Well, that headline was lame… not so much a hike as a casual stroll on a whopping hot and humid day through Paynes Prairie. Might as well start this little photo essay (or whatever it is) right, and since any hike (or casual stroll) starts out with my feet… here’s the first pic.

I love these Florida parks that have these walkways over the swampy bits. Thing is, I’ve always been enamored of Florida scenery, ever since my first vacations here I dreamt of one day being among all this! This thick wet greenery really moves me. Some people go for mountains, I go for Spanish moss and alligators… no joke!

The views from the walkways are always thrilling for me. I’ve still not gotten over the novelty of living here. Not only do I live “here,” in Florida, but I live RIGHT HERE in the Paynes Prairie watershed. In fact if you look at the map of the park while on the trail you can practically see our house on the map… well, not really, but the lake I live on is HUGE on the map!

A couple lovely shots, close-up of one of the birds. My timing was great… check out the second shot… the money shot I got when it puffed up!

Also got some lovely shots of flowers… very delicate and complicated… like me! Well, not sure how delicate I am, but I’m sure as hell complicated.

And so we were walking back, and I took a few more shots. Sorry gang, nothing spiritual happened, no revelations, nothing terribly clever, just a collection of scenic shots of the area in which I live… and live well and happily, I might add.

I have always loved these big swampy trees, too, so knotted, so ancient, so Rackhamesque!