Welcome New Floridians
This site started on the Tenth Anniversary of our moving to Florida. Ten years came and went pretty quickly. We have learned a lot in those years and have made some mistakes along the way. Our goal is to try to help new Florida residents, and those thinking about relocating here, profit from our experience.
The articles are set up with a variety of categories, so you can look for whatever interests you. We are open to suggestions to improve the site and will try to answer any questions asked.
Our Articles
More Owl News
Happy Mother’s Day to our Momma owl! Here is her Mother’s Day Portrait. The babies are getting bigger. Earlier this week started to stand and take a step or two; now they are up and moving constantly. Mom spends a lot of the day looking out the opening in the...
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Venice Beach Sunset
Not a spectacular sunset, but some pretty colors. Venice beach is the Shark’s Tooth Capitol of the World. Tourists come to this beach to hunt for fossil shark’s teeth.
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Sneaky Snake
Southern Black Racer I know many people are not fond of snakes, but you have to admit, this guy looks kind of cute poking his head out of a rain spout. He was pretty curious and stayed still while I photographed him. I think he felt secure inside the down spout. New...
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Creepy Crawlies
Bugs! One of the most asked questions about Florida living is “how do you cope with the bugs?” Yes, we do have an abundance of pests here. We have roaches, ants, spiders, mosquitoes, scorpions and many other undesirable critters sharing the state with us. That doesn’t...
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Painted Bunting
This little bird is just drop dead gorgeous. I looks like a mad artist threw his palette of paint at the bird. We usually have a pair of these birds show up at our feeders for just a few weeks every winter. I have been trying to get a good photo of them for...
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Lemon Bay
This sunset was an unexpected surprise. The evening did not look like it was going to produce such a colorful sunset. Once the sun started to go down, the sky lit up. Another of Mother Nature’s surprises.
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Owl News
Both of the eggs hatched! Noon Friday, the first owlet emerged from the egg. When we have owls in the box, our TV is on all day long. As I was passing by the set Friday, I noticed that the mother owl was getting a breath of fresh air by sitting in the opening of the...
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Scamers, liars and cheats
Be an informed consumer. New Florida residents may be surprised to learn that not all service suppliers are honest. There are really good businesses and service providers here, as well as some not so good, to downright terrible ones. In our years in the...
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Florida Cost of Living
Costs to live in Florida are determined by just where in the state you live.
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Spring is in the air
April is a beautiful month in Florida. The days are warm and the nights are cool. The sky seems to be bluer than ever. I decided it was a great day for some photography. While walking through downtown Venice today, I came upon these three lovely ladies, seated at a...
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Owl Update
It looks like we will have only two eggs this year. Our momma owl has taken to staying home and sitting on them. The female usually lays an egg every two to three days; once the last egg is laid she starts to incubate them. Before then, she leaves the nest to hunt at...
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Great Crested Flycatchers
A pair of crested flycatchers came to visit today. We do not often get to see these birds in our yard. In thirteen years, this is only the third time we have spotted them. They seemed to be inspecting our nesting box, currently occupied by a screech owl. The female...
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