It's Been A Great Visit

It's been a great week with Johny, Pogo and Fluffy still visiting. Seems like the time has flown by.

Tuesday Johny and I celebrated our 8th Anniversary. We had a great evening dining at Massimos, an eclectic fine dining experience that lived up to its reputation. I do believe Johny was most impressed that Massimo, the Chef, was once the personal chef for Sophia Loren. He actually came to our table when Johny asked to chat with him a bit; it was a very nice conversation.

Later in the week we took Pogo to Crystal Beach; his first time. He seemed to enjoy it but never ventured into the water. I liked this photo but the lens was still foggy...

...Pogo didn't seem to mind the seaweed or the sand, and was loving all the smells.

It was a beautiful sunset, even though it was overcast...

Saturday we went to downtown Dunedin and enjoyed walking along the quaint downtown. I though this bougainvillaea arbor was amazing...look at the size of it!

We also saw this flower in one of the yards. It was most unusual but I have no idea what it is. Do you?

We also played pool in the Club House. We weren't very good but we had fun.

Today we celebrated Father's Day with my Dad, Donald, my brother Roger and my Aunt Luci. We started out at Birch & Vine. Unfortunately a transformer blew resulting in a a massive power outage there (effecting their electric grid specifically) and though we tried to wait it out, we ended up at 400 Beach down the road. We did enjoy the buffet and were glad they could accommodate, with all Birch & Vine's patrons having to find an alternative. I do hope they were able to recoup some of their losses from the day; it looked like they were still powerless (in more ways than one) when we finished with our brunch.  

I thought I'd share a photo of this continuously blooming orchid...the common name is butterfly...I can see why...

After we all went our separate ways, Johny and I stopped at Haslam's Bookstore, Florida's largest new and used book store. I stocked up on various Florida flower, bird and nature books so I can study my surroundings. The one red flower I showed you previously isn't in any of the books, which leads me to believe it isn't a Florida native. 

And that's a wrap! Tomorrow, Johny and gang will be heading to the river house for a couple days, and then back to the cabin. He's quite happy that it's been raining quite a bit at the cabin while he's been here, so the garden should be in good shape (he'll probably have lots of weeds to pull though). It's been great to have them here, and I'm already looking forward to their next visit. Until then, I'll miss them!

Thanks for reading my blog, see you next week,

Lise

Feels A Little Like Being Newlyweds

Johny arrived safely Friday evening. Pogo and Fluffy were elated to finally be released from the confines of the truck but a little apprehensive with the unfamiliar surroundings, so we spent some time helping them become accustomed to my new place. Needless to say, Johny and I were very happy to be in each others arms again. We decided to get a pizza delivered (a luxury our mountain cabin life doesn't offer) which would accompany just picked lettuce from the garden.

It was absolutely delightful...tender crunchy leaves of lettuce perfection. Better than anything you can buy in the store, including organic. I guess he'll just have to visit more often!

We spent Saturday familiarizing Johny with my new neighborhood. I showed him: the new temporary place in Crystal Beach that I'll move into at the end of this month, Crystal Beach, we walked along the Pinellas Trail (it was too hot for Pogo, he's not used to this FL heat, so we'll be walking very early morning or late evening from now on), we went to my office, we drove around and we met friends for dinner. Today we went to the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks and moseyed around enjoying the small Greek community. We also drove to Tampa to go to Trader Joe's, a cool grocery store that's fun to visit but getting into and out of their parking lot is a nightmare!

We've now returned home and are relaxing. Pogo's been walked (poor guy, the ground is so hot he trots to get back quickly, but doesn't like walking in the grass)...

...and Fluffy's enjoying her new cat nip toy.

I have to admit, absence does seem to make the heart grow fonder! Johny and I have been enjoying every moment together, finding joy in every moment, giggling and laughing and kissing and holding hands. We may not look like newlyweds, it feels like it. Makes this new journey I'm on all the better. And yes, I'm enjoying work and my role tremendously. 

With all that said, time to go. My husband is patiently waiting...

Thanks for reading my blog, see you next week,
Lise

A Few Visitors and A Garden Update

It's been an awesome week. I'm settling in to my life here and enjoying it very much. I continue to feel incredibly grateful and fortunate. Here's a taste of the week...

I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into my office this week by this pair of Red-shouldered Hawks sitting on the light post. I was even more pleased when Eileen (my boss) told me they hang around the retention pond behind our building, but this was the first time she saw them together.

Johny's been sharing pictures of the garden...it's doing quite well. Two things haven't grown, the mache (bummer, we both would really enjoy having fresh mache) and some of the squash seeds. But everything else is growing beautifully...

...beans...

...lettuce...

 ...potatoes...

...spinach...

...turnips...

...and tomatoes he has growing in pots on the deck (for two years they haven't grown well in the garden, so we decided to try something different this year).

It's too bad things won't be ready for harvesting when he comes for a visit next week, but the next visit will definitely include a care package!

Besides the hawks visiting me outside my office window, Johny's had a couple visitors too. This black snake has decided to call our cabin home...

...which is a good thing because black snakes keep the rodent population under control!

There's also been a hummingbird nectar crook. Johny was refilling a low hanging feeder every day. He knew something wasn't right because it would be full at night and empty in the morning (the hummingbirds don't feed at night), so he set up the critter cam and caught the rascal...

...this raccoon would come, reach up to the feeder and tilt it to drink the nectar. Johny solved the problem by raising the feeder, I hope the raccoon doesn't find something else to feast upon!

I'm excited to share that Johny, Pogo and Fluffy are coming to visit beginning next Friday. I'm looking forward to sharing this new area with him, and exploring together. You'll hear all about our adventures. Until then...

Thanks for reading my blog, see you next week,
Lise

A Great Memorial Day Weekend with Jessi and Liam

I know I said I'd post at least every Sunday, but I don't have internet at the river house any more, and since this is a holiday weekend, I figure today counts:)  It was a beautifully relaxing weekend with Jessi and Liam...the first time we've been alone together for quite some time. There's something special about 1:1 time (or 1:2 time in this case).

We fished together...

...and caught fish...

 ...and de-hooked fish...

 ...and released...

Sleeping handsome...

 Liam fished...

 ...and pondered...

And then there was the awesome desert we decided to splurge on...

 ...and the full, satisfied belly that followed.

It was a fabulously relaxing weekend, and nice to meet at our river place (a happy midpoint from where I'm at now and Jessi's place).

I'm back at the Villa, and there's a thunderstorm rumbling nearby. A great ending to a great weekend. I hope your weekend was filled with family fun. In honor of Memorial Day, my heartfelt thanks go out to all those who sacrificed their lives to keep us living free.

Thanks for reading my blog, see you next week,
Lise

Life Is Good

How shall I begin...

Everything is unfolding in the most perfect of ways, confirming for me that this is exactly where I should be.

My first week at work included lots of orientation and training, filling my brain with more information than I can effectively articulate, but it established a good foundation. Having previously worked with my boss (and friend) Eileen removed the usual nervousness one feels when starting a new job, and allowed me to walk in the door with a confidence that helped me let the periodic sense of feeling a little overwhelmed roll right off my shoulders. The orientation and training isn't complete yet, but I'm thrilled to be working for Allegany Franciscan Ministries and honored to be among a group of incredible colleagues.

The Villa I'm staying in is comfortable and will work for the next six weeks. I'm really excited about the place I'll be calling home beginning in July. The photo above is Crystal Beach at sunset, a small spot on the gulf that seems to be a well kept secret, because the only people I see around there appear to live in the area. The place I'll be living is three blocks east of the beach. There's a nice park with gnarly live oaks right across the street from the beach and the Pinellas Trail (a lovely path for walking and biking) is between the house and the beach.

This small pond is behind the house I'll be staying in (my temporary permanent home).

This bird was at the edge of the pond. It sort of looks like a heron but it's beak is short...anyone know what it is?

This is the beach in the morning, I'm facing directly west...

...now facing northwest...

...and southwest.

This heron was enjoying a snack along a walking path that parallels the gulf.

I'm excited to be here, and continue to be filled with gratitude for all that is unfolding. Thanks for all the good thoughts and positive energy you've been sharing, it makes everything that much better! I do believe I'll be publishing a post once a week, most likely on Sunday's. And I'll get back to visiting your blogs too.

FYI, all is well at the cabin. Johny's busy entertaining our friends visiting from Luxembourg, and loving every minute...it's his longest friend Guy (they've known each other since they were young boys) and Guy's wife Mariette. It's been rainy and cold enough for a fire the past few days, a big contrast to the 70's and low humidity here. 

Thanks for reading my blog, see you next week,
Lise

Tomorrow's The Big Day

I begin my new position tomorrow. I hope I can sleep.

Today's been filled with identifying an awesome beachy sort of place that will be my permanent temporary home, soaking in the last hours of my "sabbatical" and spending time with most of my family to celebrate my niece's birthday.

I've also been thinking about you, and how I will miss writing my blog every day. Of course I'll post about this new chapter in my life, and updates about the cabin, I'm just not sure how often. I suppose we'll be discovering that together.

The flower is an orchid my dad has in his yard; it is the only orange stem of blooms, all the rest are fuchsia. It captured my attention, somehow representing this new journey I am on...the why of that I can't say.   

Thanks for reading my blog, see you soon,
Lise

Happy Mother's Day!

Celebrating motherhood!

Thanks for reading my blog, see you tomorrow, 

Lise