It's not quite 6 a.m. in Florida and I'm back at Dunkin' Donuts, because although my stepsister and her husband have a coffee machine, they had no coffee that I could find -- so I decided to just take a walk up the highway. Nobody else will be up for hours so I imagine I will not be missed!
February and March are great times to visit Florida, because many of the trees are blooming -- the red kapok, the purple jacaranda and the yellow Tabebuia, above. I haven't seen the first two yet, and in fact I'm seeing a lot of frost-scorched plants from a freeze that struck this area several weeks ago. Fortunately the Tabebuias weren't set back by the cold.
I took a walk around the neighborhood yesterday morning and was struck by how many birds I was hearing. It was a chorus! I made a recording:
According to my Merlin bird app, here's what you're hearing in just that one-minute clip:
Pretty amazing, right?! This really is an incredible, diverse jungle of a state. I have no idea why the Parula warbler is my "bird of the day," whatever that is. Speaking of which, I haven't checked the wildlife cam yet, so I don't know whether I'm capturing video of any critters. I'll download everything right before I leave and post whatever video results when I'm back in London on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, here's a video of another exotic (to me now, anyway) creature, a limpkin. Doesn't it sound positively prehistoric?
I spent yesterday morning running some errands with my stepbrother and his wife, including going to Target, where I was amused to see this:
It's kind of surreal to be on the other side of the planet and stumble across a picture of a crosswalk that's right around the corner from the school where I work!
Soon afterwards, my stepbrother's son, daughter and her husband and kids woke up after an all-night drive from Louisiana, and nine of us went to Alfonso's, a pizza restaurant that has existed since we were kids and still operates out of the same storefront near our house. I think the staff were a little horrified to see our loud gang (including three preschoolers) come through the door but they handled everything well, and it was good to sit and catch up with people I haven't seen for at least a decade (or in the case of my niece's husband and kids, never). It struck me that as much as memorials are about the people who died, they're also an opportunity for a reunion of sorts, a convergence of family members who are normally flung across the face of the planet. People say funerals are really for the living, and I guess that's true.
My brother arrived in the afternoon and we went to Starbucks and caught up there.
The actual memorial is today, and I've prepared some remarks along the lines of my blog post from a month ago. We'll see if I get brave and actually deliver them.
Last night we all gathered for another loud meal, and brave Pinky watched all the activity mostly from the couch, where she snuggled up against me. (I was sitting where my stepmother normally would.) Pinky was very happy to get a few tiny nibbles of pizza. Her little tail was wagging like crazy.
Who ever imagined that Pinky would wind up being the survivor of her whole household, outliving not only her chihuahua companion Manny but also my dad and stepmother? (My stepsister's son, who lives in my stepmother's house, is caring for her now.)
When I lived in Florida February was my favorite season!
ReplyDeleteAll that stuff blooming in Florida now is hell for people with seasonal(in FL year round) allergies.
ReplyDeleteIt all looks bloomin' marvellous.
ReplyDeleteThose are all just about the same birds I hear every day. The cardinals and Carolina wrens seem to usually predominate but the other ones have their parts in the chorus too. We only hear and see the limpkins by the rivers. But they're there.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad you made this trip. I'm sure it means a great deal to the family and to you as well. And yes, even to Pinky. Poor little baby.
I think you SHOULD deliver some of what you wrote. It was a beautiful testimony to a life.
Did you get the Abbey Road T-shirt?
It seems odd to say "seems like a pretty good time, under the circumstances," but -- well, it does. You're right about the reunion/connection elements of these occasions. That can be healing in itself. There's certainly a lot of eye candy (and ear candy, too) in your area. Rick is in Punta Gorda now and hasn't once mentioned the flowering trees! I'll have to get on his case about that!
ReplyDeleteIt feels like this visit is nice and low key - with plenty of time to reflect and be with family. I hate rushing around, so I'm glad.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great gathering of family - making new memories together.
ReplyDeleteHoly Smokes , All Those Sounds In 60seconds , Way Flipping Cool - Stoked That You Couldn't Find The Coffee And Went For Walk
ReplyDeleteWell Done ,
Cheers
P.S. Yes , This Is What Retirement Is Like
I love hearing all those birds. I've been sitting on my balcony in the late afternoon and have noticed quite a lot of bird song out there. More than usual I think. And yes, that one bird does sound a bit prehistoric. Is it my imagination or does Pinky look a tiny bit bewildered?
ReplyDeleteIt is so strange that funerals or memorials can also be such a wonderful time to get together and reunite with family. My family is not a family of family reunions, so funerals and weddings are about it.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are able to give your memories of your stepmother. Take care and enjoy the birds of Florida. Sending hugs.
Your morning walk was picturesque with flowering trees and lots of FL diverse birdlife.
ReplyDeleteThe family gathering does sound like a reunion. Catching up with everybody will be good. Sharing memories and holding each other close is important at this time.
Take care Steve.
A busy day, take care of yourself.
ReplyDeleteIf you can speak in front of a bunch of school kids you can deliver your memories to your family. I didn't hear most of those birds on your audio clip. I have the window open in my bedroom and wake to birdsong. Poor Pinky. I hope your nephew gives her the attention and affection she's(?) used to. I've never heard of nor seen a tabebuia tree. It's a beauty.
ReplyDelete