Jeannie Marie & Company

It was all by chance that we found Everglades Wonder Gardens located in Bonita Springs, FL.  Our hotel had a local weekly newspaper publication with a flamingo on the cover that caught my eye.  I read about how this aging Old Florida attraction had closed after 77 years.  Now it is reopening under new management and undergoing renovations.  The admission price is currently reduced to $10.00 as the renovations are just beginning.   What fun!  We made it our first stop of the day! We were greeted upon entering by one of the new owners. She had lots of stories about the renovation and upcoming plans.  I know we will be making a return trip.   It has only been in renovation for a month and most of the work has been done on the original building.  It is now an art gallery, museum and gift shop.   The Gift Shop  There are wonderful items to purchase.  The baskets and hats are crafted in Africa and purchased through Fair Trade.  I found the prices very

Shooting The Boh I would have never picked it up ordinarily, I read fiction not true life adventure books, but the author happens to be my high school English teacher.  A teacher I recently reconnected with through Facebook.  She casually mentioned she had written a book. I ordered it through Amazon and was simply mesmerized. Who was this person  who gave up teaching after two years for a more exciting lifestyle as a Travel Journalist??  One who could casually accept a trip with a small group of rafters down an unexplored river in Borneo. By herself!  Only one other person in the party was alone.     I had a hard time reconciling this adventuress with the beautiful Mrs. Johnston, fresh out of college and teaching high school seniors.  I remember her at the blackboard in a yellow print dress and bright red high heels.  An eye opener in the days of sedate skirts and blouses and plain shoes teachers usually wore.   She was the intellectual hippie from UC Berkeley who ta

A sea of pink birds In an oasis of green Spells tropicana Visit Shadow Shot Sunday 2  for more wonderful shadow photography

The first day of summer ought to look like this: Families parked under pink beach umbrellas  A daughter enjoying the water at the shoreline Grandchildren having a friendly tussle because there is no television, smart phone or gaming device within three miles. But unfortunately that lovely day was in April. Today the skies were  grey and the storm clouds drizzled on and off all day.  Even the sunset was at a disappointing 8:29 PM and it was completely dark by 8:45 on this, the longest day of the year.  No lingering twilight after sunset like they enjoy in the northern states. Even though it wasn't a picture perfect day...those drippy rains today, this first day of summer, greened up our "lawn" and watered thirsty plants.   May I wish you a very happy summer!   I want to thank Beverly for featuring me this week on PINK SATURDAY !   Come and take a look! Also linked up to  Share Your Daily Cup Ivy and Elepha

Breakfast Rhapsody Two protein, three fruit. 1 fat A solitary bacon strip cooked extra crisp, drained well, patted with a paper towel to absorb everything flavorful.   One medium egg, cooked well in order not to lose any yolk in runoff.  Three triangles of fresh chilled melon without seeds. Finger food for the gods that you can nibble all the way to the white.  Refreshingly heavy with juice to quench the thirst brought on by the bacon.  Dessert at it's finest. What did you have this morning? Partying at Anything Blue Friday

I'm ordinarily not very conscious of carrying the right bag for the right season.  I usually like a brown purse that will do for any season.  Over the years I have carried only one purse until it's in tatters before purchasing another.  Usually it would be quite scuffed or a handle would break before I noticed.  The effort to move all my stuff from one overflowing bag into another was not worth the effort.  Since living in Florida I had been buying bags willy-nilly and changed them often. However, while shopping the other day,  I looked down and here I was carrying a brown bag.  True, the weave looked straw like and therefore somewhat summery, but I felt I had regressed to old habits.    Since I've moved to Florida my eye has been drawn to the rack and racks of thrifted purses, many of which are in practically pristine condition.  The first year I changed bags frequently.  Now it seems I've been slipping even though it's much easier to switch them o

Happy Father's Day June 16 2013 Each year Father's Day rolls around and it's a beautiful summery day and has a celebratory feeling to it.  It's hard to ignore and pretend it doesn't exist.  Your father may be gone, but everywhere else, fathers abound!  Your sons in law are fathers, our husband is a father and so on.  Jumpin wholeheartedly into the day and joining the rest of the world celebrating is a good thing. Here is a link to an article I wrote a few years ago for Yahoo.  Included are a number of ways to include your own wonderful father in the current festivities even though he is no longer here    Keeping Dad Close  Happy Father's Day, DAD!!    My Dad age 4 Serving his country in WWII at 17 Dad and Mom when he was 79

Devon, England  Just the name sounds romantic!   My sister was just there and tucked away in her suitcase a very special birthday present for me!   She and I have a special love for Pixies It's a little vintage souvenir piece for Wigecombe, England and perfect for holding...well, pixie dust of course!  This piece is marked Runnaford Pottery Devon.   It was purchased in a charity shop chock full of delicious items. She knows me well!  I just love the cute little shadow it made. She takes wonderful photos of their travels around the world! To view her blog: Michael and Karan's Excellent Adventures or just view her post about her trip last month:   God Save the Queen...Our Amazing Adventure in Great Britain Thank you, Karan! Shared with the wonderful folks at  Shadow Shot Sunday 2

I finally saw my first Flamingo since arriving in Florida almost two years ago!   It took a visit from Shelly and a ticket to Busch Gardens.  I enjoyed the flamingos more than anything else in the park.   They were so far away on the other side of the fence I had to use my zoom but in real life they were simply beautiful.    I attempted a short little video so I could capture their movements and sounds That lush pink color is more of a salmon pink, not quite the bright pink like the two pretty plastic flamingos I received a few days later for my birthday!   My grandchildren know the way to my heart! I'll be sharing on the June 15th Pink Saturday  blog and Ivy and Elephants  and Lavender Garden's Cottage Style Party!

This skinny cactus grows from the ground, up the tree and blooms at night for one night for one night only!  The blossom is huge! See the spent bloom, below along side a fresh one.   Visit   Macro Monday  2 Shared with Ivy and Elephants Make it pretty Monday

A familiar sight to all who pass through the Tampa area. Getting up close and personal out in Tampa Bay brings out the detail and shadows even on this blustery day. Shared at:   Shadow Shot Sunday 2 and Rednesday