The everglades are gorgeous and a bird lovers dream!

Great Egret

White Ibis

Gator!

Green Heron

In all the times I've traveled to Florida, I had never been to the everglades.  We decided that this time we would go.  We booked an airboat tour.  Right now the Florida everglades are in a severe drought - 21 inches behind in rainfall for the year-- so a lot of it is dried up.  Then they had a huge fire the day before we arrived, so we were limited in where we could go.  Still, was one of the best experiences I've had.  I fell in love with the everglades and can't wait to go back!

This is a young Alligator-- probably 2 or 3 years old. 

These lilies open up at the same time each day and close up at the same time each day.  You can set your clock by them.

Great Egret

We drove down to Biscayne Cay to snorkel in Biscayne National Underwater Park.  If you ever get a chance to snorkel this area-- I highly recommend it!  It was amazingly colorful, full of fish, and one of the healthiest reefs I've ever seen!  The water clarity was fantastic as well.

Striped grunts and sea bass

There were fish everywhere!

The clorful fish is a Queen Angelfish

The fan coral was all over!

cleaner wrass

Some sort of damsel fish

Grey Angelfish

And to answer Maria's question-- Deerfield Beach in in Boca Raton on the Atlantic side

Sunrise at Deerfield Beach, Florida

The dolphins were playing just off shore.

Happy 4th everyone!  My son loves to go in and feed the Lorikeets.  It seems that the feeling is always mutual because they land on hime everytime even before he has food. 

Giraffe's-- I love their super long eyelashes and gentle faces!

This is my handsome husband feeding them.  Their tongues are very long!