Spring in Ocala

Ocala is beautiful! It's a different kind of beauty from that in Fort Myers - more of a natural beauty; less professional landscaping. The terrain reminds me of Pennsylvania - with hills, trees and lots of gorgeous horse farms.

These purple wildflowers are blooming everywhere.

Entire fields are alive with vivid colors.

Last Monday, our grandson, Zach, headed back home. I hated to see him leave - we had such a nice visit! Zachary, you are welcome back anytime.

During Zach's visit, we went to Cape Coral to see the Burrowing Owls and the Monk Parakeets. This is the first time I've been able to photograph the Monk Parakeets without poles and wires.

Notice the bright blue feathers on his wings.

After Zach left, Bill and I closed up the Fort Myers condo for the summer. Since it is for sale, I may not be able to go back. That made for a sad departure - but we already know that moving to Ocala was the right decision for us.

Friends from Parker Lakes, Wendy and Larry helped us move the last of our things - which was our excuse to have them come up and spend a couple of days with us in our new home. We put them to work and Larry installed a new ceiling fan and light in our Florida room (thanks Larry!) while Cindy helped me arrange furniture and accessories. She has a great eye and I appreciate the help.

Over the weekend, Bill and I went exploring. We ended up on the Gulf Coast at Cedar Key - a picturesque fishing village.

This picture was taken from the fishing pier looking across at the waterfront restaurants and stores.

This flock of Black Skimmers was gathered on the roof.

We saw lots of Pelicans on the pier. Look at the beautiful brown neck on this guy. It indicates he is a breeding adult.

And this non-breeding adult has a white neck.

But the real draw was the fresh oysters! Bill loves raw oysters so we headed to the back and sat on the rustic deck overlooking the water. Bill had a cold beer, oysters on the half shell and a couple of dozen steamed clams while I ate the best grilled grouper I've ever had. The restaurant owner stopped by the table and told Bill the oysters had been harvested earlier that day. Now that's fresh!

I took a picture of the menu so I would remember the name of the place. We will be back!