Stop and smell the flowers

I got up early for the almost 2 hour drive to Bok Tower Gardens in central Florida in early March. The weather called for sunny and warm but halfway there the fog started. The closer I got to the gardens, the foggier it got. I was a little bummed but I figured it would lift sometime in the morning. It was still foggy when I started my drive into the gardens.

You pay at the gate and then drive for 5 minutes up to the where the gardens start. Part of that drive is through orange groves. I had my windows rolled down so I could smell the orange blossoms. The smell was strong and I pulled over for a few minutes and snapped the above with my phone. Nothing screams “central Florida” more than ripe oranges and orange blossoms together on the tree.

There’s always a lot blooming here, even in the winter.

You can see the spider webs in the fog.

I’m not sure what this pink tree was but it was almost past it’s peak.

The sun was just starting to peek out after I had been there for an hour.

The azalea bushes were still blooming with the color popping in the fog.

This was a fun trip and it was great to be out and about (even though I was riding a rented scooter). The fog eventually lifted but it kept things nice and cool.

SkyWatch Friday

The moon was still up

It was a beautiful morning in late January. The sun hadn’t come up over the trees yet and you could still see the moon across the marsh. It was so quiet and only a few other people farther up on the trail. The black bellied whistling ducks were flying back and forth across the trail, heading far off down the marsh. I took a few deep breaths and was so glad I had set my alarm to get here earlier than I usually do.

As I walked down the trail, birds and ducks were constantly flying overhead.

You could still see the cobwebs along the edge of the trail.

Heading down Marsh Rabbit Run, I heard them calling as they started flying towards me and was able to catch the sandhill cranes flying by.

The marsh was all brown from the cold but the sky was bright blue.

image-in-ing: weekly photo linkup
image-in-ing: weekly photo linkup
Our World Tuesday Graphic

Bur marigolds and alligators

I think late November and early December is the most beautiful time at Circle B Bar Reserve.

A few of the critters. I thought I had found a 2 headed gator but just realized they were just passing by.

Traffic jam on the trails. Some of the trails are heavily populated but there are also some quieter ones as well that you can walk to be alone,

A beautiful start to the day.

SkyWatch Friday