Out With The Old...

Hello there and welcome back!  I decided to start blogging again because I missed all of you.  I don't remember where I left off (Blogger doesn't keep the old stuff around very long), but it's okay, new blog, new beginning.  I have been out birding more since last time we spoke so of course I'll share those pics with you.  I don't remember if I posted anything about my big road trip to the Grand Canyon or not, but if I didn't I will tell you it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, along with the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest.  If you've never been, you need to go, but bring warm clothes because it get's cold.  Nothing like a bunch of Floridians in shorts and windbreakers standing in the snow freezing, much to the amusement of everyone else who packed and prepared accordingly 😄.

One of the big splurges I bought myself since we last talked was a brand-spankin' new Honda Fit and I absolutely love it!  I call it my Tardis (I am a huge Who fan) because it really is bigger on the inside and it's blue.  Plenty of room to haul my camera gear and anything else I need, plus the gas mileage is great for when my next road trip comes around.

The other big splurge is a new kitchen.  I have been wanting to do this forever but I've been putting it off because I know how much work is involved and how expensive it can get.  The old kitchen 'worked' so I didn't bother, but now my sink has a hole in it and in order to get the sink out the whole counter has to be ripped out...and it's just easier to redo the whole thing.  I've always hated the way it looked.  It had red bricks (not real, fake), a brown peel and stick floor, a false ceiling and horrible cabinets.  I painted the bricks a lighter color which helped somewhat (this stuff is a pain to remove!):

and the previous owners had put new peel and stick over the old, so that has been fun removing:

I have new cabinets coming, I already bought tile (real tile, not that stuff peel and stick stuff) and I plan on doing black granite tile countertops and backsplash, painting and putting in some new lighting.  It won't be super-fancy but it'll look so much better (and a functional sink will help a lot too!).  I'll keep you all updated as things move along here, but for now enjoy a couple of nice bird pics, taken at my favorite place, Viera Wetlands: