Sunflowers and a trip to the wetlands

I am feeling some better this morning. Thanks for all the well wishes! Went outside to water the plants and took a few shots of the newest sunflower plant over the fence! Believe it or not, I took one of these right after the other, facing east, while the sun was coming up and this is how different they came out. I thought the dark sillouette was pretty also!


Hubby and I decided to drive to a nearby wetland area yesterday, and here are a few pics I took. It was an easy walk, partially (50%) in shade, along a boardwalk. The weather was perfect and cool. We both felt a walk outside on Earth Day would help us clear up our lungs!!!

This first pic is just the underside of one of the tiki roofs they had along the boardwalk. It is made of woven actual palm fronds, and I have always wanted to know how to do that! It makes such a pretty pattern. While sitting under this structure, we saw a hawk, iris, many water plants and beautiful Cypress trees everywhere...and lots of water! It was really pretty!


This little squirrel let me get right up under him.

Here is the hawk (?)that flew by...so beautifully, and silently... and he was so generous as to sit in a tree that wasn't too far out!!!

There were wild bromeliads everywhere and I took tons of pics, but throught this one was the best with it's bloom out to one side. I only found a few blooming...but I just love the look of the wild ones all in the trees! On this trip I spend most of my time looking up!!!

Sunflower surprise!

Look what popped up suddeenly over the top of my back fence! Thanks neighbors!!! Woo-hoo!!!

A huge enchanting sunflower field!

After we left the New Perry Hotel, we continued northward to find this Sunflower field in Rutledge, Georgia! They had had a festival there on the 4th and 5th, and we arrived a day late and a dollar in hand! The owner was just leaving, but there were a couple of other folks in the garden cutting sunflowers to take (honors system), and they were also from Florida!

Behind this fence you can see the closer sunflowers, but the field extended out all the way to the tall trees at back edge!!! It was amazing to see! He also had a beautiful cutting garden, a vegetable garden, and a little garden for wee folk, which I could not take any more pics due to battery death...no way! Sad but true!!! I will have happy memories of this place forever. I had seen about it on the internet the night before, and it had been written up in Southern Living Magazine as a festival to attend!!!

Tonight we are in Atlanta, ready to visit Stone Mountain in the morning! Will update as soon as I can (after my long nap tomorrow)!!!