Another Year, Another Continent

 But First We Have to Catch Up!

Christmas in Florida!

For the second year, the sisters and I decided to give the snow and ice a pass, and meet in Florida for our Christmas break. It was an idyllic two weeks of watching sunrises and sunsets, walking on the beach, hanging out, and of course, taking LOTS of photographs. 

I full-on treated myself this year, and flew BUSINESS class with Qatar Air to Florida. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived in Florida, I had already spilled something on my nice red blouse, so I had to change into a tank top upon arrival, didn't look quite as classy as I hoped to. I had booked a car to take me from the airport to my sister's rental house, to save everyone some time and expense. The drive was really interesting, because I had a super-chatty driver who pulled up pictures on his phone to share with me (yes, while driving - it seemed I hadn't left Turkey at all)...

Every single morning, my alarm woke me up before dawn. I would make tea and coffee, and yell at Cathy, "Sunrise!" and head out the door. I would meet Dar at 'our' steps on the beach, and Cathy would wander down and join us. Every single morning, we would be part of the awakening of the beach. What a wonderful, joyful experience. Every. Single. Morning. 

Every day we would trek along the beach. Every day was different. 

Watching an osprey on the prowl...

What a liberating feeling, to be walking through the surf!

Great Blue Heron

"I'm ready for my close-up."

Patiently waiting for me to take MORE pictures

Royal Terns having a royal tiff

What can I say? I adore birds. 

Brown pelicans skimming the surface of the Atlantic Ocean

Sorry to be a Pollyanna, but seriously this is a pretty beautiful planet that we live on. 

Of course, we weren't the only ones enjoying the sunrise.

Ruddy Turnstones were very curious about our presence on their beach. 

How many pictures can you take from the same position? A LOT.

And at the end of every day, we would walk to the river for the sunset. 

Osprey catching the meal of the day

We drove to a town called Flagler to walk along the boardwalk through a mangrove forest. So many birds.....

Ibis

Tri-coloured heron

Osprey

I took about a million pictures of this Great Egret. Birds never cease to amaze me, their architecture, their beauty, their weirdness. Birds really make me believe in some kind of higher power - one with an incredible sense of humour. 

 

Little Blue Heron and Great Egret

Great Blue Heron

Woodstork

Our stay in Ormond included a trip to the Memorial Gardens, a place of peace and beauty in the heart of the town. The gardens are dedicated to veterans.