American Press Travel News–June 13th, 2020–Bob and Barb, Goose Holler’ Farm and Ranch, TN. “Stopping to Smell the Roses, and Watch the Birds”–No need for bug killing equipment, sprays and poisons. Let the birds do it! I purchased a large bag of seed. I always a feeder full. This has led to constant bird traffic. Bugs 0, Bob N Barb Epstein +++++–very happy, and quite protected by our Avian friends. Bonus: watching the colorful flyers jostle and show their personalities right in front of our windows. My barn has swallows that do very well swallowing, and bring bug-bites to their chicks. Our Bluebirds kamikzi all over our pond, and lower field, on all manner of buggies.
Concept here is balance. If you take the effort to consider symbiosis, and help nature in its auto-quest for balance, you can live a much more fruitful and happy life outside, and of course, inside your home.
David Epstein and his mom, Barbara at Whale Harbor in Islamorada.So we all enjoyed barbeque Florida Lobster Tails. Dave & Captain Key Largo, his brother Brian know where they live!!Enjoying the Red Bone Gallery in Islamorada.Giving back. The giant aviary that is also a part of the Keys natural region!Since today, a million more divers and fishing boats with anchors descend on the only living reefs in the USA, its become a priority to protect these reefs more than ever for their future. The Keys waters have been invaded by many new species and one of them is the destructive Lion Fish. They are here, they taste good and are being harvested for control issues.The new Holiday Isle Tiki Bar. Today it’s owned by the Postcard Inn. Millions are spent on colored sugar-water, ice and a bit of rum: The Rum Runner!!!
American Press Travel News–September 17th,-Islamorada, Florida Keys–Bob and Barb Epstein at home with David and lovin’ every minute! The Florida Keys is the true American Caribbean with out needing access by boat and plane. The drive alone through a section of the Everglades is worth the adventure drive from anywhere, USA. What is particularly special about the Keys is so many islands drivable over 43-different bridges with the direct Atlantic Ocean being on your left side and Florida Bay, the beginning of the Gulf of Mexico on your right. Hundreds of varieties of fish, shellfish and crustaceans’ are the main inhabitants and from shore to the deep fishing and diving is the primary reason for attending natures academy of Mother’s apron of life. Our family moved to the Keys in the 1970’s. My sons went to Upper Keys schools, fished the waters with friends and their dad and mom and snorkeled for Florida Lobster. The Keys got in the blood of our boys David Epstein, now the Director of Emergency Management for the Homestead Air Force Base and Brian is today a licensed Captain. He is known as “Captain Key Largo” and can be chartered for all manner of boating experiences in the Fabulous Florida Keys!
Signage allows casual visitors to understand the what Koko Crater Botanical Gardens is all about. Image: Richard Hines
American Press Travel News-January 20th, Hawaii, USA–Columnist, Richard Hines at Koko Crater Botanical Garden in Oahu, Hawaii–My wife, Pam and I decided to make one more early morning trip before our 6:00 PM flight out of Honolulu. Pam is active with our local Garden Club and one of the Master Gardner’s in our home county in Kentucky. With these credentials, it was obvious flowers were on the agenda, so we opted for the Koko Crater Botanical Garden. It was our third garden tour this past two weeks and while she was busy checking out the names of flowers, I concentrated on photographing some of the local birds.
During the entire trip bird photograph was a high priority and because Koko Crater was not crowded, I was able to photograph as many if not more birds in this garden than any other location we visited. On this morning, I was able to add several birds to our life list plus photograph Zebra Dove, White-rumped Shama, and Red-billed Leiothrix among others.
The 50,000-year-old crater has created perfect growing conditions for barrel cactus and other desert species across the 60-acre garden which is within the 200-acre crater site. We saw an interesting mix of desert plant species from America, Africa, and Pacific locations
White Rumped Sharma. “I enjoy finding birds that live in exotic locals.” image Richard Hines
When you drive in the parking area, you won’t find a visitor station as at other gardens and as we walked through the gate you will find a sign and information brochures near the gate. This the area where you will first notice the grove of Plumeria trees which provided a unique scent as we walked along the trail. The Koko Crater Botanical Garden is located on the eastern end of Oahu, Hawaii. You will find four major collections which are organized by region (Africa, the Americas, Hawaii, Madagascar). In all there are around 500 trees comprising 200 species that you will see around the 2-mile-long loop trail.
Barb loves to fish when she has an edge and doesn’t have the whole day to hopefully hook a neighbor with shoulders enough for us to spar with!
APtravelnews-May 16th-Crossville, TN.—Goose Holler’ Farm—Bob’s reverie at the farm–I Woke up this morning to chirps from at least a dozen birds: Blue, red, black, gray, mottled, white, yellow, striped black and gray. Their songs and calls were sweet, some raucous, some sounding playful and a few staccato as in three different kinds of woodpeckers including a bright red headed one with a real attitude that come to our feeders and the older trees with lots of dead wood near the fence-line of Goose Holler Farm.
Today was especially auspicious, as the deer with and without antlers and testicles were feeding along a weed whacker line I made near the pond (the pond brings many varieties of ducks and geese over the year to rest and feed) to keep our paths from growing wild and hiding some other unsavory visitors. These serpent critters such as water moccasins come looking for a red- eared, or blue-gilled sunfish, or a bass fish dish alongside the weedy shallows, along with some other potentially poisonous water snakes that we all prefer not to tread on, or brush by, by accident. Sure, I have more squirrels and chipmunks per acre than probably anywhere in our area, as I have at least 150 trees per acre on our ten acre little farmstead, but until they get into our attic, I don’t shoot at them with anything more powerful than a stinging B-B gun to keep them from clearing the bird feeders within an hour or less.
The trees are mostly big trees of nut and flower, oaks, black walnut, maples and almond, the billions of leaves- each one slightly different than the other, keep us shaded and cool in the summer. Together with the blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, gooseberry bushes and a sundry, seed bushes, not to mention our grown fresh veggies and herbs, we have a fine cornucopia. I guess that in the great profusion of wild plants, it would take a true horticulturist to be able to name them all. I love waking and spending my day writing, looking out and on our land and up-keeping and gardening here.
I guess the reason for this post is I really feel blessed to wake up to nature, and the honeysuckle, roses, peonies and lilac bushes blended a sweet natural aroma to a day full of promise that anyone could enjoy if they gave their I phone, laptop and TV a rest for a day or, two a week!
American Press Travel News–June 13th, 2020–Bob and Barb, Goose Holler’ Farm and Ranch, TN. “Stopping to Smell the Roses, and Watch the Birds”–No need for bug killing equipment, sprays and poisons. Let the birds do it! I purchased a large bag of seed. I always a feeder full. This has led to constant bird traffic. Bugs 0, Bob N Barb Epstein +++++–very happy, and quite protected by our Avian friends. Bonus: watching the colorful flyers jostle and show their personalities right in front of our windows. My barn has swallows that do very well swallowing, and bring bug-bites to their chicks. Our Bluebirds kamikzi all over our pond, and lower field, on all manner of buggies.
