Peek-a-boo 2

If you look closely just above the crack in the rock you can see the newest jaguar at the Jacksonville Zoo resting with is head just peering over the cliff face. He is one of two that were rescued from the jungles of South America where they had been chained up as guard "dogs" for someone. The other rescued cat is still too aggressive and violent to have out front in view, but this guy is fitting in rather well and we were told by the volunteer exhibit worker that he swims and would be only the second jaguar here to get into the water - the rest hate it. The black jaguar loves the water however, and so far has managed to snatch away 3 or 4 of the bass fish for meals! Hopefully we'll get some shots of them in the water someday, I very much wish to see it.

I'll have mine medium well, please

It was a dark and stormy...

It was a dark and stormy most of the day, really, but especially the afternoon when multiple storms rolled through the area with strong winds, heavy rains, and quite a bit of lightning. All good fun for the gulls and ducks and other birds who seemed to be having a grand old time taking advantage of the strong winds to soar around effortlessly.

This photo was also taken as part of World Pentax Day - April 5, 2008 - and uploaded to http://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/category-19-pentaxium-world-pentax-day-april-2008.html with many other Pentax camera owners from around the world to document a moment from our day today. You can click the above link to go to the gallery to see all of the many great shots other Pentax users uploaded from their day. Ain't the internet grand? :)

Sky Watch Friday

A view of the coastal marshes found on Ft. George Island near Jacksonville, FL. No clouds, but there is a nice seagull flying in the top left corner. The small image doesn't really do it justice - click on it to see the larger size. There is just something uniquely beautiful about marshes like these that I love, even though they are mostly drab and lack vibrant colors. Perhaps it is that they allow me to see with my own eyes a sight that a native 5,000 years ago could have seen, almost taking me back in time...

Hippeastrum something or another

These pretty guys grow in our yard (planted by previous owners, not us - all of the things we have planted have died in the past year!) and are commonly mistaken for Amaryllis flowers according to what I've found on the Intergoogle, but my best guess is that they are actually Hippeastrum. I don't know what variety of Hippeastrum because there are around 80 species of them, but either way they are pretty and we like them - I hope ya'll do, too.

ABC Wednesday: "K" is for Klipspringer

This week's ABC Wednesday is K for Klipspringer. These cute little animals are a small African antelope and their name litterally means "Rock Jumper" in Afrikaans. You can read more about them here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klipspringer

As for the photos themselves, just click on the bottom left of each picture - in order! - for a little surprise. :)

Don't forget to visit http://mrsnesbittsplace.blogspot.com/ for more ABC Wednesday photos and fun!

Orange Blossom Special

With Dot posting photos of her peaches and pears in bloom, I had promised photos of orange blossoms... so here they are! After all, what is Florida known for if not oranges?