Aloha.....Almost....

I'm sitting in the Phoenix Internat'l Airport at this moment, with three hours until boarding the flight to Hawaii. We've arrived extra early to be extra safe...we were supposed to land in Hawaii yesterday but we somehow managed to miss our flight! The boarding gate was changed and we never checked the monitors...we're not exactly frequent flyers...this airport is apparently notorious for changing gates...anyway, we checked into a nearby hotel, ate across the street at a Hilton, and survived the ordeal. Did I mention our luggage made it to HI ok? I had to pay $22 for a 2 oz bottle of saline solution and a contact lens holder at the Hilton courtesy shop, OY! And yes we're wearing the same clothes from yesterday...anyway, thank goodness for laptops for entertainment (besides books). And speaking of laptops, I purchased a new Macbook Pro in Jacksonville a few days ago. It's my first Mac and so far I love it, tho it's a bit mind-boggling for an old PC user! I'm even training myself to use the touch pad...look ma, no mouse!

Well I think I'll cruise other Blogs, see how my faves are doing....

Have a good, safe Memorial Day weekend everyone. See you on the big island!

Beach & Backyard Babes

Life is pretty good here in NE Florida...we may be only semi-settled into our new home, due to the fact that we're waiting until we get back from our seasonal job in Hawaii before we paint inside and buy furniture, but we're getting to know our neighborhood with almost daily bicycle rides, which we really enjoy. We've witnessed a hawk snatching up its latest meal from a nearby canal, and we've also witnessed a red-bellied woodpecker pestering a hawk in flight...sorry, no snaps! The hawks are small and, I think, red-shouldered ones. I've now spotted two brown thrashers (a lifer!) in the 'hood...again, no shots so far. But, the number of species has increased at the bird feeders in the backyard, including a couple lifers; oh snap! 

We've made a few more trips to Flagler Beach, and one day in particular, we saw yet another lifer.....wait for it......

First, right off, I was thrilled to see that the black-bellied plovers were sporting their summer attire....

...A male least tern (lifer!) was trying to court a female,

Offering her a piece of sushi,

But she was stand-offish.....he seemed stumped...what to do now?!

...An osprey suddenly flew overhead...it's always suddenly w/ the osprey at the beach;

They just appear out of nowhere...

The ruddy turnstone above was nicely camoflaged by the brown seaweed...this is probably a female (winter plumage is very similar)....

This male ruddy turnstone was definitely sporting its summer plumage...

Flagler Beach Pier in the distance...It's $1.50 a person to use the pier for the day ($6 to fish)...we walked out on the night recently that the moon was big and full...

The coquina sand of Flagler Beach....

There are many scattered shell caches on the beach...

And one sign explaining the unique orange sand color......

After leaving the beach, we idly drove around the area, one block from A1A, looking at the beachy and swanky beach homes...we came upon Silver Lake Park, a woodsy trail around a lake...

At the trailhead there's a sitting area, where we barged in on two anoles doing what critters do best in spring...

On the flip side of the railing, we discovered that Romeo had an incredibly long tail....

Probably made him popular w/ the ladies.....

Back on the home front, we now have a pair of tufted titmouses (titmice?) visiting the feeders...a lifer!

...and a Carolina chickadee has flitted in a few times...also a lifer! (But not much difference from a black-capped chickadee except the body is grey (Carolina) not pale rust )....

A pair of house finches, both with the orange-colored head variation, have appeared a few times...

The red-bellied woodpeckers and cardinals continue to visit often, including these two females...

...and the blue jays come squawking daily as well.....

One day I caught this determined (or lazy) squirrel lying down while it was digging for and eating fallen bird seeds in the mulch below the feeders.....

Blanket flowers grow wild or semi-wild here (or are planted)...these were at the beach...

I was thrilled to see my first passion flowers recently! We have some growing wild in a vacant, uncleared lot at the other end of our street.....named passion flowers because they reminded early pilgrims of the passion or suffering of Christ.

Turns out this is called a Touch-me-not! Also sighted growing in an uncleared lot....

Back at home once again, we now have pale yellow day lilies blooming.  :o)

*   *   *   *   *   *

This may be my last Florida post before we leave for Hawaii ~ ~ !! My one allowed "carry on" will be, what else? My camera bag! Ru's carrying my laptop so I'll still be able to share photos in Hawaii, of course!  See you there soon!