Saturday, July 27, 2013

Local Tidbits

Summer is Florida's rainy season.  We've had a good deal of precipitation lately so it's the perfect time for the county to perform what they refer to as "controlled burns."  This week they began a set of burns in the state park located fairly close to our house.  Some years have been scary but with all of the rain we've had recently these seem to definitely stay "under control."   (This has not always been true.)

To calm the fears of passersby they put up signs which I photographed during a recent walk.



The sign flashes to read "Do Not Call 911".  LOL!!!  


As you can see, we have had our fair share of rain and I love it.  While I'm not the least bit fond of slathering myself in chemicals to prevent the mosquito attacks, in the midst of summer, evening walks still beat morning ones every time.


Friday, July 26, 2013

FreeStylin'

One thing that is true of both of my kids is that they always manage to make any ho-hum day/occasion a good time.  Here's an example of Meg's latest "invention."





I call it Ottoman Skating.  And while it may not look like much here, it soon became an adventure.






She and a friend took turns riding it down to our local park.  (Meg is seated here.)  After she texted to let me know they were returning I positioned myself in the yard, armed with my zoom lens, in order to capture some photos from across the street.  I heard them before I saw them.  They were SPEEDING down the sidewalk!


It really did look like a lot of fun and at least I know they always look both ways before crossing the street.


Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The Day Has Come



Meg has dreamed of this day for the past year.  She'd hoped to achieve it by her 12th birthday but missed by a hair, literally.  Well, one month later, it's official....








My baby girl, at just a smidge shy of 5'6", is now taller than her mama.  I'm not quite sure just how I feel about this yet.  



Friday, July 19, 2013

"Safari" Photos



At Lion Country Safari it's not uncommon to see a giant tortoise causing a traffic jam. (Seriously, we sat there for over 10 minutes waiting for him to clear the gate.)





With the rainy weather, the lions were actually out and about.  (Very unusual for the summer months.)





I yuv you.  Would you rub my belly?





Did you know that zebra stripes are actually brown, not black?





Giraffes truly are beautiful creatures.  Love them.





And no trip of mine through the park is ever complete without a rhino providing an up close and extremely personal photo opp of his/her rectum.




Monday, July 15, 2013

The Big Surprise

We had a fabulous time on our camping trip.  We were loaded and on the road by noon on Friday (the 5th) and drove south about an hour to Lion Country Safari where they have a KOA campground.  It was horribly rainy when we arrived but thankfully it subsided within a hour so that we were able to get the camper set up.  When the skies cleared later that afternoon we let the girls in on our surprise.

Can you guess?






Maybe now?




We took the girls to their first concert featuring some of their favorite Nickelodeon stars....Victoria Justice (from the show Victorious) and Big Time Rush, a boy band from the show of the same name.  They really didn't know what to expect and it took them awhile to "get into it" but they had a wonderful time.  Aimee and I, on the other hand, had a FABULOUS time rocking out to the songs we always hear in the background of our homes.


We only imbibed in one beer but in the words of my brother, "yeah, but it's a half gallon!".  LOL!  My defense?  We didn't want to miss any of the concert making beer runs.  Am I right?????

More weekend photos to follow....


Friday, July 5, 2013

Happy 4th!

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend.  Unfortunately Randy had to work yesterday however Meggie and I were lucky enough to spend the afternoon at the beach with friends.  Being a holiday, we drove up the coast about 15 minutes to a more secluded area and had a fabulous time, as always.


Maintaining our pact that no photos of adults in swimwear will ever be taken, you'll have to settle for another one of our beautiful children.  *smile*






Meg and I are leaving in about an hour to go camping with another of my BFFs and her daughter.   My BFF has a fully equipped camper (the only kind of camping I care to do) so we aren't exactly roughing it.  We have a surprise scheduled for the girls tonight that know will have them very excited.  (Details when I return.)  In the meantime, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend.  Be safe!


Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Birthday Party Photos

A quick post to share a few photos from Meg's recent birthday party.  We held it at the gym where she takes gymnastics lessons and the girls all had a fabulous time.





















That's all folks!  Thanks for stopping by.