In Training Again

 El Camino de Santiago de Campostela here we come! We walked with our packs today and realized that we're in a zero sum game; the more extra pounds we can shed from our bodies, the more things we can bring along in our packs.

My Birthday

I had a great 68th birthday today. We finally got our kayaks wet on a lovely paddle on a quiet backwater in the Gulf of Mexico. Good thing I wasn't born a day later because storms are expected tomorrow.

A Fragrant Spring

Three of our four grapefruit trees are blossoming--more profusely than in any of the past 14 years. As can be seen in this photo, many of the blossoms have already set fruit. The yard smells great, and if all goes well we should have a bumper crop of grapefruit come December.

Jake and Varmints

Our golden retriever Jake is conscientious about keeping varmints away from our house. He drives away rabbits, some of the legions of squirrels nearby and, presumably, the many raccoons and opossums that would course through our yard. He hates black vultures also and keeps them barely at bey, but they are persistent and are a challenge because they don't cower readily. Like them, some varmints bear continued attention. He apparently doesn't deal with snakes, but that has been an important contributor to his longevity.

Armadillos present a problem. They burrow under our back deck and, clunky and clumsy as they may be, should Jake catch one, they are hard to get one's teeth into, and they flee under the fence. Their armored integument makes them resistant to Jake, whose teeth rarely come into play; he's a big impressive dog and intimidation is his game, and why don't they get it?


Some instruction book we read how to avoid screwing up your dog's life cautioned that one must keep his dog mentally stimulated. Thank you, armadillos; whatever else you may have accomplished, you have kept Jake meaningfully employed.

Southern Blue Flag

Southern Blue Flag irises (Iris virginica) are at their peak now. We photographed this one last Monday on the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, where roadside ditches are often choked with hundreds of blossoming plants.

Another Great Day of Hiking

Here is a view as we were beginning today's six-mile hike in San Felasco Hammock State Preserve. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful place, but don't take my word for it. Just try to put yourself in the photo. As followers probably know, we are planning to do the Camino again this year, but we have come to enjoy the dreaded "training" almost as much as the main event.

Ready to Go

We took one step closer to the allure of Lower Suwannee waterways this week. Here you will see our kayaks prepared to depart for the launch site. Our attachment seemed to work very well. Stay tuned for reports delivered from the superhighways.