Monterey Bay Aquarium is Great!

Striped Pyjama Squid

Scrawled Filefish

Sea Gooseberry

Orange Sea Nettles

Baja Tropical Reef Tank

Orange Garibaldi

Sea Otters Sleeping on Beach Nearby at Moss Landing

Sea Otters Returning to Water

Sea Otter and Sea Gull

Raft of Sea Otters

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a wonderful place to visit – it is one of the top aquariums in the country!  It is located on the beautiful California coast south of San Francisco.  Up to 2,000 gallons per minute of fresh sea water constantly flows through the exhibits.  

We especially enjoyed seeing a recent display featuring the striped pyjama squid.  These shy cuttlefish have never been shown in the United States before now.  More info is at:  https://montereybayaquarium.tumblr.com/post/138692614238/were-geeking-out-over-the-newest-addition-to-our

Animators from Pixar Studios visited the aquarium before animation began on the movie “Finding Dory”.  They studied octopus, sea otters, and shorebirds in detail.  That attention to detail shines through in the film, and hopefully inspires a new generation of children to love the ocean too!

Nature Outside My Window

Night Blooming Cactus Flower

Group of Cactus Flowers

Cactus Wrapped Around Sabal Palm

Wildlife Cam: Raccoon Trio

Wildlife Cam: Deer Peekaboo

Wildlife Cam: Tom Turkey

Wildlife Cam: Mother Turkey (right) and Chick (left)

Wildlife Cam: Mottled Duck

Wildlife Cam: Cardinals, Blue Jay, and Woodpecker

It is amazing how much nature is visible outside my home office window.  Since it is summer, we are enjoying a spectacular show of cactus flowers every night.  The automatic wildlife camera captured these raccoons playing beside the flowers.  During the day the female white-tailed deer was caught visiting the same spot, as well as wild turkeys, mottled ducks, and many other birds.  I always have handy a flashlight, binoculars, and camera to look at and capture any surprises I might see.  

Great Crested Flycatchers are Nesting

Great Crested Flycatcher in Nest Box

Raccoon Enjoying Fruit Tray

Raccoon Looking at Snake Skin

A pair of great crested flycatchers recently moved into the woodpecker/screech owl nest box in our backyard. These birds with lemon bellies have very unique calls – usually you hear them before you see them (listen at: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Crested_Flycatcher/sounds).  

If flycatchers find a snakeskin, they always weave it into their nest.  We got lucky and found one, so we placed it on a tray along with fresh fruit for the birds.  The flycatchers ignored the goodies, but the raccoon thought it was the best treat ever!  

Palm Springs: Top 10 U.S. Places to Travel

Greater Palm Springs Area

Desert Oasis

Looking Up at Oasis Fan Palms

Golden Barrel Cacti

Roadrunner in Desert

Close-up of Roadrunner Face

Anna’s Hummingbird at Mexican Honeysuckle in Desert Garden

Greater Palm Springs was voted one of the top ten places to travel in the United States by Lonely Planet in 2017.  We visited in early spring and loved it as usual!

Springtime in Our Florida Yard

Deer by Pond

Deer and Turkey Eating Together

Mottled Ducks in Flight at Pond

Tricolor Heron at Pond

Pink Tropical Waterlily at Pond

Newly Hatched Purple Martin Babies

Martin Babies Waiting to be Fed

Newly Fledged Purple Martin Baby

Martin Bringing Food to Babies

Purple Martin with Painted Skimmer Dragonfly for Babies

Spring is our favorite time of year here in Florida!  So many baby birds, flowers blooming, and sunny warm days.   Here are a few recent scenes around the yard.

Unique “Bird” Cloud

Bird-Shaped Cloud

Australian White Ibis Flying Right

Anna’s Hummingbird Looking Left

Recently I saw a cloud here in Florida that looked like a bird.  After showing it to friends, I realized it could be interpreted two different ways – either as an ibis flying right or a hummingbird flying left.  Keep looking up!

Disney’s Epcot Flower Festival: 30 million blooms!

Pluto Topiary at Entrance by Spaceship Earth

Lakeside Flower Beds and Floating Mini-Gardens

Buzz Lightyear Topiary by Mission Space

Pooh and Red Balloon Topiary

Piglet and Eeyore Topiaries by Flower Tower

Tigger Topiary

Scarlet Passion Flower

Yellow Poppies

Queen Butterfly on Milkweed Flower

Lady and the Tramp Topiaries

Bambi and Friends Topiaries

Fantasia’s Dancing Hippo Topiary with Bromeliad Skirt

Panda Topiaries at Chinese Pavilion

Spinning Lettuce Hydroponics Garden at The Land Pavilion

Bioluminescent Anemone at The Living Seas Pavilion

The 2017 Epcot International Flower Festival at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, is a total delight to the senses!  There are over 30 million blooms on display!  Visitors can view 100 topiaries, 240 floating mini-gardens, dozens of flower towers, and lakeside flower beds containing 70,000 plants.  A video about preparation for the annual festival is at:  http://www.icflorida.com/entertainment/attractions/channel-9-goes-behind-the-scenes-of-epcots-flower-and-garden-festival/511547714  Planning for next year’s festival has already begun.  More info is at:  https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/epcot-international-flower-and-garden-festival/  Details about some of the most popular topiaries are at:  http://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/gardens/garden-styles-and-types/31-magical-walt-disney-world-topiaries-pictures