Day: December 25, 2023

The Significance of the Butterflies

December 9, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

On the Florida and Alabama Gulf Coast

Exploring the Gulf Coast of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle is exciting. Not only have I been able to photograph the ocean and several water birds, but I have been seeing a lot of butterflies.

I’ve never seen this kind of butterfly before that I remember. The Gulf fritillary, also known as the passion butterfly, is quite common here.

I watched this pair for quite a while and took several photos.

Did you know that seeing a Gulf fritillary butterfly has spiritual significance for many cultures? It carries with it the spiritual significance of transformation and the resilience to overcome obstacles. It reminds us to have faith and focus on our dreams instead of our fears.

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly Spiritual Meaning: Transformation!

It is a beautiful creature with its bright orange color and black markings. I was mesmerized watching them flutter around.

The article above says that seeing this butterfly can be a sign from the universe urging us to welcome changes and evolve.

I wonder what the universe is trying to tell me.

* * * * *

We also saw several monarchs in the same area feeding on the small white daisies. I wasn’t able to get a photo with his wings fully opened.

This beautiful orange and black butterfly symbolizes hope, rebirth, and transformation.

The Monarch is in trouble. Its population has dropped significantly in the past decade. There are many concerns about its future.

“The monarch butterfly is considered to be the king of butterflies and the most beautiful of all butterflies in the world,” says Cristina Panescu, spiritual healer and psychic.

The Symbolic Meaning of Crossing Paths With a Monarch Butterfly

* * * * *

The third species of butterfly we saw today is a Common (or Gray) Buckeye.

I am not a professional so I don’t know for sure if this is a plain common buckeye or a common gray buckeye. I think there is a difference. At first, I thought this was a moth.

Two separate ones were flying around together. The second one appears to be a little darker than the first one. But it could be the lighting. Once again I watched them for a long time. Thank goodness Rich is patient.

This butterfly is also associated with transformation as well as endurance.

In various cultures and spiritual beliefs, the butterfly, including the Buckeye, is considered a powerful symbol of metamorphosis and transition.

Buckeye Butterfly Spiritual Meaning? Transformation!

I feel a change or transition is in my future. I have seen several of these three butterflies in the past week. With the new year just around the corner, I wonder what 2024 is going to bring.

What do you think?

Finding Bamahenge

December 8, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

A partial Stonehenge replica in southern Alabama

Stonehenge is a complex prehistoric stone structure located in Wiltshire, England. It was constructed between the years of 2000 and 3000 BCE. I have never been there but would love to see it in person someday. For now, I will have to be content with visiting a partial fiberglass replica in Alabama.

Today we drove through the town of Elberta and found the tourist attraction known as Bamahenge. Bamahenge is not a complete replica, but only a partial one. It has the same astrological alignment as the original in England, which means that on the first day of summer, one can stand in the center of the circle, looking easterly through the entrance, and see the sunrise.

There are no road signs, only a pull-off area on the side of the road and a trail back to the site. You will easily miss it if you are not looking for it. It might be made of fiberglass but it gives you a sense of what it would be like to see the original stone structure in England.

According to Wikipedia — Bamahenge is a full-scale fiberglass replica of England’s prehistoric Stonehenge monument, located on the grounds of Barber Marina near Josephine, Alabama. It was designed and built by artist Mark Cline, at the request of marina owner George W. Barber.

This is definitely one tourist attraction off the beaten path worth taking the time to visit.

Thanks for coming along with us on our sightseeing adventures.

Visiting Weeks Bay Pitcher Plant Bog in Foley, Alabama

December 7, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

I did not know what a pitcher plant was before today. Pitcher plants are carnivorous insect-eating plants with flowers shaped like pitchers. The only insect-eating plants I have ever seen or known of previously are Venus Flytraps. We used to have these when we were kids. I loved watching a fly get trapped and closed inside the plant. Is that so horrible?

White-topped pitcher plants such as the ones in the photo above and below have a small pool of water in the bottom of the leaf stalk or pitcher.

Insects are forced down into the water by stiff angled hairs inside the pitcher. Bacteria in the water then decompose them so the plant can absorb the nutrients from the dead insect.

The Weeks Bay Pitcher Plant Bog and Kurt G. Wintermeyer Nature Trail is a nature preserve that offers visitors an easy boardwalk for a peaceful walk through a wooded bog back to the water of Weeks Bay. It was windy and chilly, but a beautiful day for a walk through the woods.

I was hoping to find more butterflies or birds as we walked through the woods. Migratory birds are often found here, and butterflies are attracted to the many flowers, but not today. The only life we saw was a few dragonflies.

Most of the plant species found in these bogs are rare. White-topped pitcher plants and purple pitcher plant

s are common here. I would love to come back in the spring when they are blooming and everything is coming alive.

Pitcher plant bogs are an exceptional ecosystem. The soil is nutrient-poor and moist. Only these special unique types of plants can flourish here. The bog is also dependent on regular forest fires to prevent shrubby vegetation from overtaking the area and drying up the moist soil.

Pitcher plant bogs are an endangered habitat. Rural development, fire suppression, and draining the flooded areas is threatening the bogs. Other rare plants such as orange milkworts, bog buttons, toothache grass, yellow-eyed grass, sundews, and white-topped sedges are also in danger.

Bog habitats are quickly disappearing throughout the country. More than ninety percent of bog acreage along the Gulf Coast has already been destroyed or severely damaged. This makes the Weeks Bay Pitcher Plant Bog rare and more valuable with each passing day.

Thanks for coming along on our travel adventures. Have you ever seen a Pitcher Plant Bog?

How We Successfully Live in an RV Full-time With A Spouse

December 6, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

And don’t kill each other!

Living in a small RV space with a spouse can be a rewarding experience, but it can be frustrating at times and requires some adjustments and compromises. The following tips have worked for us.

1 Share the recliner. We only have one recliner in our RV and we both like sitting there so we can put our feet up and face the TV. We do have a footstool in front of the couch but you still have to turn your head sideways to see the television.

2 Allow each other to have their indulgences. Rich smokes cigarettes and drinks Diet Mountain Dew. His vices could be a lot worse so I try not to say too much. I don’t have any vices that I need daily so he just has to remember that sometimes when I want a treat I am owed it.

3 Be polite by always saying excuse me, please, thank you, and you’re welcome. It is a small living area and our burps, farts, and other bodily functions are bound to cause some stink. There are times when we get on each other’s nerves and that is when Rich goes for a walk around the campground and smokes a cigarette. Be patient, understanding, and willing to forgive.

4 Share the television. Listen to each other’s music and watch each other’s favorite shows. Rich and I like a lot of the same things but sometimes he wants to watch a fishing show or a car show. And sometimes I want to watch a good romantic comedy or a Christmas movie.

5 Share the chores. Take turns doing the dishes, the sweeping, and go to the laundromat together. When my knee was hurt I couldn’t walk to the laundromat with Rich and after a few weeks, I could tell he didn’t like having to go alone all the time.

Rich and I have done extremely well living in a small RV for the last two years. We wouldn’t trade this time we are spending together for anything. We haven’t killed each other yet and have no plans to go back to a house anytime soon.