A tour of Cozumel, Mexico

Irnie, our tour guide at cozumelcruiseexcursions.net, was very accommodating!  He took us to several scenic areas, even a greenhouse where I was able to capture some macro images of tropical plants.  First we headed to the Punta Sur area but I asked to stop so I could get a distant image of the lighthouse.

I asked Irnie why the water was so blue.  He said it is because of the sand underneath the water.  My regret is we didn't take the time to get in the water.  Hopefully next time.

We were greeted at the lighthouse by these two Macaw parrots.  See how the one closest is waving high with his claw?

Irnie pointed out this really neat sign on the shore side of the lighthouse which is one of my favorite images!

Next time we go to Cozumel, I need to relax in this swing.  It was just too hot when we were there!

This Mayan ruins was also nearby the lighthouse...

...and this one was located on the road to Punta Sur.

Irnie said this vulture perched on the tree is watching to grab baby turtles to consume.

I said, "Irnie, STOP!!! " and I got out and photographed this Mexican spiny-tailed iguana.  Isn't he ugly looking?

Irnie, you were an awesome tour guide!  Thanks for taking us to that lady's greenhouse so I could get some macro images of tropical plants.  Here are two that I was able to identify... the cruz de malta...

... and the bougainvillea.  Hope you enjoyed this scenic tour of Cozumel!

Our trip to Havana, Cuba

My husband went on his first cruise and loved it!!!  We spent six days in Florida before the cruise, however, by popular demand I'm showing the Cuba images first.  I booked online through oldcartours.com in Cuba based on Tripadviser.com's good reviews and we weren't disappointed! The images/comments below provide a brief outline of a most enjoyable shore excursion!

Our first stop was at the Christ of Havana.  Facing the city, the statue was left with empty eyes to give the impression of looking at all, from anywhere to be seen.

This military aircraft is one of several images taken at the open air museum.

We parked in the shade to get our portrait with the 1952 Chevrolet used during our tour. 

The Cubans have used ingenuity for years to keep these old cars running. Cuba is the largest living museum of American cars.

This image and the first one above was taken with my 400mm lens from the cruise ship.  You can see the Morro Castle-fortress we visited in the background on the right.

The visit to the Cuban home of Ernest Hemingway was interesting! Out of all the images, this one made me chuckle :)  It is his bathroom where he jotted down his weight on the bathroom walls.  Hemingway was obsessed with keeping fit!

One of my favorite images which I took before crossing the street to tour the Rum factory.

The lights were turned out to better view the flame from the coffee being made with rum.

Cuba is known for its Rum, cigars, and Mojitos.

During dinner at the Havana Club, I enjoyed a Virgin Mojito or rather Nojito (a non-alcoholic Mojito). It tasted like a sparkling lime drink.

The Havana Cathedral is located in the center of Old Havana.  We enjoyed viewing the architecture in Cuba and the cathedral's architecture was impressive!

It was a sweet departure being able to view the Morro Castle as our ship sailed away from Cuba!

Thanks Lucrecia and Pavel!  You made our custom Old Car Tour a memorable experience giving us a love of Cuba!  Next time we visit, we hope you are available to be our tour guide and driver.  Los quiero y los veo la proxima vez.

It was pretty while it lasted!

The following wildflowers were in bloom during the month of June.  I have them listed in order when taken. The first image is wild alfalfa. It was all over and so pretty when in full bloom.  The bumble bees seem to love them too!

This Black-eyed Susan was different from the rest with brown markings on the leaves. There were several wildflowers sprouted up this year that were a nice surprise!

I like how this unfruited one is hidden among the other Black-eyed Susans. :)

This lead plant was popular and plentiful!  You need to get up close to this plant to appreciate the pretty colors.

These hoary vervain wildflowers are a common sight and are still in bloom. I purposely took this at sunset to give them a backlit effect.

The yard was so beautiful with the yellow coneflowers and purple prairie clovers (next below)!

This bug was leary of me. He looks cute trying to hide in this green comet milkweed plant!

This is a new plant that sprouted up this year called the Golden dalea aurea.  Some little birdie sitting along the fence probably planted these!

Another new plant this year... the white prairie clover and there were several of these around!

Last but not least, the wild bergamot sprouted up along our driveway in a small area.  These flowers remind me of someone with messy hair!  Shows you that God has a good sense of humor!

I took lots of wildflowers images in June and these are my favorites.  Hope you enjoyed!

Beautiful wildflowers and a silly bug!

One of our neighbors' dirt driveway has become overgrown with beautiful wildflowers--blue sage wildflowers and pink evening primrose.  These blue wildflowers open up in the morning and close their petals when the temperature soars so this was a morning capture. (see comments below)

This is a macro image of the blue sage wildflower.

This silly bug was enjoying this pink evening primrose wildflower and didn't seem to mind his photo taken!

These pretty pink flowers are catclaw sensitive briers.  They look so pretty against a green grass background!

Purple coneflowers are a faithful wildflower around the Smith Ranch!

I love this macro image of an unfruited Black-eyed Susan!  The macro image lets you see things you would have never seen before like the hair on the leaves of this wildflower.

This milkweed is called antelope horns which I think is a very fitting name!

Purple prairie clover were very much in abundance this year!

I was so excited to happen upon this wildflower called the Red Mexican hat.  These are the only two that I could find on the Ranch!  

Bird planted mulberry trees, pretty weeds and wildflowers

This purple poppy mallow or low poppy mallow were growing wild near our rosebushes.  I was able to capture this image before our puppies happily tromped on them as they love to play near me when I'm outside.  See more comments below...

I pulled these roundleaf groundsel out of the ground and placed in front of some purple wildflowers to get this colorful background.

This is some type of weed that I haven't been yet able to identify.  The colors caught my attend while I was scouting for wildflowers in our nearby woods.

There were lots of these musk mallow wildflowers here on the ranch.  This one is my favorite capture!

So we discovered we have two mulberry trees that some birds planted in our yard.  This one is in our front yard and the birds don't know how much we appreciate them planting this one to give us more privacy in our yard!

No, this is not a dandelion, but a goats beard wildflower.  They look similar but this feathery seed head is much larger than a dandelion.