Thursday, May 29, 2014

A tower view

Linking up with Skywatch Friday  and Good Fences
I hope you have a chance to check out both of these fun memes.

We are happy to be home now with our Goldie Girl. Hubby and I had a great vacation in Belize. These are some scenes from the Gazebo Tower and some scenes from around our Sleeping Giant Rainforest resort.   On a hot humid day, the hike up to the Gazebo tower was rough..At times there was a rope along the side to hold onto as we hiked up the mountain.. Once we arrived at the top the views were beautiful and then we got stuck there until a passing storm went by..It was an adventure.


A view from the tower, you can see the cows way down there. The road is called the Hummingbird Highway, I love that name..



I was glad I decided to zoom in for a look at these cows, I captured a fence for Tex's Good Fences.


Here is a view looking up at the Gabezo tower from when we did some birding along the orchard road. The tower is at the tippy top almost in the middle of the photo above the white cliff rocks.


After we climbed to the top of the tower we noticed the rainstorm approaching.. It makes sense, we saw rain during our vacation. After all we were in a rainforest..So, my vacations are not totally rain free anymore..


We could see the rain coming towards us...a cool looking Skywatch shot..


Here I am waiting for the rain to stop so we can hike back to the resort and our room.. Looks like another fence for my Good Fence post.


I took some shots of the foilage around the tower while we waited for the rain to stop..I like these heart shaped leaves..they were huge.


Not sure what kind of berries these are but I spooked some bird away taking a photo.



Neko was our birding tour guide one morning at the resort. His company is  Belize Inland tours  in case you are interested in visiting Belize check out their website for various tours. They are located at the Blue Hole National Park on the Hummingbird Hwy. Hubby and I also did a tour at the Blue Hole Nat'l Park more on that tour on another post.





Above is one of my Belize lifers..it is called the Black-headed Saltator. A resident from Central Mexico south to Panama .  It has a large black bill and head, a pale supercilium, pale gray underparts. They eat both fruit and insects. This Black-headed Saltator can be seen foraging with a flock of mixed species..



A view from the opposite side of the tower. There is an orange orchard and you can see the river. On the bottom of the photo you can see the dirt road we walked along to do our birding. I hope you enjoyed my post..


To see more pretty skies from around the world please visit  Skywatch Friday
and check more fence shots at Tex's Good Fences


Thanks to Tex @ The Run*A*Round Ranch for hosting Good Fences and to Sylvia, Yogi  and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday!   I wish everyone a safe and happy long weekend.


82 comments:

Hootin Anni said...

Love the photo of your "lifer". And the rainstorm coming in...super.

Roan said...

Amazing views. Happy you got a shot of your lifer. Love the shots of the rain coming in.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Wow! that was quite an adventure and hike but you even though it was raining, you managed to get some great shots of the scenery. Love the cows, the shot with the berries with raindrops and the fence with your feet!

Sue (this n that) said...

Hi Eileen, those scenic photos are beautiful, especially with impending rain.
Also the leaves and berries wet from the rain - they really shine.
Good fences and skies too.
Sounds like a great holiday, kept you fit with all that walking/climbing :D)

Lynne said...

Loved the views . . .
ALWAYS . . . wonderful photos . . .
Loved the pictures of foliage and water drops . . .

Cranberry Morning said...

Wow, such gorgeous views! And I laughed at the fact that no matter where we are, we're always mindful of getting that fence photo. lol Looks like a fantastic place!

magnoliasntea said...

Love, love the rainstorm on the way! Have a great day.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

Very much enjoyed your post. Gorgeous country.

My wife and I have talked about moving to Belize.

I can visualize writing on a deck overlooking a lush valley hosting a whispering brook.

Jo said...

What spectacular views from that tower, Eileen. I like the wooden railing fence for the Good Fences meme! Congratulations on your lifer: the Blackheaded Saltator is a striking bird! I'm sure Goldie Girl was glad to have you home again.

orchid0324 said...

How gorgeous of your Belize trip was♬♬♬
What a great view from the tower with varieties of fences and smiled with your rain to stop shot(*^_^*) Lifer is really BEAUTIFUL♡♡♡

Sending you Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan, xoxo Miyako*

Alexa T said...

So grateful for this tour!! Lovely pictures, so beautiful landscapes and I see that rain is all over... amazing how so special details can be captured through the lens of camera... Have an awesome day! Alexa T

E. said...

Amazing pictures, as always!

Debbie said...

i think we are going to be talkin' about this trip for a very long time, i could not be happier!! i sense it was amazing!!

another lifer, rain that turns into some really amazing images and skies that never end!!

YeP, awesome vacation!!

DeniseinVA said...

I have heard Belize is a very beautiful place, as shown by your photos Eileen. Loved them! I especially liked the lush, very wet, green vegetation shots and that bird was so interesting. Thanks for taking us on this hike with you and have a great weekend :)

marilyn said...

Great photos and all vacations need to include an unplanned adventure of some sort...

Rose said...

Wow! What awesome views!

TexWisGirl said...

what a beautiful, verdant land! i love the raindrop shots, too. and at least you were covered and safe through the storm!

thanks for the fences (and cows, too!)

CJ said...

Enjoyed your fence photons and other Belize images. Looks like a lovely place. I'm going back to Brazil next year and then in a few years, maybe we'll get to Belize.

Anonymous said...

What amazing views from the tower and fun adventure!

Visiting from Good Fences #10,

~Lindy

Suzan said...

what a wonderful adventure Eileen!! Everything is so lush and green!1 Great shot of the rain coming in!!

Montanagirl said...

What a wonderful get-away you had! Loved seeing all the views and that birdie!

Suburban Girl said...

Good thing you had a place to keep dry!

DIMI said...

Hello Eileen!!
What a lovely scenery!!The view is fantastic!!Beautiful pictures!I like the photos with the raindrops and the rainstorm coming in!
Have a happy day!
Dimi...

Anonymous said...

your pictures so beautiful!

Linda W. said...

Nice views from the tower!

Pat said...

Fabulous views. What a wonderful place to visit.

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

Like the feet shot. Those always seem to work.

Karen said...

A view like that would be well worth the climb! Love your feet shot and congratulations on the lifer!

nookworm said...

Now those are amazing views and a nice experience.

Crafty Green Poet said...

Looks like awonderful place for a cavation. Amazing photos, specially the rainstorm coming in

Liz said...

Lovely landscapes and nice gloomy skies!

Irma said...

Great photos Eileen.
And what a view, absolutely great.
Greetings Irma

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

Hi Eileen!! It's been so good to be able to catch up on your blog and see what I've missed. What a beautiful hike that was certainly worth being able to take in the view, in any weather! :-)

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Absolutely stunning - I loved the view looking up at the tower - gave us a good perspective. The cows - the birds - the leaves - all ar wonderful.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Well--anyone who doesn't like RAIN shouldn't go to a rain forest, should they???? ha ha ... Me??? I love it --rain AND rain forests.... Awesome!

Looks like you had a wonderful trip--and even got some good birding in while there.

Hugs,
Betsy

jp@A Green Ridge said...

Oh, Eileen, what a magical place!!!!...:)JP

FAB said...

Eileen .. I see I'm not the only one who climbs hills to check out the views.
Wonderful place and interesting flora and birds.

BumbleVee said...

I'm saying to myself "cows? what cows? ".. then, I continued on and, whew...thanks for the zoom...hahahhaha.... great job....

Mersad said...

I love the looming skies and the rainy atmosphere. Pure food for the soul.

Anonymous said...

Very pretty pictures.

Ileana said...

Great views!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

What nice pictures you got while waiting out the storm. And another lifer (a beautiful one). Definitely worth a little rainstorm~

Gail Dixon said...

Paradise!! Congrats on the new lifer. He's amazing. Waiting out that rain storm must've been a little tense. :/

Ida said...

You certainly visited a gorgeous place. Loved the lushness of the countryside. Also the shot of the Heart Shaped Leaves and the Berries.

George said...

The view from the tower is fantastic. I also like the picture of the approaching rain storm. It sounds as if the hike to the tower was difficult, but I hope you feel it was worthwhile.

Our photos said...

What a beautiful images !

Sylvia K said...

What a gorgeous place indeed, Eileen!! And your captures are superb as always -- the next best thing to being there myself!! Love view! Thanks for sharing the beauty and the fun!! Have a great weekend!!

Unknown said...

What a lovely place, I hope to make it there one day :)

RedPat said...

What an adventure that was! I've never heard of that bird before.

Carver said...

Beautiful shots. I love how green everything is.

Sonja said...

It looks so lush and green, but with rain like that it's no wonder. It sounds like a great holiday even if it spoilt your record!

Carola Bartz said...

I love the name Hummingbird Highway as well! Beautiful photos - all that wonderful green!

Elizabeth Edwards said...

i love your feet & foggy shots. nice!! ( :

HappyK said...

Welcome home. What a beautiful place and I so enjoyed all your photos.
Nice to be away but always nice to come back home again. : )

Gert said...

Gorgeous photos! What a beautiful place to visit!

Photo Cache said...

how wonderful it is that you can do your birdwatching overseas. i enjoyed your post as always.

Karen said...

Beautiful shot of the mountains with the rain coming in.

Brian King said...

Gorgeous views! Wow!

Stephanie said...

Wow, lucky you to get away to capture these gorgeous images, so much nice greenery.

Terry and Linda said...

What a cool view! I love the picture of the approaching storm! The hike looks like it was HARD!

¸.-♥´¨)Linda
http://coloradofarmlife@wordpress.com

diane b said...

Belize! What an exotic place to go on vacation. The scenery is beautiful and reminds me of Papua/New Guinea with the rain and tropical plants.

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

Love the views from the tower and the rain clouds moving in!

Spare Parts and Pics said...

Beautiful tropical photography!!

Cloudia said...

such marvelous country





ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
=^..^= <3

Anonymous said...

What gorgeous views! Sounds as if you had an amazing holiday!

Elaine said...

Just gorgeous! I love the photo with the storm coming towards you.

lina@women perspective said...

Amazing trip, Eileen. Awesome place and shots.
The coming rain shot is fantastic!

Gemma Wiseman said...

Such a beautiful view of the approaching rain storm. And that looks like wuite a stiff climb to the tower. Finally, a gorgeous shot of the berries laden with rain drops.

Arija said...

What a wonderful experience! The climb was certainly worth it.

magiceye said...

Sure a wonderful place to visit!! Beautiful captures all!!

thomas said...

beautiful tower view

don said...

A fine group of pictures. I especially like the one with the rain storm approaching. Have a great weekend.

Phil Slade said...

Wow Eileen. What a great trip that was with that spectacular landscape. Even the rainstorm doesn't seem to matter with a view like that and that wonderful picture of the berries. Hope you have a lovely weekend. We are off to a wedding so I will be late for Eileen's Critters.

KaHolly said...

Nice Lifer!! I got one yesterday, too, but only up here in Cape Breton. A visit to Belize has been on my wish list since the early 80s when I was a scuba diver. Now I'd like to go there to bird!! Thanks for sharing all your beautiful photos. I can see I have some catching up to do!!

Ela said...

Amazing place and lovely photos !

yonca said...

Wonderful pics, Eileen! Glad you had a great trip!xx

Bob Bushell said...

Great the life in Belize, and your photos are Beautiful.

Judy said...

Awesome views! Looks like the perfect spot to kick back and wait for the rain to quit.

SquirrelQueen said...

What great views you had from the tower. I especially like that last one.

Jocee said...

What a fabulous view - well worth the hike. Looks like an interesting place to visit. Great post. :-)

Maria said...

It looks a lot like P.R.. it must be the same tropical weather we have here.

Kim said...

What a tremendous holiday Eileen. The colours are so rich! Your golden girl must be pleased to have you home. I'm sitting here watching golden puppies as they twitch a little in their sleep :)

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