Picky

I almost didn’t see this bird, picking its away across a surface of water plants and stabbing the occasional lunchtime morsel with its sharp blue beak.

I also nearly missed this one:

And this one:

And what a shame it would have been to have overlooked this [A MUST-ENLARGE]:

Or this:

…Or any of a multitude of other rather wonderful creatures and landscapes.

I used to travel by myself, for the most part. I enjoyed the freedom, spontaneity, and adventure of being out on one’s own, with no need to consult or coordinate day-to-day plans. But I’ve learned there are some advantages to traveling with a companion.

I wouldn’t have visited the Audubon Society’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary if I hadn’t been traveling with Bob. We’d picked up a brochure for the spot, along with a half-dozen others, in our hotel lobby. When we visited Naples with my aunt, we drove past the exit that headed there.

On our last day in Florida, we were supposed to head straight to Tampa, but there was something in the way that Bob had mentioned this spot that made me realize he was quite interested in it. I was reluctant because it was an hour in the wrong direction, which meant adding 2 hours to my driving that day. But since we’d been hewing pretty closely to my agenda all week, I thought it only fair to do something prompted primarily by him.

All I can say is, if you find yourself in the vicinity of Corkscrew Swamp, I highly recommend a visit, even if you have to go a couple of hours out of your way.