A pretty face with yellow eyes

Portrait of a big white Heron - captured down in Key West, Florida

Hi my friends,

I don't know to much to say to this photo - just enjoy it, ok?

It's still raining today here in Florida, on and off..... 

it's quiet a boring day, I would say :)

Thank you for ALL the wonderful compliments I got yesterday, my friends. Sunsets are like a magnet, people always love to see it for real or in a photo.

Enjoy your Friday - weekend is around the corner...yeah!

Susanne

Buy my photography printed, framed or stretched on Canvas here

http://tinyurl.com/y8guwqz

http://tinyurl.com/yj9msas 

http://www.cafepress.com/susanne49

This and that.....

Beach scene at Jetty Park on Merrit Island - it looks pretty crowded!

He liked his privacy

Fly Pelican, fly...

Pelican rock - as far you can see, hundreds of them were sitting on the rocks and enjoying the sun...

... or sitting on the reeling at the locks where the ships drive from the St. Johns River into the Banana River at Port Canaveral

A deep sea shrimp boat is leaving out to the sea

And this was our WORST campground (St.John's in Palatka) we ever had on our whole travel! It was going down hill on the one side and muddy and dirty too, also the bath rooms - you don't wanted to use them at all! We stayed here one night only because we were tired driving and needed badly a rest. I cannot recommend this place, sorry!

And this here in Lake City is the BEST campground I ever have seen! Everything is clean, functional, not expensive at all, the places are paved and with free Wi-Fi.
That's the best for me, after so many days without connections! :)

This is Mike, working on our car. Read more about Mike more down....

Mike and his helpers...

Hi my friends,

Thank you so much for all your nice comments and your compliments to my last post about Key West. Also for all the best wishes for getting well soon. We are fine again, both of us! And this are the good news. :)

In the meantime we left that lovely and crazy island some days ago and the not so good news are: we had also some mechanic problems with our car - but everything is fixed now and we payed a lot of money to Mike, a nice guy who fixed everything on our RV with big passion and love to his profession. Thank you Mike for your big effort to help us out! If you are at the Space Coast region and ever need mechanical help, call Mike! You will be not disappointed. He is doing good work and he is a nice guy!

Later in the day we drove away more to West and stopped in Lake City on a beautiful campground, the BEST we ever had on our whole trip until today. Important for RV travelers are: real hot showers, clean place and all the facilities like clean bathrooms, laundry, free Wi-Fi!!! That's the most important for me - I'm now connected again. It feels almost like Christmas for me...LOL... I missed you guys!!! :)

I hope you have enjoyed my newest little tour guide around Florida. Our plans are to go from here to the Alabama shores, leaving tomorrow Wednesday or Thursday. The weather here is pretty cold just now, in the 40's in the night....

Talk to you later,
Susanne and David

Tuesday Specials #12

Heron over the Everglades

Tuesday Specials

I had an idea 12 weeks ago about supporting my husband’s fine art paintings. I am going to call it “The Tuesday Specials” and every Tuesday I will present one painting from his collection of Key West pictures.

The pictures are from original paintings done in Acrylic and/or Oil…and some of them are already in famous collections all over the globe.

The originals that are available for purchase range in price from $ 695 to
$ 4,500 based on sizes. There are also prints available.

For more details see our website: www.vanhulstart.com .
For special requests please send an email (susanne49@yahoo.com)
or call me: 843-647-0821.

Drayton Hall Plantation - Impressions #2

Drayton Hall Plantation House back view

Look from the Ashley River back to the house

Palmetto tree at the shores of the Ashley River

Many small benches are inviting you to sit down, looking out to the river, to relax and to enjoy

Big white Heron is fishing in the pond
(click on the picture to see the bird better)

Spanish Moss hanging from the old oaks

One of the many big Oak trees, some are even more than 250 years old

A group of young birches are spending shadows on a hot summer afternoon

History information for tourists and visitors of Drayton Hall

Today's efforts are encompassed within the Heritage Landscape Project funded by a generous endowment created by Gail and Parker Gilbert of New York and Charleston. The goal of this project is not to restore or recreate the landscape as it appeared at one point in time, but rather, to establish a balance between the 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century landscapes.

The result of such a philosophy is a layered landscape. Visitors today see a Victorian garden mound and reflecting pond, live oaks that are over 250 years old, a camellia planted by Richmond Bowens in the 1920s, and the ha-ha, a landscape feature created as a barrier to keep sheep and other livestock out of the formal gardens in the 18th and early 19th century. They have the opportunity to understand how the grounds have changed over the course of time.


Read more about here

The Garden of Eden - is to find here!

The way into the Garden

Door to heaven...?

This must be the "Garden of Eden", a picture perfect paradise!

Deep green water and only peace in the air

A sanctuary for all kind of birds singing and the White Heron was looking out for food.

A sea of Azaleas everywhere your eyes are looking

A dream in pastel...

Am I in the tropics or what....?

Spanish Moss hanging from the trees, touching the water - it makes this place very romantic and heaven like. I enjoyed this afternoon very much!

This garden

is a wonderful treatment for your eyes and for your soul - it's Paradise!

Please visit THE MEPKIN ABBEY, Moncks Corner SC

A Walk on the Wild Side in Cypress Gardens

In the late 1920's, Dean Hall Plantation in Berkeley County was owned by Benjamin Kittredge as a winter retreat and hunting preserve. Mr. Kittredge especially enjoyed duck hunting in the black water impoundments that were remnants left from the days when Dean Hall was a mojor rice plantation on the Cooper River. The story is told that one day when he was out hunting, he became entracted by the reflection of a red maple leaf in the mirror-like waters of the swamp. This experience inspired Mr. Kittredge to re-capture this image by planting thousands of azaleas, cammellias, dogwoods, wisteria, daffodils and iris along the dikes of the impoundments. He imported winter-blooming Daphne and paid a penny for each Atamasco lily bulb that local children brought him from nearby woods. As the years passed, Mr. Kittredge created the 163 acre swamp garden presently known as Cypress Gardens. The reflections of fuschia, red, white, lavendar, and pink on the smooth black water enthrall visitors from around the world.

Pictures with all the beautiful flowers and trees in this garden, scroll down and see my posts from yesterday and days before!

The butterfly house and fresh water aquarium feature native species of butterflies, reptiles, fish and amphibians for public view as well as education programs. Benches in the butterfly house afford guests the opportunity to relax and watch as the colorful creatures flit about and feed on the plants. At any one time visitors can count eight or more species of butterflies. Included in the butterfly house is an observation beehive and arthropod exhibit. Visitors can learn about tarantulas, scorpions, hissing cockroaches and various other arthropods. The pond is home to turtles, fish and Woody the Wood Duck, while the box turtles roam about in their own grassy pastures. The flowering plants in the butterfly house have a purpose in that they are either nectar food or larval food for the various butterflies.



The alligator snapper turtle named "Frankenturtle", is on loan to Cypress Gardens from Raorks Reptiles. Weighing in at 120 pounds and being about 42 years old, "Frankenturtle" has visible signs of a hard life. Years ago the huge turtle was shot through the head and its skull was shattered. The wires used by the vet to put the pieces back together still show on the top of his head - hence the name "Frankenturtle".



Cypress Gardens is home to countless wildlife species from tiny mosquito fish to the mighty alligator. Wood ducks, hawks, osprey, herons, egrets and even white ibis and wood storks can be seen at certain times. Many warblers, including the golden prothonotary, next here each spring and summer, and the winter's silence is often broken by the raucous call of the blue jay or the chattering of the Carolina Wren. Deer, raccoon, opossum, and bobcat tracks are a constant reminder of lively nocturnal wanderings. Otter are often seen slipping through the black water on warm winter days. Lots of turtles can be seen basking in the sun and an occasional snake can be noticed slipping into the water. Of course, the most popular creatures at Cypress Gardens are the alligators.

The big white Heron bird in Cypress Gardens. It took me many shots to get him posed like that. :-)

Gallery Stroll in Down Town

There are so many galleries in Down Town Charleston, it would take you many days to visit them all. We started to see a few and all the others are still on our list for next time. After walking a lot - we are not used to that from Key West, where everything was so close together - you need not only food for your soul, you need also something in your stomach. The decoration in the window of this very nice Italian Restaurant was really inviting - and I can tell you, we were NOT disappointed after the meal - and the "vino" was "meraviglioso". I'm in love already with Charleston...!

Big White Heron - A little Photo Story

Big white Heron bird in front of the East Martello Museum looking for food

For some minutes it seems he liked to pose for me...

But then, he decided: what enough is, is enough and just walked away, out of the scene...

...and flew away, pretty low first, some feet only over the road...

and then up in the air, higher and higher.

At least I got some nice shots for my blog!

Wildlife Photography

The big white Heron bird, waiting for food in the harbor

Big white Heron bird catching his own food in the mangroves

Nature scene with mangroves by the Atlantic shores

And I was lucky, he was posing so nice!

All kind of Birds...

Portrait of a big white Heron bird

White Heron bird fishing - and he got one!

The pelican and his three body guards

Pelican waiting for food left overs from the fishing boats

And this one is just enjoying the warm sun on his back