What a beautiful weekend....

After the rain...no access to the beach this way, except through the water

I have a "thing" for palm trees...

and...beautiful sea birds...

The island in the background, is called "bird island"...thousands of birds

After five long days of heavy rain, the last two have been perfect. Not too hot or humid. Yesterday evening, my husband and I took a long walk at our local park here on the Boca Ciega Bay...then I, decided it wasn't enough and asked if he would like to go to the beach. Since he has been fishing since he was a young boy, and due to the fact that he plays golf every other day, and doesn't fish as much as he would like, he jumped at the chance to go to the beach on such a wonderful July evening. Though I have lived here for over 28 years, there is always something new to see at the beach. With all the recent rain, the sky and air was so clean and crisp...there were still little areas of water that were standing and couldn't get access completely to some areas of the beach unless you wanted to walk through it, which I did. The birds were playing in the water and singing...there were so many beautiful sea birds, the water was such a gorgeous color of teal. I've added a few of the pictures I took along our walk. Though I only live 5 minutes from the beach, I don't take advantage of it enough, that is going to change - today...going back down for a nice sunset and just relax in the warm sand and thank God, the oil hasn't reached our beautiful beaches yet.

Happy 4th of July

Jesus on the 4th of July

We gather 'round to celebrate
On Independence Day
Pay homage to our country
As the children run and play.

With barbecues and picnics
And fireworks in the air
The flag we own is proudly flown
To show how much we care.

The stars and stripes spell freedom
She waves upon the breeze
While bursts of colors can be seen
Above the towering trees.

This is all quite wonderful
We revel in delight
But God above in divine love
Has brought this day to light.

With just a stroke of liberty
A touch of His great hand
He gave democracy to us
And helped this country stand.

The stripes upon our stately flag
Were touched by His sweet grace
Each star of white that shines so bright
Reflects His loving face.

So as you turn to face the flag
For battles that were fought
Be filled with pride for those who died
And Freedoms that were bought.

Bud don't forget to thank the One
That gives the bright display
The reason why we paint the sky
On Independence Day

Home Spa Evening....

Tomorrow, my daughter and I will be having a "home-spa" evening. We try to get to local day spas every other month for facials, and bi-weekly for manicures and pedicures. From time-to-time, we just enjoy staying in and pampering ourselves. I am so grateful that my sweet daughter still lives at home, she is still in school studying to become a Child Psychologist, and so our time together is really special. One of our favorite things to do together is, of course, shopping...just like most girls. We often go to Sephora for cosmetics, fragrances, and skin-care products, but we also love making homemade spa treatments. Living so close to the beaches, we have some natural ingredients right from Mother Nature and access to some of the fresh's fruits and vegetables. I've included a wonderful website http://www.spaindex.com/ that has some great recipes and locations of spas that I've shared with some family and friends. I've also included, some beautiful relaxing pictures of spa's from around the world and spa accessories...time to sit back, relax and get ready for a long holiday weekend.