Intracoastal Sunset

I love sunsets, especially at the beach.  I usually focus on those over the Gulf of Mexico.  The most beautiful sunsets are those with interesting clouds to absorb and reflect the sun's rays.  This evening, however, the beauty lay in the other direction.

Here are some satellite pictures of the area.

I took the picture from the end of the Boardwalk facing the islands.

The drawbridge has been replaced and was under construction when these images were taken.

This was one way to get from our condo to the Boardwalk.  We love having such a great choice of restaurants within walking distance.  

This was truly a beautiful evening!

Falling Creek Falls

Who knew you could find waterfalls in Florida.  I think of beaches, swamps, beautiful sunsets and lots of seafood.  We usually spend a week or so in Florida every fall, and almost always discover something new.  This year we detoured to Lake City on our way to St. Pete (more about that in another post). 

While picking Google's cyber brain for things to do in the area, I found this lovely little side trip only minutes from the interstate.  It is an easy walk from the parking lot to see the rapids that culminate in a drop of about 10 feet, forming a caramel-colored waterfall.

This may not have the grandeur of Niagara, but it has a quaint charm all its own.  Falling Creek Falls was also the site of the first settlement in the area.

Quote of the Week

Here's to the corkscrew - a useful key to unlock the storehouse of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the gate of pleasant folly . - W.E.P. French 

From the wine list of Commander's Palace in New Orleans, LA 

Good Friends, Good Wine, Good Times!

Tis the Season

Today

They are all 

Blown away

More will fall

Tomorrow

Quote of the Week

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.  -Rabindranath Tagore 

Sunsets are like snowflakes, no two are alike.  It is amazing to sit and watch the evolution of the sunset.  It is a constantly changing scene in slow motion.  

The clouds that create the spectacular sunsets are like the people and things that move through our lives shaping each day moment by moment. 

The Pool Rules

I am randomly participating in the 30 days of photographs hosted by Ziva and MikeWJ.  Go here for the rest of the rules.

Unlike the pool, vacation has no rules.  Just relax and enjoy!

Quote of the Week

My view this morning

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man. - Heraclitus 

 Although the river may look the same and the man may look the same, neither really are.  Both are constantly evolving, renewing.  We may not always like change but, like the river, without it we would grow stale.

We are taking a little R&R this week so I may not follow my normal schedule.

Above My Head

I'm jumping in on day 3 of the 30 days of photographs hosted by Ziva and MikeWJ, however my participation in this challenge will be sketchy.  For today I did find this squirrely thing that was definitely "above my head", which is completely different from being "over my head".

Go here for some more upward looking photos.

Quote of the Week

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.  - Aristotle

We continue today with another quote from an ancient philosopher.  Aristotle was a student of Plato, who was taught by Socrates, and together with them, he was one of the most important founding figures of Western philosophy.  

In recent generations we have heard the term "finding ourselves" among the young.  This may be more than just a hollow excuse for poor behavior, but growing individuals struggling to understand themselves and find their way in a world of new experiences and opportunities.  There are choices and decisions to be made.  Wisdom is, therefore, not an age, but an understanding of self.  

***********************************************

And now for the moment you have all been waiting for...Drumroll please!

Hubby drawing the winning name.

And the winner is:

Babs is author of the hilariously funny and truly delightful blog Beetle's Memories & Ramblings.    

Looking Ahead

This is a photograph taken at Reynolda Gardens that inspired the name of this blog.  While you sometimes see them here, the blog isn't about roses or rainbows, but about life and what goes on in my head.  This is expressed through fiction and poetry, through pictures, through the antics of my cats, and thoughts and questions that come up through every day living.

Thank you for joining me in my journey over the last three years, and as we look ahead to what life holds in store.

Reynolda Gardens (How I Named my Blog - Part I)

It's All in the Name (How I Named my Blog - Part II)

Today is the last day of the Roses to Rainbows Third Anniversary Giveaway.  The winner will be announced tomorrow.

 

The Good Stuff

Click to enlarge

While it's no secret that we enjoy a nice wine, and have traveled many miles to taste the fruit of the vine, we only traveled as far as our local wine shop for this delicious Grüner Veltliner from Austria.

This food-friendly white wine from the Skeleton label is bottled, not in the standard 750ml bottle - but a full liter, and instead of the traditional cork or screw cap, as is becoming more popular, this wine had a pop top like soda bottles used to have.

We really enjoyed this, and as you can see it was quite a hit with Sophie, too.

Remember, leave a comment and you are automatically entered in the Roses to Rainbows Third Anniversary Giveaway.

Mairzy Doats

 

The late afternoon sun perfectly illuminated this ivy leaf.  In thinking about this picture and the story it could tell, I remembered this little ditty from my childhood.

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey.

A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you? 

And that prompted me to look deeper into this silly song.  It was written back in 1943 by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston, based on this English nursery rhyme.  

Mares eat oats

And does eat oats

And little lambs eat ivy

A kid'll eat ivy, too

Wouldn't you?

It seems that Drake's daughter came home singing "Cowzy tweet and sowzy tweet and liddle sharksy doisters."  Which translates to "cows eat wheat and sows eat wheat and little sharks eat oysters".  This gave Drake the idea to write a silly song.

However, at that time no one wanted to publish a silly song.  Finally he pitched it to his friend Al Trace, who liked it and performed it with his band the Silly Symphonists.  After this, it was a huge hit for Merry Macs in this 1944 recording.

Remember, leave a comment and you are automatically entered in the Roses to Rainbows Third Anniversary Giveaway.

Quote of the Week

Person who chases two rabbits catches neither. - Confucius 

So who is Confucius and what is trying to say here?  Confucius, 551-479 BC, was a Chinese teacher, editor, politician and philosopher.  Apparently he wore a lot of hats.  His life and his teachings are complex, but mostly center around virtue, moral behavior and kindness and respect of others.  He followed the principle "Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself", a precursor for the Golden Rule as we know it today.

Now back to the rabbits.  Picture trying to chase after two rabbits with each running back and forth in opposite directions.  First you pursue one and he runs into the briar patch, then you turn back to the other who scurries into his hole.  You go back and forth between the two, and at the end of the day you have caught neither rabbit.  Now apply this thought to several projects.  If you split your focus between the two, neither getting your undivided attention, you may find that at the end of the day both projects remain unfinished.  Being torn between two options is like trying to get both rabbits - it often leads to neither being fruitful.


Remember, leave a comment and you are automatically entered in the Roses to Rainbows Third Anniversary Giveaway.

Welcome to Autumn

From our house to yours - have a great weekend!

Today is the first day of Autumn 2012.  Unlike Septembers of recent years, there is a crispness to the mornings, and the daytime temperatures are more in keeping with the changing seasons.  Many years, September is just an extension of summer in our neck of the woods.  One year I was blowing leaves in 90 degree heat.   In my mind there was something really wrong with that picture.

This year takes me back to my elementary school days, where the start of school meant sweaters in the mornings, and enjoying the warmth of the sun rather than longing for shade. With luck we'll have a long Autumn before the arrival of old man winter.

What are some of your favorite Fall activities?

Remember, leave a comment and you are automatically entered in the Roses to Rainbows Third Anniversary Giveaway.

Celebrating 3 Years of Blogging with a Giveaway!

Another year has rolled around.  Can you believe how fast time flies when you're blogging?  For some of you it was a long, hot summer (wasn't there a movie by that name?) and some of you barely saw the sun, let alone beach-worthy temperatures.

Either way, Fall is just around the corner and so wraps up another year for me in the blogosphere.  No year of blogging is "just another year".  There are things to be learned, people to be met and new experiences to be had.  One of the highlights of this year was participating in a month-long writing marathon hosted by  Nicky and Mike of We Work for Cheese.  These innovative individuals decided it would be fun to come up with 30 topics and see how many people would or could post for 30 consecutive days.  I entered this challenge with doubts, only promising that I would give it a shot since I normally post 3 days a week. 

It was fun and most definitely a learning experience.  I learned that I could take 30 random, off-the-wall topics and write a post for each one.  Granted some were not the most spectacular pieces of literature ever to grace the internet, but I was pleased enough with each to post it for all to see.

After the high of writing for 30 straight days and/or nights, the summer slump hit hard, and it seemed as if much of the blogging world went on sabbatical.  I'd like to end summer on a positive note, so to celebrate my third year of blogging and say "Thank You" to my readers,  I am giving away a $25 Amazon gift card.  One lucky reader will be chosen from a random drawing to be held on Monday, October 1.  This is my first giveaway, so the rules are very simple.  All you have to do is leave a comment on any post, starting with this one, through 11:59 p.m. September 30.  Each comment will count as a separate entry.  

The winner will be announced on October 1, following the Quote of the Week.   Good luck and thanks for visiting Roses to Rainbows over the past three years.

What's That They Say?

Image source:  mojado.com

Days of anger

Days of pain

What's that they say

That I'm insane

If that's true

Then who are you

Someone whose story

I wish I knew

Days of sadness

Lies and fear

What's that you say

Someone might hear

What has been hidden

From everyone's view

That mine is the story

I wish I knew

This poem was written for dVerse Poetry and is purely fictional and not reflective of my life.  Also see "The Voices are Silent".

Quote of the Week

You may find the worst enemy 

or best friend in yourself. 

 - English Proverb

Treat yourself kindly and reap the rewards or constantly criticize yourself and live in misery.   It's your choice.  Your life is up to you!

Crooked Words

Image source:  gingerbeardman

Follow me back in time to the far away land of the wrinkled rhyme where the words were all crooked and walked with a limp.  Some letters were tattered and others torn.  Of better days they did now mourn. They were all a craggy lot who lived in a place that time had forgot.


Written for Friday Flash 55.

If Your Recycles Could Talk

Yes, this is the inside of my recycle bin.  This was last week's contribution, and the bin was at least 3/4 full.  This Spring we switched from the small green bins (we had two) to the large 96-gallon roll out bins. 

With the smaller bins and were required to separate the recyclables, one box for papers and chipboard and one for glass, plastics and metals.  Now we put everything in all together.  If it is recyclable and will fit in the bin, you're good to go, and they are collected every other week.

I have always liked the idea of recycling.  It's like protecting our planet from ourselves, which in turn is protecting us.  So I am always happy to see the bins out on recycle day.  They are covered now so that the contents are kept dry on rainy days, and your neighbors don't see what's in there.  The evidence of who had the party last weekend is hidden.  Your brand of soda and where you shop remain your secret, and no one knows if you didn't remove the caps from your bottles?

If your recycles could talk, what would they say about you?

Quote of the Week

People know you for what you've done, not for what you plan to do.  - Author Unknown

This is true about each of us, no matter our accomplishments or failures.  In either case, it is what we did that is remembered.  All grand plans go out the window unless we follow through with action.  Those who do not are soon forgotten.

Another box - just for me?