There is an upside to the late sunsets in early summer in Florida. Usually I’d rather have an early sunset so I can be home in time to relax and check my photos. But on this day when we had a meeting of our photography club we could catch the sunset on the way home. Plus this was the first time all day that it felt good to be outside. Actually the first time in many days that it was nice to be outside. And our fearless leader suggested a new-to-us spot to watch the sunset happen. What a find! Thanks Jeff!
Not one but two bridges in view. And me without my camera. But as they say, the best camera is the one you have with you, and I’m never without my iPhone.At first I wished I was on the sunset cruise boat, but as things progressed maybe I ought to count my blessings.I was beginning to be more interested in the clouds as time went on.A quarter turn to my right and this was the sky.This blue heron watched the sunset with us. I turned this way for the sky but the reflections won me over.Now the race was on, Would the sun drop under the bridge before the rain began to fall?The answer to that was that it was a draw. We took shelter under the covered pier, but that was useless because it was raining sideways.We were two drowned rats sitting in the car waiting for the rain to let up before driving home. We could hardly see the pier we had just been standing on. Still a good night, regardless.
I was watching TV in my little house. My recently acquired app that predicts how good sunrises and sunsets might be had me happy to stay home, it wasn’t going to be much. From my chair I can see a sliver of the western sky above the sheers in the Florida room, and it looked dull and gray. But down the hallway is a back door with a little diamond shaped window in it, and when I noticed it glowing red I stepped outside to see this amazing chunk of sky. So my trip out for the sunset took me only 10 feet out the back door, but it was the prettiest one I’d seen in a while.
I was up early enough that any of my favorite sunrise locations could be reached in time. The sky, however, didn’t look all that promising, so I let the price of gas decide where to go for me. I stuck to my 4 mile trip to the Pithlachascottee River overpass, and it looked quite promising when I arrived. The lights and their reflections looked nice, and the sky held a hint of color. At least the iPhone photos were bringing out the light. Did the sky ever catch fire? No, it stayed pretty well subdued, but I have to admit that it felt good to get out early, when the temperature was a humid 74. The Sunshne State is living up to it’s name lately.
I walked to the far side of the bridge to include the boats in my photo.And since the moon was hanging around up there I decided to try and get it in my shot.
Things have slowed down at the rookery. There were a few ducklings as you see in the profile picture, but you also wee the water lilies that have completely taken over the water there. The decibel level is down with the few remaining babies calling out to be fed. The grassy slope we stand on to shoot has been overtaken by sandy looking spots, which I attempted to avoid in my flip flops but I still managed to come away with a fresh crop of fire ant bites. The great egrets were the only action to focus on while we were there, and I can’t say for sure if they are an adult and baby or two siblings practicing their poses. It’s a privilege to witness this cycle of life yet again. Nature truly amazes.
The stage was set. Adirondack chairs in place. The tantalizing aromas of all the various restaurants made it hard to choose just one. Which is why my plan was to get a little something from a few of them, in the interests of providing a fair and balanced report on the festivities. Our first stop was the Brew Pub, where my friend quickly spotted a beer he liked and hadn’t had for a while. You can wander with your drinks, so we headed over to Blush, the wine bar that offered frozen sangria. After I’d seen a photo of that online I knew I had to have one. It didn’t disappoint.
You might think that I had noticed the dark clouds in the background as I took this picture, but I was way too focused on enjoying my drink for that to happen.Honey feta dip…After nibbling on honey feta dip and chicken parm meatballs we settled into our camping chairs to enjoy the game.There were umbrella covered picnic tables to the right and left of the screen, and playground equipment to keep the kids busy. But shortly after we settled in we got a severe thunderstorm warning on our phones. The first time I was here all I paid attention to was the sky, but until that moment I hadn’t noticed the sky at all this time.A few fat drops of rain fell, and we decided not to leave quite yet. But when we saw lightning we decided that maybe we should head home and enjoy a front row seat to the game from there.
You will see this post on Saturday morning, and on Saturday evening we will have an opportunity to have an instant replay of this particular adventure. Hopefully the Lightning will win this time, and the storms will not materialize to keep us from sampling more of the tempting treats available. Rest assured, I see another frozen sangria in my future…
It wasn’t the right setting to try the photography technique we had intended to use. Our photo club guru, Jeff, says that You Tube how-to videos can be made by any Tom, Dick, or Harry so watch out. But in this case I think it was more the two people on the receiving end of the information who missed the boat. Further practice is needed.
The feature photo was taken with a new lens I bought, and I wasn’t attempting any particular settings when I took it. Which is evidence that the new lens bears no responsibility for the lack of desired results. Nope, blame operator error, as usual. But with Lightroom all was not lost, which is a good thing since it’s been too hot to venture out for photos in the daytime lately. Venturing out to check out the pool wouldn’t be a bad idea however. Just heaven forbid, no pictures please.
I like the softer focus on this one.How about a black and white-ish effect?Various people wandered onto the dock to watch the sunset.I liked the cloud in this picture. It looks like it’s straight out of the new Jurassic park movie, which is another possibility for an activity for the heat of the day.
A Snowbird's Life Through the Lens 