South FL Photos

Out and About in Florida:

Here are some odd and ends of photos of our favorite places to visit in South Florida.

Right photo shows a walkway onto the pristine beach of MacArthur Park. 

To learn more and view other photos of our visit here please visit my blog.
John D. MacArthur Beach Park





or the official webpage: http://www.floridastateparks.org/macarthurbeach

Taken in my back yard. Who can resist looking at a sky like this? Wish I had a hammock....

Also in my back yard, it is one of my favorite places to visit, there is always something new going on out there! Mammoth Sunflower. Grew to 6' - we loved it until some critter chewed the whole top off!
Darn those critters!...


Frangipani (Plumeria). Fragrance is divine, we have three 'trees' growing now, all propogated from one litl' stalk we bought at an Arts and Craft Fair in Juno Beach, FL.

A Firespike. Butterflies and Hummers just love these plants.

Right photo: my dear husband, shelling on Juno Beach, FL. Just don't attempt to 'poach' on "his" patch of shells....and no he doesn't have a spare bag to collect your shelling-booty in. Above a group of little Sanderlings who keep their beady eyes on Howard.
Below - Rehabilitated Turtle Release at Loggerhead Park, Juno Beach. The Loggerhead Marine Life Center at Juno Beach takes in damaged turtles heals them and then lets them go. They are huge!!

Link to live Web Cam at Loggerhead Marine Life Center

Below: The beautiful Riverbend Park, on Indiantown Road, Jupiter, Florida.


Once home to some of the first (European) settlers in Western Jupiter.

The native Seminole Indians however had previously lived there for probably thousands of years, before the two historical battles that took place in 1837 and 1838, which sadly resulted in the ousting of the Seminoles from their land. More about these little known events can be found at the link below.

Historical Battle Took Place At Riverbend Park


And, for more general information on this park: 
http://www.pbcgov.com/parks/locations/riverbend.htm

The fireplace and steps (half hidden by weeds on the right) are all that remain of a pioneer homestead (maybe the 
Reese Homestead?), that once stood at Riverbend Park. You can tell by the step height and fire place hearth that the home - probably made of wood - was elevated perhaps a minimum of 2 feet above current level. My reasoning for this is that our sandy soil seems to retreat or compact every year. The other homesteads have disappeared into the lush foliage that covers this huge park.

Below, photos were taken while kayaking with David. I was having so much fun until the gator dropped off the bank and into the water!! It was only a baby gator though. Look carefully at first picture and you can see all the turtles sunning themselves on the half submerged log.

Right Photo: Jupiter Inlet /Dubois Park

Below: Pelican - they are a lot bigger than the photo gives it credit for.











Below: A well manicured landscape on a high street in Naples, SW Florida. 2nd photo is an example of the beaches there. The homes are to the left of the sand. It's gorgeous there. Lots of great shells...but Howard didn't bring a baggie to put them in, but "never mind dear I'll put them in your purse."