Here comes the sun...

This is an account of one of my walks with grand-daughter Elyse.  

She is a three month-old-beauty with tender teething gums (we think) or perhaps a wee thing who knows already what home is and what home is not.  At any rate - she has proven to be an outdoor-sy type who enjoys cruising the quiet back-streets with anyone interested in taking her.  I took my camera this time wanting to capture this fascinating tree I spotted on an earlier outing & share the find with you on this blog.  

So here we are, about to embark on the 4:30pm Save Mom's Sanity walk of the day.

We live in a house off the (in)famous Estero Blvd; a two-lane ocean-front highway running north/south across the island.  The only way on and off this island is by a two lane bridge on either end.   There are absolutely no shortcuts or detours to be found.   Every side street running east/west off this highway are posted as dead-ends or NO OUTLETS (as above).   

That is not merely a ploy to keep the local streets clear of traffic - I've walked enough of them by now to know that this is indeed the case.  The suburbia off Estero is a mad maze of streets without rhyme or reason - where's the dang compass when you need one?

EVERYONE for miles around comes to the beach on sunny days.   The highway starts looking more like a game of bumper cars by late morning and unhappily stays that way for the remainder of the day.   Forget about running that quick errand to Publix! -- unless you take a picnic basket of course and are content to spend it trailing behind the pedestrians on the sidewalk next to you.  :)   It's been so frustrating that I might even resign myself to doing as the Europeans do and start using that rental bike with the big 50's style basket on the front!  

Well, this is typical!   The stroller hasn't even made it off our own street before L'il Lysie is sawing logs.  So much for my grandiose plans of introducing her to the joys of tree identification and appreciation. 

This is our home away from home; a one floor bungalow the sprawls all over the place save for a little tower room at the front with the spiral staircase.  I confess to being somewhat disappointed at first glance - particularly with its proximity to this ridiculous highway - but I'm over it now.  

Yeah.  Yeah.  You wouldn't put up with my whining anyway :)

The landscape around these parts doesn't impress me much.  Or expressed more graciously:  

It makes me ever more thankful for the variety of four-seasons and its effect on the landscape.  

I love the ocean but I'm content to come visit it once in a while and leave it at that. 

Below is the massive multi-stem of a ficus.  Fig-tree.  I think.  I cannot say with any authority but that remains my semi-educated guess.  

 What does it matter anyway? - Lysie is sound asleep.

But THIS is the baby I came to photograph!  Look at this fine speciman of Robinson Crusoe distinction!  It has the dark leaf of a fig but the bark of one of my fav's, the London Plane.  Half of it seemed to surface a few feet away from the main trunk - a monstrous sideways shoot.  Is there an educated guess out there as to its true identity?

Wouldn't this be a perfect tree to grow up with?

I'm so glad the hurricanes of late haven't taken it down.  Not that I think something this massive could ever be uprooted but then I speak in ignorance - I've never had to 'batten down the hatches' and secure my home from 200mph gale-force winds either.  

There's a Lutheran church (St.Peter's?) nearby with a wondrous bell-tolling spire that plays a hymn like melody every noon and supper hour.   *sigh*  I would dearly love to wake up every morning to the sound of bells.  England was a remarkable experience in that regard. 

I'd also love to know the history of the tradition of bell-tolling.   

By rights, I should just walk there and see if a human being could enlighten me.  

By jove, I think I've just given myself a new mission.  

(Little Einsteins anyone?)  LOL

Everyone flies a flag.  Okay.  Every other one flies a flag.

Canadians can learn a thing or two regarding properly placed patriotism.

To be world renowned for passivity doesn't exactly give me any warm and fuzzy feelings. 

I nearly choke on the hypocrisy of my 'people' singing their national anthem at the hockey games....."I stand on guard for thee?"  Oh please, don't get me started.

Eh?

I think the tree above is a Norfolk Pine.  I do recall this as a greenhouse plant - deep green and coniferous.  I couldn't keep my house-plants alive for all the sweet talk in the world.  

Shucks, it's a good thing my grand-daughter continues to sleep and I don't expose this ignorance of mine.

I think this palm tree is called the Royal Palm.  I wish I knew why - but I don't.  :)

This over exposed picture doesn't do any justice to the beautiful and unusual torquoise green and span of these palm leaves.  I asked the neighbour if they could identify it but alas - her ignorance was even greater than mine.  Imagine that.

Most of the houses on and near the beach are on stilts.    Their "basement" area double up as a  car port and/or sitting area.  Kinda smart actually.  Hurricanes are still a constant threat here and flooding is the inevitable consequence.   

Gecko's abound.  We've seen a few cockroaches too.   Except in polite company, they are referred to as"Palmetto bugs".   We had a "Palm rat" come visit one night too.  But looking at the what the trap caught confirms that a rat is really just a rat - unless it's Ratatouille of course!

Turning back up our quiet street.  Quiet is a relative term of course.   Looking straight down this street you will see the ocean lapping along the ever popular seven mile beach of pristine luxurious sand.   But here I am, yapping away while supper beckons!  

Pier posing for grandmarmie's camera.  Oh how I miss my Jules.

An elderly woman down our street has been feeding these uhm...egrets? and old bearded blue herons for several years.  She purportedly knows them individually by name, they will come to her door and take the sardines right from her hand.   

Another day is done.  

Thanks for coming along - company is always a pleasure.