Cherish is my favorite word, and I cherish the ability of turning the routine into a beautiful moment.
Nature creates in me, a spiritual and meditative time to bring peace, harmony and balance, into an otherwise ordinary day~
Mary Howell Cromer







Friday, March 13, 2015

A Journey To Florida, And A Bidding Of Farewell~


My first sunrise at Deerfield Beach, Florida after arriving the evening before~

I will be dedicating this post to my beloved father-in-law, Dr. William Rush Cromer.  He is in his final days and we, as a family are in the process of bidding him farewell.  I have known this wonderful man for over 51 years and been a part of his family for over 45 years.  He was raised in Miami Florida, married his beloved wife Lois there and my husband Bill was born there.  This is going to be a difficult time for us, and I am thankful I had these in draft form, before things took a change for the worst.  I took this image of him a year ago March 30, at Ashleigh and Matt's wedding. 
Please lift up our family in your prayers and heart thoughts during this difficult time.  Thanking you~



My mother always said Smile, and you have to Smile when you think about how long it took for me to get to Florida and the obstacles that tried to stop me.  Bad weather, illness, broken down Amtrak trains, and then a 5 hour delay, nearly a cancellation with a mechanical problem on the airplane.  Then on my return, we got word that my home state would be getting upwards of 20 to 25 inches of snow in just over 24 hours and of course we did not know exactly where the snow would hit at it's worst.  My home got a fresh coating of 9 1/2 atop what all, we already had.  Just an hour South of us, made national news though as over 400 cars were stranded along with some 200 18 wheeler trucks, what a mess! I decided to extend my visit with my daughter and her husby in sunny Florida and extra 2 days, now that was a huge Smile for me~

Remember to double click on the first image, to view a larger slide show presentation after you have read the narratives~

I will be linking up with Judith for:

www.lavendercottagegardening.com

&

Stewart for:
   http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/


Papayas grow outside my daughters' back yard and there are always the Boat-tailed Grackles to greet you the first of daybreak~


We visited a few beaches along A1A, but Deerfield was within easy walking distance from their home~


Ashleigh and her husby Matthew are just the sweetest couple to be around.  Their first anniversary is March 30~


 I was busy taking Iguana images that I knew were not going to be very interesting, when Ashleigh yelled, "Mommie, look behind you", and wow was this big beauty close too~


Later on my first day with them and the only day with rain, we visited the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge near Boynton Beach, which was fantastic~




On Sunday morning, I walked back over to Deerfield Beach to watch the sunrise, and it was glorious~


Ashleigh and Matty as she affectionately calls him, rode their bikes over to meet me~



There were awesome surfing waves with many a surfer doing their thing early in the day~



Brown Pelicans, just love those chaps, along with the very loud and animated Seagulls.  The dying Jellyfish were a sad sight, but this happens every day, and so I took the last of their beauty~




Just outside the young couples bungalow were the images in mosaic below~




Ashleigh and Matt surprised me with a special day trip over to Sanibel Island and what another beautiful day was had by all.  We drove through the beautiful J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge~





Back to Deerfield Beach and another gorgeous day~




On my last day in Florida Ashleigh had to work and so my son-in-law Matt took me on a day adventure to Wakodahatchee Wetlands and what a spectacular place it was.  So many amazing species of birds and wildlife all living in such close proximity~









25 comments:

  1. Fabulous images and so exotic...and what a breathe of fresh air to see sand, surf and those sunrises/sunsets on the ocean. I am sorry to hear about you father-in-law. You, your father-in-law and your family are in my prayers. Sending hugs.

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  2. Extraordinary photos. A few will be on my desktop presentation. (Thanks :) Extending love and prayers to you and the family.

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  3. Great series of wonderful images. Beautiful birds.

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  4. love the iguanas and the anhingas. i smiled widely at the whistling ducks. :)

    i am sorry for the impending loss of your father-in-law, but he was with you a long time and i know you spent a good amount of time with him, making sure he still got out to feed the ducks and all. bless him and all of you.

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  5. Hi Mary. A beautiful dedication to your father-in-law. Fabulous images to savour from your Florida visit.

    We both send our prayers to you and all the family. Stay safe and strong.

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  6. Hi Mary - This is just simply a glorious series of photos! Need I say more? You have such a gift for photography. And I'm sorry to hear about your father-in-law. I lost my Dad last October (he was 92), and it's never easy to let someone go.

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  7. That trip to Florida definitely inspired your creativity to new heights Mary.Those sunlit images just made me yearn to visit Florida and experience its warmth and its wildlife. The mix and juxtaposition of family, landscapes, wildlife and words is just lovely.

    I send all of my best wishes to you and your family at this difficult time. You must and will stay strong for all involved - I know that will be so.

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  8. I am sorry about about your father in law, lovely man.
    Beautiful beaches, and all things natural, thanks Mary.

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  9. Oh dear, there is nothing sadder than preparing for a family member, passing. It's heart breaking to know you'll be left behind..but oh the good memories that lay in store for you and your family in days to come. The loss never leaves your heart, but the smiles the good days remembered will follow soon and be cherished for an eternity.

    Loved all the Florida clips of such beautification. We haven't seen an anhinga in two years now. Hmmmm. Wonder if they're all along the FLORIDA coast then?

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  10. Your photos are wonderful, Mary. I'm so sorry your visit was not a totally happy one. It's so hard to let a loved one go!

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  11. Such awesome photos and mosaics. You put a lot of effort into it all. I'm very sorry this is such a challenging time for you and your loved ones. I pray that everything comes together for you all in organizing the final farewell. Big hugs. xx

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  12. Hi Mary,

    Your photos are so gorgeous. Love your sunrises and the wildlife--pelicans are just beautiful birds, aren't they. I'm so glad you got to go and see your newlyweds. I'm very sorry this time has arrived in your family and your dear father in law getting ready to leave this earth. Will pray for your family and all that will take place during this time.

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  13. I'm very sorry about your father in law too and will keep you all in my prayers. I'm so glad you got to make the trip to FL and bring your camera. Oh my...you really have an eye for fabulous shots my friend and you got to go around and see a lot. My hubby and I are both enjoying your blog this morning. Sweet hugs, Diane

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  14. I'm happy that you finally made it to Florida and were able to get out and get some photos of the scenery and birds.
    Sad about your FIL, keep happy memories of him in your mind.
    Thank you for linking to MM Mary.

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  15. So many beautiful images from your time in Florida, and lovely mosaics. I especially like all the birds.
    Love and prayers to you all.

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  16. Oh first of all I am so sad to hear about your dear. FIL and send you and your husband my thoughts as you go through this sad time. I'm so sorry. Ill ready knew from earlier posts of yours what a wonderful man he is.

    Your florida pictures are beyond wonderful. You. And your kiddos packed a whole season of fun into your short visit and you saw a seasons worth of wonderful wildlife. Loved them all.

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  17. Ah yes we did get a lot of the same shots in Fl even though we were in different parts. I do love Fl in the winter. So much to do. Thank-you for directing me to your beautiful blog Kentucky friend.

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  18. The orange beach house with the orange-tinged clouds above...be still my fiber heart! Beautiful images, Mary!

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  19. fabulous images from your trip Mary. I send you and your family my thoughts and prayers at this sad time for you all. I know and understand what you may be going through right now. Be still and rest easy knowing he will be at peace.

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  20. My thoughts are with you...
    My Mums 84 and still drives herself to the gym twice a week... some people go on forever.

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  21. What a lovely area to call home! You saw some amazing birds and other critters, too. Lovely photos.

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  22. Sorry to hear about your father in law. This is a fantastic post and this was a wonderful trip you had. Amazing birds and photography and wonderful sky shots.

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  23. Wow! Magnificent photos of Florida Your skill with a camera is incredible! Had a chuckle over the snows on the shoes sign. Gorgeous scenery and birds and critters. I just enjoyed every minute!

    Prayers going out for your family. Your father-in-law looks like such a sweetie...I know he will be missed. God bless his close loved ones as they say goodbye. Glad you got to go there especially with all the delays, etc.

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  24. What a wonderful blog post - your Florida images are stunning. I am sorry to hear about your father in law, my prayers and thoughts are with you - you've made a wonderful and touching tribute to him.

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  25. Dear Mary,

    I know how fond you are of your sweet father-in-law, and can imagine how difficult this time must be for you and your family. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you at this most challenging time.

    Your trip to Florida, captured in these spectacular photos, surely was an adventure! Those pelicans in flight are a sight, indeed! What brilliant skies, frothy waters and collections of characters, all merging into one, constant stream of activity. And, what a different environment from Tingsgrove - hard to believe these two worlds are only hours apart, and on the same continent!

    So happy that you got a chance to roam and relax in warmer temps. Spending time with your daughter and her husband must have been the best! Hope you're feeling better, my friend.

    Take care.

    Hugs,
    Poppy

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