Little green heron

I saw this little green heron tonight at sunset.  He was just sitting up on a Slash Pine tree as the sun got lower in the sky.  He and his mate were gathering sticks and twigs for a nest, and I sat and watched them work for a few minutes before the mosquitoes chased me away.  Another peaceful night. :)

Foraging cardinal

Look who I came across tonight in my yard.  This little male cardinal was just hopping around in the leaves looking for food.  He almost didn't mind me sneaking up on him to take this picture...

Sunset over the Blue Hole

Tonight, I shared a beautiful sunset with an alligator, a few turtles, a couple little green herons, and some dragonflies.  It was so peaceful. All I heard was the occasional splashing sound of a fish jumping in the water, the crickets, and the calls of the herons in the trees.  Can you see the alligator in the foreground of this picture? Paradise.

Amazing sunset

Sometimes all you need is a beautiful sunset to put things back into perspective. I am so glad I took a half hour for myself tonight to witness and photograph this moment and to breathe in some nature...

Playing his heart out

Here is my little guy getting a good hit during the last game of the day.  He played his heart out - he held his own and really played well considering the freakishly good players his team was up against this weekend - and I'm very proud of him and all his teammates.  My son has never lost a baseball game in his life.  I was nervous about his reaction.  However, I was very impressed how well he handled all the losses this weekend.  He dealt with the pressure and the disappointments with grace.  He's the bomb.  :)

My handsome boy

This is my handsome little boy during Game 2 of his tournament up here in Coral Springs.  He is growing up....suddenly very fast.  I can't believe it.  This was the second time he's ever worn eye black.  This time, he didn't smear it all over his face on purpose.  I could stare into these beautiful eyes all day long....I'm so smitten. :)

Baseball Under the Lights

"It's not who wins or loses but how you play the game."  "Play hard, have fun".  I've been saying those quotes to my son for years preparing him for the day his baseball team might lose (they've been undefeated for 3 yrs straight).  Well, tonight was the night.  The Lower Keys Travel Team had their first night game of the four-day tournament.  It started at 730pm, so the big lights were on - very cool atmosphere in a big baseball complex up here in "the city".  Tonight was the first time my son ever agreed to wear the eye black.  Guess he felt tonight was special.  I ran to get the camera and when I came back he looked like he just came out of the coal mines - it was smeared all over his face and he was giggling....sigh.  I was very proud of him tonight.  He played well - hit both times up to bat (only 4 innings before it was called) and got a lot of action in the outfield.  He reacted fast and threw quality throws each time.  He also handled losing waaaaay better than I anticipated he would.  He's always surprising me....what a kid.