Real Rainy Days

March 18 and 19, 2009 It doesn't happen a lot here....that we have perfect rainy days. I mean, we have showers, suddenly started and suddenly gone kind of showers in the Summer, but NOT this continuous rain rain rain all day kind of rainy days.

It started the night of Tuesday, was raining all Wednesday, and surprisingly still raining in the morning of Thursday. I was outside taking the raindrops on tree leaves excitingly yesterday morning!! And found these flowers, our first spring flowers - Tabebuia - just started to bloom, look even more beautiful in the rain.

Huge and Baby Alligators

This one was a huge Alligator, maybe 8 feet? he just came out of the water. This little island was full of Birds' nests, he wanted some food.....??

On the other hand, the upper photo was a baby Alligator, only one and a half feet.....!! We found these two in places far apart, so maybe not related but who knows??

Taken at Wakodahatchee Wetland, Delraybeach, Florida.

February 28, 2009

Spent the day in Miami with my friends from Germany. We've been to Bayside Marketplace, driving around the city, and I dropped them off the Hotel close to the Airport for they would leave the next morning back to Germany. The hotel supposed to be only "one mile North of the Airport", but driving distance was way more than one mile. We almost lost, made a wrong turns, missed the right street.....(that's why I hate to drive in Miami!!) then we just passed by this gorgeous tree, I have to make a U-turn and took some shots.

Red Silk Cotton Tree, Kapok tree. The flower is like a fist size and very tall tree. Flowers before the leaves, and produce cotton-like seeds afterwards. The real Kapok trees, which have white or pale pink flowers, have good quality kapoks, which is used to fill pillows and mattresses, but this Red Silk Cotton Tree's seeds are inferior quality......Actually, I saw this flower before, and i saw the cotton-seeds before, but now, for the first time, it clicked that they are the same tree.

Airboat Ride

Great Egret on her nest, preening herself and waiting for her mate to come back?

This Alligator was quite small, 3-4 feet, maybe? He came toward our boat, but absolutely quiet.

Airboat makes a loud noise and goes soooo fast! See, there is nothing but flat wet land!

Febriary 21, 2009 My important friend came to Florida from Europe for vacation with his wife, and stopped by to see me. We went for an Airboat ride, the boat goes through the Florida Everglades for one hour, stopping occasionally to see the plants, birds, Alligators.....it was fun! I've been in South Florida for more than 12 years and never tried this before....now I want to go back again.

Morning Dew

I like to go out and take photos in the morning, earlier the better. This weed flower, only 3/4" in diameter, is much more attractive with morning dewdrops, I was on my knees and elbows and got wet to get these photos. Small flower and smaller dewdrops.....just so beautiful.

The upper one looks like a dewdrop flower!

Our Cats and Bird

This is Max the Cat. He usually scared of Fluffy the Bird, but still, always so curious and interested in her. Interested in.....as a playmate, not as food, I presume.

Fluffy is the strongest, I mean stronger than Max and Nicky, the older cat. She won't flinch if they get near, and if they are too close she is ready to bite, not backing off. Don't say Fluffy is an aggressive bird, she is not. She trusts Nicky, and Nicky leaves her alone, so they have peace to each other. But Max, he is just a baby, so too curious and want to touch Fluffy, sniff Fluffy, follow and chase Fluffy, but it looks like he just want to play with her, to stay close to her. Fluffy doesn't trust this kid, so Max look so sad when Fluffy doesn't let Max come closer.

This photo is a rare occasion and both seems OK, looks like he is whispering a secret to Fluffy's ear! The upper photo looks like Max is ready to lick her clean!

Leaves

The leaves are turning colors very beautifully now.....in January??
But it isn't so that they change colors when temperature drops, and colder the better for nice colors? Well, here in Florida, it never gets cold enough in Fall, leaves never gets beautiful colors. So what happens now, in January, we keep having low temperature, that is equivalent to the Fall temperature in Northern area.....so leaves think that this is Fall and turn their colors???