I just got back from my home town of Vero Beach, Florida where I did lots of resting and relaxing and beaching and outlet mall shopping. On my last day in town, my parents surprised my brother (also visiting) and I with an airboat tour of a local swamp (that’s right my town has a local swamp).

(Full disclosure, that is not my family… nor are any of the following photos taken by my family. If they had been the corners would be covered by fingers or I would just be posting pics of necks from the people directly infront of us.)

The swamp sits on reclaimed land, in the 50’s there was a racetrack and working farm, and is host to alligators, egrets, cranes, aspreys, and more flowering plants then I can imagine. Captain Steve Hayes who owns Stumpknocker Tours was a great guide and showed us so much during our hour long tour.
These waterlilies were my favorite. Each one as big as your face, and there was a whole field of them. Gorgeous! Oh, and they smell like baby powder!

these hyacinth are considered an invasive species and the government comes in and rips them out once a year. What a pity because aren’t they pretty?

XO Matt