Lovers Key State Park

There comes a time in every life that one should evaluate where they are and where they want to go. There have been many times in my past that I was unhappy with where I found myself and not sure of where I was headed so that made me not so happy with myself. I would have traded my life for almost anyones because I felt sorry for myself and saw no way out of a situation that I was in. However, I would like to go on record, emphatically, in saying that Gator D is RIGHT where he wants to be and would not trade his life with ANYBODY!

Being a person who gets bored rather easily, which should explain why I sometimes do some pretty incredibly stupid stuff, I could not set at home today even though I had TONS of work to do at home, including taking down the remainder of the Christmas decorations that seem to be permanently placed on our lawn. So, I packed up my lenses and cameras and headed out for an adventure! I decided to stick close to home so I chose Lovers Key State Park as a destination for my appetite to be outside exploring the outdoors.

First of all let me say that if you have not been to Lovers Key State Park you are missing one of the greatest get aways available to you in our local environment. Only a couple of miles south of Estero Island on Bonita Beach Road, the park offers a plethora of opportunities to satisfy all outdoor enthusiasts. Kayaking, Biking, Hiking, Beaching, Exploring, Lazing Around, whatever the palate desires, awaits you at this "sleeper" location.

After paying my$4.00 fee to get in (single person, $8.00 for a car load) I drove to parking lot #2 I prepared myself for a 2.5 mile journey on the Black Island Trail. My goal was to photograph some key flora and fauna to research in order to better prepare myself for my work as a guide and Captain so that I would be better prepared to answer some of the hard questions that people ask me when I take them out on their safaris.

So, with camera in hand, water, granola bars and chap stick, I entered the trail. For those of you who know me, I am sort of a detail freak, so a typical 2.5 mile journey that would normally take an out of shape person less then an hour to complete, took me almost 4 hours. I stop, look, listen, smell, taste, feel, and sense what is around me so that I do not miss anything. Still,I miss plenty! But, through the day, I encounter many species that intrigue me and make me smile.

Today, my quest allowed me to photograph the American Bald Eagle, Gopher Tortoise, Butterfly, Fish Hawk (Osprey), Egret, Little Blue Heron, Great Blue Heron, Reddish Egret, Snowy Egret, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Cormorant, Brown Pelican, Mallard Duck, and a ton of plants and vegetation!

When you get tied down to the desk, the kids, the bills, the investments, the shopping, the maintenance on the cars, the doctors, the lawyers, construction projects, planning the vacation, recovering from the holidays, painting the house, pulling the weeds, vacuuming the carpet......think of me! Well maybe I have lost all of my desire to be responsible. Maybe I have lost my entire mind, I don't know! But what I do know, is that someday our kids, grand kids, and their kids may not be able to see what I saw today in the wild. So, until the good Lord takes away my last breath, I'm gonna be out there enjoying it while I got a shot! Want to join me?

So, with no paying customers today, and with Sonja working all day, I did my thing, learned a few things, enjoyed the sun and tropical breezes again, and decided right then and there, for all of you to witness, if I take my final breath today, It was a GOOD DAY!