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| Grandson Lane showing off his bag of Easter Eggs after the hunt. 4/20/14 |
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| Grandpa (John) and Grandson Luke planting pumpkin seeds for their Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns. 4/20/14 |
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| Last few nights in the Keys were spent on the dock while brother Gary tried to catch another shark. 3/10/14 |
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| Folks launched lanterns from the dock ... |
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| The gentle breeze carried them over the water ... |
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| until they were just a small point in the black sky. 3/10/14 |
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| On my westward drive on I-10, I spent a day in southwest Louisiana to explore the Creole Nature Trail, a loop within the "Louisiana Outback," south of Lake Charles to the Gulf of Mexico. 3/19/14 |
I find that my travels often have a theme or purpose. Sometimes I know what those are prior to leaving. This time I didn't. This time I discovered them in the midst of my travels. One discovery was that I want to be a snowbird, spending winters in the dry heat of the desert southwest (vs. the warm humidity of Florida). And an unexpected purpose was to reconnect with each of my 4 brothers -- Ray in CA in January; Gary in FL in early March; and Glen & Kyle in SoCal in late March -- what a nice treat!
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| I joined some of my friends in the Prescott National Forest near Cottonwood. 3/23/14 |
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| I was weary from driving; camping in nature feeds my soul. 3/23/14 |
Another sub-theme is that I re-learned that I can have a first experience only once. In 2012 I did a slow mosey along the Gulf Coast. I was amazed at the flora and fauna of the wet lands -- swamps, everglades, bayous -- really taking it all in, really loving it. I so wanted to re-live that adventure, exploring the Creole Trail in Louisiana and the Loop Road in Big Cypress National Preserve. Although I enjoyed retracing my steps, I didn't experience that same sense of discovery. And that's OK as it was still very beautiful and amazing; and I've many other places I can go to for the first time; discovery is fun!
Here are some photos from 2012 of places which I got to re-experience in 2014:
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| Ferry on the Creole Nature Trail takes you across the Calcisieu River. 2/19/12 |
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| Spider webs decorated with morning dew at the SW Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex Visitor Center (on the Creole Nature Trail) 2/22/12 |
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| First wild alligator I ever saw on the Pintail Wildlife Drive in the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge (on the Creole Nature Trail) 2/22/12 |
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| Blue Angel's jet on display at the rest stop in Milton, FL. The home of the Blue Angels is in neighboring Pensacola, FL. 2/29/12 |
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| View from my campsite in the Apalachicola National Forest south of Tallahassee, FL (tornado watch while there in 2012) 3/1/12 |
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| Ochopee Post Office is the smallest in the US. On US-41 (Tamiami Trail) that goes through Big Cypress National Preserve and borders Everglades National Park. 3/7/12 |
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| Alligator warming up in the morning sun, Loop Road, Big Cypress National Preserve. 3/9/12 |
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| Great White Egret as seen from the Loop Road in Big Cypress National Preserve. 3/9/12 |
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| Canoeing through the mangrove tunnels, Big Cypress National Preserve. 3/10/12 |
Now, I'm in Washington for the bulk of the Spring, Summer and Fall, hoping to have friends and family visit, do some local camping, and take an RV vacation with hubby.
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| Our Bing Cherry Tree was in bloom when I got back to Fall City. 4/14/14 |
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| And April is when I remember my daughter's birthday. I feel especially close to her on my road trips ... she was a traveler and a lover of nature too. 4/11/14 |
