What's Wrong With This Picture?

So, what could possibly be wrong with this picture?

Wait! ................ Let me zoom in a bit.

Ok, how about a close up?

Well, it sure appears that Sneaky is actually quite skillful, not to mention shrewd.  

He must be a sharp thinker, because here you see him hanging onto the Snowman Birdfeeder.

You know..............that special bird feeder that is supposed to be squirrel proof, hanging on the swivel arm that is also supposed to be squirrel proof.  At least that is what the packaging said for each.   Apparently Sneaky can't read, or  doesn't know the definition of "squirrel proof".

I knocked on the window....for quite awhile....and finally, Sneaky was spooked enough to jump from the feeder to the railing, where he actually had the nerve to dance a little jig..... while swinging his tail in a full circle.

Jump to the right.

Hop to the left.

Ok, was this guy taunting me?

I waited to see what Sneaky would try next, and he certainly did not disappoint.

He proceeded to climb right up my brand new, squirrel proof, swivel arm.

A quick swing to the squirrel proof snowman

and Wa la!  He was perched and ready to suck those sunflower seeds out.

Ok, now I don't have anything against Sneaky having a snack here and there, but it was obvious to me that he had his sights on far more than a little treat.  

And, it wasn't until  I was walking out the door onto the deck that he realized that I was definitely serous about him moving on.

Now, I've got a lot of things going on here in preparation for Thanksgiving, but I wasn't about to let Sneaky wipe out my Sunflower stash. So, I bundled up against the cold, and managed to stretch a nice shiny silver slinky along the pole from the hook to the base. 

That was yesterday morning, and so far, no sign of sneaky!

Splendid!

A Doggone Great Day

It's that time of year again, when the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center can be said to be going to the dogs.  Literally.

Yes, it's the annual National Dog Show, and Marty and I were able to find the time to once again make the drive to check out the clientele. Let me introduce you to a few: 

Homer is a French Terrier, and apparently a former Grand Champion.  He was excited to meet me, although he doesn't appear so thrilled in this photo. 

Here are two Pumi's, one of the newest recognized breeds by the AKC.  

This breed comes from Hungary and it appears that my Slovak Shepherd Ancestors may have used Pumis to herd sheep.  We had a lovely talk with their breeder, who actually emigrated from Transylvania and who was very eager to share the history of this smart little dog with us.

And, we learned that they are easy to groom:  simply wash and air dry!

Unlike some other breeds that were being primped and fussed over for the perfect look: 

What some people (or should I say dogs) won't do to look beautiful!

And, it was obvious that dogs from the same breed had different reactions to all of the fuss, as can be seen by these Corgies. 

Some dogs were pensive

others were smiling

while some were just tired of waiting.

As you can see, this Black Russian Terrier looks quite happy to have the grooming process finished!

But it was obvious that some were happy to have been chosen as prize winners.

Don't they look so proud?

Marty made friends with a very cute Russel

This guy actually made it to the show ring.  But, no worries, I won't be giving away any winners.

Just remember to gather your family and look for the broadcast of the National Dog Show that will be broadcast at noon across the country on Thanksgiving Day. 

You'll be in for a special treat.  I guarantee it!!

Final Day at the Gulf

Well, it's time to say fond farewell to a fabulous week here at Naturewalk in Santa Rosa Beach, but not before we had one last day of fun!

Marty and Howard caught lots of fish, and even shared some with their Heron friend, whom someone affectionately named Ichabod, which would make sense if he was a crane, but whatever.

When they returned, we enjoyed a lovely breakfast at the house, then headed out for our last beach walk.  As you can see, it was a picture perfect day.

We headed up to Seaside from the beach, where a statue of a pelican holding a fish in it's mouth stands atop the entranceway. 

Isn't that entertaining?

We took a different way back to the house, which was quite scenic. 

We passed a church with a bell tower,

several Beauty Bushes bursting with purple blooms that resembled berries

A park with a couple of squirrels romping around, one of which actually decided to munch on an acorn at the perfect moment.

How's that for lucky?

Water Lilies

where I spied a heron tiptoeing through the reeds.

Marty and I found the road sign with this particular speed limit to be unusual

Does anyone really go 17 miles per hour?  

And, finally, the road back to the entrance

with the wooden bridge entranceway 

welcoming us home.

It's been a fabulous week here, that has rushed by way too fast.  But we are so blessed to have been able to enjoy the company of these special friends, and, hopefully, it won't be too long before we'll be able to meet up again!

Thanks, Jennifer and Howard,  for being the perfect host and hostess and making our stay so welcoming!  

The Cheeky Heron

We've had some discussion about the descriptive term "Cheeky" this week,  and I'd say that from what I've heard about that beautiful grey heron featured in an earlier blog,  that he fits the bill fairly well.

The men returned home yesterday, once again claiming to have caught a multitude of fish, (let me just mention here that there was no evidence to support their claims), but part of Howard's story sounded quite comical.

It appears that the Heron, who appeared to be so enchanting on Monday, has turned into a pest.  After reeling in a catch, Howard tells me that he must work with rapid speed to unhook the fish and throw it back into the water, because if the fish should land on the sand,  the giant bird wastes no time swooping down and grabbing the fish for a relatively easy breakfast.

I'd say that behavior is deserving of the term "Cheeky Devil!", don't you?

If I were Howard, I'd be a bit worried about my toes!

After the morning fishing adventure, we headed out to Florida State Caverns

 to experience a bit of "spelunking" as the tour guide called it.

No worries.....we kept our shirts on.

As we began our decent into the cave, our guide directed us to a very narrow and short passage, which he referred to as Squat and Tuck, as both were required in order to squeeze our way into the next room.  He assured us that if we could fit through that channel, we'd have no issues with the remainder of the tour.  And, as luck would have it, we all fit!

As you can well imagine the inside of the caves looked like......the inside of a cave. But the guide had some amusing terminology in reference to some of the internal structures.  These hanging "sheets" were referred to as cave bacon.

Here you see "soda straws"  

There were drops of water hanging on the bottom of each, but that is difficult to capture in a photo.

Here you see wedding room.  The large white formation is a wedding cake with a pipe organ, on the left, in the background.  Interesting wedding venue if one so desires. 

There were several descriptions for the white blob on the left, the most amusing being Jabba the Hutt.  

And this is just one of the many passages that we made our way through on the 50 minute tour.

The history of the caves was interesting.  In 1937,  the original entrance to the cave was discovered by accident when a tree was toppled over during a storm, bringing up the roots and leaving a hole open in the ground.  A government surveyor spotted the hole, and after crawling down into the ground, realized the treasure that lay beneath.  At this point, the CCC hired men to excavate the mine until 1942 when their work was put to a halt. The cave was then open to the public for tours and has continued since.

After our spelunking adventure was complete, we hopped into the car and headed to the home of our hosts for a quick visit, which one just might entitle the Garden of Eden!  Let me share a few photos:

Meyer Lemons nearly ready to pick

Satsuma tree

Persimmons

and figs

There were also grape vines, but the harvest was already picked, and a small vegetable garden as well.

In the distance were beehives, loaded with activity

And here they are getting a drink of water.  

Apparently bees get very thirsty!  Something I never knew!

There were dozens of these guys scurrying around.

And apparently a resident armadillo has been busy in the back.  

Certainly makes some mole holes look dwarfed in comparison!

But walking into the hot house offered the biggest surprise to me.

Orchids!  Several varieties, each of them blooming beautifully.  What a delight!

By now, it was time to start the drive back to Naturewalk.  When we returned, Marty showed Howard a few tips on setting up his rod for the next morning's fishing.

Then we headed to Seaside for a lovely dinner, outside on the deck.

Yet another fabulous ending to a fabulous day!