Mallard Bokeh

Hubs and I were out all day, running errands and such, and I suddenly realized that it was 4 in the afternoon and I didn't have a blip. So, we swung into Lake Seminole Park on our way back home where I spent about a half hour trying to find something interesting. Usually there are tons of white ibis there, but today I just found this one. I thought I'd try for a nice tight portrait showing off his blue eyes...but those dang mallards kept getting in the way. Then, I realized that getting a couple of ducks in the background might be cool - so there you have it - mallard bokeh. Hope you like it.

Also for fun...
a star-gazing pileated woodpecker
and a grebe on golden pond

Hubs went to an F-1 (car) racing simulator today where hehad a very fun hour "racing" a high performance race car around a track he's raced many times in real life. I had a ball watching him and took some short video clips for fun. I was sitting right behind the car in a chair and the virtual screen was so realistic that I nearly tipped out of my chair a few times. It's amazing how realistic they make these virtual reality things.

Tomorrow we're off to get our tree. Doesn't really feel like Christmas to either of us - being 80 degrees with sunny skies and not a flake of snow to be seen - so I think we need a real tree to get us in the spirit.

Thanks for the comments yesterday on my little primate. A lot of interesting chat about zoos and how they create mixed feelings in most of us. I have to say that one of the things that impressed me with the Tampa Zoo is their obvious commitment to preserving endangered species both through breeding programs and through education. Their exhibit signs all reference the animals status (endangered, threatened, etch) and talk about the specific threats to the species. And when we got there, there were a bunch of pre-school kids and it was heartening to see the zoo staff work with them. I believe that the only way we are going to prevent continued extinction of species on our planet is by educating people - starting with the kids.

And that's a wrap, folks.

Debbi, signing off from sunny Florida