Good Beach Fences...

Enough with the snow already!  It is starting to melt a little around the edges, anyhow.  Sure, maybe we'll get another snowfall or two, but winter is essentially over.   Our mailbox will resurface one of these days and Olive, the pug, will get her yard back.

But at this moment, most of the fences around here are still covered with snow and are not clearly visible, so I am taking a little trip back to Florida to Inlet Beach where we stayed in January.  Here are some of the nice beach fences that were near our condo.

Ahhhh, that's nice for a change!

LINKING UP WITH THERESA'S GOOD FENCES!

Oranges and Apples...

I’m sitting here very grateful that we have power.  We are currently about half-way through the  nor’easter that was predicted for coastal eastern United States and, boy, do we have us some snow.  But, here in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, the winds that were predicted haven’t arrived yet, so the power remains on.  It’s very cold out, making the snow light and fluffy, not that I’ve tested it yet.  But, I will tell you from much past experience, the light and fluffy beats the heavy, wet stuff any day of the week.

One of my Facebook friends asked if this weather has made me miss Florida yet.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I like visiting Florida, particularly the area where we just were in the northern panhandle, but I’m not, nor will I ever be, someone who would be comfortable living in Florida.

  This is no criticism of the Sunshine State, it’s more a statement of what I like and who I am.  And while this crazy, winter weather can certainly make one miserable for a time, it will pass a lot quicker than the hot, summer days in Florida pass.  They have a misery all their own, in my book.  And I would miss  seeing a winter snowfall now and then.  Of course, I'm not talking blizzard here, but the nice, quiet, normal snow that comes with a nice, normal New England winter.

But it’s oranges and apples.  I am a northern, cool weather loving person and that’s just the way it is.  Different strokes for different folks, right?!

But I took a few pictures while we were in Apalachicola at the beginning of the year.  Don’t say you’re surprised.  And I will post a few here today to contrast with what’s going on outside my window.  Okay, it does look a tad bit inviting, I must admit, but there’s no going back except digitally at this point.

Greg does love his oysters from Up the Creek.

Olive doesn't like oysters, but it doesn't keep her from begging.  She is a dog after all.

The weather wasn’t all that great while we were in Florida.  Okay, it was better there than here temperature-wise, but aside from a couple of sunny days in Apalachicola, it was drab, overcast and cool.  Still, you can’t beat a view like this no matter what the weather.

Here are the oranges:

This was taken off the balcony of the condo we rented on Inlet Beach.  The light, fluffy stuff here is sand.

And here are the apples:

This is not sand.

Hey, the juncos seem to be okay with it.

Stay safe, friends, no matter what the weather has in store for you!

The Things You See Along The Way...

We took off for our trip south this year on a bright, crisp New Year’s Day and we learned something from that.  Traveling on New Year’s Day is a great idea.  While most people were home nursing hangovers, watching the Rose Bowl Parade or breaking their New Year resolutions, we were putting miles under our wheels.  It’s lovely traveling when there’s practically no traffic.

I think people who believe that Americans have lost their work ethic would be encouraged by this photo.   This was taken on New Year’s Day in Pennsylvania.  These people weren’t home nursing hangovers or watching the Rose Bowl Parade.  No, they were definitely working.

Sometimes you get a little hungry on the road, so it’s nice to have an invitation to lunch.

One day while we were in Apalachicola, Florida, we saw a bunch of men coming out of a building with white boots on.  There was a pretty steady stream of them.  My first thought was that it was a troop of men on their break from a “women’s club.”   You know, a “women’s club” like a (wink, wink) “gentlemen’s club” and that they were (wink, wink) go-go dancers.  But on second thought, those boots might have something to do with the oyster industry down there.  I never did find out.

Here’s a little something I’m sure most of us don’t want to see.  This was taken at the ferry stop in Fort Morgan, Florida.  We didn’t take the ferry, but it wasn’t because of the snakes.  We've seen these signs in the South, both in Texas and Florida.  I've never seen one up this way.  I guess we don't have to be cautious around our snakes in Massachusetts.

I wanted to stop at this place, but unfortunately the timing wasn’t right.  For one thing, I am a Lambert and could be related to these people.  For another thing, I had to wonder about the “throwed roll” thing.  My mother is only a Lambert by marriage and, even in her prime, she wasn’t much of a cook, but she could bake and I bet she could have throwed a roll in her day.

And, by the way, that’s MR.! Bingo to you…

The Life and Times of Olive the Pug: Dog on Vacation

Our time here in Florida has been nice for a dog. Olive has been very comfortable temperature-wise. The highs have been in the 60s Fahrenheit...perfect for a pug. But now and then, the temps have dropped and it's nice when a dog has a patch of sun big enough for her bed.

Olive decided to pose for a side view so you can see her new collar, which we purchased at Oysterbones in Apalachicola. Oysterbones is a very dog-friendly store in a very dog-friendly town.  Olive picked that particular collar because “Dog is my co-pirate” is her motto.

But when a dog spends too much time in the sun, she tends to get a little sleepy and eventually has to lie down.

But just the very mention of “cheese” tends to perk a dog up...

...at least for a few seconds.

Good Cemetery Fences...

We are very fortunate to be out of the deep freeze right now.  My understanding is that in our area of Massachusetts, the temps are topping off around 7 degrees.  We are cozy in northern Florida in our favorite town of Apalachicola where it's supposed to be in the 40s today.

One of my favorite places in Apalachicola is the Chestnut Street Cemetery of Early Apalachicola that dates prior to 1831.  It's a great old southern cemetery with big, majestic trees draped with Spanish moss, tilted gravestones and old rusty fences.  I am concentrating on the fences here today.  If you ever find yourself in these parts, I would recommend a nice walk through this lovely, peaceful, and historic place.

Linking up with Theresa's Good Fences!

Fence and fence parts…

The sad truth is that I haven’t picked up my camera since I went out to see Carrie in January.  It’s not that I haven’t wanted to, but the weather has been crummy and I have been busy.  I am hoping for a lull in the weather and the action sometime soon so that I can do a little picture taking.

In the meantime, I figured I got enough stuff from the Chestnut Street Cemetery when we were in Apalachicola to post another fence for Friday’s Fences.  So here’s another one along with a few pics of some fence details.

LINKING TO FRIDAY'S FENCES.

Graveyard fence for Friday Fences...

Here are some photos taken at the Chestnut Street Cemetery of Old Apalachicola.  I love these old places and could wander around them for some time without getting bored or running out of ways to take photos of them.  This cemetery was simply lovely.  What a wonderful place to spend eternity.

This is a close up of the detail on the gate above.

Linking to Friday's Fences.

A few more from Apalach...

We really had a nice time in Apalachicola, Florida.  It’s not the Florida most of us are familiar with.  There are no Disney characters, no high rises blocking the view of the water, no chain restaurants (except for a Burger King on the way out of town to the west).  It’s charming.

Here’s the house we stayed in.  We chose this particular house because we could take the dog with us and we loved that wrap-around porch.  Well, we were very pleased with everything about it.  It’s a beautiful place built with a liberal use of “Pecky Cypress” -- boards that are pocked with holes caused by an underwater worm.  It makes for an interesting and unusual interior.  Here’s the link if you would like to see more pics of the place:  http://www.vrbo.com/443440

Apalach supplies 90% of the oysters in Florida.  I am not an oyster fan, but I do like honey.  While we were there we learned that the only places in the world to find Tupelo Honey are in Apalachicola and along the Nile River.  We stopped at the Piggly Wiggly and picked up a couple containers as souvenirs.

It’s a good place to hang if you like birds.  We saw untold numbers of pelicans and cormorants along with others we weren’t able to identify.  One day while we were driving along I spotted a Bald Eagle flying overhead.  That was cool!

This isn't a Bald Eagle...it's a Cormorant.

One nice thing for us being in the Florida Panhandle is that my nephew Neil and his wife Winona live near Destin, Florida, which is about two hours west of where we were staying.  Sounds like a long way, but it’s a way longer way from Massachusetts, so we took the time to go to Shorty’s Surfside in Grayton Beach to see Winona and to hear Neil play with his current band, Franko & Fiends.  Great fun! 

If you want to go to an actual beach when you are in Apalach, you need to drive about ten minutes to St. George Island.  We know that the beach is Olive’s Favorite Thing, so we took her over so she could frolic in the waves for a little while.  She’s actually on lead in this photo, but I cloned out the leash.  She wanted to feel free for a change. 

The Life and Times of Olive the Pug: Dog on the Move…

The word “go” makes Olive tilt her head and turn around in circles.  So she was plenty happy, after she saw the bags go into the car, when she discovered she was going along on our trip to Florida.

It took us three days to driving to get to Apalachicola, Florida from Central Massachusetts.  That’s three days of sleeping for a dog.  But once we got there, she perked up plenty.  Here are some of Olive’s favorite things about the trip.

One day, we went on a boat ride and Olive was invited along.  When we got to the dock, we discovered that another dog would be joining us.  This is Cooper.  Cooper and Olive decided immediately that they would be friends and both soon settled down and fell asleep.  It’s important to keep your strength up if you are a dog after all.

Pelican and Cormorant living in harmony on the Apalachicola River.

Three days while we were gone, we had lunch at Up the Creek Raw Bar.  This is truly a special place because dogs are welcome.  Olive charmed the wait staff.  They called her by name and brought her bowls of water making her feel like a VID (very important dog).  Now, Apalachicola is the place to be if you are an oyster lover.  Here’s a sample of the oysters Greg got there.  Olive (and I) didn’t want to try them...maybe it would have been different if they were covered in cheese, which is her (and my) favorite thing.

One day while eating lunch at Up the Creek, we saw a dolphin swim by.  And, of course, we saw loads of pelicans and cormorants.  But the best day was the day Olive got to bark a little at (what I think is) a female broad-tailed grackle.  Life can’t get much better than that.

But with all the excitement, it is necessary for a dog to take a nap now and then so at the end of the week, Olive was happy to once again be loaded into the car for the three day trip home.

Seriously, folks, If you like traveling with your dog, Apalachicola is one very dog-friendly place so take Fido along and give it a try.