Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Sunshine, here I come!!

By the time you read this, I have left on a trip!!!!

To sunshine....

To the giant waves...

To gorgeous sunsets...

To my youngest daughter's arms (which I have been missing!) once again.

Yes!!!

We left Tuesday for Florida and will be gone for a two week trip to visit my daughter and the love of her life: Nick.

I have pre-posted some posts for you to read while I am away, so please keep visiting my blog over the next two weeks!!!

And I will be checking your comments whenever I can get wifi at the hotels we stay at while I am on the road.

And you can bet I am going to take some brand new pictures of the tropics for you while I am there.

Because I LOVE things like THIS:

Any kind of tropical birds.
Like this pelican, whose picture I took last year, for instance.
Isn't he GORGEOUS???
I called him up for another date. I told him where we would have our secret meeting.
He said okay.

But you know how they are. (All bills and beak and no action!)

He better not stand me up!

It would break my heart!



And then there is that little thing called the ocean.
You know.....
crashing waves and all of that.

I think maybe...
just maybe....
I can find a little time to photograph it again, like I did last year.
Can you smell the salt?:




And the sunsets!!

Sigh.

And the second best thing to a sunset?
Birds in the sunset....

Like this one I took last year:



And you can bet that I will be right here every night that I can,
capturing more sunsets.
Rapture!:


I don't know if my daughter will let me take any photos of her while we are visiting or not.

I'll see what I can do to get her to let me...

(If I can quit hugging on her long enough to aim a camera on her, that is....)


P.S. I am verrrrryyyyyy close to having 200 Followers!!! Wow!! I am totally honored and THRILLED!
So, if you haven't signed on as a FOLLOWER yet, do it this week, and leave a comment telling me that you joined on.... because as soon as I reach 200 Followers (and when I get back from my vacation), I will put all my 200 Follower's names in a bag and pull ONE name out to get a secret surprise. Its going to be GOOD, I promise.
And I want to personally thank each and every one of the rest of you for being Followers of my blog. It has meant SO much to me...
As Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz...I love you all!!!
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23 comments:

  1. S-V-HDecember 2, 2009 at 10:35 AM

    I'm looking forward to all the promised photos, Gran. They will be grat, I know!

    I wish you the best time together with your daughter in sunny Florida! And now go...and hug her again :)

    Enjoy the sunshine state!
    Susanne

    P.S.
    I am already your follower

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  2. UnknownDecember 2, 2009 at 11:15 AM

    Wow! Beautiful shots! Enjoy your trip!

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  3. UnknownDecember 2, 2009 at 11:16 AM

    Have a great trip!

    I'm going to be watching your followers total 'cause I want to be first to sign up for your giveaway... if it's going to be photography, I want to win, win, win!!!

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  4. AnonymousDecember 2, 2009 at 11:53 AM

    Hi from Michigan you remember that state don't you? Hope you have a wonderful trip and bask in the sunshine often.
    vickie

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  5. JeanetteDecember 2, 2009 at 12:23 PM

    Oh my goodness, you take the most gorgeous pictures! Looking forward to ocean and sunlight and bird pics in the next two weeks. Have a great time!

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  6. Brian MillerDecember 2, 2009 at 2:04 PM

    i hope you have an amazing trip...and that he does not stand you up, lol. beautiful pics. enjoy the family...and see you soon.

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  7. ashley folkemaDecember 2, 2009 at 4:00 PM

    Whoo-hoo! Enjoy that warm weather you will soon be experiencing. And look at you all prepared with already made posts. I will be sure to check back. :)

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  8. DJanDecember 2, 2009 at 5:22 PM

    Thank you for giving me a taste of what's coming for later on, and since I joined you a few months back I never got to see these Florida pictures before. That pelican is definitely a treat! Hope he shows up!

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  9. SaraDecember 2, 2009 at 5:26 PM

    Have fun with your daughter and your trip , get a tan for me:)

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  10. CarolDecember 2, 2009 at 5:32 PM

    Oh my gosh, how fun, I feel as though I am there. I love Florida in the winter that is. Giggle. Have a safe trip

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  11. BernieDecember 2, 2009 at 6:00 PM

    .....and we love you...you are so kind and generous sharing your beautiful photo's with us all, we are the one's who are thankful. Enjoy your daughter my friend, she is one of if not the best gift and blessing you have in your life...:-) Hugs

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  12. LucyDecember 2, 2009 at 6:23 PM

    Your pictures make me ache for the warmth I know exists in Florida. We have a couple of months before we can go, so thanks for the pics and have fun!

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  13. The Retired OneDecember 2, 2009 at 7:13 PM

    Eva: Thanks so much...I hope the warm weather gets there...I heard the next few days will be colder than usual there! But, heck...it is still warmer than Michigan!

    Gaston: It will involve photography, you can bet on it. ha

    Brian: Thanks! He better not stand me up!

    Ashley: Yes, I prepared posts...I was too scared of losing all of my wonderful Followers if I didn't keep everybody somewhat entertained while I was away. ha

    Sara: I sure will try. ha

    Carol: safe so far...we are in Tennessee tonight. It is windy and cold but still warmer than in Michigan. ha

    Lucy and Dick: Yes, I am glad to be heading down now...then we will be back to the collllllld. ha

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  14. Rick (Ratty)December 3, 2009 at 1:35 AM

    See if you can find another dragon down in Florida. The ones up here in Michigan seem to have gone into hiding with the cold weather. Then again, we all know what trouble the last one caused. :)

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  15. SquirrelQueenDecember 3, 2009 at 3:18 AM

    Gorgeous photos, the pelican is one of my favorites. We are having ice fog now and a chance of snow over the weekend. I will have to enjoy the warmth of your beach photos. Ahhhh!

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  16. Sandi McBrideDecember 3, 2009 at 3:42 PM

    Hope your trip is wonderful! I know it will be, though!
    Sandi

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  17. InsanitykimDecember 3, 2009 at 6:07 PM

    Have a great time Joan! Will check in as always! :)

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  18. Betsy Banks AdamsDecember 4, 2009 at 12:10 AM

    Hi there, I am already one of those almost 200 lucky followers. I have 188 followers now myself.

    Hope you enjoy your time in sunny Florida. Enjoy some of the Farm Stores Eggnog while down there. They say it's the best in the WORLD. (I've never had it.)

    Your pictures are gorgeous.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  19. Far Side of FiftyDecember 4, 2009 at 2:22 AM

    Have a safe trip..hope you have good weather for photos! :)

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  20. The Retired OneDecember 4, 2009 at 7:16 AM

    Suzanne: I hope I get good weather to capture some of them..thanks!

    Vickie: Of course I remember Michigan.ha But it is at least 1000 miles behind us today.

    Jeanette: We sure will try to have a good time. Thanks Sweetie!

    DJan: I love those pelicans, so if he doesn't show up, I will be upset. ha

    Bernie: Yes, both of our daughters are quite the blessings and we always miss them so much!

    Ratty: I will be on the look out for another dragon...and maybe a few squirrels too...I heard one was calling your name...

    SquirrelQueen: As we are traveling down, the nation is having a cold front. Even parts of Georgia are saying they might get snow! We have lucked out thus far...we are almost to Florida and only had about 2 hours of rain to drive thru and no snow or ice!

    Sandi: Thanks so much! So far, so good!

    Insanity: I hope so...I count on hearing from you. (smiles)

    Betsy: I know you are one of my Followers, I always look forward to hearing from you. I will look for the eggnog, thanks for the tip. ha

    Far Side: It is predicted to be good from Sunday on, so I hope so too. Thanks!!

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  21. L. D. December 4, 2009 at 9:57 PM

    Wow, your camera is going to melt down from all the snapping. Have a great time. Soak in all that sunshine.

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  22. The Retired OneDecember 5, 2009 at 10:06 AM

    L.D.: you are correct, the trigger will be hot! ha It is raining today and cold in Florida...but by Monday it is supposed to be back up in the 70's and 80's by Wednesday. Woot!!

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  23. JamesApril 7, 2010 at 4:11 PM

    These are wonderful photos. I wish that I could climb through the screen and onto the beach.

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