Tag Archives: Trees

Thoughtful Thursday Special Bonds

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I have a delightful story to share with you today. In my backyard, under the oak trees, I have a bird feeder and water dish. One day, I heard a bird sounding off with five short whistles. I found it cute and mimicked the sound. Little did I know, this would be the start of a special relationship.

The bird turned out to be a red cardinal. We began whistling back and forth to each other, creating a unique bond. Whenever I filled the feeder and changed the water, I’d whistle five short notes, and the cardinal quickly learned that this meant it was feeding time.

This routine continued for months, and the cardinal grew increasingly comfortable around me, even coming very close. Then he disappeared for several days, and I worried something had happened. But one day, after I whistled, he returned briefly and then flew off, only to come back with a female cardinal. They started visiting the feeder together every morning and evening. I realized they must have a nest nearby because they eventually took turns coming to the feeder.

The real surprise came when the cardinal returned with his mate and two baby cardinals. Watching the parents feed seeds to their little ones was heartwarming. The babies, were noticeably a bit clumsy at flying but quickly got the hang of it.

Now, the babies are all grown but still visit the feeder. Whenever he’s hungry, the cardinal comes to the feeder, sings me the most beautiful song, and waits for the seeds. This special bond puts a smile on my face every day.

Forming special bonds with nature can be profoundly enriching, whether it’s hearing birds sing, the rustling of leaves, or enjoying a garden in bloom. These connections remind us of the natural world’s beauty and harmony, bringing calm, wonder, and happiness, and inspiring us to protect and cherish our environment.

Hope you enjoyed this post today, thanks for stopping by!!

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Make sure to check out all the slides below:

Mountain Sunset Art Journaling

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Painting trees and mountains is something new for me. I got a card in the mail with a beautiful sunset painting on it and thought it would be fun to create it in my Linden Art 5.5×8.5 inch watercolor journal.

It was certainly a learning experience. I made a lot of mistakes along the way, some of which I was able to fix while other stayed. Overall it turned out pretty good. I’m not totally thrilled with it but I do love the sunset background and this color combination. Plus I had lots of practicing to paint trees 😊

Hope this inspires you in some way today. Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!!

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“As practice makes perfect, I cannot but make progress; each drawing one makes, each study one paints, is a step forward.” ~Vincent Van Gogh

Photo by James Wheeler on Pexels.com

Painting the Light Watercolor Challenge

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Day 5 – Golden Wood

Kolbie Blume’s new book “Mastering Light in Watercolor” was released last week. As a celebration for her new book she hosted a 5 day watercolor challenge that made a good companion to the book.

It was an interesting challenge that I enjoyed immensely. I learned a lot to say the least and it was lots of fun! I got a late start but finally finished my last painting so I’m sharing them with you:

  • Day 1 – Night Falls
  • Day 2 – Sunny Skies
  • Day 3 – Dusky Skyline
  • Day 4 – Beach Bonfire
  • Day 5 – Golden Wood
  • Day 1 – Night Falls
  • Day 2 – Sunny Skies
  • Day 3 – Dusky Skyline
  • Day 4 – Beach Bonfire
  • Day 5 – Golden Wood

Hope this inspires you to create today, thanks for stopping by!!

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“In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary.” ~Aaron Rose

Night Sky Watercolor

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Kolbie Blume at This Writing Desk, is a talented watercolor artist who has written several books and teaches online. I came across her YouTube Channel and found a tutorial she made for this painting called “Night Sky.”

I have to say she did an excellent job teaching how to create it using minimal supplies. It was easy to understand and follow along. I love how it turned out especially the light in the sky. What do you think?

Hope this inspires you to create today, thanks for stopping by!!

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“The stars are olden love stories in a sky spun of soul.” ~ Angie Wyland-Crosby

Thoughtful Thursday Flamingo Gardens

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Growing up, my family and I would embark on a wonderful adventure to Flamingo Gardens located near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was founded by Floyd and Jane Wray in 1927 as a citrus orchard and was originally named Flamingo Groves. Getting fresh squeezed orange juice from the trees on the property was one of the highlights of my trip.

The Wray’s built a weekend home up on the Live Oak hammock in the groves. They would have annual bar-b-ques on the grounds surrounding their home and they’d give daily tours of the citrus groves and botanical gardens. Plus they even had a fruit shipping area.

According to Mrs. Wray the property came with flamingos that would nest there and she decided in the 1940’s to bring peacocks to the grounds for the visitors. With alligators inhabiting most parts of South Florida they introduced an alligator exhibit in the 1960’s with daily shows.

Sadly Mr. Wray passed away in 1959 at the age of 68. To honor her late husband, Mrs. Wray established The Floyd L. Wray Memorial Foundation in 1969 to preserve the property for future generations to enjoy. The name was changed to Flamingo Gardens and it was expanded to include an Everglades Wildlife Sanctuary with the Bird of Prey Center and a Free-Flight Aviary. This was the first of its kind in the country and permanently injured or non-releasable native Florida wildlife would call the sanctuary their home. More wildlife exhibits were introduced and included River Otters, Bobcats, Florida Panthers, Tortoises and Bald & Golden Eagles.

The 60 acre botanical gardens showcase over 3,000 rare and exotic species of tropical, subtropical and native plants and trees. If you have the chance to visit South Florida definitely add Flamingo Gardens to your travel plans, you won’t be disappointed!

I hope you enjoyed this travel snippet, thanks for stopping by!!!

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All photos taken by Maria Vidaurre at Flamingo Gardens

Thoughtful Thursday – Earth Day

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Earth Day is being celebrated this Saturday, April 22, 2023. It’s origins began in 1970 as a way to change the public’s outlook and bring awareness to environmental issues plaguing our beautiful planet.

Almost 7 billion people share this amazing planet with 10 million animal species and 300,000 plant species. That’s a lot of inhabitants when you think about it. Plus the entire surface of the earth is a series of connected ecosystems that provide precious resources that sustain all life here on Earth. So it’s imperative that we take care of our planet.

We live a world of plastic and although it was a great invention because it made so many things possible, it may also be our undoing. Stats show that in 2021 there was 363,762,732,605 pounds of plastic polluting the world’s oceans. Plus microplastics which are tiny pieces of plastic can be found in almost all water systems around the world including rivers, lakes, streams and oceans. It is said that there is more microplastic in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way. These are very scary stats because where does that leave us in 10, 20 and even 50 years from now? Will this planet be able to sustain life at all?

We all need to pitch in and do our part to reduce, reuse and recycle. We need to work together to come up with better ideas and solutions to reducing our footprint on this planet. So that life will continue to thrive.

What are some of the things you do to help make a better tomorrow?

Thanks for stopping by!

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“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” ~Unknown

Source: Earth Day Fact Sheet

All photos in the slide presentation above were taken by Maria Vidaurre

Stephanee Ann Art

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“I’ll be outside” by Stephanee Ann Art

Last Sunday I was surprised to find the Las Olas Art Festival in Fort Lauderdale, FL was open. I love attending art festivals to get inspired and see what other artists are creating.

At the festival I had the pleasure of meeting Stephanee Ann a local artist from Fort Myer and I fell in love with her beautiful painting titled “I’ll be outside.” Her use of bright fun colors and whimsical style makes her paintings happy and uplifting and that’s what I loved about this one.

This 20×20″ painting ended up coming home with me and it puts a smile on my face every time I look at it 😊 If you’d like to see more of Stephanee Ann’s work, visit her web page at StephaneeAnnArt.com. You’ll be able to view her gallery and get her contact information if you want a painting of your own. Stephanee Ann can also be found on Instagram at @stephaneeann_

Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!!!

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