Getting to know Little Finland better...

This is one of those places which takes several, perhaps many, visits to understand and fully digest. A local hiking-club president told me that 'Little Finland isn't secretive about its treasures,' and he was certainly right about that. Still, it doesn't show them all on a first visit or to the unobservant, either.

The sculptures are everywhere, but you have to find the smaller parts which 'have personality.' Like, for example, The Dragon:

 

Or the Far-seeing Man. What is it that he sees in the distance? Is that an anxious look on his face?

 

 

Little Finland is a big place, with many crevices and ledges among which to wander:

 

 

At the very beginning and end of the next clip we can see tiny hikers dwarfed by the immensity of the plateau:

 

 

While the drone is superb for understanding the larger context, to see the unique personalities among the sandstone sculptures, you have to be down among them. Only the largest, free-standing figures reveal themselves to the airborne. The best are shy; one needs to search them out. For example, here are two of the Three Bears:

 

 

Of course, there are the occasional parades of Creepy Critters right out in the open:

 

 

I know, I know. They've reserved the rubber room for my overheated imagination...

 

A final view of the sculptures along the North end of the cliff where the entry road allows us up onto the plateau. Visitors are drifting back to their ATVs and Little Finland will soon be deserted.

 

 

Little Finland has indeed generously shared many of its treasures with us, but I hope to return with some local hikers who know the place far better than I do.

 

Meanwhile, our recent spell of superb weather (as global 'warming' blizzards covered the northeast) will soon end.

 

Ah, but my out-of-state trips begin in May.  Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Montana and Wyoming will offer new adventures for the Phantom drone and its pilot. Woo-woo!

 

 

 

 

 

Back to the adventure!!...

After contracting a nasty flu bug on the flight back from Florida, I spent a horrid week sniffling and wheezing. Meanwhile, the weather was fabulous for drone flying--except that I couldn't do anything about it.

 

Yesterday I felt better, so I went to Little Finland to see more of its formations;

 

 

Coming to this deserted place on Sundays has advantages, as I discovered when I had a flat tire recently. I was to find that a life-saver again today.

 

 

There were occasional gusts of wind, but I picked locations which gave me some shelter. Meanwhile, you could see in that first video the ATV drivers racing around below.

 

Between drone flights, I explored for more stone figures among the hundreds up here.  While large areas of the plateau are barren, there are huge clusters of figures such as The Gargoyle:

 

 

And The Kissing Snails:

 

 

If the Cayman Islands Pirate Week folks will forgive me, here is a thoughtful cow in a pirate costume:

 

 

This one is a stretch, but how about Mother Moray Eel with offspring?

 

 

Won't buy that one, eh? Oh, well. I thought it might be a step too far...

 

 

I shot several satisfying videos up on the plateau, but retreated when the wind started to become more persistent.

 

I went back to the car, and made the fatal decision to take just one more short flight to shoot some interesting figures. Surely that couldn't be a problem, right?

 

Wrong.

 

 

I climbed up on the plateau, confident that I knew about where it landed. After all, how could you lose a big drone in an area like this?

 

 

 

It's easy.

 

I searched and searched but couldn't find it until a couple of kindly families on their ATVs joined me in the search. Soon, one of the moms called out, "I've got it! I saw the flashing lights down in a crevice!"

 

These nice people gave of their time to help. I'm very grateful. As a souvenir and life lesson, I now have a 55-minute video of that drone staring at that wall while the search went on.

 

 

Fifty-five minutes of that.

 

But I got the Phantom back and tested it in the air this morning. A-OK

 

Bonita Springs is a riot of color...

Another enjoyable morning walk yielded some beautiful colors:

 

An eagle grew curious, but I couldn't hold my hands steady enough to get a sharp shot:

 

 

Each corner was an explosion of brilliant hues:

 

 

And this was a gem of Nature's creation:

 

 

Finally, yesterday's highlight. Wandering through  a gift shop, I happened to spy some nice mugs with a shark theme:

 

 

 

Isn't it great? How creative!  My agent Phil was, um, intrigued. Who knows what tomorrow may bring? Meanwhile, the search for the source is on...

Roughing it in Bonita Springs...

I do go to all the really rough places. This time, it was Florida for my brother's 75th birthday.

This is the neighborhood:

 

Oh, did I mention that it is a golfing community and he's the only resident who doesn't play?

 

There are some pleasant walks for bird-watching:

 

 

Here's a blue heron:

 

 

And young nephew Max stalking it because he has no telephoto on his phone:

 

 

Some birds seem friendlier than others. Here's a bittern with attitude:

 

 

After a while, we find a fountain:

 

 

Very near the fountain, a local resident is sunbathing:

 

 

Not wishing to disturb it, we stay far enough away that it doesn't feel threatened.

 

 

Did you notice that he never takes his eyes off anyone who is nearby?

 

A very restful place, though there is a constant danger of Death By Golf Cart, as the locals race too and from the tees.

 

Be careful out there...