"Tourist" Saturday

After a trip to visit the oratory and town of Ave Maria (which I promise to blog about later), I was on an alligator hunt.  I needed my critter fix!  It was a great opportunity for me to try to learn to  use my 300x lens, also.  Because I wear one contact for distance, my right eye contact, it was a challenge to try to use that eye to look through the viewfinder.  Usually I look through my left.  Try that sometime - it's trickier than it sounds!  Of course, there is no "auto focus" when using this lense!  Therefore, I apologize for any blurriness in the images, but they are worth sharing, nonetheless.

At Ave Maria, the magnolia were beginning to bloom, so I couldn't resist a close-up.  See the bee tucked under the petals on the left?

Our second stop was Billy's Swamp Safari, where this guy stood at the fence questioning my motives.

And when making a very wide loop through our sun-kissed peninsula, we finally spotted gators in the wild.  Here's a small guy taking advantage of the rays.

And a bigger guy floating along, keeping an eye on the crazy lady at the side of the road.

Don't forget - you can click on any picture to see it larger!

Favorite places

Suze Weinberg inspired this post today.....thanks, Suze!

What a wonderful weekend - art walk on Friday, shelling, biking and sunning on the beach (with brunch and a treat squeezed in), creating, and shopping on Saturday, brunch and a game of dominos on Sunday with the in-laws.  How wonderful to play!  

Our bikes parked in the Bailey Tract on Sanibel - wonderful, wild place - an alligator habitat.  No alligators were seen, though, which only warrants a trip back during mating season (which begins in May), at which time they are more actively moving around.  :)  Can't wait!