Wednesday May 8th~

Farewell Lil' Bit! Every new beginning

 comes from some other beginning's end...

 It's been a few sad days for everyone who has been 

 following the journey of E23, M15 and F23 this season. 

 E23 was last seen on Friday May the 3rd.  The parents 

are still close by to the nest, but no sightings of

 baby E nicknamed Lil' Bit by his followers.

The Pritchett cameras continue to monitor the area, and everyone

 is hoping for one more time.  In life we always want that one

 last time to see a loved one, to be with a loved one.

Sunday is Mother's Day in the USA.  Sniff is already

 starting to wish all the moms a very Happy Mother's Day.  

Yesterday after breakfast Arvid and I saw the Dolphin/Dolphin

🐬 once again swimming around.  Yesterday he stayed around for a 

while entertaining us.  Hope to see him again today.  In the meantime,

 the marina is coming down more and more each minute.  Happy!

If you're brave enough to say goodbye, 

life will reward you with a new hello...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday May 7th~

The temperature rises, but so does my summer spirit...

 The heat is here to stay.  Love Florida, but summer sure 

is hot.  Even Sniff is doing a little complaining right now.

Today is my sister Nina's birthday.  She and her husband 

David are here in Florida at their home in Tampa. 

 So happy we got to see them on Saturday.

Though very hot Arvid and I try to get out for walks 

in the afternoons.  After all, I have my little friends waiting

 for me, but soon we may have to consider something else.

We continue to "monitor" the demolition progress. 

 The marina is almost completely demolished.  Looking 

forward to see what happens in the weeks to come.

Summer in Florida is sweltering, but I am so looking 

forward to it this year.  Looking forward to doing

 a few things that I like, and that I want🙏

A good day to all, and regardless 

of how it goes down, life goes on😂

Look for something in each day, even if 

some days you have to look a little harder...

~Nadiya~

Monday May 6th~

Never underestimate the power you 

have to take your life in a new direction...

 Sniff doing a little more scoping out on his own while 

Arvid is in the balcony doing his own scoping out.

Everyone is looking forward to seeing how much of the marina

 will be demolished today.  Hopefully most of it; which means

 (we sure hope) that pretty soon the re-build will begin.

I mentioned to Arvid that we need to have a little getaway, 

somewhere we can just drive.  Neither of us too keen on flying 

if not necessary.  He told me he was getting restless, now he has

 something to think about.  I already know what and where I want 

to go, and he has hints so hopefully he chooses correctly 😂

To all a very good day and an even better week ahead.

Looking back can also be beautiful, as long as we don't stay there.

Cinco de Mayo Florida way.  Can't be beat.

As for Arvid and I, we had a more laid back time, and we loved it.

Anyone can have a good day, but you

 have to be able to perform on a bad day...

~Nadiya~

~Sunday, Cinco de Mayo~

 Cinco de Mayo: because the margarita won't drink itself....

Tequila and margaritas may not be my "thing" but there are

 many other "things" that I do enjoy.  Life is delicious 🍹

Cinco de Mayo is an annual celebration held on May 5, 

which commemorates Mexico’s victory over France in 1862. 

In addition to its historical roots, it’s also the perfect

 time to pay tribute to Mexican culture🎊

Cinco de Mayo, Branson 2023.  Yes, I miss these furry 

friends, and I hope they are all doing well.  Of course Sniff 

slept most of the day.  Nothing messes with his naps.  

Here at home we are still waiting for this boat to be taken away. 

 It's been picked up, but still sitting at the marina on a barge.

Yesterday we visited Nina, David and Max in Tampa.

  As always we had a very good time.  With Max you never

 stop laughing.  And the thing is he does not even know how 

funny he is.  Food was good, company excellent and we even 

sang an early Happy Birthday to Nina and had carrot cake.

At the end of the day, we can endure

 much more than we think we can...

~Nadiya~

Saturday May 4th~

What lies behind us and what lies before us

 are small compared to what lies within us...

We can't do much about the length of our lives, but we can do 

plenty about its width and depth.  Arvid.  Reflecting about life

 and the choices he has made. A penny for your thoughts?

It's not often I "catch" Arvid far away with his thoughts.  On this 

day I did, and when asked what was going through his mind he just

 said that life is short and we have to make sure we live everyday

 and be happy.  Then he said his usual, "let's travel more."  I looked

 at him and did the usual.  I agreed 😂 I am happy where I am and

 happy with our lives.  Don't need no travelling to tell me that.

  In fact, I don't mind if I don't get on a airplane again😂

Wishing everyone a good day.  Like so many, we have our

 routines and we look forward to them.  All three of us.

A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart...

~ Nadiya~

Friday May 3rd~

Even in a world with much sadness, at its essence, life is beautiful...

 Arvid and I had a vey good day in Sarasota on Wednesday.

  We went early, had lunch and drove along Longboat Key

 and Anna Maria Island.  One thing about the beaches 

on this side.  The sand is very white and soft.

Arvid and I got to the concert venue early thinking we would 

go to the restaurant located in the venue and have a few drinks 

and something to nibble on.  Turns out the restaurant was closed. 

 They open an hour before the event.  We had two hours to "kill"

Luckily for us the waiter recommended the Hyatt Hotel withing 

walking distance from where we were.  We waisted no time.

  In the picture above, that's the bridge to the Hyatt Hotel.

Yesterday Arvid and I started out on our afternoon walk,

 but sadly we had to turn around because it was way too hot

 to walk.  I was more of less okay, but Arvid had forgotten

 his hat and he just was not too keen to walk without it in the

 blistering sun.  I was very okay with that.  That being said, 

we still managed to check out the progress on the demolition

 of Legacy Marina.  Main reason for the walk yesterday.

Mornings are always busy for these two.  So much to

 check out and to catch up with from the previous day.  

Good morning all.  Arvid is on the phone and not happy.

  He said to the person on the other end, "let me speak to someone 

smarter than you."  The day has begun with a few challenges 😕

I suppose there are a lot of reasons to be jaded or sarcastic or 

bitter in life, but I hang on to the reasons why life is beautiful...

~Nadiya~

Thursday May 2nd~

Music can heal the wounds which medicine cannot touch...

 To begin the month properly Arvid and I went last night to a

 concert in Sarasota.  It may not have been exactly my favorite 

person in concert, but he sure puts on a good performance,

 and that alone was worth it.  Plus it makes Arvid happy.

I do like Albert.  Maybe more than Arvid these days.

The venue for the concert has the most breathtaking

 views.  Sunset did not disappoint one bit.  Definitely going

 back.  George Thorogood was good.  Quite the performer 

I must add.  Even I was  surprisingly entertained.

During the break we got to catch up with Albert.  He 

lived his entire life in Fort Lauderdale and told us it was

 getting too crazy, too expensive and too stressful for

 him and his family.  So they moved to a much more

 "remote" place, and he says he couldn't be happier.

Looking forward to going back one of these days.

The boys enjoyed some relaxed time before we left with the

 daily soccer game ⚽  Sadly Arvid's team Liverpool will not

 be champions.  They are lame as far as I am concerned.

A great song should lift your heart, 

warm the soul and make you feel good...

~Nadiya~

May 1st ~ New Month

May is the month of promise and 

the sweet beginnings of summer...

 It's the first day of May.  You know what 

that means. Four days until Cinco de Drinko. 

 Hello May, please be good to all us 🌸.

May is the time when everything awakens and springs into action.

May 2023.  We were in Branson.  Our roses were blooming in 

our front yard, and I was enjoying a different kind of life.  I think

 of Branson often.  Not so much the hotels, but more the wildlife 

friends I left behind.  I did enjoy those days, and I miss them.

May is also the month we celebrated Brutus and

 Shadow's birthday.  My sister Nina and our niece Reshma 

also celebrate birthdays this month making May

 another favorite month in our family.

There is lots going on to keep Arvid busy right now.  He runs

 with his binoculars from the balcony to the bedroom to the office.

  No matter where he looks there is something happening. Men at 

work big machinery, definitely time to get the binoculars. 

A good day to all and hopefully a great month ahead as well.

May, the month of sunshine, blooming 

flowers, and endless possibilities...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday April 30th~

Slow, steady progress is better than daily excuses...

 Sunday as we drove into Sanibel you can see there is still

 a lot of work to be done, at the same time progress is being

 made all the time.  Though the island is still recovering and 

lodging is limited, many of its main beaches and a handful

 of local businesses and restaurants have reopened.

It was good to venture out from the usual.  Arvid and I drove

 around the island, and there is still so much to be done.

Yesterday I was able to feed some of my friends again.  

The duckies even eat birdseeds.  They eat everything.  

We also saw more cleanup happening in one of the 

other marinas.   Progress 😀is slow but sure.

We have been having some very relaxing days.

  Walks in the afternoons, a soccer games for Arvid and

 lots of nap times for Sniff.  Life is good to us 😍.

Progress lies not in enhancing what is,

 but in advancing toward what will be...

~Nadiya~

New Week ~ April 29th

Living that Florida life...

Palm trees and water view.  What life in Florida

 is all about, and we are loving it.  Sniff included.

Two things Florida can teach the other 49 states: how to make a

 good margarita and how to deal with the aftermath of a hurricane.

Palm trees and sunshine make me smile. 

 Leave your worries under the palm tree 🌴

As the new week begins, for those on the 9-to-5 grind,

 you're not alone in your aversion to Mondays, but hopefully 

this will be an amazing  and productive week for us all.

Today is Michelle's birthday.  She is Arvid's youngest

 daughter and the mother of our three grand daughters💛 

Wishing you always happy days and a happy life.

Yesterday Arvid and I had another pleasant Sunday

 outing.  For a change Arvid found the place/restaurant 

we went to.  We have never been to it before so I was 

very happy to be experiencing something new. 

 I guess Arvid took notice when I told him 

that if I were doing things on my own I would do

 them differently.  I would try new things and go to

 different places.  Just glad he listened this time.

As we express our gratitude, we must 

never forget that the highest appreciation is 

not to utter words, but to live by them...

 

~Nadiya~