These days we are social distancing by staying home except to go to the store for supplies.
I grabbed my camera today to go outside in my yard in the glorious warm, sunny weather and capture a few of our first spring blooms. Enjoy!
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WordPress just reminded me that today is the 7th anniversary of the Wandering Dawgs blog. Thanks to all of you it’s been an amazing seven years.
I would not still be blogging if it wasn’t for you. I appreciate every one of you who follows the blog, reads the posts, likes a post, or leaves comments. You make it worth while to keep the blog going.
I fell in love with Camellias last year when I saw them blooming during my Adventure in Bonaventure.
I have an old Camellia in my yard that my next door neighbor passed on to me many years ago. I didn’t know what I was doing and just stuck it in the ground and hoped for the best. For years I would only get a few flowers each year. A few years ago it was covered with the white blooms in January and February. Seeing those blooms always make me smile.
White Camellia Bloom February 2020
New bloom
White Camellia
When the Camellia is blooming I like to have flowers all around the house.
I enjoy those winter blooms so much that I decided to plant some more Camellias. Last Friday I drove across town to visit a nursery that specializes in Camellias. I spent about an hour with the owner as he told me everything I needed to know about how to plant and care for them. He helped me select three bushes that should do well in my yard – a pink High Fragrance, a gorgeous white Sea Foam, and a red and white variegated Bobbie Fain.
It took me two days to decide exactly where I wanted to put them. Sunday afternoon before the Super Bowl I dug three holes and followed the instructions on how to plant my new plants. There are buds on each of them.
Bud on newly planted Bobbie Fain Variegated Camellia
High Fragrance next to the front stairs
It was a lot of work digging those three holes but it was worth it! Seeing the plants in their new home makes me happy.
We’re not traveling as much in our fifth wheel anymore so I thought it would be fun to relive some of our most memorable days from previous RV trips. This January I am highlighting our January, 2012 snowbird trip to Florida.
Part 5 of our January, 2012 RV trip around Florida
After enjoying our stay in Alafia State Park, we spent a few days in Salt Springs in the Ocala National Forest before stopping at one of our all time favorite campgrounds on our way north. On this day eight years ago, January 30, 2012, we were camped at Stephen C. Foster State Park in Fargo, Georgia in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. It was our last stop before going home.
We had camped there several times before but this stay at the park was quite different from our other visits. In 2011, a wildfire burned for days in the area and a lot of the woods were badly burned.
As we the drove the last few miles to the park entrance we were saddened to see the devastation caused by the 2011 wildfire.
Stephen C Foster State Park after 2011 wildfire in the Okefenokee Swamp
The fire also destroyed part of the walkway through the nature trail.
Stephen C Foster State Park after 2011 wildfire in the Okefenokee Swamp
We returned to the park several times after the fire and the area is recovering nicely. There are pictures from our 2018 visit at The Land of Trembling Earth.
It was great fun wandering around Florida that year. Except for a few cold days in the early part of the trip, most of the days were warm and sunny. We even had a few days when we could wear shorts!
We were gone for 36 days and went a total of about 3000 miles and have lots of good memories.
October is one of my favorite months in coastal Georgia. The weather is finally cooling off, the sunrises and sunsets are gorgeous, and you never know what birds will show up to feed in the marsh.
I’ve been seeing gorgeous morning skies at sunrise.
Coastal Georgia Sunrise
The cooler temperatures are perfect for taking a morning walk.
Coastal Georgia Salt Marsh
I need to clean out the dying plants from my butterfly garden but I decided to wait before pulling them up. As long as there are butterflies stopping by for some nourishment the plants will stay.
Gulf Fritillary on Mexican Sunflower
Large flocks of White Ibis have been feeding in the salt marsh around our neighborhood.
This week, Tina has challenged us to focus on things that come in twos.
I enjoy taking animal and bird photographs. As I searched through my archives I came up with a few of my favorite animal and bird pairs.
Animal pairs are fun to capture. These two Irish sheep looked right at me as if posing for this photo.
Pair of Irish Sheep
A pair of Scottish Highland Cows, Hamish and Heather, came to the fence to beg for some free food.
Pair of Highland Cows in Scotland
These next photos are some of my favorite pairs of birds. The photo at the top of the page is a pair of Bald Eagles we saw from a wildlife and glacier cruise in Valdez, Alaska.
Pair of Whooping Cranes on Texas Gulf CoastPair of Ospreys on the nature trail, Gulf Islands National Seashore at Ft. Pickens, FloridaPair of great egrets at St. Augustine Alligator Farm Rookery
Wandering Dawgs 