Just Another Day At The Zoo

Just another day at the zoo for this chimpanzee.

Another day at the Gulf Breeze Zoo. This time it was for "Boo at the Zoo" and all the little kids, including my grandkids, were in Halloween costumes and trick-or-treating at the zoo.

What a gorgeous face.

If you happen to be in northwest Florida, be sure to check out our great little zoo.

Gulf Breeze Zoo

Boo at the Zoo

What a beautiful color.

The zoo critters had different reactions to the costumed kids. Some were fascinated and others, like one of the chimpanzees, wasn't the least bit impressed with the day's visitors.

The male tiger watching the costumed kids.

The male tiger seemed particularly interested in the kids. His expression was "I bet they taste like chicken."

One of the many roosters wandering around the zoo.

After three and a half hours at the zoo I'm exhausted. So this is just a very short post with an assortment of photos I couldn't resist posting.



The giraffes are always eager for a handout.

I have a year long pass for the zoo and am a frequent visitor, which means I take lots of zoo photos. So please stop back from time to time to see my latest photos.

The elephant wishing well at the zoo.

Wishing y'all a wonderful week.

Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge - Simply Weird

"Weird" Graffiti on Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge on 9/6/13.

I happen to live just a few miles across the bay from Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge. I drive under the bridge at least a couple times a week and usually stop to take photos of all the cool graffiti which changes daily.

Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge on 9/6/13.

Well, last week there was some "Weird" graffiti on the bridge. A collection of eyeballs and signed by Weird. I have no clue about this latest "artist" but I couldn't resist taking some photos that day and posting them here.

Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge on 9/4/13.

Maybe I'm a strange bird, but I enjoy all that weird, strange, cool, awesome graffiti. It could have something to do with growing up in Southern California, in Los Angeles County, where graffiti was, well, everywhere.

Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge on 9/4/13.

I'm a sometimes artist (I paint in oils and acrylics) and whenever I pass the graffiti bridge I'm sorely tempted to add a bit of my own artistic touch. On the other hand, since it's technically illegal to graffiti the bridge I've never ventured to add to the ever changing display of graffiti.

Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge on 9/4/13.

Gee, what would my grandkids think of their Nana getting arrested for painting graffiti? So no, I won't become a graffiti artist any time soon.

If you love graffiti and happen to be anywhere near Pensacola, Florida you'll want to visit the graffiti bridge (aka the 17th Street Bridge).

The Graffiti Bridge, Pensacola Florida




I've never actually heard of anyone getting arrested for adding graffiti to the bridge. Though I've seen police vehicles there on many occasions. Maybe the cops just stop by to check out the latest graffiti? From time to time someone adds a tasteless bit of graffiti which is quickly painted out.

Here's Looking At You - Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge on 9/4/13.

Periodically a group of citizens come along and paint out all the graffiti. However, by the next day there's a whole new display of graffiti adorning the bridge. If nothing else, graffiti artists are a determined lot who do most of their artistic creations in the middle of the night.

Just so you know, from time to time I post photos of the graffiti bridge. Hey, what can I say? I happen to love Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge.




Note - My latest photos of Pensacola's Graffiti bridge were taken two different days last week, on 9/4/13 and 9/6/13. There were a few subtle changes from one day to the next.

WARNING - Do not drive a big truck (aka a semi) under the bridge as you'll get stuck and have to be towed out. They also issue traffic citations for that. In spite of the warning signs, it still happens now and then.

Here's Looking at You - A Day at the Zoo

One of the many llamas at the zoo.

Yesterday I spent the day at the zoo with my grandkids. The Gulf Breeze Zoo is one of my favorite places and I had such a grand time with the kids and taking bunches of photos. So when I went through those photos this morning I decided that I just had to share some of them with you.







Kenya, one of the three giraffes at the zoo.

I'm sure all those beautiful critters at the zoo are just as fascinated with us as we are with them. I can just imagine what they're thinking as they gaze at us human critters. Hmm! "That one looks pretty tasty." Or "That one is pretty cute." Or "Oh, no, a face only a mother could love."

One of the many roosters wandering about.

Friday was my birthday and Saturday was my day at the zoo. One of my presents from my grandkids and my daughter and her husband, was a Year Pass to the zoo and the zoo train. So very cool. Now I'll be going to the zoo all the time. What fun!









The young Lion is now over a year old.

If you're ever in the area, the Gulf Breeze Zoo is definitely worth the visit. Though it's a small zoo, it's a great place to spend a few hours. If you love taking photos, like I do, then you'll be sure have a grand time.

The Gulf Breeze Zoo - In NW Florida

One of the two Bengal Tigers at the zoo.

It was a cloudy zoo day, with rain and drizzle off and on. I didn't mind the wet since that meant the day didn't get too hot. On the other hand, my photos all seem to reflect the gray day. Oh well, I still had a great time. And my grandkids, particularly my four and a half year old twin granddaughters, danced their way around the zoo.

Feeding one of the many colorful Budgies.

One of my grandkids' favorite stops is the Free Flight Aviary where you can feed the colorful Budgies. Usually you end up with several Budgies on your hand, arm, shoulder or even your head. We always spend quite a bit of time with the friendly Budgies.

There are a couple of benches in the Free Flight Aviary, so it's a great place to settle down and spend some time. It also provides for some great photo ops.

Peacock chicks were wandering all around the zoo.

One of the cool things about this zoo visit was all the Peacock chicks which were wandering around all over the zoo. They loved the special feed that you can buy at the zoo for $3.00 per cup. My grandkids were totally delighted with the Peacock chicks.

One of the Red Kangaroos taking a rest.

By the end of our zoo visit, I was as tired as the Red Kangaroos lazing in their pen. All in all, it was a really fun day.

Since I now have a Year Zoo Pass, I'll be visiting quite often. So please stop back from time to time to see more zoo posts with lots of fun photos.

Talking about the "Supermoon" and Books

A photo I took of the "Supermoon" last night, 6/22/2013.

Last night was the first I heard about the "Supermoon." It's been all over the news and the net for days, but it only just sank in when my husband pointed out to me last night that I needed to look at the moon.

Now this is uncharacteristic of me. I've always been fascinated with the moon ever since my dad bought my brother a telescope and we gazed at the moon, up-close, and saw all those mysterious shadows and craters. Simply awesome!

As the "Supermoon" rose over the treetops last night I snapped several photos. The best of the bunch is the one in this post. My camera is a Sony Cybershot DSC-HX20V. It's a great little camera (purse size and fits in the palm of my hand), but it isn't particularly designed to take moon photos. So I was pleased to get such a clear photo of the "Supermoon."

Now what's so great about this month's full moon? The moon is closer to the earth for this cycle, so the moon appears 14% bigger and 30% brighter than usual. Well, after gazing at the moon last night I have to agree that it looked bigger and brighter and awesome.

Some links to check out:

Supermoon Sunday - NASA.com

Don't fear the Supermoon - Space.com

VIDEO: "It's a 'Supermoon'! - The Weather Channel

My dogs went out into the darkened front yard with me last night while I took photos of the moon. They gave me that funny look of "Why are you taking photos at night?" They didn't even bother to look at the moon. 

Now my dog, Dude, who knows how to howl, didn't even bother to howl at last night's "Supermoon." However, the actual full moon is tonight, so maybe he'll give it at least a little howl as the moon rises over the treetops?

Now all this talk about full moons brings to mind werewolves. Yeah, I have a fascination with werewolves too. In the wee hours last night, just before it started to rain, my dogs and I went out front again to look at the "Supermoon" one more time. The clouds were drifting around the moon, creating an eerie effect. I couldn't help but check over my shoulder for possible werewolves. Any rustle in the bushes caught my immediate attention. But my dogs, Dude and Shani, weren't the least bit alarmed. So I guess we didn't have any werewolves lurking around our house last night? Oh, but the full moon is actually tonight. Oh, my!

My very fav werewolf movie is the 1981 classic, "An American Werewolf in London." I've watched that movie so many times. Absolutely love it!

An American Werewolf in London - Blu-ray Edition

'Moon Over Madness' on my Kindle Fire.

Now it seems to me this is the perfect time to talk about MOON books and particularly those that pertain to werewolves. So in case y'all didn't know, I wrote a paranormal, romantic comedy about, yep, you guessed it, the moon and werewolves. I included witches, vampires, ghosts, dragons and a dog named Jake too.

My mom insists this is her favorite one of my books and thinks it should be made into a movie with actress Shirley MacLaine as one of the witches. What can I say? Thanks, Mom. I loved writing MOON OVER MADNESS and hope y'all will love reading it too.

MOON OVER MADNESS - Amazon/Kindle


MOON OVER MADNESS - Barnes&Noble/Nook


MOON OVER MADNESS - iTunes/iPad



Connie Flynn's 'Shadow on the Moon' on my Kindle.

I thought this would be the perfect time to list some of the MOON fiction reads on my Kindle. Note, some of these reads include werewolves too.

MOON Reads on my Kindle (in no particular order):

Shadow on the Moon (Werewolf Series #1) by Connie Flynn
Dark Moon by Rebecca York
Indian Moon by Carolyn McCray
Mocha, Moonlight and Murder by MaryAnn Kempher
Song of the Orange Moons by Lori Ann Stephens

Marsha Canham's 'Pale Moon Rider' on my Kindle.

Pale Moon Rider by Marsha Canham
Across a Moonlit Sea by Marsha Canham
Moonlight on the Nantahala by Michael Rivers
Irish Moon by Amber Scott
The Light of the Lovers Moon by Marcia Lynn McClure
Sailing Down the Moonbeam by Mary Gottschalk
Three Moons Over Sedona by Sherry Hartzler
Moonlight and Oranges by Elise Stephens

Anne Stuart's 'Moonrise' on my Kindle

Moonrise by Anne Stuart
Under the Desert Moon by Mary Tate Engels
Orchids in Moonlight by Patricia Hagan
Songbird Under a German Moon by Tricia Goyer
Moon in Leo by Kathleen Herbert
Sarah of the Moon by Randy Mixter
Fever Moon by Carolyn Haines
Rustler's Moon by Jim Jones
The Valley of the Moon by Jack London


I hope y'all find some great reads in the list above. Thanks again for stopping by. And don't forget to take a look at the "Supermoon" tonight. Oh, and don't forget to watch out for werewolves too.

Hurricane Season Again? Greetings from Pensacola Beach!

Red Flag Warning on Pensacola Beach today.

I could have sworn we just got through the last Hurricane Season and here it is again? Well, I figured that was a good reason to make a quick trip to the beach this afternoon to snap some photos of the wild surf.

Today's heavy surf on Pensacola Beach.

Red Flags were out warning beach goers to stay out of the dangerous surf. In spite of the warnings a few surfers were trying to catch some waves.

Me trying not to get blown over by the strong winds.

I've seen rougher surf through the years, but the wind was blowing hard enough that I wondered if I'd become airborne. I could easily believe that Hurricane Season starts tomorrow.

Beach goers at the edge of the surf.

Some hardy souls were walking along the edge of the surf. Lots of salt spray in the air, which gave it a hazy quality close to the surf.

Lifeguards were out in force today.

On the other hand, looking away from the waves the sky was a bright blue with hardly a cloud in sight. Lifeguards were out in force all along the beach.

A view of beach goers, seagulls and the Ferris Wheel.

I took a few photos of the Ferris Wheel which is supposedly relocating to Atlanta's Centennial Park in the near future. Apparently, not enough people are riding the Ferris Wheel to make it cost effective to keep it on Pensacola Beach.

I didn't spend much time on the beach this afternoon. I'm not really into getting blasted with wet sand. I prefer the tranquil beach days with a soft gulf breeze and gentle surf.

Talking about the Beach, Birds and Books

My favorite spot on the west end of Pensacola Beach.

Living on the Florida Gulf Coast, it's no wonder I like to talk about the beach, birds and books. I live only a couple miles from that gorgeous sugar-white sand and emerald waters of Pensacola Beach.

I could spend hours sitting in a beach chair under a big umbrella and watching the seabirds run across the sand at the edge of the surf or circle and dive into the gentle  waves. Although I might like to spend hours each day at the beach, I only go there now and then.




One of the many birds on Pensacola Beach.

The photos in this post were taken last week at Pensacola Beach. It was a hot day, pretty close to 90 degrees, with bright sun, no clouds, a light breeze coming off the Gulf, and only a scattering of people at my favorite spot on the beach. That's my kind of beach day.

I had my Kindle (my old Kindle Keyboard) with me, because I like to read on the beach. Only the beach, the water and the birds kept my attention and I didn't read a word. Some beach days are like that. Some days I just want to sit there with my feet in the sand and let my mind wander.

A perfect place to read or daydream.

Actually, I thought a bit about the book I'm writing, Romance in a Bottle, which is set on Pensacola Beach. But I'm so good at procrastinating. I'd rather think about the book instead of writing. So if you want to know why that book isn't yet available, well, blame it on the beach and too many hours spent daydreaming ... oh, and reading.

Hmm! Reading? Yes, I read every chance I get. I'm a night-owl, so I do most of my reading in the midnight hours. My Kindle Fire is perfect for night-time reading. I can snuggle into bed and the only light in the room is the back lighting on my Kindle. It's loaded with an assortment of great books, so I always have a wide assortment of reads to chose from.

The other time of day when I love to read is in the morning sitting on the patio with my two dogs lazing nearby. My yard is full of song birds, which are the backdrop to whatever I happen to be reading.

I'm rarely reading just one book. Usually I'm reading one during the day on my Kindle Keyboard, which is great for outside reading. Then I'm reading a different book at night on my Kindle Fire. And I almost always have a paperback near at hand, for whenever I have the urge to hold a real paper book in my hands. Then I have my research books, the history of one thing or another, which I dip into now and then. Yes, I definitely love to read.

Over the last several months I've read some wonderful, great, awesome books. So I thought I might share that list of reads with you. I've written short reviews of all these books on Goodreads. So you can check out My Goodreads Page if you have the time.

It seemed to me the best way to list my latest reads is month by month. All of these books were great, wonderful, awesome reads that I can definitely recommend. I like a variety, so some are romances, others are sci-fi, historical fiction, literary fiction, etc. You're bound to find something you'll enjoy in the books listed below. All of these are available as eBooks and many can be found at your local library.

January Reads:

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming
Moonraker  by Ian Fleming
Badwater by Toni Dwiggins
Damaged (Maggie O'Dell, #8) by Alex Kava
Lion of Ireland by Morgan Llywelyn

February Reads:

Pride of Lions by Morgan Llywelyn
The Last Kingdom (Saxon Tales, #1) by Bernard Cornwell
The Pale Horseman (Saxon Tales, #2) by Bernard Cornwell
The Lion of the North (Saxon Tales, #3) by Bernard Cornwell
Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman

March Reads:

The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick
Sword Song (Saxon Tales, #4) by Bernard Cornwell
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

April Reads:

The Burning Land (Saxon Tales, #5) by Bernard Cornwell
The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley
1356 by Bernard Cornwell
The Abilene Trail (A Ralph Compton Novel) by Dusty Richards
Cowgirl Trail (Texas Trails, #5) by Susan Page Davis
End of the Trail (Texas Trails, #6) by Vickie McDonough

May Reads:

The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory
Long Trail Home (Texas Trails, #3) by Vickie McDonough
BEYOND (BEYOND Series, #1) by Maureen A. Miller
BEYOND: Two Suns (BEYOND Series, #2) by Maureen A. Miller
Secrets of Paris by Luanne Rice
Baby, Don't Go (Southern Roads Trilogy, #3) by Stephanie Bond
Baby, Drive South (Southern Roads Trilogy, #1) by Stephanie Bond

Whew! I didn't realize I'd read so many books over the last several months. Of course, if I'd found the time I would have read a whole lot more.

Now, before I forget, I'd best mention the books I'm currently reading. By the way, these too are wonderful reads.

Currently Reading:

Stella in Stilettos by Jan Romes
Down in New Orleans by Heather Graham
Baby, Come Home (Southern Roads Trilogy, #2) by Stephanie Bond

Well, those books are calling me, so I've got to go. I need to grab a few afternoon minutes to read.

Thanks again for stopping by. Please feel free to mention some of your favorite recent reads in the comments below.

May Day Flowers

A floral assortment in one of my many flowerpots.

For me, May Day has always meant flowers. As a kid, I used to pick flowers from my neighbors' yards all the way home from school. Then I'd give the bright colored bouquet to my mom. She never said, "You shouldn't pick the neighbors' flowers." And the neighbors never stopped me from doing just that. I guess because I only did it once a year that little harm was done?

I have lots of pretty potted flowers.

Well, this morning, in honor of May Day, I took a bunch of photos of the flowers blooming in our yard. So here are some of those photos.

I have flowerpots everywhere filled with an assortment of flowers, but I've long since forgotten the names of many of those flowers.









Dude wanting to be included in my photos.

My dog, Dude, wanted to get in the pictures and so he plopped down in the middle of a flower bed. No, he doesn't have a missing paw. He just likes to tuck one paw under him when he's laying down. My other dog, Shani, followed us around the yard, but she didn't want to be in any of the photos.

The blue flowers are on a huge bush full of blooms.

It rained all last night. Torrential rains and lots of wind. The yard is covered with leaves fallen from all the oak trees: Naval Live Oaks, Pin Oaks, White Oaks, and others I can't even name.

Oak trees here lose their leaves in the spring instead of the fall. So it's Leaves-R-Us in our yard at this time of year.






Mandevilla growing next to the backyard patio.

There were still raindrops on some of the flower petals and occasional drops/plops of rain falling from the trees overhead. Guess I don't need to point out that I love flowers, trees and anything green and growing.

I love the heady smell of Jasmine.

My grandson told some of his school friends, "My Nana lives in the woods." Considering all the trees in our yard, it kind of looks like the woods. Plus, our yard has bunches of flowers scattered here, there and everywhere.

Florida is, after all, the land of flowers. Just take a drive through any Florida neighborhood and you'll see a rainbow assortment of flowers.

As a kid, Lantana was one of my favorites.

Before I forget, we have lots of wildflowers blooming in our yard. Some are a pretty lavender/blue that look like some kind of Iris. There are some white ones that look like miniature daisies. The yellow ones are so small I didn't even try to take photos of those.





Some of the wildflowers in our yard.

I hope you stop by now and then to see my latest posts and photos. I'll be doing several Texas posts over the next week or two due to our mini-vacation to East Texas last month. I took so many cool photos on our trip that I have to share them with you.

If you love wildflowers, be sure to check out my previous post, "Wild About Texas Wildflowers," which includes lots of photos of gorgeous Texas wildflowers.

Daisy-like wildflowers in our yard.

I hope you love flowers as much as I do.

A Happy May Day to y'all.


Wild About Texas Wildflowers

These gorgeous wildflowers were everywhere.

Last week my husband, our two dogs, Shani and Dude, and I took a whirlwind five-day, mini-vacation road trip to East Texas and back. This was our first vacation in four years and, I must say, it was much too short. I could have spent weeks there instead of just days.

My husband and dogs aren't all that crazy about wildflowers, but I happen to wild about them.







These beautiful wildflowers were all along the roadside.

In all, we traveled 1,585 miles from the Florida Panhandle to East Texas, with stops in Beaumont, Temple, Waco, back to Beaumont and home.

Whew! I'm tired just thinking about all those miles. Thank goodness I was just the passenger and didn't have to do all that driving.






There were huge displays of Texas Bluebonnets.

Several hundred miles of that trip was through East Texas back roads so I could take photos of the wildflowers, farmlands, rolling hills, old buildings, rivers, Longhorns and anything else that caught my fancy. Of course, the wildflowers were the highlight of this short Spring trip.








Such a beautiful shade of yellow.

I love flowers and I'm particularly wild about wildflowers. Other than the Texas Bluebonnets, I don't know the names of any of these beautiful wildflowers. So when you look at my photos in this post, if you can identify the flowers I'd surely appreciate it if you'd let me know what they are in the comments below.







A wildflower along the Brazos River.

My camera is a relatively new one and I haven't learned all the ins and outs of the thing. So when I got back home I found that several of my "great photos" were actually blurred.

Hmm! Obviously I should have snapped a lot more photos and then I would have more to chose from. You would think that after all these years (more years than I care to count) I would have learned that lesson. Oh well. At least I did get a few wildflower photos worth adding to this post.

There were fields of these exquisite red wildflowers.

Our East Texas road trip was much too short. I could have spent days/weeks slowly meandering along the back roads, taking photos of everything that caught my eye. Rest assured, next time it'll be a much longer trip.

I you have some time on your hands, and you happen to be wild about wildflowers, then I'd suggest a Spring road trip through the back roads of East Texas. I'm sure you'll love every minute of the drive.



Over the next few days I'll be doing more East Texas posts. So please stop by for an assortment of Texas photos. Y'all come back now!