Thursday, January 31, 2013

Old Porcelain Art

Useful in a good many ways,
an old porcelain yellow lid

is today in my cottage kitchen.....

displayed as a piece of 
"old porcelain art."

Have a sweet ole' day!  Dee Dee


Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Burlap

Who would have ever thought
that "burlap" would be used
so many different ways in our
modern decor.

The magazines offer so many 
wonderful ideas in using this
primitive fabric. 


 Potato sacks, they were
once called....

The very poor made clothes
from the fabric during the
"great depression."

When gifted with this 
pillow two Christmases ago....
I found it somewhat nostalgic
yet interesting the French writing.....

It fits in quite nicely with
my winter whites and
champagne living room colors.

Have a beautiful day, everyone.  Dee Dee

Monday, January 28, 2013

Winter Knockout Roses


January ends with sweet
Knockout Roses spreading
 perfume in the air, 
while making lasting impressions. 

I suppose I'm partial to these
 no fuss or bother Roses, 
lovin' they bloom all 
year long here in Florida.

Twice a year I cut them back, 
restoring new life.

Celebrating again the beauty of nature.
Have a blessed week, everyone!  Dee Dee
click on images to enlarge

Sunday, January 27, 2013

On My Desk To Read


Setting aside 230 million acres of wild America
for posterity, including the Grand Canyon,
Devil's Tower, and the Petrified Forest....
Building the Panama Canal, perhaps the most
controversial act of Roosevelt's presidency.
A curiosity to me, unlike most books I read.


Social history at its best, "Founding Mothers"
unveils the drive, determination, creative insight
and passion of the other patriots, the women 
who raised our nation. Cokie Roberts proves
beyond a doubt that like every generation of 
American women that has followed, the founding
mothers used the unique gifts of their gender.....
courage, pluck, sadness, joy, energy, grace, 
sensitivity, and humor.....to do what women do
best, put one foot in front of the other in 
remarkable circumstances and carry on.

As a reader of non fiction history, with great
emphasis on the "Founding Fathers"... this
is truly "right up my alley." 

Have a blessed Lord's day, everyone!  Dee Dee

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Phillipe Park

The weather's been perfect, so
we've been visiting several parks
in our area. Mid week, and again
we had much of the park to ourselves.
A fallen palm tree had been
growing this way for a number of
years.  We could see evidence that people
 had walked on the tree and found several
initial carvings.  No worse for
this kind of treatment, the palm 
tree seemed pretty resilient.



I was more interested in the bird sounds and
the trees were filled with a variety of our
"fine feathered friends."  I'm thinking many
make the park their winter home.
I saw lots of Robins and was fortunate
to capture a couple with my camera lens.                                    


This too is a Robin.....I took the
photo moments before he flew. What
a sweet little thing and I'm lovin'
the photo.

Why do birds sing?
Birds do not sing because they are happy. 
The two main reasons are to attract a mate 
and to defend a territory.  Birds recognize
the song of their own species: females are
attracted to a male with a powerful and 
complex song, and other males are driven
away from his territory.

I'm so glad you stopped by.....
Have a sweet ole' day!  Dee Dee
click on images to enlarge

Friday, January 25, 2013

Lazy Daze Of Winter

Clear skies, salty winter breezes
and all is well with my soul.
Most of the activity was happening
way up ahead, and so we 
walked the long pier.

The pier is lighted at night for 
walkers and fishermen..... 

We stood watching as these two
young men stood waiting and 
watching for schooling fish. 
The water here is clear and today
at low tide. They cast their net and
we watched as they pulled it onto
the pier.

"One Mullet" he said, and tossed the
fish into the cooler. Again they watched
and waited for more schooling fish.
We walked on down the pier. 

All was quiet at the Marina.....in
Safety Harbor. The weekend would
find a flurry of activity. But not today,
mid week.

These are the lazy days of winter here
on Florida's Gulf Coast.  The beaches
are swarming with "Snow Birds" visitors
from other states and many other countries.
The shops are bursting at the seams and
the mall's are packed.  Good for our
small businesses that rely on these folks
to spend their money while enjoying themselves.

We've always found it a curiosity the names
for boats.  We laughed at the one named "Puff."


"Up a lazy river......blue skies up above,
everyone's in love, up a lazy river, how
happy we'll be, up a lazy river with me!"

Have a sweet ole' day!  Dee Dee
click on images to enlarge

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Beautiful Safety Harbor Florida

Famous for it's  "Resort and Health Spa"
Safety Harbor is a wonderful little
coastal town....a "jewel" in every respect.
It's charm brings me to the area often, 
with my camera in hand.  Today, was just such a day,
and I've taken some real nice photos.  

Winter months are the best of all times,
 here on Florida's Gulf coast.

If ever there's a bird around, I'll
be drawn to it's beauty.  Nesting in
the grasses, was a beautiful Pigeon
with the light shining on it's feathers
at all the right places. 

Many of the trees in the area are very old
and as you can see.....very large. They
provide much needed shade for
Florida's hot summers.


Normally a house plant, the
vine grows to enormous size. 


"Crown of Thorns" a lovely plant with
thorns on the stems..."beware."

I loved the old stone bench......and
the shape of the tree. If only the 
tree could talk we might hear some
sweet stories of yesteryear.


Another beautiful Pigeon just as curious about me
as I was about it. I just stood and admired the
colors he was blessed to wear each day.


And finally, I found a lovely place to sit and read, or
just sit and ponder one's surroundings.

I'm glad you stopped by today and
hope you come along with me tomorrow
as I show you a few more images of one
of Florida's prettiest resort towns.

Sweet blessings......Dee Dee
click on photos to enlarge

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Pink Camellias

The skies have been mostly cloudy
lately.  On this day,  the
morning light was perfect for taking
a few photos of our new Camellias.


Our tree trimmer came this
week, trimmed the fruit tree,
the tall palm trees,
and took down two of our tall
White Bird of Paradise plants.  They
were over twenty feet tall and 
a worry during hurricane season. 


Fortunately, we still have plenty of these
 "White Bird" plants,
a major part of our lush tropical garden.


Thus far, we've had a warm winter....
with no damage to flowering plants.
I'm thinking of family, friends and
bloggy friends living in colder climate.  
I hope this post with sunshine and
flowers has brightened 
your day just a little.

Winter blessings.....Dee Dee

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

I Wonder......

Affectionately called by my family
a "Dr Suess Tree"

I've often wondered if Dr. Suess
got his tree drawing ideas 
from Florida's  "Pony Tail Palm."
Is it just me? What do you think?

Have a sweet ole' day, everyone!  Dee Dee

Monday, January 21, 2013

Tea Olive


With little effort at all, 
I can recall 
the fragrance of the 
"Tea Olive"  that
floated through the air,
over much of our
southern home town.
  

Having now added this lovely plant
to our cottage garden......


I shall be daily and continually transported 
back to those sweet memories 
of the south,
with the sweet and agreeable
smell of "Tea Olive."

Have a beautiful and blessed week......Dee Dee

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Sunset Over the Gulf Of Mexico

Provided by the "Master"



On thoughts as the day closes.
Was today well spent?
For soon the sun reposes.....
The glow of day is fading
And soon will be past.
Have we made a memory
That will keep and last?
~S. L. Howard

Have a blessed Lord's day, everyone.  Dee Dee

Saturday, January 19, 2013

My Red Camellias


 Our red Camellia bush was planted in
our garden, over ten years ago......
yet,  it stands
no taller than five feet. I've 
contributed this to the sandy
Florida soil and perhaps
hot climate and salty
Gulf breezes.  I am, however
thankful for the beautiful
Camellia bush, that year after
year provides beautiful blooms
for our enjoyment.
The buds begin making their
appearance in November and
by this time of year the buds
are quite large ........ 
as seen here.

These are the various stages of the
blooming process.


The bloom, in itself, is quite lovely.


And then....."perfection."

Flowers refresh and restore the spirit,
while creating something quite magical in a garden.
I'm glad you stopped by, and please
have a sweet ole' weekend......Dee Dee
click on images to enlarge

Friday, January 18, 2013

Wildflowers

Scarce in the winter months, I found 
very few wildflowers at the park.
I did find a few thriving, growing and 
blooming along side the lake's shore.
They were pretty as could be, and
showing off to "beat the band."
Partial to white flowers,
 I was completely impressed with 
this tiny bloom.

Clearly rooted in the water, it was growing beneath
a small tree draped in sphagnum moss.

I love having the time for discovery.........and
wonder at how much we miss in nature
by not looking close enough.


         Daisy: What kind of garden do you come from?
Alice: Oh, I don't come from any garden.
  Daisy: Do you suppose she's a wildflower?
~Alice In Wonderland

Have a sweet ole' day......Dee Dee
Be sure to click on photos to enlarge....

Thursday, January 17, 2013

A Celebration of Nature


Today we walked in 
Chestnut Park, a lovely place, bordered by 
beautiful Lake Tarpon. 
Mid week, and 
all was mostly quiet there, but
for the few folks we encountered.  
  A grandmother sat
on a park bench reading from her
Kindle as her granddaughter played
in the sand. 
 A young couple, 
interested only in one another,
walked ahead of us, dropping
 chewing gum wrappings
on the pathway. 
An older
couple walking slowly, 
passed us by .....
we all
simultaneously
 nodded with a common greeting of
"Hello."
  A young man was fly fishing
from a pier, as his companion 
 transfixed on her phone
application.

I looked for wild flowers and wildlife
and found a few of each.......


Yellow flowers growing midst
the willows were plentiful and so lovely.......

A tiny honey bee was busy gathering sweet
"yellow flower" nectar.

Beware the alligators.....the sign warned.

The Mister's keen eye spotted this fine specimen.

The Blue Heron......unaware of my presence,
stood for a long while,
in the shallow lake water, surrounded by willows. 
I was elated with the opportunity to take so many photos.
Today was a true celebration of nature.

I'm glad you stopped by.....Dee Dee
click on images to enlarge