My Wishes...

For
my
Birthday...

do
me
a
favor...

Plant
a
Tree....

Put up
a
Bluebird
House...









Change
a
lightbulb.















Compost...


















Recycle....














Bi-cycle....

















Don't
eat
my
flowers!

photo by Sam

Take
shorter
showers...

Read
a good
book....

Save
a
species...

Donate
to your
local
land trust...

So they
can
save...

more
land...

...for
the
future....




...for
my
birthday.

Biking Sanibel

I quit!

For 3 years
I've biked
a century
every month!

I've
biked
the RAIN ride
5 times!

(that's
Ride Across INdiana
btw -

167 miles -
one way,
one day)

Heck!

I've even
biked
across
America!

It's time
to stop
and
smell
the roses!

So
no more
centuries!



At 55
I'm ready
to bike...

...just
for
the fun
of it!

So
I take
my time
biking
across
the causeway...

...stop
and watch
the osprey
nest...

Devoted
Dad

(they mate
for life)

returns
to
the nest...

Letting

Mom

take

a break!

(you can tell

it's Mom -

she has 

the necklace

of brown)

Over
the causeway
I pause
to strip
a layer...

How interesting!

They use
shells
for
tree
mulch!

Stop
by the beach
to watch
a willet....

I see
thousands
of tiny
little crabs
frantically
waving
their claws
to attract
a mate.

Wait!

What
are
you
eating?!

Go
away!!!





poor
little
crabs.

A few miles
later
I stop
for a break
at the
Periwinkle
Preserve...

Lovely
place
for a
picnic...

The trees
are bursting
with the
songs....

photo by Naples News

....of
migrating
songbirds....

The ground
bursts
with
colorful
flowers...

...and
friendly
critters.

Of course
I stop
at
J Ding Darling
Wildlife
Refuge.

(Do you
notice
I stop
more than
I bike?)















Isn't it
liberating?

No longer
shackled
by my
mileage
count...

I can enjoy
watching
this
tricolor heron
preen
each
feather.

I can
climb the
viewing
tower...

...and
enjoy
the view.

The gravel
of
Wildlife
Drive
is tough
on my bike...


But that's ok.

We don't
care
about
distance
anymore!

I stop
to listen
to Jack
teach us
about
endangered
species...

When I retire
I'd like
to volunteer
here
for the winter
like
Jack!

What
a great
catch!

Taking
my
time...

...I can
marvel
at the
color...

...of the
bird
eyes...

...and
wonder
why.

Out of
J Ding
heading
for Captiva
I hit a
traffic jam.

Look
who's
disrupting
traffic!

This
gopher tortoise
may be
endangered....

...but
he's
not
in a
hurry.

We'd
better
help him
across.

I cross
the bridge
now
onto
Captiva
Island.

Suddenly
the water
is
Caribbean
Blue....

The
flowers
are
amazing...

















The
houses
are
immense...

...and
half of them
are
for sale.

That's
crazy!

Who
would want
to buy
a
million dollar
house...

...that's
only
2 feet
above
sea level?

Photo by Company SJ

Haven't
they heard
about
climate
change?

I'd think
the Florida
realtors
would be
all over
global
warming!

At the top
of Captiva
I stop
for a
beach break.

So
peaceful.

As I spin

my bike 

around...

...I notice

a stir

in

the pond.

Snuffles.

It's
five
manatees!

photo from St Petersburg News

Cumbersome.

Slow.

So ugly
they're
cute.

photo by biobreak

I love
manatees!

Now
spinning
back
down
Captiva Road...

I stop
for a
glance
in the
mirror....

....and I spot
another
osprey
nest!

















Ospreys
are
everywhere!

They went
from
almost
extinct..

...to masters
of the
Sanibel
sky.

I stop
at the
local
grocery.

Jimmy Buffet
would
shop
here.

They
sell
everything!

Brief
stop
back
at J Ding.

I need
a
drink!

















I'll stop
at
Timbers....

...for an
early
supper.

The shade
feels
so good!

And I'm
just
in time...

...to
hit
the
causeway
beach...

...for my
last sunset
over
Sanibel.

I
love
places...

...where

people 

gather...

to
watch...

.



..the
glory...

...of
each
sunset.

Like
every
day

and
every
night

deserves
a
celebration.

Every
moment
of our lives
is precious.

Every life
on
this earth
is precious.

Stop!

take
a
moment

and
notice...





You'll
be
so glad
you did.