Dawn, Ducks & Dolphin

I love dawn...that time of day when everything is calm and quiet.  Along the river, it seems very dramatic...there are very few sounds that early in the morning, and even the river is often still.  As daylight begins to break into the dark of the night, everything begins to awaken.  The fish start to surface.  The birds start to fly and sing.  People run or bike past.  Cars with people beginning their day drive by now and then too (don't like this part but it is a fact of life here...one of the things I love so much about the cabin, not traffic!).

I've mentioned before that I believe my internal clock adjusts itself when I am here, and I am up at the crack of dawn, literally!  I was actually on the dock while it was still dark, but my pictures came out blurry. This is the first good picture of daylight dawning...I love the reflection of it all...

One of the most fascinating things to me about dawn, is the number of ducks on the river...thousands and thousands of them!  At first, they can't be seen.  But then as the rays of sun come over the horizon, you see the little darlings everywhere.

I love that moment when dawn becomes day, with the sun just announcing itself!  

The ducks were everywhere as I walked along the river later this morning...they scattered when I tried to get close to get a picture. 

 Rather pretty little ducks!

 This is another spot along the river where they were grouped...I like the branches there.

And then there are the dolphin, who swim by in search of breakfast; every now and then, they swim right in front of our dock, and when I'm really lucky they have a feeding frenzy in the shallows there.  Today, this loner was feeding, but not by our dock. 

Beautiful!

You may have guessed it, today is "D" day on ABCWednesday, click on the link if you want to read more entries.

Here you have it, a new day dawning! (I zoom in for many of the pictures I take, this is the actual scene as I stand on the dock...I love that my camera can get such great pictures up close, but I also love the real scene...I hope you enjoy it too!)

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Today On The River

Sometimes, few words are needed...

...a new day dawning, with the moon still hovering...

...morning sun glow...

 ...the birds awaken with the breaking of dawn...

 ...here comes the sun

 ...a Heron...

 ...an Osprey...

...day's end...

I've enjoyed my day, much accomplished, much enjoyed.  Life is good!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

10 Months of Log Cabin Living

Last month I posted we had been living our log cabin life for 10 months, but it had only been 9 months...I didn't count correctly.  Today marks the true 10 month point.  It's true that I am not at the cabin today...but my log cabin life includes visiting with my girls, Liam and other family members as the opportunity arises.  It's also true that because I am away, I've missed a good snow storm...Johny says there's at least 3 inches covering the ground!  Today, I'm back at the river house, celebrating 10 months of log cabin living and being grateful for all the good in my life.  I'll be back in the cabin soon...hopefully, there will be another good snow before spring arrives! 

Saying goodbye is never easy, and this morning was no different.  I was sad as I said goodbye to Jessi as she headed off for work, but happy that Liam and I could spend a little extra time together before I took him to school.  I surprised him by going to his favorite breakfast spot, Dunkin Donuts, where he enjoyed a bagel with cream cheese and OJ.  This is his funny face for my picture...I'm sure going to miss him!!!

  
Once I got back to the river and unpacked my bags, I took a walk around.  I came across this interesting Florida Orchard Spider hanging out in the back yard; I've never seen one like it before.  The colors are quite bright and attractive! 

After exploring a little, I made homemade lemonade with Meyers lemons from our tree...so easy to do.  Boil 1 cup of water, mix in 1 cup of sugar and stir to dissolve, then add 1 cup of fresh lemon juice.  Keep this in the fridge, and when you are ready for a nice cold glass of lemonade, just pour the mixture over ice.  You can add more water to dilute it further, but I like the sharp tang of the lemon.  

I enjoyed visiting with my friend Candace for a bit this afternoon and had dinner with my friend Brucie this evening. It's so nice to be with good friends!  Catching up, sharing stories, just being together...it's one of the things I like about being on the river:)

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Making Memories with Liam, Jessi & Erin

The morning started with Erin coming over to spend the morning with us...we chit chatted about this and that and had a nice, relaxing visit together.  

Jessi was given tickets to go to the Palm Beach International Polo Club for this afternoon, so off we headed. It was a beautiful day and fun watching the Polo match...here's a few pics from the day...

...napping on the way...

 ...bounce house fun...

 ...a cute photo though a little blurry...

 ...snow cone!...

 ...popcorn!...

 ...a horse prize and fudgesicle...

 ...Polo...

 ...score, hurray!...

 ...more Polo...

 ...flying in the jump house...

...great fun!  Good times!  Precious memories!

Once we got home, we prepared dinner, got ready for school tomorrow, and are getting ready to watch the Super Bowl...neither Jessi nor I are cheering for a particular team, but we are going to enjoy this thoroughly!  Liam will watch some, play some, who knows what else...but it's time for some football!!!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

A Great Day with Liam & Jessi

We are having so much fun and the day isn't over yet!  Here are a few highlights from the day...

Breakfast on the pier...

 ...Liam is savoring every bit of chocolaty goodness in his chocolate chip pancakes!

 A walk on the beach...

 ...chasing the birds...

 ...rolling down "mountains" (that's what Liam shouted as he saw the small hills)...

 ...on the playground...

 ...fishing...

...waiting for the fish to bite...

 ...more playground...

Such good times and I have to get back to playing!  Precious moments being made here:)

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Let Playtime Begin!

I'm heading south for my visit with the girls and Liam.  I'm looking forward to sharing pics and stories from the weekend!  When I spoke to Liam this morning, and told him I was going to pick him up from school, he said "I know".  Then Jessi told me he told her that he knew I was picking him up because when I go to their house I always pick him up!  So funny, I love this age...he is very articulate about what he is thinking, no "filters" that we all seem to develop as we age...some filtering of what we say and feel is good, I know, but I sure do appreciate a young child's ability to simply say exactly what they think and feel!  

I love this flower, it is a chandelier plant; it is a succulent type plant that grows a long stem with small thick leaves all the way up, nothing too pretty to look at, but every now and then it has this beautiful bunch of flowers that burst from the top of the stem...they are such a pretty surprise at the end of that stalk!

Sunrise this morning...the beginning of a beeeeeutiful day!

Follow up thought...I am here!  I wrote the first part of my post earlier today, knowing that I would be happily occupied once I arrived...this is just a few words from the start of my visit...

A curly tail lizard stood guard at the door to Liam's school, I'd forgotten how big and prehistoric they look...welcome to south Florida!  This guy is about 6 inches long!

Liam wanted me to bring the fishing pole Santa brought him...he was so excited he kept looking at it while we drove.  He is so excited to go fishing, I think he would be satisfied to fish in the tub at this point!

The rest of the evening is sweet and wonderful and I have to get back to it.  More to tell tomorrow:)


Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise