a season's finale

Another end, to another winter season of shows and personal embarrassments.

 

Finally released from the colonoscopy - a warm coffee.

Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast

The Conservation Foundation is a non-profit organization of land acquisition and management, focusing on purchasing and restoring our regions particularly vulnerable environmental areas. 

Our local Herald-Tribune recently ran a short back-piece on the Conservation Foundation's need for volunteers to help with the restoration of the Myakka River’s upper wetlands, to help restore them back to their natural habitat. So I volunteered - to get hot and dirty.

The Foundation's 432-acre Myakka Headwater Preserve includes areas of upland oak hammocks as well. There, some of the individual oaks were recently damaged and uprooted from Hurricane Ian's heavy path.

 

 

 

 

Across the Preserve, an upper marshland of re-introduced Tickweed (Yellow Coreopsis), Florida's designated State wildflower.

 

 

Walking through a multitude of native wildflowers while in Spring bloom, I fell for this handsome ‘Bull’ thistle, once commonly used as a tonic brewed for those with chronic indigestion. 

 

 

 

With gloves and shovels in hand, volunteers in route to help stabilize the eroding banks of the upper Myakka River.

 

 

 

A thick trail to the river's edge.

 

 

 

The main volunteer effort of the day was to help re-establish the native Pop Ash (swamp ash) found naturally along the upper Myakka, thus helping shore-up the river's fragile bank after prior years of cattle grazing and Hurricane Ian's recent devastating floods.

 

 

 

After carrying-in about a hundred potted, Pop Ash saplings, holes were dug and the designated river area was planted anew. 

With just a small group of volunteers, all gladly digging in, this important on-going restoration of the area's Myakka Headwaters Preserve took another major step towards restoring itself back to it's true, and natural wetland environment. 

 

 

 

out ridin' today

Blue skies, Myakka Valley.

(Socialism Sucks and Biden Blows)

 

 

a buddy heads out to sea

Lost my fishing buddy of 30 years. We caught most everything, big, and smalls.

Off of Casey Key, Michael once hooked a large tarpon, and we fought it together for nearly 5 hours. That summer morning became a scorching afternoon as we each took turns on that rod & reel, exhausted and laughing hard. We finally brought it boat-side when a dark shape came up from underneath, from the dark depths, and tore that six foot sport fish all apart.

As a practical joker, a funny man as he was, Michael always had something to bring to the occasion. From fishing Sarasota's back bays, Michael had made up his own fish 'descaler' by implementing an old bottle cap as if living from the past.

 

Michael's homespun 'descaler' shows up at a filleted shore-lunch of Redfish.

 

   

an old portrait, still reminds me

Tired after three days of working the yard & garden (spring planting, fertilizing and watering all in), outside I took off my boots and headed back towards the bedroom. That ever changing indirect light, lit up an old pal's portrait - nicknamed "Carneirnho", whom I'd photographed in the early spring of '89 while living in Rio de Janeiro. (Escola de Samba, 'Tradiçao'). 

Reminding me now of the current spring Lenten season, and what was once Carnival.

 

 

SHOWTIME

The remarkable Circus Sarasota (Tutto Fellini)

Opening Act;  The renowned Sylvia Zerbini with her fine-performing, choreographed Liberty horses. 

Seated front row, ringside.  I always keep an apple in my pocket just in case.

back in the saddle

Been nearly three months since I came off.  Don't be timid, shy.  Full Throttle.  Go for it!

Today my comeback. Gusting, strong, dry, southerly winds while heading out east to Old Miakka. A bunch of sand & grit in my face. Reminding me of that one time, surviving some intense crosswinds, while leaning that bike into the borderlands of west Texas. Riding hard. Good back then, and feeling that today.