Key Largo, Montego, Baby why don't we go!

Off to the Florida Keys for the epic finale of my Open Water Diver Certification course! The winds are howling at 20-25 knots and the reef side chop is between 4 and 7 ft. But no worries! I'm bringing the ginger gum and non-drowsy dramamine to keep from feeding the fish my well earned lunch of peanut butter and my home made jam! Ha! Take that Northwest winds! Cool under water pictures to follow...

Life in the Swamp

Well, lately it's been hot. I know all of you reading this are probably like, "Um, duh! You moved to Florida!" Well, I mean even the locals think it's unseasonally hot for this time of year. Like muggy, humid, sunny, windy...yep all of the perfect ingredients for me to have white girl fro! For real! My hair was so dry and coarse feeling, I went straight for the olive oil instead of conditioner for my hair. On a side note, it worked really well, but for those of you looking for a good remedy let me give you this advice: a little goes a long way! And that's all that I have to say about that.

Moving right along. I have had some great experiences here so far and contrary to popular belief, alligators don't just run up to you and attack. In fact, unless you are a) jumping on top of them, b) walking your dog right next to them, c) swimming in a canal with them in it, or d) feeding them marshmallows they really aren't concerned with you. Yeah, so out west walking a small dog is called "mountain lion trolling". Down here, it's called "Gator trolling" and your dog doesn't have to be small for them to be interested. Just a tip.

But the cypress swamp is one of those amazing places that few people visit and even fewer appreciate it for what it is. It's not one of those places that just wow's you. It's a place that you have to get into it's heart and then you find all the small intricate things that make it beautiful. Just so you know what I mean, here are some pictures that I've been taking. Enjoy!

Cypress sap and cool shelf mushrooms.

Clamshell orchid and Swamp Lily.

Cypress needles and the cypress swamp area of the Turner River.

Baby Alligator and Green Tree Frog.

My first visitor! Me and my friend Erin McBrady biking Shark Valley and then she dropped me off for work before she headed back to Minneapolis. What a sweet heart!