Confessions of a Grandma

I have no idea what kind of ducks these are.  Anyone?  They seem to be wearing yarmulkes, but I can only speculate as to their religious leanings. The other day the swan came right up to me.  Obviously it associates people with food.  Of course when I had the camera with me, it ignored me and stayed on the far side of the pond.  (Probably remembered that I did not have a camera or food with me the last time. a bottle brush tree   a Floirda moonflower   This is a view of the Venice high school from the Intracoastal Waterway.  It is huge.  I snapped this picture because school was in session.  I could hear kids out in the yard.  AND...I was not responsible for a single one of them.  Aw, retirement.    

When I first started my ride down this trail, I thought it was pretty wild looking—even though I could clearly hear traffic noise no far off. There were homes across the creek, though. The ornate door here was just a decorative back drop to the deck.  I just loved seeing these docks and wondering about what life must be like in this jungle-like setting right in the middle of town. This hammock terrain just says rural Florida to me. Forbidding, isn’t it?

Oh, well, I missed the super bowl.  Mike has even less interest in football than I do.  I usually know what teams are playing although even that went by me this year.  I tuned in for Downton Abbey though. It was a gorgeous day here on the Florida west coast—cooler than it has been and I took advantage with a great bike ride. I noticed this trail off the neighborhood road I was pedaling along so I went down to explore.  I could hear traffic.  This little park is very near the overly commercial strip of Route 41 and very near the large shopping center in South Venice, but it looked like a slice of rural Florida. I spotted an egret and a little blue heron along the creek shores.   Neither one was at all interested in having its picture taken. I also saw a chenille plant, but the picture did not come out or I deleted it accidentally.  This is a Brazilian pepper plant that has become, like so many species of both flora and fauna, a Florida in...

 I had to stop for the drawbridge just like the many cars rumbling by overhead.  This is the Circus Bridge, and if you look carefully you can see the trapeze school in the background.  There are three drawbridges across the Intracoastal Waterway that connect Venice isle to the rest of the state.  Sometimes it is a traffic nightmare. I understand the ambivalence the locals have toward "snow birds."  In Vermont, we have the "flat landers." There was only one sailboat going through this time.  I think this is a real Florida image: Further along, I noticed this burrow in the sand along the walkway.  It's the home of a gopher tortoise who was either still in bed or already out for the day. I have a point and click camera and point and click camera abilities, but there is an eagle perched in the tree.  See it? I love  Live Oak trees.  These are on a golf course that abuts the walkway.  There is a sign warning wa...

It is no longer quite as easy for me to stroll through the historic section of Venice (FL) now that we are off the isle and across the main highway. The traffic at nearby intersections is a bit intimidating.  I swear the crossing lights are timed to maximize the possibility that pedestrians will be flattened by oncoming cars and trucks.  There is no audible signal and the "Walk Now" flashing guy last about two seconds--just enough time to get half way across the road.  Right turns are never not allowed, making it all that much more of a challenge. Still, I did manage to make it two miles down the road to an athletic park that features a fitness trail. It's a well marked trail through pines and cabbage palms with twenty exercise stations spread out along the length of it. Doesn't this hanging vine make you want to grab hold, swing out, and then drop into the water?  Actually, it made me want to have a second cup of coffee even though it was 80 degrees today. ...

 According to the local Herald Tribune , Venice has the highest median age in the United States, around 68, if I remember correctly. Only about 30 percent of Venice (FL) residents have jobs--not so much due to the bad economy, but due to the number of retired people who live here. So you see a lot of people fishing.   Of course, some have to fish for a living.  I missed the picture of the crab boat, but this pelican was hard at work diving for fish. I no longer have a job, nor am I crazy about fishing, but I do enjoy a quiet walk on the beach. This was way quiet and the water, very calm.  It was still early, though. The "dead tree" has always been a landmark for beach walkers and shark tooth hunters.  I don't know how much longer that will last. I told someone recently that I did miss walking in the snow.  That was a fleeting feeling.  I don't really miss it that much.

The public library in Venice, FL has a rather large used book store run by the friends of the library.  It is almost as big as our Jericho Town Library circulation space.  The store is staffed full time by at least two volunteers--an advantage of a large retired population.  They wear  pink pinnies.   One of my volunteer activities is to keep the sale book shelf tidy and supplied, but I don't have to wear any particular uniform to identify me as a library volunteer. Anyway, I went there (Venice library) to pick up some magazines for some light reading in the evenings--since I knew I was going to be pretty worn out by then most nights here for a while.  I got (for $1.00--I am so, so frugal lately!) a September Coastal Living  and October issues of Family Circle,  Better Homes and Gardens,  and Country Living. What are the odds?  I ended up with two recipes, timely for Halloween celebration, for "easy" cake pops.  The proces...

I wish the fragrance could be added here. Note the blue sky. A fallen blossom from an orchid tree.  Usually the blossoms are pink and are quite fragrant.