Kites on the beach, what could go wrong? Well, as you see in the feature photo, a huge expanse of beach, tiny little kites in the sky, (K heard there were huge kites the day before), and even a plane crash…













A Snowbird's Life Through the Lens
Life on my own, on the Nature Coast of of Florida, and beyond…
Kites on the beach, what could go wrong? Well, as you see in the feature photo, a huge expanse of beach, tiny little kites in the sky, (K heard there were huge kites the day before), and even a plane crash…
There’s the camera and then there’s the iPhone. The 11 pro max to be exact. Not the latest, greatest iPhone any longer, but I have no complaints.
It occurs to me now that going to Anna Maria City Pier for the sunset would also be a good idea. On top of a potentially gorgeous sunset you might also follow the suggestions on this sign have enjoy some shrimp and beer. Wherever you go, and no matter what you see and how many pictures you take, you always need to go back for more…
Wasn’t it lucky that I stopped at Coquina Beach on my way back to the condo and spotted this row of umbrellas sitting out on the beach? There were a few people walking about, but no one was sitting, which was fine by me. And we walked the beach closer to home too.
This was a message left on a piece of driftwood on the beach. I hope there will be lots to smile about in 2021.
I had my camera ready in case I saw anything photo worthy on my way to Longboat Key, so when I saw horses on the beach you know I had to stop for a picture. For a brief moment I thought how fun it would be to ride a horse on the beach, and then I remembered my age and thought better of that idea. I also stopped to see the whashed up boat on the causeway again, hoping that the RV would be gone. And it was! But a car with a kayak on top was parked way too close to the front of the boat. Seems you can’t win.
When I heard that there was a lot of driftwood on the beach nearby the condo I really didn’t picture this. Driftwood trees, decorated with shells, was new to me.
My friend found it amazing that this Great Blue Heron let us walk as close to him as we did while we were on our walk.
I also saw two new birds to me, the tiny little Sanderlings, and two Piping Plovers.
On this trip I learned that this is called ‘wrack’. It just looks like ocean junk but it provides an important environment for tiny organisms to thrive. Nothing is wasted in nature.
Social distancing was not a problem on this trip. We had the beach to ourselves, or nearly so. Walking and learning and enjoying the days.
Not everyone is up for getting out for the sunrise, including my hostess for my trip to Longboat Key. And that was fine with me because I’m pretty sure that only another photographer would put up with my early morning shenanigans. I was sure that since I was on a skinny little slip of land with beaches on the east side, that finding a place to view said sunrise would be a no-brainer. But evidently Holmes Beach is more of a town than a beach, and even though I was beginning to see some color in the sky I couldn’t find a place to pull over. I was sure I was too late period, and then I saw an arrow pointing me to Anna Maria City Pier. It was right on the water, and with parking right there too. In just a minute or so I was finally able to see the sunrise, and it was worth all the angst.
And always remember to check to see what’s going on behind you…
I had been seeing photos of this washed up sailboat from my group for a few weeks now. Lovely shots against the sunset, I was envious. Today the skies were dramatic and I thought that I might have missed this boat already, so I decided to take a trip to the Dunedin causeway to check it out. Happily it was still there, unfortunately there was an RV parked right next to it. I wondered what the thought process was that had someone park their RV in such an obviously annoying spot. Charley used to call that, “Hooray for me and the heck with the other guy.”
As I looked at the photos I found that my dramatic skies weren’t quite as nice as I’d hoped, and as I edited I found that I liked a softer look than I usually like. The skies seemed to demand it.