The Banyan Tree

(Three pictures) This is the beautiful and majestic ever-spreading Banyan Tree in the former Cypress Gardens Botanical Gardens in Winter Haven, Florida. Legoland Florida now encompasses this lush property, and the main botanical gardens were preserved, including this mammoth tree.

Fall

(Two images)

Day 265/365 – The Countdown Begins

Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found. – James Russell Lowell

Your daily mystery “what is it?!?” picture awaits your guesses. Do you know? Can you tell?

P.S. This picture, believe it or not, has not been converted to black and white! 😉

What Is It?!?

What Was That?!? Yesterday’s Picture (Day 264)

Cinnamon? Not cinnamon. Concrete or terracotta pot with lichens? Not that either. Rusty metal? Not rusty metal. So what was it?

What you saw was the wood of a Crepe Myrtle tree where the bark has recently peeled off. It’s fascinating how this tree sheds its skin. Everywhere I look, there’s something new to discover! 😀

Day 258/365 – Be Somebody

I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific. – Lily Tomlin

Wonderful Sunday, too quick to end though. Suddenly realized I hadn’t made my post! So today’s mystery “what is it?!?” picture is now ready for your guessing pleasure. Do you know? Can you tell?

What Is It?!?

What Was That?!? Yesterday’s Picture (Day 257)

Was it a strap? Not a strap, thought I can see that. So what was it? What you saw was wood, specifically the lid of a wooden box (with this inlaid pattern).

Day 237/365

Time has been transformed, and we have changed; it has advanced and set us in motion; it has unveiled its face, inspiring us with bewilderment and exhilaration. – Khalil Gibran

Visiting places away from home always gives me opportunity to spot new mystery “what is it?!?” picture subjects. And it’s always fun discovering new things, right? I found this one in Apalachicola, Florida. Do you know? Can you tell?

What Is It?!?

What Was That?!? Yesterday’s Picture (Day 236)

Was it a fir-cone? Not a fir-cone. How about old corn on the cob? Not that either. Was it an old sponge to wash dishes? Not an old sponge. So what was it?

What you saw was a piece of carved wood, this was part of the head of a carved standing pelican.

Day 208 – Traveling Souls

We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls. – Anais Nin

Today has sped by faster than, well, I don’t know what. All I know is, the day is almost over and I still have tons of laundry to do. Oh well, at least we got to go see the animals today and I was able to take Ian’s 11-year-old annual portraits. I’ve got to make a quick post so I can look through the pictures!

Today’s mystery “what is it?!?” picture ready for you to guess.  Can you tell? Do you know?

What Is It?!?

What Was That?!? Yesterday’s Picture (Day 207)

There was no fooling Allan, he guessed this immediately: a mechanical pencil. Ding ding ding! And here I thought it looked like a light saber! Brenda thought it looked like a straw. Fortunately, it wasn’t the one that broke the camel’s back. 😉

Day 207 – The Fire Pail

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. – William Butler Yeats

I love to learn, I suppose having two parents as teachers inspired me to have the love of learning. But of course, the subjects I love to learn are eclectic, artistic, and depending on whatever I’m “hooked on,” such as King Henry VIII, often apt to change. Okay, I’ll admit, my fascination with good ole’ Henry began with a marathon of watching the old HBO series, The Tudors, with Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Henry Cavill (the new hunky Superman), both superb eye candy. 😉  A year later, I’ve devoured I don’t know how many books about Henry VIII and his infamous wives, even Queen Elizabeth and Thomas Cromwell, and I’ve learned a lot of English history along the way. In my roundabout way, my point is, I never would have thought I’d want to learn about Henry VIII, but you never know with me …

What I’ve learned about myself is that my fire is continuously lit and sadly, I’ve realized there’s just simply not enough time in one lifetime to learn everything I’d like. But I’ll cram all that I can in this one.

Today’s mystery “what is it?!?” picture ready for you to guess. I’m quite pleased with the results. Can you tell? Do you know?

What Is It?!?

What Was That?!? Yesterday’s Picture (Day 206)

Carissa hadn’t a clue, but her son thought it looked like candy. Not candy. Brenda thought it looked like a stomach lining, but rest assured, no stomach lining! Could it be a smeary food substance? Not smeary food substance. An ocean wave? Not an ocean wave, but a cool perspective. “A shapeshifter turning into an otter? I’ve always wanted to be johnny-on-the-spot for that.” You’re funny, Brenda! But it’s not that either! Is it glass? Not glass. Brenda’s kids contributions: beer? waterfall? some kind of brown water? rootbeer? Sadly, kids, none of the above. Brenda’s hubby’s take: top of a cake. Not the top of a cake. Hubby wants a hint. Okay: You would not want to eat it. But something else would. You can find this inside or out, but this one is outside.

Brenda replied, “Thoughtful silence greeted your hint. Is it some kind of plant?” Not a plant.

So what in the heck was it?!? What you saw was a very narrow depth of view of a wooden handrail, this one located at the Lake Jackson Indian Mounds State Park here in Tallahassee, Florida. It’s quite old and the fungi has started covering the rail. This is just normal wear and tear on the old wood.

Day 187 – I’ll Take the Old Wrinkles

With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come. – William Shakespeare

Because it’s just too wet outside, and still under scattered rain that seems to have settled here for long term, the family ventured to the movie theater to see “Despicable Me 2” and I have to say there was lots of laughter involved! Those yellow minions are just too cute. When we arrived home, the rain had stopped (gasp!) and I noticed gorgeous purple blooms on one of my plants, so I quickly grabbed my camera, ran outside, and was immediately swarmed by mosquitoes. Now I bear at least a dozen or so bites on my arm. *sigh*

But I did manage to get today’s mystery “what is it?!?” picture after I escaped those devil mosquitoes! What do you see?

What Is It?!?

What Was That?!? Yesterday’s Picture (Day 186)

Yesterday’s picture was the result of me showing my friend how the photo editing app, Live FX, works and how I could change something so obvious in its original form to something completely different. And I had only one guess: was it water flowing? Not water flowing. So what was it?

What you saw was a regular piece of wood, but with its negative image and different coloring, that wood changed into something else! Just a matter of perspective. 😉

Day 185 – Boom Bang Boom

Independence is happiness. – Susan B. Anthony

Today’s mystery “what is it?!?” picture is a photograph I took at our friends’ house, what a wonderful rainy day to spend with them, eating great food and enjoying each other’s company. Needless to say, since we’re in the midst of a huge rain squall, we won’t be seeing any fireworks tonight in celebration of the 4th of July. (Although I do hear some boom bang booms outside …)

What Is It?!?

What Was That?!? Yesterday’s Picture (Day 184)

Anna’s perspective was, “Is it some sort of couch or seat covered in felt-like fabric and the lines are the sewed in as details?” It is not a couch or seat, nor fabric, or sewed-in details. Then Melisa chimed in … “It’s a–is that it’s real color?  It’s a…  Is it a concrete floor with some line cracks?” Well, no, that’s not its real color, I decreased the saturation. Nor is it a concrete floor with some line cracks. So what was it?

What you saw was a butcher block, one that has been in my family as long as I can remember. Those lines are from the butcher’s knives. My grandparents had a matching one, too. Each time we moved somewhere, I remember even the burliest of several men straining and groaning about moving this solid – and very, very heavy – piece of wood. This time around, it took my brother and two of his tough Army comrades to move the butcher block to our house. After my mom died, I did a lot of ancestry work and discovered my great, great grandfather was a butcher, even found a picture of him next to a butcher block!

Day 169 – Read Cover to Cover

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. – Saint Augustine

I had written something earlier to use in my post today, but after hearing about a childhood classmate and friend passing away, today’s message to me is strong: Live each day like there’s no promise of tomorrow. Don’t put off travels, journeys, and learning. Life is too short. Indeed a sad day. 😦

Today’s mystery “what is it?!?” picture is below. Do you know? Can you tell?

What Is It?!?

What Was That?!? Yesterday’s Picture (Day 168)

Girish thought yesterday’s picture looked like metal skewers. (Mmmmm, now I’m hungry for Shish Kebabs.) Anna guessed that it was a greyscale image of a section of banisters. And Gail guessed plastic worms for bait. LOL! It wasn’t metal skewers or bait (albeit plastic, I don’t even own a fishing pole … and now I can visualize my Grandpa Henry shaking his head …), and although it wasn’t banisters, it’s so, so close! So what did you see? A section of wooden spindles on the back of a red rocking chair.