Tampa Trip

I think part of finding joy in my journey through life comes when I enjoy where I am instead of pining away and missing something that I've had before.  It's finding joy in the here and now.  We've made the effort to experience some of things South Florida has to offer and that has brought us joy.  It's been such an adventure for us to explore the new area we live in.  

Stephen and I flew to Tampa for the day to see Derek perform in the All-State Choir.  We had the morning to explore so we drove out to St. Petersburg to the Boyd Hill Nature Preserve.  It's a preserve right in the midst of the city.  We really enjoyed our morning together.

Yes, it does get a little chilly here in the winter.  

We saw many varieties of birds in the preserve.

I'm actually starting to like the alligators.
Don't you love the fall (I guess winter in this climate) colors reflected in the water?

Downtown St. Petersburg

The wood sorrel only blooms in the winter, according to our guide.

A gopher turtle sunning itself by its burrow

Artistic photo of a little stream.  The maples have lost their leaves.  
Tidbit of Knowledge:  I learned that there are many varieties of oak trees.
Our oaks are called live oaks because they keep their leaves all year long.

Yes, I was there, too.