...to the lake...

after watching the Cinnamon Fern uncurl...

(and missing milo terribly...)

yesterday, we decided to do the 40 minute drive to Lake Lochloosa.

since we've been having lots of rain lately, we figured the water level would be high enough

to get our 'gheenoe' in.

we could paddle around...troll around...sam could do some fishing...

and i could get some pictures.

rather than posting a long line of photos, i decided to do a collage...of the

Lochloosa skies, butterflies, alligators, egrets, anhinga, herons, water lilies and eagles.

click to enlarge  -  7 oct 2012

“A lake is a landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. 

It is Earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.”  

~Henry David Thoreau, Walden

thanks for stopping by.

have a great week.

stay cool. be safe.

lk

dragonfly perched on my 'pokey-stick, which sam tooled for me at his work...

i use it to poke in the ground...searching for treasures out back...

lake ocklawaha...the e n d

i just couldn't get enough of these dragonflies!

before i do this final post...of the flora & fauna 

of Rodman Reservoir/Lake Ocklawaha...

i just want to say a big THANKS to everyone who breezes through...

and to those who linger...and even take the time to leave a note!!

i haven't been blog reading since last week, because of our weekend away...

and then i've been dealing with this Sciatica...if you've ever had it...then you know...

it's a pain in the ass...to sit...for any length of time!

SO

i HOPE to get caught up...this weekend!

i just had to explain. i haven't been ignoring you...i haven't been anywhere in cyberspace!

you gotta know i'm in pain...cause i haven't been taking the time to search for cool quotes!

ok, no more talk...want to get these pictures posted before it's OLD news!

Anhinga

along the shore...

Great Egret

Osprey nest.

these 'nesting poles' are scattered about throughout the lake

milo...dreaming...in camper...

Alligator...not a very good picture...but you can see all the floating stumps, logs, etc in the back ground.
also, see the dragonfly ?!

hmmm...a Little Egret  ??

 UPDATE!  Eileen @ Viewing Nature with Eileen...who happens to be a pretty good bird expert...
thinks this little guy could also be a juvenile  Little Blue Heron!  thanks eileen!

weathered wood on the shore...

in PART 1 of Rodman/Ocklawaha i mentioned that the

BIGGEST catch of the weekend was sam's 17 inch Bass!!!

here ya go!

sam and his prize catch!

so loverly...so many dragonflies...

another...not so great shot...but with THREE birds...and all the floating trees and stuff in the water!

TOO cute...TWO cute Cormorants...one standing on one leg.

this picture below... like two fish passing each other...

like sculptures...floating  wood   plants...

a dinosaur fish and some type of pan fish

ready...set...

GO!!!!!!!!!

thanks for wandering and wading...through all the pictures!

end of the day, time to get off the water & head back to camp.

thanks for the wishes on a speedy recovery...of my aching...back...and butt!

be cool & stay safe,

laura

the supermoon over lake ocklawaha...

...and the fauna & flora of the Rodman Reservoir.

(part1)

supermoon over Lake Ocklawaha, FL

i had wanted to do a post yesterday

with pic's from our weekend at Rodman Reservoir/Lake Ocklawaha...

BUT

i had to do a Tampa drive on monday...over 2 hours each way...back to back.

and the next day i couldn't stand straight.

Sciatica!

i've never experienced it before.

it pains to sit, to stand, to lie down.

it's a REAL pain in the ass...literally.

so...after using ice...heat...ibuprofen...stretching...Kinesio taping...

today i'm not walking hunched over (as much) but i'm still feeling it.

SO

in order to not aggravate it...i'm going to make this quick.

so i can get off my butt.

not too much gabbing...mostly pictures.

FIRST,

on the way there we stopped at one of those big ice vending machines to fill up the cooler.

you know me...and misspellings...or grammatical errors.

CAN YOU see why i snapped this one??

(there shouldn't be an 'apostrophe' in cameras.  no apostrophe in plurals)

ok...on to Lake Ocklawaha  or  Rodman Reservoir.

Rodman Reservoir is a flooded forest.

there's plenty of underwater structure...and floating trees...stumps...logs...

so you have to be a pretty good navigator...or at least lucky...

to troll around without running into something.

we have a small boat. a Gheenoe. it's like a canoe, but more stable...

with a flat back for a small motor.

i was combing the shore while sam pulled the boat to ground and fished off the back.

THIS IS THE SPOT WHERE he caught the BIGGEST catch of the weekend...

a 17" BASS!  

(that's inches...not pounds! we didn't have a scale.)

Dragonflies were everywhere!!

we also saw Ospreys, Eagles, Hawks, Herons, Cormorants, Anhingas...

and of course, Alligators.

Great Egret

Osprey young with mother...i wish i could know what they were saying...or yelling...to each other.

Great Egret

Alligator

a swarm...i mean...a school...of feeding minnows.

a  Hawk.  a Red-shouldered hawk i think, but he looks much bigger than the ones at home.

Anhinga...or snake bird.

Great Egret

heading back to the camp at the end of the day...

sam's silhouette...against the setting sun... 

and a last look at the super moon through the trees...

stay tuned for part 2...and maybe even a part 3.

gotta change position now...and get off my butt...go stretch.

i've had clients with Sciatica...but NOW i know first hand...the pain!

yikes.

be cool  &  stay safe.

laura

((yeah yeah...i know...i'm way behind in reading...but i have a good excuse...

this time it's not just that TIME is slipping away...bear with me.  :)  ))

PART 2: the finale - christmas camping - suwannee to caverns

~i apologize if i haven't made it over to your place yet.

if you read my previous post, you already know that things have been pretty hectic...

with my youngest son travis moving in with us, looking for work, 

and not having his own transportation. 

so with work, home, and everything in between, i haven't had too much ME time.

BUT the REALLY good news is that travis may have found a job! yay!

i dropped him off earlier this morning at a (hopefully) possible employer!

we'll know more when his work day is done.~

☼

onward we go...the second & final post from our xmas to new years trip.
so lace up those hiking boots and follow us from 

Suwannee River State Park  to  Florida State Caverns Park...our last stop!

one of our Suwannee hikes was along the river trail that lead the way to Balanced Rock.

the days were cloudy and cold.

the nights cloudy and coldER.

reflection of the the sun hiding behind clouds. 

OOoooooh!!  i love these reflections in the river.  hypnotizing.
reminds me of a Van Gogh.  the one below looks like a cactus silhouette.

the shoreline with a cypress knee to the right and the sun & clouds reflecting...

cypress knees & trees reflecting on the river.

the only flower we saw blooming. a Rain Lily.

Balanced Rock...on the Suwannee River...

Balanced Rock and a couple of kayakers paddling down the river.

back at the camper, we let milo out to say goodbye to the squirrels.

they were kind of happy to see her go...although they wouldn't tell her that to her face!

we packed everything up and hit the road.

next stop...Florida Caverns.

along the way, we stopped at a memorial in Greenville, Florida...

a life size statue of Ray Charles at the piano.

after about 2 ½ hours drive time we reached Florida Caverns State Park...

northwest florida...in the panhandle. the ONLY public caverns in florida.

reaching our campsite...we unpacked...let milo out (on her leash)...

and then we wandered to Blue Hole Spring.

we spotted some deer...but unfortunately i just wasn't quick enough to get a picture!

BUT i DID get a picture of their POOP...oh, sorry...let's be professional here...

White-tail deer SCAT!

MORE  'shrooms...(love the purple border...)

trees standing on their heads?!   hanging upside down?
reflections....

BeaVeR ALeRt...on the perimeter of the spring!

evidence of the presence of beavers!

we didn't get so see one in the flesh...or in the fur...

but we were amazed at all their gnaw marks!

i love this one!  focused on the tree's reflection...with a background of colorful fall leaves under water.

while at Florida Caverns park 

we also hiked a trail that took us to the shores of the Chipola River.

the shore of the Chipola

sam standing beside a monster Bald Cypress Tree.

ANOTHER bike and hike we took, was to the Caverns themselves!
but, guess what?  they were closed!


not a big deal, we still walked the trails, saw a lot of huge limestone outcroppings, crevices
and smaller cave-like structures and native plants that live in the acidity of the terrain.

and since i have some pictures from the last time we were here,
you can still see what it looks like.in this underground wonderland!

along the above ground trails...

huge moss & fern covered limestone

Purple Toad Shade (Trillium)

The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man.

a tunnel cave we walked through

False Rue Anemone  (Columbine)

(i THINK)...this is Allegheny Spurge.

WELL, that about does it...

our between christmas & new years road trip.

i hope this becomes a yearly thing!

OH! and on the way home...just after leaving the State Park, 

we pulled over at a small roadside park, in Marianna, FL.

(black legs & feet, yellow eyes and beak...)  a Great Egret.  right?

Adopt the pace of nature:  her secret is patience.  

~Ralph Waldo Emerson 

stay cool & be safe.

laura