I enjoy watching pelicans wait for handouts while fishermen clean their catch at the docks.
Last evening, while Chris and I were enjoying another idyllic evening at our favorite watering hole, Tiki52, we were treated to the antics of the pelicans waiting for the discards. At least nothing goes to waste.
Patient Pelicans Tequesta, FL March 19, 2025
One pelican wanted to get very close to the action and balanced on one of the lines waiting for the discards. Most of the others took a more reserved approach and waited on a float or in the water. On occasion there would be a great disturbance in the water and I am fairly certain there were a couple large fish also swimming under the dock in anticipation of dinner.
It was a chaotic scene every time a piece of fish was tossed toward the pelicans, but they quickly reformed into a an orderly array waiting the next handout. There seemed to be a pecking order and they seemed to understand that if patient, each would receive a much cherished handout.
Beginning our Last Safari Ride Chris Riding Shotgun Pilanesburg National Park, ZA February 26, 2025
This was the last safari ride of our journey. The morning safari ride began the journey home which lasted 40 hours. Ugh. I knew it was long but I had not computed it until now.
Giraffes in the Morning Pilanesburg National Park, ZA February 26, 2025
Our final ride was primarily devoted to giraffes and elephants. We had started out heading to find a lion pride, but we came across so many giraffes and elephants that we just enjoyed watching them instead.
We came across a journey of giraffes fairly soon after heading out. We were concerned that it was going be hard to find animals because we did not see any right from the start like previous rides. Chris had the honor of riding shotgun with the ranger and she has a great time.
As we were completing our ride and heading for the lodge, we came upon our last animal sighting of the safari. It was a giraffe in the road way. I took a video of it as we came upon it and it moved off the road.
Baby Elephant Pilanesburg National Park, ZA February 26, 2025
Elephant Browsing Pilanesburg National Park, ZA February 26, 2025
The exciting highlights of the day came when we happened into a herd of elephants. We had seen the herd earlier on the mountain but decided to they and find an elusive leopard. We spent some time listening to the baboons make warning calls presumably about the leopard, but never saw the leopard. We then book off the leopard search catch up with the elephants we had seen as they crossed the road.
Momma and Baby Pilanesburg National Park, ZA February 26, 2025
Chris had one female sniff her and then sneeze at her. It was pretty exciting. And then of course there were babies! The ranger noted that one of the small elephants we were watching was only about 3 months old. They were cure and there were many of them in this herd.
We spent probably half of our almost four-hour ride watching the elephants in this herd and then another grouping that we came upon as we were leaving the park. That is where the second exciting thing happened--we saw two bulls fight. It is somewhat scary when you realize how big they are and we are in a vehicle not too far away.
The video is long, but I think worth watching. There are elephants doing all sorts of things including a fight between two bulls.
And that was that. We had four safari rides into the park and we saw lots of animals. The rides were supposed to be three hours each, totaling 12 hours of animal watching, but our ranger was very generous and we had closer to 16 hours of safari animal watching over the three days!
After the safari ride, we had to checkout of our room and begin the process of returning home. We were awakened at 4:15 AM South African time on Wednesday for the morning safari ride and did not finally make it home until the equivalent of 9 PM South African time on Thursday! Ugh! But more of that later.
Oh, by the way, I have been up this morning since 2:30 AM, equivalent of 9:30 AM in South Africa! Adjusting to the 7-hour time change is going to be a process.
Giraffe on Afternoon Ride Pilanesberg National Park, ZA February 25, 2025
The second evening safari ride was equally as exciting as the first, perhaps even more so because we knew what to expect. Our driver/ranger was very knowledgeable of animals and animal activity.
White Rhino Pilanesberg National Park, ZA February 25, 2025
At 4:30 PM we headed out into the park to find animals. We did not get very far before sighting giraffes a short 7 minutes into the ride. MY iPhone telephoto lens continues not to work and so I ditched my camera and started using Chris', which worked great. These giraffes were close to the lodge and we followed them for a bit before running into white rhinos.
It is truly amazing that the animals just appear without warning because of the tall brush and grass. We could be coming around a corner and find almost anything in the road.
White Rhino Pilanesberg National Park, ZA February 25, 2025
The rhinos were very photogenic and even posed for a nice picture.
From there the ranger received word of a leopard on the move near our lodging and we headed back to try sighting it. This was the first of two failed attempts to find a leopard. We spent a while driving and stopping to listen for the leopard, but we were thwarted.
Zebra Road Pilanesberg National Park, ZA February 25, 2025
As we headed deeper into the park we again found a journey of giraffes. We stopped for a while to enjoy them and we subsequently continued on eventually coming across a herd of zebras making use of the road.
And then, it happened. We spotted a lone bull elephant and thus began an afternoon of elephant sightings and watching. We were all excited because to date the only evidence we had seen to confirm that there were elephants in the area was the dung on the road. And there was a lot of elephant dung on the roadways.
We passed the elephant and drove to spot a Cape Buffalo with the intent of returning for the elephant later. After driving over the incredibly rough roads, we arrived at the location where the Cape Buffalo was spotted, but it had already moved a long way up a hill. We were able to see the buffalo with binoculars, and let me tell you it was huge! But, there was no picture to be taken.
Bull Elephant Pilanesberg National Park, ZA February 25, 2025
Returning to the bull elephant, we found him and after watching him trudge for a while, the ranger knew where he was going to cross the road and so we drove away and staked out our spot. It was a thing of beauty. He was on a trail and we were positioned so as not to block the trail and yesterday be close to the elephant as he passed.
Sunset over the Park Pilanesberg National Park, ZA February 25, 2025
After our elephant encounter we drove off for happy hour and sighting hippos at dusk. We saw quite a few hippos out of the water, but they were a great distance away and the images were not great. Darkness fell while we enjoyed gin and tonics and then we began the nighttime portion of our safari.
Nighttime Bull Elephant Pilanesberg National Park, ZA February 25, 2025
Our nighttime safari was equally as exciting as the night before. We spied white rhinos, a small chameleon, and a different bull elephant. We watched the elephant for a while before heading back to the lodge for dinner.
Wow! What a day!
We have one more ride to go. A morning ride on our day of departure.
-- Bob Doan, Hartsfield-International Airport, Georgia
Heading out before Dawn with High Intensity Light Pilanesberg National Park, ZA February 25, 2025
Who would have believed that getting up at 4:30 AM to be out on safari at 5:30 AM would be a thing? But it was.
Big Cat on the Move Pilanesberg National Park, ZA February 25, 2025
We headed out into the park bright and early, no, wait, it wasn't bright--it was dark and we could only just begin to see some color in the eastern sky as we rode out looking for big game. The ranger used his high intensity lamp to try and find game hidden in the bushes, trees, and under the trees. We did find an impala, but nothing else until after dawn and we could see without additional illumination.
But after dawn, it did not take long before we encountered our first big cat, a lioness walking down the road towards us. We stopped and she continued her march unfazed by the people and the cameras. Yes, she has a tracking collar. It is part of the wildlife management that the park is doing. If you look closely you can see that she is a nursing mother.
Lion cubs Pilanesberg National Park, ZA February 25, 2025
From this stop, we heard that there was a group of cubs under a tree near the road and headed off to find them. There were three cubs when we arrived, but one of the cubs decided to wander off towards their mother, who was keeping a watchful eye on them and us from a distance.
I was amazed, and this was not the first time today that it happened, how many safari trucks show up when a significant animal is found. There must have been 10 trucks all vying to see the cubs at play. I can't even imagine the number of images and videos that were taken of the two this morning. We stayed for a long while and then departed to give other tours the opportunity to get closer and enjoy nature at play.
Leopard Pilanesberg National Park February 25, 2025
Next up was the search for the leopard! Yes, one was on the move and we headed off across the park to find it. The early word was that they had lost sight of her, but by the time we got close, it was clear that she was generating a lot of activity. Along the way we saw herds of impala and wildebeest. Turns out, the leopard was hunting and one of the impala's became dinner. We found her in a tree eating her fresh kill. Fortunately she was far enough away that I did not try to take a photograph of the carnage.
Giraffe Pilanesberg National Park February 25, 2025
As the day continued to deepen we were excited to see zebras and giraffes.
Each new animal increased our excitement and we soon realized that this was far more of an experience than either of us had dreamed it would be.
But there was even more to come and this was only our second of four rides into the park.
Zebras Pilanesberg National Park February 25, 2025
-- Bob Doan, Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa
The final portion of our South African trip has arrived. We successfully completed on of four planned safari rides last evening and arrived back at the lodge exhausted.
White Rhinos Pilanesberg Nature Reserve February 24, 2025
The ride was a wild success. We saw White Rhinos, a Black Rhino, Impalas, Wildebeest, some Hippos playing in the water, birds, giraffes in the distance, zebras, some other antelope breeds and we actually saw a lion. The lion was something that Chris dearly wanted to see and I am happy that the last sighting of the night was the lion imaged here.
Impala Crossing Pilanesberg Nature Reserve February 24, 2025
We departed the lodge at 4:30 PM and arrived back at about 9 PM. All of the rides are scheduled for three hours, but more if hunting is good. Of course, we are hunting with a camera.
The area has been blessed with rain of late and it is very green. There is water still standing in many places on the trails and the animals are very active. We saw many herds of Impalas, but one of them was huge with maybe 100 animals all told.
Today we have two rides, one at 5:30 AM in the morning and another 4:30 PM ride until after dark.
We are hoping for some close-up time with giraffes and hippos. And who knows what other animals we may see. We were told that seeing a Black Rhino was rare--but we saw one.
-- Bob Doan, Pilanesberg Nature Reserve, South Africa
Pelican on a Piling Tequesta, FL December 10, 2024
It was good to be back South Florida enjoying 80-degree temperatures yesterday.
The sun shone warm and we busied ourselves with holiday preparations. That meant, of course, a trip to the storage facility to retrieve Christmas bins. It was a bit more challenging without the truck, which we left in Maryland pending our return. I could only get five bins into the Mach-e.
Pelican Posing Tequesta, FL December 10, 2024
As evening approached, we met friends at our favorite Tuesday evening establishment, Tiki52, for dinner. It was grand sitting under the tiki hut enjoying great conversation and a meal along with adult beverages. The wind occasionally blew off the ICW and it was cool, but not cold. I was attired in a short-sleeved polo shirt, shorts and sandals. It felt good to not be bundled against the cold, but rather to enjoy the evening outside.
We were joined by pelicans. We noticed them because they are not usually around when we end the day at Tiki52. I guess they were done fishing for the day and wanted the relative quiet of the marina and Tiki52.
Chris and I just completed a two week visit with family and friends, but the pets in our lives also received a lot of attention.
Chris and Ethan with Finnegan December 7, 2024 Odenton, MD
Of course there was Finnegan with his antics and needs. He was so exhausted from the visit that he crashed on the sofa pretty much the entirety of yesterday after we arrived home. Finn can be a party animal. He easily slips into the pack mentality with Lily and Arthur, Nicole's dogs, and even wanted to play with the newly arrived kittens, Merlin and Percy. Finn was lucky to escape one play session with a minor scratch just below his eye, that is the one partially closed in the image.
Percy and Merlin Odenton, MD November 28, 2024
Merlin and Percy are the newest arrivals in the house. They are expanding their territory and range on a daily basis as they crash their way into everyone's hearts. There is no other way to describe them--they are just cute. They are growing very fast and will all too soon be cats. Living with dogs is good for them because they are integrating themselves into the family and learning that dogs can be friends, too.
It was a wild time, but also fun to watch the five pets interact--or sometimes not. Nicole has done a good job giving the kittens a same place away from the dogs to escape into if they feel the need.
Be it a bike path or along the beach, there always seems to be something interesting to enjoy.
The other morning, Chris and I biked through Tequesta and I spied this tree in full mid-summer bloom. Wow, was it impressive! I was biking but able to snap a quick image of the tree. There are many of these trees in the area, but this one has the nicest shape was in the most full bloom.
Juvenile Gray Heron Stuart, FL July 17, 2024
On Wednesday last week, as Chris and I were walking along the shore in Stuart, FL, we saw this water bird hunting in the shallows. It was low tide and the bird seemed to be having some success.
The bird did not mind our presence and I was able to get a great image of it.
We keep our eyes open and our cameras ready for what may come our way in terms of interesting things to image.
Sometimes the buzzing sound that we hear is not all I our heads.
During our walk yesterday, Chris and I discovered a bee hive discreetly hidden in an in ground junction box. There were a lot of bees and apparently this has become a large hive.
Bees are becoming an important commodity and we both wondered what would happen when, at some future point, someone decided they needed to get into that junction box. Hopefully, they will call for a bee keeper to remove the bees rather than just killing them.
I spent some time trying to determine that these are honeybees and not Yellowjackets. Although they are nesting in a ground location, based on their wing structure and coloring, I believe they are honeybees. But, I am no expert. I did note that I was not attacked while taking the image. Important note--Yellowjackets are not bees!
Yes, I used to refer to him as our auxiliary dog, meaning back-up, but he is now the primary dog and the only pet in our family. He has grown into the role well.
Finn also is very pliable and by that I mean he travels well and he also stays behind well. He almost understands when he will be traveling and when he is expected to remain behind. Usually he is very good when waiting with the notable exception being the other morning in the hotel when we tried to get for breakfast without him. It was not happening. We had to go back to the room for him and take him with us.
Sometimes, though, he just sets himself up and watches the activity of the house happening around him. This was the case the other day. I think we had decided to clean the kitchen after a meal and he was too lazy to join us. He was so cute just laying there, monitoring the activity.
Everyday we walk the dogs. There are three of them when we are back in Maryland and they expect a walk every day. Finnegan is the worst--he starts annoying us to get a walk about 9:30, but Nicole's dogs, Lily and Arthur, are right there when we start the walk preparations.
Lily is an alpha female and she likes to lead. She also must have some bovine DNA in her as she grazes on the grass along the path.
The dogs walk every day, except when it is raining, and we enjoy walking the path through the wooded area with the tree canopy above us. We especially appreciate how the path changes with the seasons from the brilliant colors of fall, to the bare branches of winter and now bright green leaves. The squirrels are always busy crashing through the leaves along the path and often make for some comic relief.
1. It is the final Monday of the five Monday month of April. We are at the end of the first third of the year. There are just 35 Mondays remaining in the year. Next up? Cinco de Mayo!
Bluebird in the Morning Odenton, MD April 28, 2024
2. Yesterday, a bluebird perched at the very top of a fir tree. It sat there long enough for me to actually get my phone out of my pocket and snap a pretty good image. I was happy the image of the bird came out so well, I think I had zoomed in as far as possible with the camera.
3. A miraculous thing happened yesterday! The temperature in Maryland rose to above 70 degrees and I was able to don shorts and a tee-shirt leaving the heavier clothes behind. Yay!
4. The Orioles had a difficult series against the Athletics by losing 2 of 3 games. Both of the losses were the result of blown saves in the 9th inning by the closer. Maybe they need to get a new closer. Hopefully things will get better during the upcoming four-game series against the team whose name shall remain unwritten or spoken.
5. Dogs are very intelligent. Nicole's dog, Lily, remembers that we walk Finnegan every day during the morning and keeps a close eye on Chris and I for signs that a walk is imminent. She has not missed a walk yet.
6.Today in History. On April 29, 2004, the World War II Memorial opens in Washington, D.C. to thousands of visitors, providing overdue recognition for the 16 million U.S. men and women who served in the war. The memorial is located on 7.4 acres on the former site of the Rainbow Pool at the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. The Capitol dome is seen to the east, and Arlington Cemetery is just across the Potomac River to the west.
The granite and bronze monument features fountains between arches symbolizing hostilities in Europe and the Far East. The arches are flanked by semicircles of pillars, one each for the states, territories and the District of Columbia. Beyond the pool is a curved wall of 4,000 gold stars, one for every 100 Americans killed in the war. An Announcement Stone proclaims that the memorial honors those “Americans who took up the struggle during the Second World War and made the sacrifices to perpetuate the gift our forefathers entrusted to us: A nation conceived in liberty and justice.”
Manatee Loxahatchee River, Tequesta, FL April 23, 2024
As I biked across a Loxahatchee River bridge yesterday, I spied a manatee grazing along the shore. I bike across this bridge most days when I ride and this was the first time that I had seen a manatee.
I stopped and watched the manatee from the bridge.
I have been lucky to see quite a few manatees this year while boating, but this was the first I had seen while not actually out on the water. I stood and watched for a while and then continued on my ride. I posted 16.82 miles as I continue training for the upcoming Greater Allegheny Passage ride.
There is something fascinating about watching these large water mammals just going about their business and not being concerned about almost anything. This stretch of the river is narrow and the low bridge means that most motorized boats cannot disturb the ecosystem there.
I managed a couple short videos of the manatee, which I put together.
Tomorrow is a travel day as Chris and I head back to Maryland for a week to enjoy the Springtime and family, friends, and of course baseball and wine!
As I ride my routes on my bike, I look for wildlife. I always see a lot of squirrels and rabbits, but I especially enjoy seeing the tortoises. They are like small armored vehicles sitting by the site of the road and generally they do not get too excited by my presence.
I enjoy counting the sightings on my rides, but all too often the count is zero. On St Patricks Day, I counted four tortoises during the ride. One might have been counter twice. The one in the image was the most fully exposed and it even earned a turn-around to go back for another look and a picture.
Watching for the wildlife gives my mind something to do on the rides, actually seeing wildlife makes the rides even more enjoyable.
No matter how hard we try to train our family dogs, they remain very interested in meal time.
Yesterday, Chris was having lunch and she had the company of not only Finnegan, but Nicole's two dogs Lily and Arthur. They were very attentive and watched her every move.
The presence of dogs within here interpersonal space can be annoying. Despite Chris's best efforts to make us believe that she does not provide the dogs with an occasional morsel, I believe that she must be giving in to their long puppy-like looks.
She is a softie.
She was able to complete her meal and the dogs were respectful of her space, well mostly.
There is something almost magical about the week between Christmas and New Years. Many people take vacation to be with family and friends. And that is what we are doing. We are away from home, it is hard to call it a vacation since we both Chris and I are retired, but we are enjoying time with family and friends and, as it turns out, a former member of the family.
Louis Laurel, MD December 28, 2023
Louis is a ragdoll cat that we got when he was a kitten. He spent many years with us and grew into a large cat who was part of the pack with Makayla, Riordin, and Finnegan--who was the late-comer. He is a soft spoken cat, but has one really great trait--he is not bothered by dogs. When family or friends would bring their dogs to visit Riordin would run away and hide, but Louis would just stay his ground and almost invite the dogs to bother him. It was interesting to watch the dogs sniff at Louis and he would stare at them with his blue eyes, taunting them.
Through a series of events a couple years ago, we adopted out Louis to a friend as a companion. Last evening we visited that friend for dinner and were reunited with Louis, who in his usual cat-like manner totally ignored us even when we picked him up to say hello. We had always believed that Louis wanted to be an "only" cat and since his departure on the few times we have visited him we continue to be convinced that he is happier without another cat or dog to share life with.
Louis continues to enjoy life alone, but as always in the middle of what is happening. And yes, he always seems to have a scowl on his face.
We have been enjoying a fun bird feeder. It is the Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder and comes equipped with a wifi camera and an AI program to identify the birds at the feeder.
We have been enjoying the feeder and the visits from the birds--even on a rainy and raw day. Sadly, we cannot feed the birds in Florida due to the infestation of Palm Rats which are very destructive.
The Bird Buddy images and video can be shared and Chris and I have been added to this camera so we can enjoy the activity.
The Bird Buddy provides images and videos of the visitors depending upon the length of their visit. Looking at the images and videos was something to do while also watching a few series on TV.
Today, hopefully, the weather will be better.
Wait, did I mention that we went to trivia night at the local brewery and our team came in second? If only we had done better on the music round.
Me with Kittens and Finn Tequesta, FL September 9, 2023
Last evening, Chris brought over the two kittens that we were watching for the weekend.
Finnegan loves the kittens and they helped ease the depression he seems to be in following Riordin's departure. Yes, he is still looking for Riordin in all of the usual places.
The kittens are balls of energy and they ran all over the house. It was fun watching Finn try to herd them. It truly was watching someone try to herd cats.
At one point, both kittens jumped up onto me and so did Finn. It was a strange experience. Chris thought it was cute and took a picture.
Riordin in the Pelican Room Tequesta, FL August 13, 2023
Riordin spent the night at the St Francis Animal Clinic. The vet called yesterday and told us that he had recovered from the massive asthma attack and was eating and drinking and doing the functions that eating and drinking cause. He was perky and ready to come home.
I was in shock. But he was great yesterday after we arrived home with him. He ate like he was starving--which he was and he drank lots of water to rehydrate. He is on a new steroid treatment and we no longer have to give him the albuterol treatments in the torture chamber. I call it a torture chamber but in reality he actually has adopted it as one of his favorite places to hang-out and sleep.
It was nice to have my cat back at a near normal level. I am worried, however, because during the night he began to have some difficulty breathing again, but that has settled and we will see how he does after his morning dose of steroids.
Crab in the River North Fork, Loxahatchee River Tequesta, FL August 8, 2023
I managed a 16.5 mile ride yesterday, before the heat became too oppressive. It was nothing special, except for my stop on the bridge in Tequesta which passes over the North Fork of the Loxahatchee River.
Looking South over North Fork of Loxahatchee River Tequesta, FL August 8, 2023
The river was flat and inviting. I looked down into the water and found that despite the heat above, the river was full of life. I normally see needlefish and other small baitfish, but yesterday there was a fairly good-sized crab working the shallows.
There were also some larger fish in the area which I enjoyed watching.
I make the stop on the bridge a regular water break. I love to watch the different characters that the river shows. And, just a few weeks ago, Chris and I were boating right at the entrance to the North Fork. We would have motored up the river, however, we were concerned about the dark clouds gathering between where we were in the river and our marina about an hour-and-a-half away.
There is always something to enjoy about the river.
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