Best Blog Award

I am honored to announce that I have been given the Best Blog Award by Tricia over at Bluff Area Daily. Thank you so much Tricia! I'm supposed to pass this lovely award on, but I have too many wonderful blogs that I follow and enjoy to pick from. Please visit Bluff Area Daily--I promise you will not be disappointed!

New Life

 

Even though this tree stump is dead, there still seems to be a lot of interesting life still growing on it.

Wall Art

 

The wall behind Fat Sandwich (see yesterday's post). If you click on the picture and enlarge it, you will see a man sitting behind the wall.

Fat Sandwich

 

This place makes really good sandwiches. It is located between the campuses of Florida State University and Florida A&M University near downtown. As you can probably tell, it used to be an old gas station.

Floral Friday

 

This orchid was blooming in the window of my office. To see more beautiful flowers, please visit Floral Friday.

SkyWatch Friday

 

I kept waiting for this paraglider to get closer to me, but he never did, so this is the best I could do. My grandson and I did enjoy watching him floating around up there over the Walmart parking lot the other day. To see more beautiful skies from around the world, please visit SkyWatch Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

My little grandson, James, made this Thanksgiving placemat for me in his kindergarten class. I will be using it today when I eat my Thanksgiving dinner at his house. I am thankful for so many things, but most of all my family.

Watery Wednesday

 

Lake Hall is located just north of Tallahassee. To see more beautiful watery pictures please visit Watery Wednesday.

Suwannee Room

 

The Suwannee Room is a popular dining hall on the Florida State University campus located in one of the older buildings and it has a long history dating back to when FSU was the Florida State College for Women. It was refurbished and reopened in 2006 as a more modern eating establishment, but this display located in the entrance hall pays tribute to its past. On the left, you can see an example of an apron clad young college student serving a family style meal as a way to fund her college education. Behind her is a picture of what the Suwannee Room looked like in 1914. The right side of the display shows you what the Suwannee Room and its patrons look like now. Quite a contrast!

Horse

 

This horse lives a few houses up the road from my daughter's house with a couple of other horses and a pony who were too shy to make it into the picture. I'm sure Darla will recognize this beautiful animal!

Blue Pawprint

 

These blue pawprints are on the sidewalks around the athletic fields at the high school where my daughter is a teacher. Their mascot is a cougar and their colors are blue and white.

Flower Snack

 

This busy little fellow was enjoying the taste of the flower that was blooming in Maclay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee. To see more beautiful flowers, please visit Floral Friday.

SkyWatch Friday

 

The last rays of the sun hitting the clouds above Tallahassee on a fall afternoon. To see more beautiful skies from around the world, please visit SkyWatch Friday.

Walking in the Woods

 

Nothing like a walk in the woods on a cool autumn day!

Watery Wednesday

 

One of the pavilions on the shore of Lake Hall in Maclay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee. To see more beautiful watery pictures from around the world, please visit Watery Wednesday.

Moss Curtain

 

The Spanish moss was hanging so low from the trees in the parking lot in Maclay Gardens State Park that it looked like a curtain hiding my car on the other side.

Scarecrows in the Park

 

This year Maclay Gardens State Park sponsored a scarecrow decorating contest among the local Girl Scout Troops. These two scarecrows were my favorites, although I'm not too sure how scary they are!

Weekend Reflections

 

This is another view of the pond at Maclay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee. To see more beautiful reflections from around the world, please visit Weekend Reflections.

Brick Pathways

 

The top picture is of the main brick pathway through Maclay Gardens State Park. It runs from the entrance gates up to the Maclay House and is right next to Lake Hall which you can catch glimpses of through the trees to the right. This walkway was created in 1968 from bricks that were recycled from an old street in Tampa, Florida. These bricks were originally made in different cities and if you look at them closely, you will see names like Baltimore, Augusta and Birmingham. The second shot is a closeup of one of the old bricks. The third shot is another pathway through the gardens leading away from the Maclay House. I love the way the moss hangs down from the trees over your head as you walk down the pathways. It's like walking under a canopy. Enlarge the pictures to get a better view.

Floral Friday

Even though it is not high blooming season, there were still quite a few beautiful blooms at Maclay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee. I'm not good at naming them, so if anyone wants to jump in and help me, please do! To see more beautiful flowers, please visit Floral Friday.

SkyWatch Friday

 

The beautiful fall skies over Maclay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee. To enjoy more beautiful skies from around the world, visit SkyWatch Friday.

The Walled Garden

One of my favorite spots at Maclay Gardens is the Walled Garden. The artwork in the second picture was obtained by Alfred Maclay during a trip to Italy and the artist is Andrea Della Robbia. That is creeping fig covering the walls. It's a lovely spot to just sit and enjoy yourself and nature. The walled garden is sometimes called the pansy garden because it is always planted with pansies in the winter, a tradition begun by the Maclays and is continued by park staff. I posted a picture of one of the pansies that was blooming and you can see it in my Floral Friday post from last week.

Watery Wednesday

 

Today my Watery Wednesday post is a picture of the reflecting pool at Maclay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee. Lake Hall can be seen in the distance. This is a meaningful spot for me because over 30 years ago, I was the matron of honor at my best friend's wedding ceremony held right here in front of the reflecting pool. I also attended the funeral of the son of one of my co-workers in this same spot two years ago. He was a soldier and was killed in Iraq in the service of our country. It was a beautiful military ceremony and I will never forget it. Today is Veteran's Day in the United States, the day we honor all of the military veterans who have served our country so bravely. Please think of them today.

You can visit Watery Wednesday to see more beautiful watery pictures from around the world.