Zebra and Zebra plant

I don't know what this plant is, they are quite big leaves. I call it Zebra Plant....here, compare with a zebra photo which I took a few days after this plant!

Strange Trees

I took many photos, usually more than half of them go to trash, and this one is the only Orchid photos which survived after all.

I went to the Botanical Garden of American Orchid Society, but tell you the truty, I am not a big fan of Orchids. I am more interested in other plants there.

These are two strange tree I saw. Silk Floss Tree - the trunk is covered with a ince-size thorns, but flowers are beautiful pink. Brazilian Potato Tree - the flowers are white to light purple to dark purple and show all the colors at the same time. And the name tells, the flowers look like exactly potato flowers!

ランの花はそれほど好きではありません。それなのに、オーキッドクラブの植物園に行って来ました。大抵、撮った写真の半分以上はボツになりますが、そうして残った写真のうち、ランの花の写真はこのたった一枚！私の興味は他の植物にあるのでした！

幹がトゲトゲのおおきな木、恐ろし気ですが花はきれいなピンクです。

もひとつ大きな木で、白から濃淡のムラサキの、いろんな色がいっぺんに咲いてる。花の形はジャガイモの花にそっくりで、その名もブラジルポテトの木！

そういうのを見てるとホント、楽しくなっちゃいます。丹精こめて育てたランの花はそりゃきれいですよ、キレイですが、ちょっとオスマシすぎて、心にずんと響く可愛さがないの・・・野の花の素朴さがより好きな私でした。

Field of Yellow

We went there last year, we were exploring the Lake Okeechobbe and driving all the way around the lake, and found this yellow flower field by accident. There wasn't any information about this beautiful field, we just found it!! Of course nobody is going to miss it while driving this road, but there were no big traffic anyway in the middle of the Everglades, and we didn't see any car stopping to see the Yellow Field.

So it is the time of the year to go back there to see the Yellow Field again and we did on 10/9/08. There was a small unpaved road just going into the field, signed "No Entry", but we entered anyway, stopped the car there and took photos. And what is special of the Yellow Field this year, yes, we had a sudden rain, the hard shower!! Although I went back in the car and took photos from it's open window, I still got wet a lot and so did my camera (a little). But oh, that was great, what I took made me so happy!

オキチョビー湖はフロリダの水の供給に大いに影響する大きな湖で、去年、グルリと一回りしてみましたが、その時偶然に見つけたこの黄色い花の群生・・・・その季節になったのでまた見に行きました。

フロリダ大湿原の真ん中を一本の道が走り、（ほとんど誰も通ってない）その右側は大湿原、見渡す限りの草と湿地、で、オキチョビー湖の西側、道の左側が一面の黄色い花です。

道路から外れて黄色い花の真ん中に、狭い未舗装の道があり、入るべからず、と書いてありますがもちろん入りました。そしたら両側に私より背の高い黄色い花たちがワンワン押し寄せて、わあ～ユメのようです。しかもおおきなおまけ付き・・・・急にダバーッと雨が降ってきたのです！車の中に逃げて車の中から写真を撮りましたが、それでも濡れた。そのかわり、ああ私は雨とか水滴とかの写真が大好きなんだよね～、大好きな一面の黄色い花の、雨まで写った特別の写真が撮れて、ホクホク満足で帰ってきました。

Volunteer Park

Volunteer Park....the closest park from my place. The big lake and wet land, bushes and trees, a lot of birds and wild plants. My favorite plant there, is this long tall grasses with these dangling flowers, I took photos last year too, but I can't stop doing it again. When the wind blows, these things sway and dance and I want to catch the movements.

And I found the seeds trapped in spider web, and a beautiful purple weed.....the man was walking and saw me taking photos, and he told me about a hawk he saw, but I am not a bird shooter......thanks though!

うちから一番近い公園、といっても自然保護地区になっていて、おおきな池？湖？と、そのまわりの水辺の鳥と植物を見られます。グルリと道があって、ジョギングしてる人がたまに通るくらいでほとんど誰もいない。曲がり角を曲がると鳥が急いで飛び立っていったりする。

ここでの私のお気に入りはこの何だか名前も知らない背の高い草。花、でしょうね、が風に揺れるところを写真に撮りたくて頑張りました。

Sleepy Sunday

Our cats were very sleepy today.....so was I....sleepy Sunday!

春眠暁を覚えず、でもないし、秋だもんなあ・・・・でも何だかとても眠い日だったのです。ネコたちがあんまり気持ち良さそうに眠っていたからかもしれません。ね。

Autumn

A little bit of Autumn here in Florida. Maple tree by the lake at Tree Tops Park.

There were many dragonflies over the water and I enjoyed taking their photos today, but all came out kind of blurry, they were too small!
ちょっと公園で小さな秋を見つけてきました。フロリダなんだから、これだけ見つけただけでスゴイんだぞ。フロリダメープル、大抵はキレイな色にならずに、ナアナアで冬、そして春になってしまうのだけど、部分的にキレイに色づいたのを見つけることがあります。木全体が真っ赤に・・・・ってのはやっぱ、無理なんだなあ、ここでは。

随分トンボがいました。水辺で３００ミリレンズで楽しく写していましたが、なんせ小さいんだなあ・・・・良いと思ってたのが、スクリーンで見てみたらボケてるのばっかりでした。

Max is back!! He had a neutering surgery yesterday and spent two nights at the clinic. What a big burden to go through as a small kitten!! Cut was small that we can't even see clearly, and he seemed all right with it, he doesn't show any sign of pain or discomfort.

Nicky was sniffing Max all over, but we can't let Nicky chase Max and play rough yet. Max has to stay in the cage for at least a few days. Nicky is sitting next to the cage for today's afternoon nap. And yes, I did the adoption paper work and paid the fee today, Max is ours officially!!

マックスが帰ってきた。きのう去勢手術をしてもらって、２晩クリニックに泊まりだった。あんな小さいネコなのに、知らないところで知らない人に痛い事されてどんなに落ち込んでたことか。でも傷は小さいし、もう痛がってもいない、ただニッキーと転がりまわって傷が開いたりしないように、ちょっとケージの中にいてもらいましょう。抗生物質をもらってきて飲ませないといけないんだけど、まあ抵抗すること著しい。こ～んな小さい薬なのに、口を開けさせてポンと入れても、もごもごしてペッ！と上手に出してしまう。何回試したことでしょう、笑ってしまうほど上手に、ペッ！するんだよ！。

そうそう、それで、手術が終わったので、めでたく養子縁組してきました。マックスはうちのネコです！

We miss you, Max

It'd been already 2 weeks we'd had Max with us, and we had to bring him back to Broward County Animal Shelter Clinic yesterday for check up. And we had to leave him overnight for the surgery, because he weighed more than 2 lb, and he has to get neutered. How did he feel last night to be alone again, what did he think we did to him? He thought we didn't want him? Did he missed us, missed his pillow, missed to play with Nicky?? Yeah, Nicky was strange, too. He looked at us "?????", and looked for Max. He was sad and surely missed Max. What does that little cat mean here in this house, wow, there was a big difference, I can't wait to pick him up tomorrow!