NOT SAILING.......JUST WALKING FASTER......

The weather continues to be near perfect. The breeze a steady 10 to 20 knots on the Ocean when we take our morning walks, with not a hurricane anywhere on the horizon, and we patiently wait out the season in Florida. Bit by bit we are getting minor repairs done. In fact I called out to Laurie this morning to give me a hand with something and back came the reply....... "I'M BUSY,....... I'M ON THE PHONE......", O.K. I got that.........

Big walks are a big thing in the mornings, to exercise those wayward muscles and in the process we manage to capture the unusual, like people in PJs and large blue crabs near mud holes that never hang around for long enough to have their picture taken.

The uniqueness of Florida is brought home continuously by beautiful majestic oak trees covered in Spanish moss as in this arch-way to the right, and the lushness of the plant life is nothing short of magnificent. A tropical paradise. This more than anything is " THE SOUTH ", and with it goes the southern hospitality. We have made wonderful friends in the short time, since our return to Vero Beach.

Found these huge stalks on some cacti with bunches of yellow fowers and on the stalks below there were flower-like new plants ready to drop to the ground and start all over again. The things you see when you walk...................



Had this great urge to go and do some more diamond mining........... The urge may pass, hasn't yet. The Queen caught me on the beach grabbing a handful of wet sand that showed streaks of black minerals. Just have to do some testing on a theory of mine................all about gravity separation and looking for things I never lost. Diamonds are forever, so they say.................
You see, walking makes you think and thinking leads to a whole bunch of stuff......



Have you ever seen a cactus bloom like this one on the right that has produced a whole arrangement of 'newbies' ready to go................ Well, we hadn't.
And on the left and below is the Schefflera tree with its magnificent red flower prongs pointing skyward, like radial arms reaching for the sun. Up close they are like raspberries on a stick. Then further below are the downward hanging curtains of grey-green Spanish moss, with lace-like fibres, moisture fed by Florida's humidity. Almost supernatural, almost surreal....... Do a double-click if you really want to see another world...........



And on this oak tree are the dried-up remains of fern moss which, with the slightest moisture comes alive to flourish again.


Enough about FLORA,(FLORIDA), nice and beautiful as it is,........... now for some local FAUNA found inhabiting a pool. Resplendant with captivating drinks and surrounded by floating trays of cheese and strawberries, these are rare specimens of former " YACHTIES", whose habitat is blue water and a little wind and normally found wearing very casual clothing and on occassions, as little as possible.....................