Picture-A-Week 2018 - Week 01

Pictures taken between Monday, January 1 and Sunday, January 7.

Happy New Year!

To those who enjoy and never post, resolve to join in on this little project during the coming year.

To all of the regular posters, keep the great photos coming!

Dave

My resolution for 2018 was limited to a single word. "Simplify". With all the complexity that is growing up around us, I am going to spend much of this year organizing, improving and generally getting a grip on the things, places and information that we use daily. One of the first places to get the treatment is our kitchen. Our house was built in the ‘50s and back then I guess folks didn’t have a need for much storage. Well, that’s going to change a lot. We are adding drawers for specific equipment, adjustable shelving and lighting to eliminate the dark corners. We’re making it pretty too. Who knew seeking simplicity would be so complicated?

Simplify

Dave

Our kitchen needs an overhaul. Our house was built in 1961.

Dave I asked you question on week 52 -- where in the Caribbean did you have the smoked whiskey?

Since your house was built in the 1950's do you have all of the original kitchen cabinets?

I ask because dinner plates that are sold these days often don't fit in dinner cabinets from years back as they are larger then what was sold back then. This is a sign of the times with people eating larger quantities of food.

Nice photo. Your pantry looks well organized.

Keith

Our kitchen needs an overhaul. Our house was built in 1961.

Dave I asked you question on week 52 -- where in the Caribbean did you have the smoked whiskey?

Served in the World Class Bar on the Equinox during our deep Caribbean cruise last may.

Dave

More wildlife to kick off the New Year post...

This cute innocent little bird has a bad reputation and a mean nickname...this is the loggerhead shrike, aka 'butcher bird':

Here's a description of the bird's behavior from the Cornell Ornithology site:

Loggerhead Shrikes sit on low, exposed perches and scan for rodents, lizards, birds, and insects. They eat smaller prey (such as ground beetles) right away, but they are famous for impaling larger items on thorns or barbed wire to be eaten later.

A lovely green heron shining in the sun:

Normally a pretty dull-looking black oily bird, the anhinga gets all gussied up at mating season, turning on some bright orange bill colors, putting on some green around the eyes, and growing out the whispy hair-like grey feathers along the neck and head to attract a mate:

A black-bellied whistling duck flying towards me:

It was cold on this day, about 55 degrees for the high, which is cold in Florida - the cold-blooded alligators are NOT happy in this weather and normally sit lethargically doing nothing but getting warm in the sun. But this youngster saw an opportunity to hunt for a meal - he parked himself in the water against the reeds, back in the sun so he could stay warm, and just kept his mouth open for 20-30 minutes, being perfectly still...until an unsuspecting fish decided to swim through the gap in the 'reeds', which was of course the waiting mouth of the alligator, which snapped closed and snagged the fish:

More wildlife to kick off the New Year post...

 

This cute innocent little bird has a bad reputation and a mean nickname...this is the loggerhead shrike, aka 'butcher bird':

 

Here's a description of the bird's behavior from the Cornell Ornithology site:

Loggerhead Shrikes sit on low, exposed perches and scan for rodents, lizards, birds, and insects. They eat smaller prey (such as ground beetles) right away, but they are famous for impaling larger items on thorns or barbed wire to be eaten later.

 

A lovely green heron shining in the sun:

 

Normally a pretty dull-looking black oily bird, the anhinga gets all gussied up at mating season, turning on some bright orange bill colors, putting on some green around the eyes, and growing out the whispy hair-like grey feathers along the neck and head to attract a mate:

 

A black-bellied whistling duck flying towards me:

 

It was cold on this day, about 55 degrees for the high, which is cold in Florida - the cold-blooded alligators are NOT happy in this weather and normally sit lethargically doing nothing but getting warm in the sun. But this youngster saw an opportunity to hunt for a meal - he parked himself in the water against the reeds, back in the sun so he could stay warm, and just kept his mouth open for 20-30 minutes, being perfectly still...until an unsuspecting fish decided to swim through the gap in the 'reeds', which was of course the waiting mouth of the alligator, which snapped closed and snagged the fish:

Justin

You are so fortunate to live in an area with so much wild life.

Great pictures.

Served in the World Class Bar on the Equinox during our deep Caribbean cruise last may.

 

 

 

Dave

Thank you Dave. We were racking our brains trying to think of a place in the Caribbean where DH could get that drink.

We have never sailed on Celebrity.

Thank you for posting your wonderful pictures.