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| the moon & starry jupiter. 10.11.2011 6:46am |
last week while sam stopped for gas on his way home from work...
he overheard a couple of people talking about Suwannee Lake,
just outside Live Oak, FL. it sounded pretty cool, sam said...
with lots of cypress trees, live & dead , standing in the middle of the lake.
(cypress trees are swamp plants. they have a root system
that projects roots...or knees...out of the water to breathe.)
we never heard of Suwannee Lake.
the river, yeah...we've been all over that...but never heard of the lake.
so, what do ya do when you want to find something?!
yep, we googled it, jotted the directions and decided to head there early sunday.
not far. only about an hour drive.
we couldn't find it.
we saw the boat ramp signs...2 of them...followed the arrows...
but no park. no lake.
finally, after about 45 minutes of riding back and forth down these country roads,
we stopped and asked a 'local'. well, he spoke spanish. he didn't understand english.
so i gestured...and spoke slowly & clearly...like that would make a difference.
he understood! but his directions were in spanish. we didn't have a translator handy.
gracias dude! and we took off, smiling...nodding our thanks...
and hoping to find the lake!
drove the same roads AGAIN. nothing. stopped at a light,
we asked the guy in the truck next to us. yay! he told us how to get there!
we had driven right past the street earlier...oh, probably 8 times.
but the sign was down due to road construction.
Suwannee Lake is 63 acres of man made lake.
it was once a low lying swampy area with a creek running through it.
the creek was dammed by the state to create
a 'stocked' public fishing area. there's a boat ramp and 2 long wooden fishing piers
that extend out over the lake. the water is very shallow over most of the lake...
and it's filled with logs...dead trees...from when the lake was flooded.
we saw an otter (no picture though...quick little critter!), LOTS of dragonflies
and turtles. actually it's a turtle paradise...all those logs for sunbathing!
we didn't see one alligator...which was a disappointment.
BUT it was very cool!! relaxing. spectacular scenery.
a little mysterious. and deserted...just how we like it. quiet. just nature sounds.
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| a lone cypress tree with spanish moss hanging |
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| one of the piers with trees growing up through it. canopied by cypress. |
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| two dragonflies!! |
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| dead cypress trees standing tall in the middle of the lake |
we spotted this 'sign' under water. could only decipher some of it
until we got the pic's onto the computer...
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| OLD AGE & TREACHERY Will Overcome YOUTH & SKILL |
WEEEeeeeeeeeee....
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| "turtle to control tower"..."i'm coming in for a landing!" |
you can see by these roots...just how LOW the water level is!!
the water is usually HIGH above the roots!
the water is usually HIGH above the roots!
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| the massive roots of the cypress trees. |
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| swamp sunflowers |
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| looking through a spider web... |
hmmm...a swamp flower...
(added 10.18) thanks to grammie g/Grammie's Rambling
...we now know this is a Water Hyacinth! :)
that's it! headin' home.
next time we'll come prepared to paddle around the lake!
oOo
before i go...wanted to give you an update on mr. bOnes.
he's resting...riding...hanging out & dangling from my rear view mirror!
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| mr bOnes with a VFW poppy |
oOo
have a safe journey. enjoy the ride.
laura
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| the foggy moon. 10.12.2011 10:39pm |
Weekends are a bit like rainbows;
they look good from a distance but disappear when you get up close to them.
~John Shirley
Loved ALL of the photos..it was as if I got to go along!
ReplyDeleteSpanish moss is so wonderful.
glad you were finally able to find it! perseverence (and thank goodness for locals!)
ReplyDeletewe have a Cypress Lake here in Texas but i've never been to it. :)
Looks like a great little find! Beautiful pictures as always. Love that flying turtle! hehe
ReplyDeleteOoh Hoo! So cool Senora! The turtles look so relaxed and passive. What was that green creature that looked part dragon fly and part cicata? I wouldn't want to meet up with that in a dark alley! And the Cypress trees are great. A new place to explore. I bet you can find some 'shrooms to somewhere around that lake. It's so good to get away, even for a day, isn't it? A good variety of pics and the incomparable Mr. bOnes! Love his pose. A great autumn week to you Laura!
ReplyDeleteOh-I'm back! I like that cool skeleton on your sidebar with Alfred's photo! And, I'll have to check out your horoscope charts-see you!
ReplyDeleteHI Laura..glad you found the place it is wonderful..
ReplyDeleteLove those tree and the moss amazing stuff ...
The last flower is a Water hyacinth ...I have one in my little pond in my garden and it blossomed just like that.. it is gorgeous!
Thanks for showing these place very interesting!!
Grace
Well it took some finding, but it was certainly worth it! Another awesome and inspiring post - I love the dragonflies (especially the blue one) and the turtles... and the cypress trees ... and most of all, your unique way of looking at things, and then showing them to us. Lucky us!! Thanks, Laura :)
ReplyDeleteThat was sooo worth the search and patience! I loved all the photos--was like being there with you guys. The dragonflies, turtles, flowers, cypress...what a great secluded spot!! Thanks so very much for bringing us along. Loved it!! :):)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your photos of nature tremendously. Looks like Mr Bones tags along everywhere you go?
ReplyDeleteWow! Glad you found this spot. Very cool. Love the trees coming out of the water. That green dragonfly is awesome, too. Thanks again for helping me fix my site. I appreciate you hanging in there until I got it right.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, another incredible place you've discovered! I am a huge google fan, and let's see my travel time to Suwannee Lake is about 1,521 miles they say 1 day and 2 hours away! Oh gee! The turtles are just having a blast, but that bridge with the trees growing out of it...I'd love that in my own yard.....! Great amazing post again, thanks!
ReplyDeletewhat an amazing place those roots are incredible......great post Laura so pleased you found the lake ...x
ReplyDeletethose cypress trees are amazing
ReplyDeletewhat a special spot
Hi Laura, another great post. Love the cypress trees with their odd knees. The critters are always a favorite of mine, the turtles and dragonflies are wonderful. Looks like a great place to visit. Can you canoe there? Fantastic photos, have a great day!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lucky overheard conversation that turned out to have been. It seems this lake is determined to remain a secret to all but the most deserving (and determined!). Imagine it having been there, so close, yet never ever having heard of it before and with such poor sign posting. Just seeing those magnificent cypresses was worth the agony of trying to find the place. The lone one standing so tall and proud and draped in moss, in the lake itself, is beautiful...a magnificent specimen, in fact. Those beside and accommodated in the boardwalk itself, are marvellous, too! What a lovely all rounder of a place.
ReplyDeleteCool Moon and Jupiter photo! You other photos are nice too....lol just kidding-they are great! As usual!
ReplyDeleteLike the critters, and love the shadow shot, but those first few of the cypress and lake are gorgeous. Looks very peaceful. Can you camp there or is that not allowed?
Glad you had a great time!
meggs.xx
THANKS everybody!! hmmmm, let's see...there were a couple of questions...
ReplyDeletesusan, that 'green creature' is a dragonfly...look at him again...you'll see...he's just like the ones i've taken pic's of before, at home...OH, and let me know what u think of the horoscope thingie...if it stinks...i'll take it off!
One...well...nope, mr bones doesn't tag along everywhere...he tries to...but he talks too much when i have to run into the store. i like to get in and out...quickly! anyway, he's happy as can be just swinging from my car mirror!
karen...1 day, 2 hrs...NOT BAD!! if u head to the lake...let me know... :)
eileeninmind, YEAH...a boat with a motor wouldn't do good there...too many downed trees and cypress knees...but a canoe or kayak would be great! next time we go...we'll take the canoe!!
Calling Ravens!! thanks for mentioning...noticing...the shadow shot! i thought that was pretty cool too! ha! unfortunately...no camping allowed. that would be great if we could...i'd like to sleep right there on the pier...with the big cypress trees all around me! aaaaaaahhh!!!
well, thanks everybody who visited...wandered...and picked up a rock to leave a note under! :)
These pics are heavenly beautiful!!! And the sign... wow... eerie actually :P Loved the post... I've got an exam tomorrow and reading this post was the perfect soother I needed... thanks Laura =D All the best!!!!!
ReplyDeleteNothing beats the unexpected turns when you get lost. Most of the time anyway. And it seems the trip was well worth it. How beautiful are those trees, how delicate the dragonfly and how delightful is that sign?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder of my friend, Jupiter,,, and stars and night skies... HAVE A QUESTION
ReplyDeleteDO TURTLES ALIGN WITH A CERTAIN CONSTELLATION WHEN THEY SLEEP OR JUST POINT THEIR TAILS EAST TO WARM THEIR BOTTOMS FIRST WHEN THE SUN RISES?
I love the dragonflies and the moon poking itself through the clouds, brilliant Laura.
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures. I love the toytles! :D Have a beautiful weekend!
ReplyDeleteincredible series of photographs, your world is so different from mine!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pics. How lucky Sam overheard that conversation!
ReplyDeleteYay, I'm glad you finally found it! Frustrating, but if it's that hard to find, maybe it will STAY that way!
ReplyDeleteLove the turtle coming in for a landing!!
Your drive to this lake sounds like some of the wild goose chases we've been on. One good thing about places like this is that most folks wouldn't bother to find it, so they usually are pretty quiet places to visit, which is exactly why we like them, too. The blue dragonfly looks like it has just molted.. Great shots, as usual. Thanks for taking us all along!
ReplyDelete