Ten Steps from Our Home

The view our neighbors across the street enjoy. The dam seems to hold back the water in the retention pond. Since there is a wetlands on the other side of the dam, plants have started to colonize the retentions pond's edges.

The proper Floridian term for a wetlands area which changes from dry to wet depending on rainfall is 'prairie.'

Laundry Room

Our tropical posters: Marquesas Islands to the left, generic jungle to the right.The mirror got a silver spray job to match the other frames and fixtures. Watch out: spray painting is addictive. :-) There is great beer in Tahiti: Hinano (which means 'flower').

At the Entrance to Legacy

We are lucky to have this Spanish-Floridian stye commercial building at the entrance to Legacy. It could have been a metal shack like at some other places.The parking lot has large magnolias and palms, but the detail work is still missing.
The first tenant is an Allstate insurance broker.
The second tenant will be a seafood-steak restaurant and cafe. We are all very curious how it turns out to be. A nice cafe with outdoor seating would be cool during the mild weather which turns out to be in fall, winter, and spring.

Lanai

The lanai is our favorite living room.
The planter has a small pond and a tropical theme with Alpine and Arizona touches.
Arrowhead arum and yellow canna in the pond.
Persian shield at the bottom is supposed to grow hip high.
One day, the planter outside the screen will be filled with butterfly attracting flowers.

Before and After

Same view, the reference point is one large live oak that was not chopped down
December 2004, before construction
April 2007, after construction

Early Morning

At dawnA few hours later

Gaillardia

A month later, the gaillardia blooms its head off and produces seeds.