Red Dirt Farm and Studio

Seems like everyone is posting blogs about their summer vacation.  Sunny photos with their toes in the sand.  I’m thinking, that could be me, only it isn’t.  But, if I were on vacation, this is what it would look like.

In an average neighborhood in Southwest Florida is a cozy house.

 

  It is here that mermaid Kim shows up from time to time, and this is what vacation looks like for our family.

A chorus of Jimmy Buffett is always playing in the background.

 

 Swaying palm trees and lots of lush tropical flowers and orchids surround the house.

 

 

 

 

 

Golf carts zip by and alligators are sunning on the 18th tee.

 In our back yard, plastic pink flamingos sway in a breeze as they look out over the water.

I spend relaxing time catching up on my reading and photographing the abundant wild life that lives in and around the water.

 

There is always yard work to be done.

 

 The big mahogany tree hosts several types of epiphytes, including Spanish moss,  staghorn ferns, and a dozen different orchids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Our cat TC goes on vacation with us.

 He loves being here as much as we do.

 He hangs out on the lanai and hunts lizards and lounges by the pool.

 

 

And he ever so methodically stalks the squirrels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a change of scenery, TC watches the world go by on the screened in front porch.

 

 Call us crazy but even on vacation, we spend a lot of time working around the house and in the garden.

 Our lanai hosts wonderful breakfast that Charles whips up. We bring eggs from our girls to Florida, a little of home away from home.  By midday, we enjoy lunch and a swim in the pool.  Napping happens here too.

 As the sun sets, the grill is fired up and shrimp, scallops, and stone crabs are a staple.

  Drinks with umbrellas show up too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 TC has his own place at the table. He loves fresh grilled seafood.

 

 

 

 

I ride my bike  – Polly-five-oh all around the neighborhood, (but I don’t roller skate) taking pictures and visiting with neighbors.  Dad has been spotted taking Polly out for a spin on occasion.

 

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Golf carts whirl up and down the street all day long.

Some of the neighbors have been known to get a little tipsy and pull their golf cart into the wrong driveway – just sayin’.

Oh no, not this guy – that’s the golf pro bringing Dad home after a private lesson.

 

 

 

 

 

A quirky thing I bet you didn’t know about me.  I like golf.  Yep, the only sport I enjoy watching on tv too.

Our house is surrounded by a golf course.   At the end of our cul-de-sac is the club house.   The first fairway is across from the front of the house and the 10th tee is to the left behind the house.  The driving range is to the right on the other side of the water.

 

 

We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch – we are going back from whence we came. – John F. Kennedy

 

 It is here in the Gulf of Mexico with warm water and gentle waves that my mermaid tale comes out.

 Beautiful blues, turquoise, and deep green meet white sandy beaches and the most beautiful blue skies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because our life isn’t always all about chickens and farming.

I read a couple of quotes recently that said something like that if you create the life you love you won’t need to take a vacation from it.  And another one, that said if you work at what you love then it doesn’t feel like work.

I just don’t completely agree with either of these ideas.  I love my life.  I feel honored and humbled to live where we do and doing what we love and I know that Charles feels the same way.  There are a lot of long hard days that we both put in, which is our choice, but sometimes we just need a little break from those daily routines.

What do you think?

Have you taken a summer vacation or do you have one planned?

 

 

 

Why do people post vacation photos on blogs and social media for all the world to see?

Thank you for being here today.