morning walk – pamelascanepa

This morning I enjoyed a beach walk with my son. It is much too crowded on the weekends, so now is the time! The dunes are beautiful at our beach. There are signs telling people to ” stay off.” For good reason, I am sure.

Walking the beach is something we both like to do. He is quiet comp, but as we walk, I feel any stress melting away. I imagine that’s why he likes it so much. We broke my heat survival rule: must hit the beach before 9 a.m., but optimise of iced coffee got me through!

After walking, we stopped by Breezy Coffee Shop Cafe on 8th St. so I could get my iced coffee. It is a small, cozy cafe in a quaint two story house, located next to a surf/ clothing shop with this beautiful mural on one side. I love the Arts in Jacksonville!

Speaking of the Arts in Jacksonville, I got my copy of Folio Weekly at the coffee shop which features an article on a woman who has opened several businesses that support the Arts in Jacksonville. I included this photo because it says a lot about my town. The Folio reflects our town quite well every week, in fact!

I apologize for not taking a photo of my coffee. My phone was acting up in the coffee shop. The iced coffee was great, though, and an excellent reward after the walk. At least there is a breeze on the beach when you walk! It was nice to get out and away from the computer. I’ll have to do this next week, as well.

*Echoes of My Neighborhood is a weekly blog theme established by fellow blogger Jackie at acookingpotandtwistedtales.com. She has been somewhat of a blogging guru to me since I started on WordPress a little over a year ago. I recommend you visit her blog and her Echoes of My Neighborhood at https://acookingpotandtwistedtales.com/2017/07/20/hibernating-in-the-malls-echoes-of-my-neighbourhood/ !

Photo: A wonderful juxtaposition- A Florida palm and a Canadian Goose!

Come with me on a morning walk through my neighborhood. Today was a treat, with visits from geese, ducks, and squirrels in addition to our usual view of flora and fauna. They seem to love our lakes in my duplex community. My dog was in canine heaven! I didn’t get up as early as I’d like, so the sun was in its full glory and the brightness shows in my photographs. The sunlight seems quite powerful here in Florida. Still, there was plenty of nature around for me to photograph and enjoy! It sure got Bixby excited…

Have I ever mentioned how life-changing it is when you haven’t had a dog in a long time, and then you welcome one into your heart and home again? Since adopting Bixby, I have seen more nature and more sunrises than I had seen in the last ten years, at least! The responsibility of taking him out to relieve himself doesn’t feel much like responsibility on a summer day, when I am on my own time. It is more of a pleasure, and sometimes an adventure. He loves running into some wildlife on our walks! What a splendid way to get closer to nature.

“Just let go of the leash, Mom. We’ll make it look like an accident.”

Sure, those geese can be loud and messy (think of the poor sidewalk), but I really like hearing their call. I think Bixby does too. He looks a little frustrated here. I think he wanted to get much closer to them than I would allow. 😉 Well, I’ve heard they can be quite mean when they feel threatened.

Let’s not forget about ducks! This is right before they took flight. They sensed they were being stalked….

Ears automatically perk up when we see more feathered friends.

Sometimes Bixby will pull on that leash and get right up close to those birds. That’s when they fly off, making all kinds of panicky, warning noises. He looks back at me as if to smile, saying, “See, it was just in good fun.” Perhaps it’s just part of the adventure of life for him. I call him my furry toddler. He helps me see lots of things through the eyes of a child and that is such a pick-me-up. He seems to have a forever toddler’s spirit.

The birds have all run off. He tried to chase some squirrels, too, but those things will skitter up a tree so quickly, I couldn’t even get them on camera! Bixby stands at the base looking up, as if he’s wondering, How did they get up there? He truly seems to stand there and think about it for a few minutes. He seems really curious about the water, but I don’t think he wants to jump in. Well, I’m not really sure. At any rate, it was a great morning for a walk in my neighborhood!

Echoes of My Neighborhood is a Thursday blog challenge, initiated by fellow blogger Jacqueline Obyikocha, who blogs at http://acookingpotandtwistedtales.com . Jacqueline is very supportive of other bloggers and always inspires me with her poetry and photography. Please stop by and peruse her blog. While there, you should also visit her Echoes of My Neighborhood posts, or you can get to them directly at http://acookingpotandtwistedtales.com/category/travel-2/dubai/echos-of-my-neighbourhood/ You won’t be disappointed!