Walk With Me ~ 3 ~ In Subtropical Paradise

For my friends in the north embracing the chilling cold, I sincerely hope this post will warm your hearts a little bit.

After an everlasting steaming hot summer and a hurricane going through our area, we finally get to breathe cooler air and enjoy the warm winter. With the temperature of 61F / 16C and windy in the morning, it was a little too cold for me so I decided to postpone my walk until this afternoon when the temperature will rise to be above 70F / 21C.

On my walk, I see many different species of birds flying, swimming, sun-bathing, and feeding. I also see some fruit blossoms and fruits that I would like to share with you.

A pair of migratory ducks. They only travel here during winter time when it's cold up north.

Unlike migratory White Pelicans, Brown Pelicans are year-round residents here. They dive into the water from the sky to catch fish. It's fascinating to watch how they do it. Behind it is a Cormorant just emerging from under the water after trying to catch fish.

This Cormorant has now noticed me.

This one is watching me, too.

A Cormorant is drying its feathers in the warm sun. A Great Blue Heron is paying attention to me.

Soon another bird eats its way up and joins them. The Great Blue Heron is preening its feathers now after knowing I am not a threat. They all look beyond their differences, share the lands, take only what they need, and live peacefully together.

They all wonder why all humans can't just do the same and have a simple life. Instead, some humans like to claim lands to be their own because of greed and a lust for power. As a result, they fight for lands and try to kill each other all the time.

A White Pelican is soaring in the sky. Their wingspan can be up to 12 ft / 3.6 m. They are so magnificent that I am always in awe to watch when they fly over me. (I remind myself to keep my mouth closed just in case. I had learned my lesson, my friend.)

Our mango trees are in full blossoms now. Mango fruits from this tree will start ripening in June.

A new Banana blossom I see today. Do you see a few pups (baby banana plants) that have popped out of the ground? They will be ready to shoot up once I harvest this stalk of bananas. They multiply and are very fruitful when we mimic the patterns and relationships we can find in nature.

A fig fruit will ripen in 2 days. In the background from left to right: another mango tree, an avocado tree, and a plantain plant. The water body behind it on the north serves as a thermal mass to buffer extreme temperatures whenever Arctic cold fronts push down this far south.

The good news and a nice surprise for me on my walk today is to spot a Carambola fruit hidden behind the leaves. Carambola trees can produce fruits year-round in a warmer climate.

This fruit is from a second-year tree. It produces fruit this early in its life most likely because of the stress from the strong winds of the hurricane that moved through this area a few months ago.

It's quite interesting that by bending the branches either by wind or through people's actions, trees can start to produce their fruits early. They are like humans as described in 1 Peter 5:10. Only after we have suffered a while, we will be made perfect, established, strengthened, and settled.

Thank you for walking with me today. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I'll see you next time.