Taking the Chance

My last stop of the day was to try the auto loop suggested by the ranger. It is a great way to get into the middle of the park and see the trees and more wildlife. After a few miles though, the road changes to dirt, and then it started to rain. I was in a rental (not all that different from the die cut!) and a little nervous about getting mired in a place with poor cellular reception. So soon after I passed the "Last Chance" I decided it was prudent to turn around. I made it through less than 1/2 of the loop. I suppose I'll have to revisit and see the other half someday. I'll rent an SUV next time.

As I was contemplating what papers to use, I found the die cut of the car and I knew that between that and the last chance sign I needed some red in the papers. I chose an old "Thank You" kit from Creative Memories that had a red, tropical theme. You may remember this technique--I trimmed the papers to 6" x 6" squares and put 4 on a page. The paper was originally 7" x 7" so not a lot of waste here. If your cuts are a little uneven, feel free to hide the center with photos or embellishments. The stickers were part of the same kit. While I didn't really have enough left to make symmetrical placements, I was able to make some focal points to draw the eyes.

Pretty Big

I made it to the Oasis Visitor Center just as it was closing. Luckily the ranger there was happy to see me. Not only did I have time to get stamps, we had a chat about what I could see before dusk. I love rangers who are enthusiastic about their jobs and want to help visitors. Before I got on the auto loop she recommended, I drove to the other side of the park to see the Nathaniel P. Reed Visitor Center. The photos below are all taken there. I loved the statues of the animals (the lizard is real). A sobering information sign did indicate that we are in danger of losing these precious habitats due to climate change. The photo that says "lift" gives a close-up view of the signs showing how much water they got from a hurricane and how much further the waters will rise due to climate change unless we can reverse our track. 

The papers and embellishments are from the Vitamin Sea pack. The design may be one of my own. I thought it was a 1-2-3, except that the pink/coral papers are both 6" strips, so that takes the whole page. I turned the right side so that instead of having the pink facing each other in the middle, there was some contrast. That gave me a space to put 1/2 of the laser-cut border. Hindsight--I think the other half should be on the left page under the water. what do you think? 

Going Postal

Big Cypress National Preserve is located fairly close to the Shark Valley area of the Everglades National Park. I had heard about this post office, so I watched for it as I drove. It is the smallest post office in the United States. It was closed when I drove by but I did stop for a quick shot of the building and the sign. You can see that the mail cart is too big to store inside! It was an interesting diversion as I traveled and since it sits between the 2 national park units, I'm including it here. Let me know if you've been here in the comments!

This layout is based on a sketch. Interestingly, I found it in 2 places. Sketch N Scrap has a Facebook challenge group and posts "throwback" challenges monthly. This was posted as a throwback challenge in November 2023. However, I had pinned the sketch from its original offering in 2017. I used some paper from Creative Memories "Travel Log" pack (released in 2019). I wanted a tropical feel but in muted tones and this paper worked perfectly. There are lots of ways to do a fold-over technique. I like this one that uses just a hint of the other side with its brilliant floral pattern. I tried to turn the journal box into a postcard by applying the "first class" sticker in the stamp spot of the card. I also chose to add postal touches to the 2 tags tucked into the fold. After I took this photo I did find 2 stickers that were better than my hand-drawn attempt (which I admit is backward) so I like the page even more!