Paradise, New Zealand - “My Sheep Listen to My Voice”

 

The time came for the Festival of Dedication in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple, walking in the covered porch named for Solomon.  The Jewish opposition circled around him and asked, “How long will you test our patience?  If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”  Jesus answered, “I have told you, but you don’t believe.  The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you don’t believe because you don’t belong to my sheep.  My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me.  I give them eternal life. They will never die, and no one will snatch them from my hand.

John 10:22-28

The Violet Sky of Tolomato River

 

Colorado is not the only place where there are "Purple Skies of Majesty."  These pictures where taken at the South Point Loop Trail of the Guana/Tolomato/Matanzas National Reserve. Everyone thinks the sky is blue but the sky is really violet! It is actually violet but the sky appears blue due to the limitations of our eyes.  Our sensitivity to light decreases as we reach the shortest wavelengths of the visible spectrum.  The violet is there, but our eyes detect it only weakly.  What we see is blue--present in large quantities and easily detected by our eyes.  We really do have purple skies of majesty in Florida!  I would love to get a picture of the moon under a dark violet sky.
One of my favorite groups is Blackmores Night.  They have a song I really enjoy "Under a Violet Moon" that has a medieval theme of knights, enchanted woods, Tudor Rose and stealing a kiss under a violet moon.

Under a Violet Moon

 

Dancing to the feel of the drum
Leave this world behind
We'll have a drink and toast to ourselves
Under a Violet Moon
Tudor Rose with her hair in curls
Will make you turn and stare
Try to steal a kiss at the bridge
Under a Violet Moon
Raise your hats and your glasses too
We will dance the whole night through
We're going back to a time we knew
Under a Violet Moon
Cheers to the Knights and days of old
the beggars and the thieves
living in an enchanted wood
Under a Violet Moon
Fortuneteller what do you see
Future in a card
Share your secrets, tell them to me
Under a Violet Moon
Close your eyes and lose yourself
In a medieval mood
Taste the treasures and sing the tunes
Under a Violet Moon
Tis my delight on a shiny night
The season of the year
To keep the lanterns burning bright
Under a Violet Moon

Hiking Trails at Tolomato River

We hiked the South Point Loop 2.7 miles and the Timucucan Trail 2.7 miles along the Tolomato River at the National Estuarine Reserve.  There are two rivers that the trails followed:   Guana River and Tolomato River. It was cloudy which help with heat and a pygmy rattlesnake slithered across our path.