Sunshine on my Shoulders

Green Eggs and Ham was on the menu at a local breakfast place.
Seriously.  Green Eggs and Ham.
I ordered them just so I could take a picture and post it in honour of my beautiful grand-peeps.
The "green" is spinach and advacado.
And it tasted really good just like Sam-I-am says.
Nothing to be squeamish about.

This was a little gecko lizard keeping me company in the lanai.
I find them fascinating and friendly little things.
The one that jumped out from behind the pillows when I pulled the bed covers back however,
... not so much.

Dining and fellowshipping with niece Nicole is a wonderful annual treat.
Each time we decide to dine out we've been able to do so under a canopy of stars and a moon that is almost full now!

...the cloudy skies were exceptionally notable today.

Can't seem to get enough of this panaromic option on my phone ever since Lilly pointed it out to me :)

A school of dolphins were at play (and definitely on a school break) not far from this rock reef.
Sorry, I enjoyed that so much I forgot to take a picture.

The ocean is terrifically cold, mesmerizing to listen to and watch but preferably from a seat on the beach.  Where you can knit a beret with a towel across your legs.  :)
If my mother and sisters could see me now....

Knitting on a beach.  Pfft!  Enjoying it even.  Me oh my.

A tribute to Nikki - one is never too old and no situation too hopeless!

 What was that?! she exclaimed ... on sighting a small but decidedly owlish figure sitting in the sun on a stake, surrounded by orange tape around a makeshift "pen".  

The man behind the wheel pulled a U-turn & stopped long enough to satisfy my curiosity.  

Up popped another owl out of the ground (see the mound?)  

Then I walked over and found this sun bleached warning about "harassing" 

these protected burrowing owls.  

Burrowing Owls and Gopher Tortoises are protected and there are signs and warnings about fines everywhere to demonstrate the gravity of the situation.  

This is all well and good except that it seems like these species enjoy more dignity of life 

than the American unborn child.

It's disturbing.

 We are crazy about long and linear palm trees.

They look so fantastic in Christmas lights!

 Naples 5th Avenue is a happening place day & night if parking 6 blocks over is any indication.

The tree pictured above is one tree (a Banyan) coming up out of the ground with more multi-stems than you can count.   That is apparently its primary characteristic.
A new house is being constructed around the tree.

 The sunset I almost missed - the sun dropped into the ocean at lightning speed while I was photographing the Robinson Crusoe tree not fifty steps away.

From North to Naples

This is a panoramic photo (compliments of friend Lilly) of the first and fastest storm I've ever witnessed rolling in from the ocean.  It was a rather phenomenal sight - the temperature literally dropped by the minute and a ferocious wind kicked up enough sand to put an abrupt end to our picnic on the beach. 

Doesn't look so threatening does it?

But an hour later it's "mild" beginning... began.

Very soon after that panoramic shot we scurried back over the boardwalk in Delgor-Wiggins State Park to our vehicle and made haste, seeking refuge in Books-A-Million where the rain came down (monsoonal style) and thundered on the roof loud enough to interfere with normal conversation.  

I've been happily visiting this part of Florida for many years and have never seen the likes of it.

This is a new activity for us.  I must say, we could get quite used to it except that biking at home (anywhere) is not unlike risky behaviour, living on the edge, and downright dangerous.  

This, on the other hand, is not such a new activity for us.

Eeek!  The Ents have relocated!  And look at that prevailing stormy sky.  

It might chase one off the beach but there is NO way to intimidate the die-hard golfer 

(of the sort I am married to).

We are really enjoying our rental digs.  There's my funny boy.

Books A Million here in Naples has a giant banner draped outside announcing Store Closing. 

This is a sad thing. 

I confess I felt like a vulture descending on some woe-begotten prey.  But I did it anyway.  

 I exercised restraint mostly only because my beloved said I wasn't allowed to buy another 

suitcase to ship all the books back home.  

*sigh*  

The spoil-sport.  :) 

Naples in Florida is now synonymous with knitting as well.  This is crow eating admission for me, having heckled my family & having protestith overmuch at the notion not even 3 years ago.   

So I just want to say, in my effort to come clean and all, I started this all on my own 

and even watched several online videos last week to jog my memory on how to knit 

in a seamless round with two circular needles.

Grand-daughter Danielle picked out this skein of hot pink wool with candy coloured flecks 

in the hopes that I would make her a beret.  Well. It's done my little Dee.   

Tomorrow, I will attempt a few flowers to accessorize the hat in a manner that matches 

the fun & flair of your personality! 

To temper this dangerous amount of pride, I make special mention once again of my sister. 

Let's face it, without her extraordinary long-suffering mentoring I'd be nowhere on the knitting scene.  

And finally, I love spending this leisure time catching up on some reading, blogging and cooking, 

...with wine of course.  

Hey! Some recipes do call for it.

We enjoyed a birthday dinner with Lilly at The Bay House - famous in the area for its mind-boggling seafood menu.  We dined outside as the sun set and a nearby firepit substituted its warmth.  The waiter insisted we go inside to the crustacean bar to see the "beautiful" 8 pound crab available to a fearless diner.  Or was it 4pound beast suitable as appetizer for 8?  We can't seem to agree on the facts.  Another admirer put a 10 ounce glass in front of the shot for perspective.  CRUSTacean's are aptly named don't you think?

Smileboxes. The niftiest thing...

Make your own free scrapbook design

A Floridian Family Fest

           Here's just a few things one finds to do with a fabulous
                               family fest in Florida!

Hanging out in the pantry

Neil Diamond singing "Beautiful Noise".  A fitting tribute to our reality here :)

Sunday Dinner round table...

Knitting a new pair of Lacey Look socks on a pair of 2.75 circular turbo needles.
FYI  Turbo defines the make of needle and in no way references the handlers' speed.   

With fear and trepidation, I'm about to start the heel gusset.  But the inevitable emergency situations can be most definitely MUST be handled via email by my sister/knitting counselor-mentor.

The pool Beautiful.  It is SawWeET!

     Breaking out of the tried and tired,
experimenting with new recipes.

In a terrific environment to boot

Unpacking a shipment of barstools for our rental home.

Beloved says when we finish setting up the basement rec room back home, 

we're doing the smart thing:  Shipping in some big boxes from the grocery store and calling it done!

                                           Shell shucking

                                         Leapster Explorer

Morning walk on the golf course, 

Scavenging for grandpa's collection

A highly popular past-time!

                               Fancy nails with polish and art deco

*sigh*  

Curious George & Green Eggs and Ham 

never seem to lose one ounce of appeal

                                                      Sunsets at the beach

                                             Pelican imitation