Florida

This Lenten blogging slowdown has been tough for me. And meanwhile the underlying changes I am trying to make in my life are the ones I need most -- you can tell because I resist them so strongly.

I had a lovely time in Florida, with ample rollerblading and niece time. I feel so incredibly protective of my elder niece, even as she is showing signs of stubborn independence. And I just melt whenever she graces me with her smile. She pushes herself so hard at swimming, even though she lacks the strength to hold her own in the water. Her heart pounds furiously from the effort when you catch her to help her breathe en route. I'm so proud of her and so painfully aware of how small and weak she is, how very vulnerable. ("When I hold your small body next to mine,/ I feel weak and strong at the same time./ So few years to give you wings to fly,/ To show you the stars to guide your ship by." J. Clegg & Savuka.)



My younger niece is growing on me (literally) and it is so exciting to hear her on the verge of speech. You can occasionally make out a "thank you", and she has a penetrating stare that suggests either she is trying very hard to read one's expression, or she is trying very hard to communicate something telepathically. She has her own beauty, and an infectious smile. I'm so curious to meet her once she is able to express herself in words.


At work, things are getting better - we've filled the two open positions, and we should be up and running within two weeks. Not that things stopped in the mean time.

My heart is still heavy from time to time, and I can't help thinking I could have made more hay while the sun shone today (so to speak), but instead, I attended 3 worship services (?!) and uploaded my Florida pictures. Three services on a Sunday is a bit excessive and I certainly won't make a habit of it, but each one had its separate draw, so I was glad, on balance, that I went.

For anyone who saw an earlier version of this post, I haven't put in any new pictures -- I just put in introductions to some of them.

The first night, we had a big storm. Grammie kept referring to it as a "show" (which is sort of what it looks like in this picture) so that L would not be scared. Then the next day, L kept referring to "the movie last night" and her mom was completely perplexed.


Dozens of lobster traps were washed up on shore after the storm. I liked this lobster trap triptych:

L playing dress-up and trying twirly dance moves in her new Valentine's Day skirt:

L swims:
Sunset over the wildlife refuge:

A New York City scene, but it seems really in place here:

Being carried... it's easier than a walk on the beach.
There's a whole world out there!


"Chipmunk cheeks" is how you learn to hold your breath at age 3 1/2:

I think I've seen this expression on the faces of Olympic medalist swimmers:

L found an old boogie board and tried to slide around on it in 1 inch of water. This game was not very effective from a surfing point of view, but it was very safe because the board immediately sinks an inch under the lightest child's weight:


At the wildlife refuge, we saw a few dolphins, and many birds. There were two lonely pairs of birds. In the case of the two reddish egrets, who were about 10 feet apart on the mangrove sandbar, the male was interested, but the female was not. Our guide commented that there were so few reddish egrets she really shouldn't be so picky.

We also saw two ospreys. The female osprey is shown on the nest here; male was perched about 25 feet away on a mangrove thicket and was either trying to work up the nerve to approach her or possibly waiting for her to notice him. Our guide said that the female osprey's original mate died, so she is a free agent, but the male is much younger and may not be sure of his ability to provide the 700 lbs. of fish that will be needed to feed any offspring that might result from the union.
Walking on the beach is a tough job, but it's doable with the right tools.

The latest fashion: hats.
Walking the plank:


At the Hungry Heron, C enjoys drawing with crayons, but there's something way more interesting at that table over there:

Corn on the cob from someone else's plate beats a pb&j sandwich on your own plate any day of the week:

Another lovely sunscape with palm trees.
A woodpecker at the local nature preserve:


Tri-color heron:


Beach toys:
C with fork:

Grammie:
LC:
Group shot with alligator puppets: