Tis The Season

Poinsettia

Poinsettia...A Christmas Flower

Simplicity is also elegant....

Blessings for the day....Dee Dee

Photo Snapped Of Mourning Dove

High up in an island pine tree,

sits a mourning dove.  

Honeymoon Island Florida 2015

Lobster Claw

We call them

 "Lobster Claw" plants....

I planted one 

small plant

 in the spring,

in a spot that would 

control the growth.

Known for it's 

 volatile root system,

we've been more than 

pleased with the 

"Lobster Claw" plant's

showing off in

our tropical garden.

Blessings for the day......Dee Dee

click on images to enlarge

Seen Through The Lens Of My Camera

Honeymoon Island, practically

deserted this afternoon.....a favorite

time to walk on the beach.

Tracks from weekend visitors

left on pathway..... 

Beach daisies grow all along

the pathway.....

I thought it beautiful....also

growing along pathway to beach.

A great white Egret will

always get my attention and

the camera liked him as well.....

Have a blessed day.....Dee Dee

click on images to enlarge

I Love A Rainy Day

It's been pouring rain

 all day long.....

which is unusual here on

 the gulf

coast of Florida.  

The rain clouds usually

come quickly and leave quickly.

  I do love a rainy day.

From my window, the Hibiscus

look like this.....

A potted Croton looks

as if the sun were shining

directly on it's bright

 leaves........

A quick zoom with my camera

yields beautiful colors.....almost

fall like in appearance.

Have a blessed day.....Dee Dee

click on images to enlarge

Crow

 Our neighbors have a large tree in their garden

that produces massive clusters of yellow berries.

They ripen early in July and about this time of

year they are overly ripe and perfect for the bird

life here in Florida.  I love watching all the activity

by so many beautiful birds.

This morning, I heard an unmistakable conversation

high up in the berry tree. Seems a mother crow was

showing her youngster dinner for the day.

The youngster is making an observation

in this photo.....

Not quite willing to pluck the

ripe berries just yet.....proceeds

 feeding from mother once again.

Most likely this will not go on much longer

as the youth seems to have surpassed mother

in size completely. She will have to wean

this rather large baby bird soon.

I love nature, don't you?  Dee Dee

click on images to enlarge

Summer Fun

Nothing says summer more than 

 pool fun.....

Have a beautiful summer day.....Dee Dee

No Knead Bread

Nothing is finer than a kitchen that

smells of fresh baked bread. 

Photo taken by my daughter, the 

bread is a hit with her large family.

Instructions can be found on Google...

"Even a four year old can do it" article.

Have a blessed day, everyone.  Dee Dee

Garden Flowers

Raspberry tea with lemon, 

warm coastal breezes, here comes summer.

Have a blessed day.....Dee Dee

Hydrangea In The Cottage

A southern favorite and always 

welcomed in our cottage during

the summer months.

Have a blessed day, everyone!  Dee Dee

Zinnias

They grow in a large pot located beneath

a small palm tree.  The sunlight is filtered,

protecting the young and tender plants.

Today I brought a few inside and placed

them in a kitchen window.

Summer is fun......

Have a sweet ole' day.....Dee Dee

Summer On Honeymoon Island

I took this photo some years back....

 typical scenery, weekends

on Honeymoon Island.

Definitely need shade....the sun is so hot

and temps reaching into the 90s.

I love watching families.....they bring

all the necessities for the day.  Coolers,

umbrellas, beach towels, lawn chairs....and 

the list goes on.

I hope your having a wonderful summer.  Dee Dee

Birthday Pink Hydrangea

We share the love for flowers,

my youngest daughter and I.  Her 

garden is home to a variety of

beautiful flowering plants.

One of our favorites is the

"Hydrangea".

She presented me with a 

beautiful pink hydrangea on 

my birthday.

Every angle seen with my

camera lens, proved it 

exquisite beyond words.

I hope you've had a blessed

Lord's day.....Dee Dee

click on images to enlarge

Crape Myrtles In Full Bloom

Every year these are the first 

Crape Mrytle shrubs to bloom

and the most impressive.  The color is

amazing.....

I'm never disappointed with nature.....

love these giant clusters of pink.

The crape myrtles go dormant in the 

winter...appearing as sticks.  Come

spring they begin their transformation.

Glad you stopped by....

have a blessed day. Dee Dee

Summer Garden Images

We couldn't be more pleased with how things

are looking in our tropical garden.  The colors

blend so well....multi-colored crotons we planted

three years ago are thriving in one of our larger

pots. The smaller variety of palms are reaching

unexpected heights, towering over the pool. 

We accomplished all we wanted to do in the 

garden....new plants, trimmings and fertilizing,

just in time for the high summer temperatures.

Now, we sit back and enjoy summertime.

Sweet blessings for all.....Dee Dee

Summer Garden

Delicate snow bush leaves.....

Towering over the snow bushes 

are palm trees.....so pretty.

My pride and joy....pink hibiscus. I was

afraid we had lost this "fountain hibiscus"

tree.  The spring rains and a good flowering

fertilizer has brought it back.

All is doing well in the garden, promising

good photos here on my blog all summer long.

Have a sweet ole' day....Dee Dee

click on images to enlarge

Pink Peace Lily

This is the third year the 

"Peace Lily"

 has been on our back porch.

The lily is in a smaller pot

and then placed in a very

large porcelain pot.

I discovered long ago

the conditions for growing

require a lot of water.....

almost swamp-like conditions.

The planting style, along with

hot, humid tropical Florida weather

and a good fertilizer,

produces blooms all year long.

More so in the summer as you

can see here.

I'm glad you stopped by....

have a blessed day. Dee Dee

Lavender Crape Myrtles

Our tropical garden is lush this time

of year.  We have rain often and the

plants respond by growing.

My favorite crape myrtle tree is now

blooming....covered with gorgeous

massive blooms.

I for one stand in awe of their beauty,

again amazed by the One who 

created them.

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

*Note: always click on images to expand

Four O'Clocks

Tucked inside a 

Christmas package,

a small packet of 

Four O'clock seeds 

from the

 Farmer's Museum in

Cooperstown New York.

I could hardly wait 

for spring

to plant them.

Five little seeds were 

placed in the

ground, watered and 

watched daily.

Finally one little plant

 poked through the soil 

and I was thrilled

beyond words.

Sweet blooms 

have covered the plant

and promise of seeds for

next spring are

inevitable......sigh.

Have a blessed day....Dee Dee

Hydrangea

Family friends living in north Florida

have beautiful hydrangea growing on

their property.  

The hydrangea colors vary, depending

on elements found in the soil.

Hydrangea dried, can be used in flower

arranging.  It is the plant in the garden 

that life continues on after death.

Enjoying the summer.....Dee Dee

Crape Myrtle Shrubs

We have 

crape myrtle shrubs 

and

crape myrtle trees in our 

cottage garden.

 They grow

throughout the south and 

are found in

most landscapes here in

our part of Florida.

Thankfully, the blooms last

 throughout the summer.

Seen here are the first of our 

crape myrtle shrubs to

 bloom this year.

Have a blessed day.....Dee Dee