Friday Foto Friends...Sorry I'm Late

Good Morning Friday Foto Friends.  I am late to the "party".  Had a difficult night with little sleep, and woke up with a tummy ache. Had to cancel some very special luncheon plans today...which made me very sad.  Was planning to have our friend Sharon (who is battling cancer) and her sister in law and niece over for lunch, but I just can't do it. One of those kind of days, and I feel terrible for having to cancel, but I know my friend understands.  Not only do I not feel up to par, but our AC has been on the fritz all week, and the kitchen/dining room area is too hot for cooking and dining.  The repairman hopes to be here today to install the new parts that were on order...but again, that would have been rather disruptive to a pleasant luncheon.  So we will try again to get together in the future, but her sister-in-law and niece, who have been here for a month as Sharon's special caregivers,  are headed back home on Monday.

Not much to show you here in the way of pictures today....It's been a rainy week, and we haven't really been out much.

On one of our walks in the neighborhood I noticed these coral colored honeysuckle mixed in with the white honeysuckle...growing wild alongside the road by our woods...

 This is the first time I've seen this coral honeysuckle growing wild here...isn't it pretty?

I almost tripped over this little wild bunny...she was sitting there in the middle of these twigs, and I think she believed we couldn't see her...that seems to be what they do...they get real still, and crouched down, and pretend they are invisible until we move on past and then they take off like a scared rabbit! Oh! I guess that is what they are! 

I thought I should also show you what a difference a year of rain can make in a local small lake/pond here in our neighborhood:  This is NOW, after last year's Hurricane Irma and this past week's tropical storm Alberto:

 Still another picture of the same pond, different angle: There is water all through that marshy area, which used to be more of an island, but now is mostly under water...

And this was a year ago or maybe a little longer than that....very little water at all...

Again...same pond, very little water...

And even the deer were nesting and hiding in this pond, because there was so little water!

(this was a year ago)

What a difference having a year of good rains can make!!  People are now able to take their boats in and out of this little lake through the canals to the big lake, although I don't have a picture of that.

So, having the rains come has been good for our area, which is dependent on the lakes and rivers for tourism and weekend vacationers.  We live in an area of a lot of natural recreational resources:
This is a LINK to the Ocala National Forest and Salt Springs recreational area.

This video will show more about Salt Springs area:

And this is a link to Lake Kerr information, which is all around where we live
Here is a picture of Lake Kerr on a stormy day:

Okay, that's all for now. I'm going to try to eat something and take a nap...unless the AC man shows up, then I'll have to forego the nap (because the AC inside unit is in a closet in our bedroom)...or I could go lay down in the guest room and pretend I'm a guest! Not a bad idea.  That end of the house is a lot cooler...

Hope you are having good day wherever you are.

Please go check out our other Friday Foto Friends at Deb's place..."Breathing in Grace".

A thought for today from our morning devotions:

"And above all things have fervent love for one another,

for "love will cover a multitude of sins."

Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

As each one has received a gift,

minister it to one another, 

as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."

I Peter 4:8-10