Not Ollie's Pond

There was a trip to Ollie's Pond, but that was reported elsewhere today, "coots" and all. The photos below were taken earlier in the day, all within fifty feet of the house on South Waterway. Beauty is where you find it, and the early morning stillness and heavy overnight dew had some gems. Santini's neighbor to the east has colorful chairs sitting next to the waterway and in the morning dew, they glistened and stood out like colorful jewels.

The ibis who gather on the dock were active today, flocking up a time or two, and walking to the front of the house at one time. This ibis made it nearly to the road in his quest for nutrition - insects or seeds, I guessed. Ibis have knees that bend the opposite ways from human knees. Santini wondered aloud what a chair designed for creatures with knees like that would look like.

The hibiscus bushes on the west side of the house have begun to bloom. They are largely unseen in the north country, and add just the right splash of color on a Florida morning.

The dock on the waterway in the morning calm casts an intriguing mirror image on the water. It's hard to spot where the water begins in the photo, and it's a little disconcerting. As the morning progresses, the water gets a little ripple on it and the image fades and distorts, then goes away.

The trip to Ollie's Pond was nice, too. Twice around the mile circumference trail made for a nice afternoon's exercise, and the coots were out in force on the pond and hiding behind the alligator warning signs.

Another beautiful day in southwest Florida. Eighty-three frumious degrees.