I made another trip to Florida to see a friend who has moved there to take care of her mother. This time I left my camera at home to reduce the number of items that could get lost or ruined by sand. My phone doesn't have a great camera but I'm usually happy with the results. Plus I play around more with phone pics, get more creative.

Only the first two photos in this set are from Florida, taken near the Gandy Bridge where the mangroves intrigue me. My German Shepherd friend Violet can be glimpsed between trees in the first one.

The third and fourth photos show views near the rest area where I parked for the first night. The rest areas along I-10 may be its best features.

What saved me from deadly boredom on the long trip home after a visit with my sister in Houston was my decision to exit the freeway and pass through Austin and some of the Texas Hill country, which for as long as it lasted turned my drive into a festival for the eyes. When it was over, the scenery opened and flattened and gradually took on a discarded look until it merged with the almost laughably ugly stretch of New Mexico between Hobbs and Artesia. The third-from-last photo shows a picnic area in Texas, followed by an early glimpse of my home state.

But I live six hours west of there, and I am now back in my beautiful part of the state with a cat who missed me very much. And, just in time for my birthday, I took my first hike in over three weeks. So all is good in my world.