's Angel Wing!!

My Angel Wing...not perfect, but good enough for me!!

Enjoy the osprey...talk about busy!!

I got one of my favorites....Huge!! I just found it in the tidal pool, partially buried....so many people there I was really surprised he was there!!

Here it is before...I put my lighter there for reference to size:

And here it is 'After' soaking almost 24 hours, could use some elbow grease now:

How about that??  I have to say, I am proud! It's in great shape!!

We slept in again this morning, and may head out to Blind Pass and the lighthouse just to see what is new...maybe I'll post some pics!!  I also see early dinners at Gramma Dots for their famous fried grouper, and Sanibel Grill for Oysters and Quesadillas!! Time is just going by too fast!!

 {::Hugs::}

Full Moon "Day 2"

"The cure to anything is salt water....sweat, tears or the sea"...Isak Dinesen


Yesterday was another good day shelling...we just ran out of daylight!! I'm going to call it full moon #2 because it still is a really low tide...tonight will be the lowest tide of the week.  Unfortunately it will be at it's lowest at 9:00 tonight...but I plan on being there as long as I can!!


Prior to going shelling we just sat on the beach and enjoyed the beautiful weather, for several hours!!  it's been just gorgeous...low humidity, we had an umbrella up, and there was a nice breeze blowing across the water....close your eyes...are you there??


We did pretty well shelling...Junonia Jim shelled the tidal pool and I shelled the top edge of the shore.  We found good stuff, tulips, mini fighting conchs, tulips...Junonia Jim got himself a beautiful perfect small King's Crown and I actually got another Alphabet Cone too!!  I also got something else....you'll have to wait until it's ready for you too see!!  Pics and a fun video....will be sent out later this evening!  Been doing work all day...time to hit the beach!!


Here are some more pics of our activities today!!

The Beautiful Gulf of Mexico!!

Kite

Seagull....or is it a Tern?

Shell Finds

Shell Finds part 2

Sharks eyes for Daddy!

Junonia Jim's Kings Crown!

Cones...Alphabet and Florida

an Ibis

{::Hugs::}