A Walk Around Deer Creek

MAP OF MY WALK

THis is a map showing the route I take on my morning walk. You can see all the lakes I pass, and it's off the beaten track so usually nice and quiet.

THE VIEW FROM THE CONDO

Living on the 7th floor, I get a great view over one of the lakes and the golf course. A walk around the block is 2 1/4 miles, which is quite a good walk, and usually takes me between 35-40 minutes.

FIRST STEPS

My day usually starts with a large glass of Orange Juice, a quick check of my email and web sites, a chat with Debbie if she is home, and then I exit the condo, head out along the catwalk, and walk down the six flights of stairs.

Around the building and across the main road that runs through the community.

I CAN'T LEAVE FOR MY WALK

Without my trusty MP3 player. Listening to my favorite music helps me clear my head, and I enjoy pacing myself to the different rhythms that I love.

I enjoy a lot of music, from Classic Rock, to Latin (Salsa, Merengue, Bachata), Country etc.
I also really like Premiata Forneria Marconi, an Italian Progressive Rock band, and have several of their tracks in my playlist at any time.

AROUND THE LAKE

My walk starts up the east side of the lake on the north side of the condo. It's usually quiet, with a nice view of homes and trees.

A flotilla of three white ducks on the lake.

And a view across the lake back towards home.

THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF THE LOOP

Winding around to the left, I walk past more nice houses

And across a bridge over a canal

Across the bridge we come to the Villas On The Green, one of the developments that forms Deer Creek.

Then the road winds around to the left some more, to the north side of the golf course.

THE NORTH SIDE OF THE LOOP

On the north side of the lake the road crosses through the golf course. This is a shot looking north up the fairway.

And continuing along the road

Another fairway to the south. We had almost no rain for more than a month, but today started with a thunderstorm and torrential rain.

A couple of Muscovy Ducks. There are dozens (maybe hundreds) in the area. They think they own the place.

And finally we reach the western end of the golf course.

VILLA D'ESTE

As we continue up the road, we come to more nice homes on the left, and the upmarket Villa D'Este on the right.

Villa D'Este has nicely landscaped walls, an impressive entry and Mediterranean styled bridge.

And to the south, opposite Villa D'Este, more houses and another lake.

THE LAKES AT DEER CREEK

Following on, with Villa D'Este still on our right, on the left we have "The Lakes", another housing development.

A number of the houses have nicely landscaped gardens.

And the oak trees here provide some much needed shade from the sun.

There is always something different to see on the lakes. Today this Anhinga was watching for fish.

RIVER PARK

A little further along the road we come to River Park, a small garden set with plants to attract butterfiles etc.

Yet another section of lake frontage. This is such a scenic walk don't you think?

THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF THE LOOP

The road continues with houses on the left and right.

And an enclosed swimming pool on the left, with some colorful plants.

Another very impressive house.

And some more nice colors.

THE WEST SIDE OF THE LOOP

The western side of the loop has several developments of condominiums on the right, and three points where the road borders a large lake.

The fountain is about the halfway point of the walk, but don't worry we are 3/4 through the photos.

I always stop here to see if there are any bananas growing. The owners don't seem to take much care of it. Sometimes there are several bunches.

THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF THE LOOP

Continuing down the road, you pass more of the large lake, lots of birds, turtles, fish jumping, and the occasional iguana.

This area has some nice vegetation and landscaped beds.

And more great views of the lake.

This is a point where you can see right through the lake to home. It's also open, and if I am lucky, a nice cool breeze blows through and cools me off.

THE LOWER SOUTHWEST SIDE OF THE LOOP

Another nice colorful landscaped garden.

A nice view of The Forum - more of this later.

The owners of this house have a collection of hanging baskets on the trees.

Another great view of The Forum

And finally we reach Country Club Blvd which runs along the south side of the loop.

SOUTH SIDE OF THE LOOP - THE LAST LEG

The south side of the loop has a lot more trees, mostly a mix of Oaks, Palms and Ficus, and provides a lot more shade.

THE FORUM AT DEER CREEK

I couldn't complete the tour without a mention of The Forum, which is a set of impressive pink towers that can be seen from various points around the loop.

The Forum at Deer Creek is a Five Star Independent Full-Service Retirement Community with Independent Living, Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing in the heart of Deerfield Beach.

I think when it comes time to think about a sheltered living facility, there are worse places you could end up.

CONTINUING ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE

The first time I walked along here I saw three baby raccoons. They allowed me to come within two feet of them. Always something different to see.

Another Anhinga that flew into a tree as I approached and was looking for fish.

One of the many Ibis's that you see around here. Sometimes you can see as many as 50 together.

DEER CREEK GOLF CLUB

The clubhouse for Deer Creek Golf Club is halfway along the south side of Country Club Blvd.

There is a small lake outside the restaurant at the Golf Club with an island and Ficus trees in the middle.

The lake and island make a nice background for the diners on the patio, and also for wedding photographs.

THE FINAL STRETCH

Along the edge of the golf course again on the last leg of our journey. You can see how much it rained this morning.

Up and over the bridge over the canal.

HOME IS IN SIGHT

Finally on the last leg, I can see home at last.

The Bottle Brush trees are coming into bloom.

Landscaped vegetation at the entrance of the condominiums.

A Hibiscus in bloom.

I love the shape of this tree.

Finally, up the six flights of stairs, two at a time, then I stop to cool off on the catwalk. Sometimes after my walk I head straight down to the pool for a refreshing swim.