It all started more than a year ago when I ran across the idea of making Christmas reindeer from palm fronds. I took it a step further than what tradion called for and painted them instead. I ended up with 7 reindeer and a Minion. Encouraged I made 2 more Minions to complete the trio and from there I added a snake, 3 elephants, and 7 Easter bunnies!
Whew!
The obsession continues...
I tried to replicate the golden palms here.
And then I struck on the idea of birds.
A blue jay...
A cardinal...
An owl and a woodpecker.
I finished off the birds with this pelican and moved on to fish.
Mikey likes them so he made hangers for them and put them on the walls.
Here's all the birds.
A couple of big fish made from the seed pods of a Royal palm.
And an assortment of funny fish!
I'm fully aware that that my painting is amteurish and rather cartoonish but I ain't no artist and I've learned to do with what I can do. Do a google search on painted fronds and you will see some really awesome art!
These have been lots of fun to make and I'm sure there will be more to come.
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On to the animals and creepy crawlies!
Our yearly screech owls came late. I was worried about them. The second one took a looooong time to show up but...
After careful conideration I think they came early insted of late and this is not the mate but the actual fledgling.
Water Snake
Fluffy Hawk
Jeremiah the Bullfrog is back!
A lazy looking Softail turtle.
A pair of Sandhill Cranes took a stroll through the yard and around the pond.
A pair of tiger striped dragonflies.
A pair of Red Shouldered Hawks.
The crane walked carefully around the gator.
The Mockingbird is watching something very carefully.
Hm, this hawk is also watching something very carefully.
And then all hell breaks loose!!
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Back to the crafty side.
Mike made this bamboo mailbox for me.
Good job!
I made some extra hot hot hot sauce from the pepper plant.
I won a Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker.
(Actually I won two! I had one sent to Chris.)
Awesome!
And here at the very end is a Century plant. This guy had been uprooted and shoved halfway into the little pond last Christmas. He's hanging on by his roots but I think he's about to give up the ghost. Why?
Well, oddly, he shot up a mast with his last energies and it will flower in a month or so...
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I know this was a long one but I have more coming soon: A trip tp Orlando.
We're camping and heading to SeaWorld!!
See you then.
