Only In Florida

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 12:02 am

Manatee
This one is a youngster

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 12:04 am

Manatee
They are so darn ugly!

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 12:10 am

Do you want my big face?

On a boat

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 12:16 am

View from a boat

SteveS. · Post by **SteveS.** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 2:52 am

personaly, I think they are so darn ugly that they actualy become cute

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070413/sc_ ... anatees_dc

Angel · Post by **Angel** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 10:17 pm

I think they're darling!

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 10:37 pm

I thought so: when others have told me that they are cute!
I guess the manatee is sort of like Lizzie's eyes- odd or attractive is in the eye of the beholder.

Actually I have been up close to them at Blue Springs State Park- have swum there myself- I can hardly look at them.

1bigsteve · Post by **1bigsteve** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 11:06 am

"They have a face only a mother could love," as my mother used to say when she saw a woman with an ugly child.

It's hard to imagine sailors could mistake a manatee for a naked woman with a fish's tail fin. I guess if you are on the open sea long enough you can see anything. I would love to swim with one and scratch his fat belly.

-1bigsteve (o:

RayS · Post by **RayS** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 2:08 pm

1bigsteve @ Sun Apr 15, 2007 12:06 pm wrote:"They have a face only a mother could love," as my mother used to say when she saw a woman with an ugly child.

It's hard to imagine sailors could mistake a manatee for a naked woman with a fish's tail fin. I guess if you are on the open sea long enough you can see anything. I would love to swim with one and scratch his fat belly.

-1bigsteve (o:

I'm confused. Are you talking about a sailor, a manatee, or a naked woman?

1bigsteve · Post by **1bigsteve** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:59 pm

RayS @ Sun Apr 15, 2007 11:08 am wrote:
1bigsteve @ Sun Apr 15, 2007 12:06 pm wrote:"They have a face only a mother could love," as my mother used to say when she saw a woman with an ugly child.

It's hard to imagine sailors could mistake a manatee for a naked woman with a fish's tail fin. I guess if you are on the open sea long enough you can see anything. I would love to swim with one and scratch his fat belly.

-1bigsteve (o:
I'm confused. Are you talking about a sailor, a manatee, or a naked woman?

Ray, you naughty boy.

I was referring to the manatee. If a sailor want's his fat belly scratched he is out of luck with me. Yuck! I would like to swim with a manatee and rub his shnoogle (head) and scratch his belly. There is a scene in "Ring of Bright Water" of a toothless basking shark skimming through the water. It would be inviting to jump in and join him. Unfortunately he was harpooned. Kind of a gloomy movie.

I hear that a lot of manatees die from being hit with boat propellers. Someone ought to invent a screen that will keep the propellers away from the animals, as well as any people it might run over.

-1bigsteve (o:

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:47 pm

Some Garden photos for those who are starving for flowers and sun

I feel for you- I really do.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:49 pm

If a picture is cut off, please click on pic in box

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:51 pm

Spanish moss on a Big Old tree

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 2:26 am

I love Manatees! They always make me think of cows, like big, docile, sea cows. Beautiful pics, Kat. I love the ones with the Spanish Moss, nothing says the south to me like trees with Spanish Moss. I think I told you how as kids we took some home from Florida to try and grow it in New Jersey. Didn't quite work out though.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 2:20 pm

Yes and it has little mites in it!

That tree has a small Magnolia under it's wing.
The yeller tree is a tabebuia. (I think you helped me with that name in the past!)

As this blog article states: It's a "Car-Stopper!'
There's a huge one blooming right now at the bottom of my street and it stopped me yesterday!

I almost grabbed my camera but a car was coming up behind me.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/featur ... w_tre.html

Angel · Post by **Angel** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 2:44 pm

Thanks for sharing the gorgeous pictures. It's nice to see there are still flowers left in the world---we have had such horrible weather I'm almost forgetting what spring looks like.

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 8:52 pm

Wow! That is a gorgeous tree, Kat! Does it have a scent? That tree looks like a wonderful spot to have a little romantic picnic under for two.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 11:54 pm

No it doesn't have any particular flower scent. But the Orange Blossoms are going strong right about now, at night.
There is a pink tabebuia tree also down the bottom of my street. The house it belongs to is painted baby blue which looks weird in any season until that pink tree blossoms and then one understands!

SteveS. · Post by **SteveS.** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 12:58 am

Kat, your pictures are inspiring. You must live in a truly beautiful area.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 12:51 am

I was out again today.
More Flowers and Manatees.

Encore!

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 12:53 am

Another.
He came up for air right at my feet

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 12:56 am

A minute before, there were 2 kissing!
There was also a baby.
In this area, tho you can't tell, there were about 5 or 6.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 12:58 am

I'm not sure what these flowering vines are, but they are everywhere around my neighborhood!

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:02 am

The Tabebuia Tree down my street and around the corner
What that Blog called a "Car-Stopper!"

SteveS. · Post by **SteveS.** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:04 am

Really beautiful pics Kat. The manatees are awesome creatures and the flowers are just breathtaking....just what this forum needs to cheer us all up out of winter.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:05 am

Another flowering vine above a front door
May you all have flowers very soon!

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:11 pm

SteveS. @ Sat Apr 21, 2007 2:04 am wrote:Really beautiful pics Kat. The manatees are awesome creatures and the flowers are just breathtaking....just what this forum needs to cheer us all up out of winter.

Hi SteveS!
Thanks! Sorry I missed your post- you were quick.

BTW: Those white marks on the Manatees are seacraft propeller scars

SteveS. · Post by **SteveS.** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:17 pm

Kat wrote "BTW: Those white marks on the Manatees are seacraft propeller scars"

Thats awful! A seacraft thats supposed to bring us humans "pleasure" can bring pain and harm to other creatures. Makes me sad.

SteveS. · Post by **SteveS.** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:25 pm

Hi Kat,

The reason my post was so quick is because I work the evening shift so I spend most of my time on this forum late at night and just happened to be on here when Kat the night owl was posting her beautiful pics!

I love all the pics that get posted on here. Like they say " a picture's worth a 1000 words.".

shakiboo · Post by **shakiboo** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 7:35 pm

What beautiful flowers!!! It's finally warming up here and won't be long before I'll be planting flower's!!! Of course I'll have to wait for a bit for them to bloom!!! But I think Spring has finally sprung here!! Yippeee!!! Thanks for sharing your flowers!!!

Nadzieja · Post by **Nadzieja** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 9:19 pm

Kat, WOW those flowers are just beautiful, what kind of vine is that??? It is just so full & what a gorgeous color!!

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 11:04 am

SteveS. @ Sat Apr 21, 2007 2:17 pm wrote:Kat wrote "BTW: Those white marks on the Manatees are seacraft propeller scars"

Thats awful! A seacraft thats supposed to bring us humans "pleasure" can bring pain and harm to other creatures. Makes me sad.

Please don't be sad.

They are thinking of taking the Manatee off the Endangered Species list. So I guess they are thriving altho I don't think they should be removed from the list.

There was actually a baby Manatee nuzzling a prop blade while I was watching. It was getting nourishment by cleaning the stuff that sticks to things that are always in the water. So the blades are harmful when on and a source of food when off. Isn't that odd?

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 11:07 am

There are 2 other *new* pictures of flowering plants at the bottom of the page before this one that goes with the new *Collection*.

I keep thinking *Wisteria*? I would have to Google it.

Yooper · Post by **Yooper** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 11:41 am

That's quite a difference in climate from Florida to here! We're watching the last of the snowdrifts disappear. The lilacs are budding and I can find a crocus here and there.

SteveS. · Post by **SteveS.** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:20 pm

ok Kat, I won't be sad.

It's hard to stay sad with all the beautiful pics u post anyways. I agree that is odd that something that is food for them can also harm them but I guess that is just the way "nature" is. I didn't realise they get nourishment off the props. I thought they were just minding their own business and getting hit by them.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 11:37 pm

Yes they are minding their own business and getting run over by boats not paying attention, out in the waterways.
I can't say it doesn't hurt but they do have a lot of blubber.
But there are like 45 deaths a year from boaters- which seems like a lot to me.
But yea, it's *Nature*. I never knew they ate off propellers either until I saw it happen not 10 feet from me.

Thanks you guys for the compliments on my photos.

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:04 pm

Great pics, Kat! That appears to me to be Bougainvillea which we have tons of out here in California. I have learned the hard way whilst pruning it back that it has incredibly sharp, long thorns that seem to have some sort of poison on them. If you get stuck, the wounds hurt like the dickens for about a day. Heres a site link if you'd like to learn a bit about Bougainvillea.

http://www.tropicalgardening.com/Bougai ... llea1.html

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:32 pm

It very well may be, Susan! I have been Googling and your suggestion seems to be closest to what we see.
I almost stopped and asked today but tho a radio was playing at a location there was no one nearby.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:35 pm

BTW: The Tabeuia Tree is denuded already!

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 10:51 pm

Susan @ Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:04 pm wrote:Great pics, Kat! That appears to me to be Bougainvillea which we have tons of out here in California. I have learned the hard way whilst pruning it back that it has incredibly sharp, long thorns that seem to have some sort of poison on them. If you get stuck, the wounds hurt like the dickens for about a day. Heres a site link if you'd like to learn a bit about Bougainvillea.

http://www.tropicalgardening.com/Bougai ... llea1.html

You are right, Susan!
I was driving that way today and asked a neighbor.
It's a bush- not a flowering vine like I thought.
And he said it was just full of thorns- big nasty ones!

Apparently it survives drought pretty well. I'm noticing more and more of them everywhere now.

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 2:47 am

When my fiance first moved into his house he had a Bougainvillea growing in the front of it that looked much like the one in your pic. You could barely see the front of the house it was so huge. He didn't like having it there and a neighbor helped him by pulling it out with his truck and a chain wrapped around it.

Just when he thought that it was done and gone, it started growing back! I have to watch when I get out of his car when I'm wearing sandals or flip flops as the new growth is at ground level right next to the driveway. I've already ruined two pairs of pantyhose on this thing, but, its going to be a project for his gardener to get rid of now before he has his yard landscaped.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 10:38 pm

We all gave up pantyhose in Florida several years ago!

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:41 am

Believe me, when it gets warmer out, I give up pantyhose too!

Ugh, anything that traps in humid heat is a no-no! How Victorian women survived summers anywhere is beyond me; all that clothing, though beautiful, makes me break in prickly heat just thinking about it.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Thu May 03, 2007 12:23 pm

A daily occurence- a monster on my patio door.

Angel · Post by **Angel** » Thu May 03, 2007 12:29 pm

How big was he? When we lived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina we had something called blue tailed skinks skittering about and climbing on our house. I just loved them.

Haulover · Post by **Haulover** » Sat May 05, 2007 7:06 pm

exceptional, unexpected image.

if one ever gets in the toilet again -- grab your camera before you kill it.

shakiboo · Post by **shakiboo** » Sun May 06, 2007 4:20 pm

With that camera angle he looks big enough to use your lounge chair quite comfortably!!! He's not a insurance salesman is he?

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sun May 06, 2007 10:15 pm

He was back today on my screen! And his offspring ran into my bathroom Eugene!
I threw a towel over him and shooed him back out the door. Hooray I didn't have to kill him!

Angle I think hewas about 75% of the size in the pic. Really long tail tho- he must win all his fights!

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Mon May 07, 2007 11:47 am

This was on the news last Wednesday. The guy was driving along and thought he hit a speed bump! I guess 8 foot gators are considered speed bumps by now. This was over on the property which once housed our Navy Base.
http://www.local6.com/slideshow/news/10 ... ;s=1;w=400

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Mon May 07, 2007 8:26 pm

Wow! I think I would rather deal with your tiny lizards, Kat, instead of that monster in my yard, or house, or pool! So, was it killed from getting run over?