A Country Bumpkin’s Sunny Day

These were taken around Easter, 2008 in North Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Only now getting around to uploading them.  Truthfully, while it is hard to complain about being at the beach, I really prefer the Gulf side of Florida.  The beaches are much nicer and the trade winds a little more mellow.  Maybe it was just the time of year but the trash line was indeed filled with trash, jelly fish, and man-o-war.  I've never seen so many used straws.  As for the town, I just felt like I was in a big city rather than an island feel I get from the Fort Myers area. The Hallendale Pier area is funky-sort of an old boardwalk with little pizza shops and tourist gift shops.  Lots of interesting people from the world. 

The first photo was the first day of our vacation and taken from our deck in the condo rental.  Not a bad way to start the day!  The sun from our home is rising below the tree line so there isn't much to see here in NE Ohio in the mornings.  I sure hope the sun shines a little on all the people in the Midwest who need a break from all the flooding.

Sun hands

Want to Hold the sun has a few more pix like these of people holding the sun in their hands.  Pretty cool!

So much for catching photos of the sunrise.  The sun has moved so far to the left that it is coming up behind the trees.  Occasionally, I am catching some cool sky colors tho.  I have a few sunrise pix stored on my mem card but I am thinking I may have to switch to taking pix of sunsets for awhile.  Ah well, today will be the warmest day of the year so far w/ temps expected near 80 and best of all, it is a sunny day on the farm.  Peeps should be delivered today also! 

If you were independently wealthy, where in the world would you live?
Submitted by Eileen.

Mmmmm.  I suppose I would live here in bumbletown Ohio most of the time.  I'd have a lear jet to wisk me away to the world's beaches when the weather got the worst.  Of all the beaches in the USA- give me Siesta Key or Ft Myers Beaches for cleanliness and saftety.  Not the mosts pristine color of H20 tho.

March 16, 2008.  Not the best sunrise I have ever seen.  It seems the Earth has tilted all at once making the sun's morning appearance happen behind the trees.  Definitely better in person but nonetheless, it started out as a sun filled day! 

Taken in our backyard March 11.  We've changed the clocks, you know Spring forward!  The sunset is one hour later than it was.  Just when we were getting used to waking up with daylight, we are again up in the darkness.  No stars to be seen as there has been a lot of cloud cover and precipitation. Snow.  Rain.  Sleet. Ice Balls.  You name it and it has been coming down on us.  You can see in the last pix the sky turning back to its grey, gray winter sky. 

These were taken Feb 28, 2008 in our back yard,  In the first photo, see the big tree on the far RIGHT?  Well then, look how far over to the LEFT the sun is coming up!  In previous photo posts the sun can be seen closer to that big tree and to the right of it in the midst of winter.

I know the earth is spinning and sometimes in my day, my head gets to spinning in circles too but, I had forgotten that this is just one more sign of Spring.  Incidentally, the Robins have returned to NE Ohio.  No crocus yet, as there hasn't been enough sun filled days to melt all the snow and there is a pretty good chance that the deer have eaten the bulbs anyways.

The sun is beginning to rise later each day.  The kids would leave for school at dawn and I would grab the camera to catch the morning delight in peace and quiet.  With all of the last minute hustle to get out of the door on time, the sun is beginning to shine just as they are departing.  I am glad they no longer wake to pitch black and I am happy to see daylight coming thru my bedroom window.  Middle of summer, 6 am is a fine time for watching the planets and stars put on a show but I much prefer waking to the chance of a day of clear skies.  Needless to say, living in countrybumpkin northeast USA, there has not been much sunshine, only grey skies lending to the dismal thought of another snowy day.  I keep telling myself how much of a hearty person I am to live here and not to take warm summer days for granted, but I do. 

We snuck away to Florida for two weeks in Feb.  I got caught in a rain storm and didn't care.  I was walking the beach alone and could see the onset of the darkening clouds and thought I had a few minutes to make it back to the condo.  I was wrong.  The first sprinkles turned into an insant downpour and really I didn't care.  I threw sensibility to the wind and walked in the pouring warm rain and like a child, held out my arms to embrace the drops dancing on my skin and the blades of grass getting stuck between and underneath my sandles. My hair was a mess, and I was soaked to the bone and did not care in the least.

I made it under the overhang of our condo where an older man was standing wearing an ipod.  How is it someone's Grandpa can figure out an ipod and I can not?  He was concerned if I was okay.  Not realizing I lived there he mentioned I could get a free towel at the nearby Hotel.  I must have looked like a homeless person who was a nutball.  Probably he thought- just another stupid tourist.

Most of the trip was sunny and warm.  I caught a few sunsets on film.  I caught a few raindrops and realized walking in the rain isn't so bad after all.

Enjoy the sunsets.  I sure did. Note photo five- there is a rainbow!  Waking up everyday is the pot of gold.

January sunrises in my backyard.  Cold weather but hot sun.  Sunrises are now happening earlier each day meaning that winter is passing and spring is teasing me.

Jan 3,4,6, 2008.  The New Year is off to a glorious start.