FLORAL EYE CANDY & WATER WATER EVERYWHERE!

My Lazy Daze should wear a bumper sticker that says, "This Rig Stops for Flowers."  As I approached Mobile Alabama, she, "Second Wind," gently but insistently dragged me to Bellingrath Gardens.  Kicking and screaming of course!

This is a female Sago Palm.  The "bloom" in the center is its female cone, which is open, indicating she is receptive to pollination.  The Sago, toxic to both animals and humans, is actually a Cycad, not a true palm.  Feathery and graceful, it is thought to be among the oldest plants on earth.

I was too late for the dogwood and azaleas, too early for peak magnolia bloom, but the rose garden was a riot of color and perfume and this bench the perfect place to drink it all in.

A closer look

Bellingrath had a greenhouse crammed full of exotics.  Lucky me, they all seemed to be blooming!

Big Foot!

Little Foot!

The Bellingraths had an extensive collection of Boehm Porcelains, all in protective glass cases of course.

My visit to Bellingrath was followed by a ferry ride (that'll be $35.00, please!) to cross Mobile Bay to Gulf Shores, Alabama.

There were several oil rigs scattered about the Bay; I wish they allowed tours!

Half the time down here I'm completely disoriented because there's water everywhere. Is it the Gulf?  The ocean?  A bay?  Is this a bayou?  A swamp, a river, a lake?  OK, am I on an island, a cape, a peninsula?  A key?  A sound? An inlet? At home, if I'm going north and there's water on my left, it must be the Pacific Ocean! Sigh!  Moving forward, crazed and confused, and surrounded by water, at this point in my travels I'm able at least to eliminate "ocean."  I still have a way to go to get to the Right Coast!