Playing with the Girls

A quick trip to Connecticut to celebrate Hazel's third birthday.

Hazel

Willa

Two Blue Herons

Two dark blue herons.  The tricolored heron (above) has a white belly, a light stripe up the front of its neck and it has light-colored legs.  The little blue heron is dark blue throughout, including its legs.

A Cattle Egret in Flight

This guy took off.  I had to check a bird book to identify him.  Cattle egrets have shorter bills than other egrets and buff orange on their heads and bellies.

Third on Canvas

Last Sunday and Monday 40 artists were stationed on Third Street South, one of Naples' prominent shopping streets.  They created plein air paintings, inspired by the historic and picturesque ambience.

The completed works will be exhibited February 27-29 at Naples Art 

and auctioned at Naples Art the evening of February 29.

Naples Zoo

The Naples Zoo is hosting a superb exhibit, National Geographic's Photo Ark, with photographs by noted photographer Joel Sartore and informative text about the animals he portrays.

The Zoo turned 100 last year.  It has had a productive string of births of endangered species.

This is a clouded leopard.  They live in the mountains and trees of southeast Asia.

Last May three lion cubs were born in the zoo.  These are two of the three.

The most recent birth, one month ago, is of a slender-horned gazelle.  There are only about 600 remaining in the wild in their north Africa range in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria.

I think this is a parent, not the baby.

The zoo offers boat rides in a small lagoon where various monkeys live on islands.

A Roseate Spoonbill

He looked lost, hanging out with ducks, ibises and egrets.

A Mockingbird?

I recognize most of Florida's large wading birds, but I am not as good at recognizing smaller birds.

I googled "small gray bird Florida" and learned that the mockingbird fits the description and 

is the state bird of Florida.  What do you think?  Does anyone know?

Muscovy Ducks

Muscovy ducks seem to be noticeably bigger than other ducks.  Their size and bright red masks

catch our attention.  A male is on the left and two females are on the right.

Golf Tournament

My club is having a golf tournament from Thursday through Sunday.  I play golf for the fresh air, exercise and companionship.  In other words, I stink.  So, I am not playing in the tournament.

Chow Time

Gopher tortoises foraging in the late afternoon.

Bougainvillea

A long lens, a narrow depth of field and strong sunlight on the water beyond

the limb produced a nice bubble effect.  Better lucky than good . . .

Out of the Jurisdiction: Vizcaya III

The gardens are formal.  Originally they incorporated plants like roses that could not hold up to the south Florida climate (and occasional hurricane and flooding visits).  Today

most of the non-native plants are gone.

The ocean side gives visitors an alternative grand entrance to the house.

In his day, Deering's yacht was moored behind the house, next to this stone barge platform.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Vizcaya II

Like many wealthy people in the "Golden Age," James Deering -- the owner of Vizcaya -- was enamored of European style and arts.  His architect incorporated Italian Renaissance styles, and he collected whole rooms in Europe to incorporate into Vizcaya.

Deering welcomed business visitors in his office.

The ceiling is from a European castle.  The chandelier is Venetian.

Deering was an avid sailor.  Images of caravelles are incorporated in the house's decor.

Deering had different craftsmen make each chair, so they are similar but each is different.

The organ has a panel behind it to hide the pipes.

A beautiful ceiling.

And, colored glass panes afford a look into the gardens, which will be visited tomorrow.