After four drizzly, foggy, and rainy days in a row, Thursday dawned with blue Florida skies, crystal clear and dazzling sunshine. It was time to visit my two favs off of A1A, the coastal highway. I started at River to Sea Preserve, a chunk of hammock and coastal scrub situated between the Matanzas River (Intracoastal) and the highway. The preserve is marked by a huge microwave tower that can be seen from Princess Place on the opposite side of the Intracoastal and Pellicer Creek. There are a couple of loops in this quiet pleasant little park. There wasn’t anyone else present. And I didn’t see any animals beyond some birds twitting around.
Next stop was Washington Oaks Gardens State Park. I hiked around the 2.1 mile nature trail which winds through hammock and coastal scrub, too. These two parks are just a couple of miles apart, north of Flagler Beach and Painter’s Hill.
In the formal gardens of Washington Oaks (it’s an old estate) there were Christmas decorations scattered throughout the garden paths and lawns. I guess there is a Santa present on the weekends for the children. It wasn’t quite set up yet.
Some roses were still blooming although they were a bit ragged. These are the best I found.
I enjoy visiting Washington Oaks when particular plants are blooming. The camellias will be next, then the azaleas in February and so on.
I hope you enjoyed this little newsbreak. A bit of green and blue skies for those who are hibernating through gloomy, snowy weather.
In Joy,
Eliza
Sunny's Journal 
So gorgeous to see such a wide variety of so many images. Such beauty in so many ways. Thank YOU for sharing Eliza. Abundant Blessings of heart love to you at this time of the year. Libby
LikeLike
Your pictures make nature come alive. Gorgeous !
>
LikeLike
Oh Eliza,
Your concluding descriptor joyous encapsulates those most colourful images .
These adventures are beyond words .
I am hiked !
denis
LikeLike
Denis, hiking for me has ever been a form of therapy. Being outside amongst the giant trees and shrubs feeds my soul in a way that is hard to describe. So, I return, again and again, carrying my little camera and framing up the shots. The photos only capture a mere fraction of what I’m experiencing, but give one an idea of what can be found in these messy coastal forests, hammocks and coastal scrub. ~ Eliza
LikeLike
Beautiful area & nice photos. Warm, lush coastal forests in December seem unreal from my perspective (currently at 12 degrees F).
Happy hiking & cheers,
Ken
LikeLike
Ken, I sympathize. I’ve lived in northern climes, too, in Eastern WA and Western Montana. Now, I consider -32F cold… enough to freeze your nose whiskers! ~ Eliza
LikeLike
Hi Eliza – Nice walk through. The pics are great. you give us the plants names nicely. You seem back in shape too. I’m in rough shape now and fighting it. Legs are getting sorer, weaker. Sure am hoping on the medbeds…
kindest regards, gene
LikeLike