"wishing everyone peace & happiness in 2012.
hopefully...LESS reality tv...and MORE creative imagination.
outdoor adventures. enjoy nature.
be tolerant...compassionate...respectful of the earth.
why the hell can't we all just get along...
yeah! happy new year!!" :)lk
☸
and now, on to our christmas to new years camping road trip.
december 24th we finished packing the camper...loaded up milo...and headed to
the Suwannee River State Park in Live Oak, Florida (just about a 1½ hour drive).
situated along the famous ♪♫ Way Down ♪♫ Upon the ♪♫ Suwannee River ♪♫,
the shores are littered with Cypress Knees (cypress tree roots) and limestone outcroppings.
after backing into our campsite, we ALL got out to stretch.
but the one you want to see stretching is milo...
note milo's collar.
the campground was packed...we were a little apprehensive about letting milo roam free.
just in case we have to put her leash on...she wears her collar on this trip.
the squirrrels were NOT too happy...calling to each other.
warning each other.
~ CAT ALERT! CAT ON THE LOOSE!
STAY ON HIGHER GROUND! STAY IN THE TREES! ~
(that's the electric cord you see...not a snake...not milo's leash...)
after setting up camp...we took a quick walk down to the ♪♫ Suwannee River ♪♫.
limestone outcroppings, above and below.
the limestone present here is Fossiliferous...meaning it contains abundant fossils...
normally shell and skeletal fossils.
 |
| the limestone up close. |
 |
| OLD cypress roots & knees |
 |
| a new cypress knee starting to form |
 |
| shoreline reflection |
 |
| a little snail in the water |
 |
| Raccoon print by the edge of the water |
 |
| a Fence lizard. just like we have at home. but this one is on some weathered wood at the shoreline. |
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| limestone in the river reflection |
...time to head back to the camper...
 |
| a shelf mushroom |
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| a dried up Earth Star (mushroom/fungi) |
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| small spider stepping around the dew drops hanging from her web |
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| mushroom and a sweet gum leaf |
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| very strange looking tiny mushrooms!! GREEN odd shaped caps and yellowish translucent stems! |
have a drink...relax...
and weather permitting, (it was a little rainy & cloudy).
we'll play scrabble or rummy 500 on the picnic table...
until it gets dark. then comes the campfire.
sam's expert (boyscout training)...
how to survive in the woods...
how to build a fire...tee-pee style...
and rub two sticks together to get it going.
(just kidding! he used a lighter.)
so, december 24th, 2011 comes to an end...
with a campfire...
with each other...
and with milo's final outdoor stretch of the day!
PART 2 coming next: walk to Balanced Rock
and then packing up and driving 2 ½ hours to Florida Caverns State Park,
in Marianna Florida...where we crossed the timeline and gained an hour!!
☸
i have a lot of catching up to do on my own blog reading.
things have been a little hectic since we got home.
i had to drive south...to plant city...
to pick up my youngest son travis (who will be 28 on valentine's day).
he's out of work and struggling to stay a float!
so he'll be living with us for a bit.
but since he has no driver's license at this time...and we're outside the city...
some chauffeuring around will be in order.
normal routines will be out of whack...but i'll get settled soon.
stay cool & have a safe journey...
into 2012.
laura
"I don't have any bad habits.
They might be bad habits for other people, but they're all right for me."
~Eubie Blake
OH! almost forgot. my laptop did not have a good diagnosis.
it would have cost almost as much to repair as putting out the cash for a new one.
so, as much as i hate to spend the $$...with sam's convincing...i did.
a toshiba satellite L755 widescreen. windows 7. lots of cool extras & gadgets.
good deal at $399. from best buy.
have a nice week!
Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteNow I've got both 'Old Folks at Home' and 'Swanee' going through my head.
Those fossils are fantastic. They look as though they've been sculpted.
And the green fungi --- weird as!
Look forward to the next instalment.
So good to see you back, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year or should it be Merry New Year as you are off to a great start...out in the lovely wilderness to really bring in the holidays in great style. The Cypress Knee so cool, I don't get to see those...the Limestone great, Minnesota knows that ...a couple other like the cactus looking cute green and red plant....that raccoon print if not for the nails would look like a child's handprint in that soft earth...and Milo was just having the best time ever! Thank goodness for Best Buy too right....so happy you had a great time and shared it with us!
ReplyDeleteHi Laura...How great to see you back ..well maybe not for you !!
ReplyDeleteIt seem you had a great time away.. your photo's are the "bomb"!! ; ]
Love the Cyprus root "crazy"...and those fossils..real nice!!
I'm ust glad there was no snake surprises spider was bac enough lol!!
My favorite is the the stretching camping "MILO"!! cute
I do like your 2012 wish at the top : } so right!!
Hope all goes well with your sons issues...nice you can help him ..that's what parents are for ..but there are times ; }....!!
Take care
Grace
Welcome home & Happy 2012!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see the pics of your get=away - that Milo is quite the cat. I can hear those squirrels from here giving him (her?) what for... Well, I guess they do live there full time, while the rest of us just come & go.
Glad to hear about your new laptop - hope you enjoy it & figure it out quickly!
Glad you can, & are willing to, help your son - times are tough & jobs not easy to come by. It's times like this when we all need to help each other. You'll ALL be in my thoughts.
Looking forward to the next segment of your camping excursion!
Wow! What a trip! Happy New Year Laura. You got the great photos...the water reflections are beautiful, and, the 'shrooms, of course, ROCK with color! The Cypress trees and knees are so interesting with their unpredictable shapes and curves.
ReplyDeleteAnd, of course, Milo! Glad you're back and got a new computer. I also have a Toshiba laptop. It's a Satellite L675D with windows 7. Sometimes it gets on my nerves, but at least I can split the screens on it, not on my PC. And it's almost too big for me to cart around, but good seeing great pictures like yours!
Happy New Year my friend, it's back to work for me on Tuesday. Have a great week!
Snail! YES! one of the things i LOVE about florida...the underground rock...the limestone...so many sea creature fossils...from when FL was under water!!! every where you look, it's different! and lots of prehistoric bones to be found...if you know where to look!
ReplyDeleteKaren! yep, a merry new year it was/is! this was the first year sam agreed to get away ON christmas!! i hope this is a new tradition. and yes, the raccoon prints are amazingly human-like!!
Admin! thanks for dropping in & for the kind words!! i'll come check u out...
grammie/Grace! i agree...i love the crazy cypress roots AND the fossils!! as far as my son...i hope things work out for him...he's had a pretty rough time of it...it's about time things go good for him! (at least he's helpful around the house!)
Ladybug! the squirrels were surely letting us know we were entering THEIR territory!>>i'm learning the ins and outs of windows 7 quick enough...and i like this toshiba BETTER than my old HP. as for my son...he has a record...which makes the job hunting even harder!! thanks for your kind words!
Susan! i LOVE the water reflections too! last time we were at that park i took the BEST cloud reflecting in the river pic's. i got a few really nice 'sun behind the clouds and reflecting in the water' pic's this time!! but you'll just have to wait til next post! :) back to work for me too...tomorrow...tuesday!
well, thanks everyone!! :) and i WILL get to your part of the world...slowly...i promise! just bear with me...
oh, look at you! i bought my laptop from best buy last year - a toshiba satellite L455 - and i LOVE it!!! hurray for your very own Christmas present!
ReplyDeletegood luck to your son. i'm certain moving back in with you was a last resort so am hopeful he can find his footing again soon!
milo is so pretty! (GIRL, she's a GIRL!) :)
loved the fossils in the limestone. how cool! right up your alley!
can't wait to see more!
Looks like a good time! Love those reflection shots, and the fire one really makes me want to go camping!!!
ReplyDeleteyour camping trip looks like it was a lovely way to spend xmas
ReplyDeleteso jealous of how cheap things are over there, we'd pay double that for the same laptop
I love seeing Milo stretching against the trees! (Glad to see a collar too, just in case.) I could hear the squirrel alert.
ReplyDeleteYou have the wildest looking fungus and mushrooms. But the closeup of the limestone blew me away! And never heard of a cyprus knee. How odd!
I adore little lizards like that fence lizard. Soooo cute!
The fire looked awesome. You have a good builder there. ;) I hope your son finds his way. We all can get knocked off the path for a while.
Love the Blake quote!! :):) Enjoy the new laptop, sweetie!!
God I love these post!
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Live Oak. My Grandparents place was right on the Suwanee River. I miss it so bad....
We used to go swimming at the springs all the time, it's where I learned to swim!
Takes me back every time I visit you!
Thanks for the home tour!
Tisha.....
Welcome back! Love the spider and her diamonds, what a great close-up.
ReplyDeleteAs ever I felt so close to nature through your photos..
ReplyDeleteWhat I especially liked was the sense of timeline... the sequencing of the photographs as if I was there with you.
And ending the day with a campfire!
Now that is a holiday tradition I'd like for you to enjoy every year.
For the New Year may blessings be in your slippers and may each step you take in them be multiplied with more blessings through gratitude.
loving the limestone fossils and the image of Sam rubbing two boy scouts together to make fire, oh no two sticks together...Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Laura! I enjoyed your camping trip post. The photos are wonderful. The earth star mushroom is neat, you always find some cool nature images and critters. The reflections look beautiful. Congrats on your new computer, it sounds like a great deal. I wish you all the best in 2012.
ReplyDeleteYou got some awesome photos. Those mushrooms are spectacular, and of course I am always partial to spiders. I also liked the green thingy and the roots... Beautiful post!
ReplyDeleteHope 2012 brings your abundant love, peace and blessings!
PS - congrats on the pc. Never easy making changes, even the little ones count.
ok...to ANYONE who gets the comment backs...i'm here to say that i have been WAY busy with travis...and his job hunting...and i appreciate ALL of you stoppinbg by...and leaving notes! to morrow (friday!) i have NO massages scheduled...but i do have to take travis to a couple of appointments...BUT i will be getting on here and getting over to each of you!! i can't wait!! things are hectic right now...i need to slow down...and travel around the world...so i'll be at YOUR place tomorrow or by the end of the weekend for sure!!
ReplyDeletei also have to get my PART 2 camping post up!!
so, thanks for all the kind words...the funny words...(and glad i brought back some nice memories for Loafer Mountain Primitives!!)
take care! seeya!! xoxo
Hi there wonderful Laura,
ReplyDeleteI've had the strangest time twice now coming by to leave a note... received a pop up note each time telling me I needed to register my sim card and connect to a server as I am not recognised...
Really created a bit of a drama being out here in cyberspace in limbo...
Maybe I was recognised, and the decision was made to disconnect the Boulder needing Guest... oh well, lets see what happens this time... maybe the watchers are busy elsewhere.
First... Awed by the absolutely beautiful close up of Sam's tee-pee fire. Wondrous photo.
And...
Milo's stretch... I can feel my own body ease out all its own kinks looking at Milo do hers. Love the way cats have such elastic bodies.
I'm beginning to think of you as the Mushroom Lady... they seem to turn up wherever you go.. and always in beautiful settings, styles and colours.
The Fossiliferous limestone structuring feels ancient to look at, would have to be quietly intense being physically in contact with them. With the water included... history must surely thrive in the atmosphere.
The images of the old Cypress roots and knees orate better than anything I would write... they are exquisite.
The Snail is so cute... love snails.
Have you a new camera as well as a new laptop Laura?
These photos are some of the best in giving details I've seen, or is the computer itself showing a deeper respect for your recordings?
Would be a bit a let down discovering your web only collected pretty dew-drops to munch on. At least Spider won't be thirsty.
Do wish your Travis success, very special you helping him like you are.
Truly glad you have had an interesting and beautiful time away. From the scenes viewed, the experience would have been soul healing I believe.
heaps of love rolled into a hug for you Laura xxx
will be back for part 2
Beautiful! What a great Christmas! So thrilled you took the cat along, too! Happy 2012 to you!
ReplyDeleteI knew! I just knew it!!! I knew you would return with the most awesome, inspirational pix!!! Love those cyprus!!!...:)JP
ReplyDelete