On Duty

My husband and I visited Sanibel Island, FL a couple of years ago.  We took a kayak tour into the Gulf of Mexico.  Not very far into, which was fine with me.  I am not a fan of being in or on the ocean.  Big stuff that can eat me!  This fellow was waiting patiently at the entrance to the bay making sure that we all understood what this sign meant.  By the looks of the sign, I had a feeling I knew what his punishment would be for offenders.  I have sold a couple of prints; the original is still available.

These guys are called black skimmers. We saw them on the beach in the Keys. They fly in groups, land in groups, and all seem to face the same direction while on the sand. They look like the are wearing little tuxes with a splash of color on their beaks and legs. Their eyes are set in the black area on their heads and are hard to see there. We had such fun watching them and hubby kept chasing the group from one place on the beach to another to get a shot of them. He made me laugh even more than they did.

My best friend was married in Key West last December. I wouldn't have missed it if I had to hitch hike & walk all the way. My husband & I decided to make a weeks vacation of it as well as the wedding celebration.

We landed in Fort Meyers and drove to Naples to spend the first night. My husband made all the arrangements for hotels, plane fare, etc. Thank goodness he took over this job as I was rather busy getting ready for an art show and Christmas. We had picked the perfect time to be in Naples as there was a huge art show/sale going on the next day. What a fun day we had. All sorts of different art. The week continued with us driving through Florida and staying at different places each night. We spent three nights, including New Year's Eve, in Key West. I have never seen a New Year's Eve celebration in person like the one we saw there. Then on to the wedding. It was a beautiful, perfect, blue skied day. The wedding planner did a great job savings a place on the beach with a little shade, lots of flowers, and lots of fun. The bride was beautiful and the groom couldn't stop grinning. I love these guys! Pete and I hated to go home, but my sister, Pam, also my best friend, was watching all our critters, both 2 legged and 4 legged. She also caught a cold while sitting for us. I have a feeling that she wouldn't be so quick to volunteer next time. So, home we came. Back into the cold and the snow. Yuck!

I decided to do some paintings of the birds we saw along our Florida drive. These are a white ibis and a great egret. More to follow.