Back to the Real World

My vacation ends in the morning.  It was a working vacation, because I spent most of it moving into our new place.  A couple hundred boxes later I am ready to get back to a regular work week.

We are all starting to get comfortable in our new place.  We’ve moved most of the trash out of our way, set up most of the rooms, turned on the utilities and essentials.  The groceries have been bought, the cats and fish have been relocated.  It’s starting to feel like home.The neighborhood has been explored and the neighbors vetted.  We’ve mapped our routes, to our jobs as well as the most important retail locations.

We have had our share of getting lost and learned not to trust our navigation systems.  The car compass and knowing where we are heading, has been the most reliable.  You are never truly lost, if you’re happy with your final destination.

It took us two months, to make the move.  Cathy and the handbook from her employer, made the logistics seem effortless, it wasn’t.  Cathy did a terrific job.  The moving company was awesome.  Our employers were cooperative, on the most part.  It was the perfect storm of fortunate events.

I was twenty years in my previous home.  I never planed to move again.  The economic realities changed things.  We are very happy with our new reality.

Love The Place You’re At

FEELING THE HEAT

I recently visited the blog of a writer / photographer living in South Africa and was blown away by the photos, her and her husband had posted of a side trip to a wildlife preserve.  While the pictures were stunning, I was reminded of the fact, we live in a beautiful part of the United States but constantly take it for granted.

SURF IN ST. AUGUSTINE, FL.

We live a short ride from many wildlife refuges of our own, with its own distinctly unique vegetation and animals.  We have some of the most beautiful beaches in the country and a travel destination for many Americans as well as international visitors.   We have the Ocala National Forest, the Everglades and some of the oldest cities in the country.  We are blessed with beautiful weather most of the year and a  “photo opportunity” at every turn. Yes we are very lucky but seldom acknowledge our good fortune.

We have; bears, alligators, eagles, panthers,  manatees, deers, vultures, turtles, dolphins, assorted reptiles and sharks.  We don’t even have to go to a zoological park to see them, sometimes we just have to drive down the road.  Nature is in bloom all around us, with its many colors and sights and sounds.   It’s truly GOD’S COUNTRY.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NATURAL BEAUTIES OF YOUR HOMETOWN YOU HAVE TAKEN FOR GRANTED, BUT RECENTLY RE-DISCOVERED ?