There is a reason I keep returning to Washington Oaks Gardens State Park. It contains a formal garden filled with beautiful plants. Late winter is when the azaleas came into their glory. These are mature shrubs and were loaded with blooms when I visited on Monday. I was delighted to catch the show as I have missed it in the past.

I’m afraid I went a little trigger happy with the camera — one of the reasons I enjoy digital rather than the old film cameras, although I think the latter had better quality photos, especially on the 35mm films. I worked at Eastman Kodak for a short time in their Palo Alto facility and saw a lot of photos. I worked on 35mm, then 126mm and 110mm, doing color correction. Tedious work, but interesting. Sorry, the flowers are a little blurred above. My camera isn’t the best for close-ups with flowers.

I knew the azaleas would be blooming as a few gardens in my neighborhood were also giving a show. I will note there are not a lot of really good gardeners in my neighborhood and a ton of lawns. Guess I’m a garden snob, although I haven’t had one of my own for many years now… I just know what I like. The gardening crew at the Gardens are top notch and always busy keeping up the trails and beds.

I usually drop down to the embankment to sit on one of the benches and stare at the water. There wasn’t too much boat activity it being a weekday and no dolphins… still a gorgeous day. I did watch an osprey flapping its wings as it studied the water below. There is a reason the Air Force has a plane called the Osprey. The wind was brisk and the water choppy, which was probably another reason for less boat activity.

I usually stop at River to Sea Preserve before going to Washington Oaks, as it is a little further north and I can double back to the state park. The trail around River to Sea is only about one mile, with a lot of side trails, including one picnic area next to the waterway. As someone with an artistic eye, I am continually fascinated by the contorted branches of the big oak trees in this area. I did note a lot of fresh new growth on the trees. It appears the local flora has benefitted from all the extra rain the region has been receiving.

Oak trees define the local hammocks, although there are also Hollies, Maples, Pignut Hickory, Pines, and Palms. I’m still learning things here. The vegetation is so different from what I’ve seen in the past… in Washington State. And in SE Florida, everything is more manicured and the floral palette is slightly different with more palms trees and smaller oak trees. The SE coast was literally hacked out of swamps… and drained.

I took the 2.5 mile trail at Washington Oaks on Monday, along with the one mile trail at Sea to River Preserve and my wandering around the formal gardens and embankment later. Every time I go out, the walks get easier as I gain in strength and stamina. I also wear proper footwear. I witnessed a few people hiking in flipflops. My own feet would be very upset with me if I did that… I just had on a good pair of walking shoes.

This morning (Tuesday) I went to Bulow Woods. I first walked north towards Cisco Ditch and then to the beach on Bulow Creek. The tide was slightly out. I watched a heron fishing in the shallow water for a while. The bird didn’t seem too disturbed with my presence.

When I’m out hiking these trails, I’m hardly alone for long. While I had the beach by myself, I also didn’t linger long. I probably passed a dozen people on the way out and back to the car. The park visitors are an interesting mix. Some are out walking their dogs. I met a bird watcher who was looking fixedly up into the trees… after a Northern warbler. I couldn’t see it; didn’t know what it was. I saw some herons and egrets, little tiny birds, heard an owl, woodpecker and a flicker. My knowledge of bird species is somewhat wanting…

I dropped down to Cedar Creek. I enjoy taking photos there. If the water is calm, it makes a good mirror for reflections. Sometimes I’ll also come across wading birds, but not today. The birds tend to feed when the tide is low so they can pick up nibbles from the sticky mud.

The park foresters are making some progress on their controlled burns. Not all of the areas have been handled yet. Also, the northern trail is still not open. There are some really big trees up that way and a lot of marshy trail. When I first lived in the area, I hiked the five mile loop once and remember it as being quite muddy in spots and probably under water during rainstorms. The park is still digging out of the thick book of work (and few funds/manpower) to complete after the last hurricane in the area (2022).

Oh, my… I just learned there are 19 native oak trees that grow in Florida. I think I need a good tree book to help identify them. I know we have Laurel oaks, Southern Live Oaks, Myrtle Oak, Turkey Oak, and Sand Oak in the area… at least those are the ones I can identify right now.

When I arrived at my favorite little peninsula, I met two men with a huge dog, Rocky. We chatted for awhile. Rocky was a Shepherd of some sort, not a German Shepherd. He had big bones and a heavy build. The dog was more preoccupied with all of the delicious scents in the area. I do have brief conversations with the people I meet, if they are friendly… some aren’t. I just smile and greet them.

After finishing up my hike today, I headed to the local Chinese restaurant for take-out, treating myself again. Cooking for one is boring, especially when attempting to cook in someone else’s kitchen. I keep it simple.

Well, that’s it for today. It’s laundry day tomorrow.

P.S. I may be posting less simply because I am experiencing some burn-out on the hyped up news from even the alternative media. There is only so much I am willing to expose my nerves and adrenals to… it’s too draining, even though I can usually maintain a fairly neutral stance.

Eliza

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