We finally got to head to Dunedin for the sunset last night. As we walked to the marina we saw sailboats returning from a sailing lesson, so of course I ran ahead so as to not miss the shot. As it turned out it’s a good thing the sailboats created a diversion for us because we had longer to wait for the sunset than we thought. And then the clouds took over.
Things were looking promising at this point.There are a few variations on the view as you sit in the park next to the boat house.We were treated to a grackle serenade as we enjoyed the view. No osprey nests were visible this time. Perhaps they were evicted.I caught a photo of this fisherman just before he called it a day.This little girl was busy swinging her net, but at no creature that we could see.The sun was getting lower.I told myself that the color was coming up.Then I looked behind me in hopes of seeing pretty reflected color, and found this.We headed to the car, really we were heading to The Lucky Dill for a beer, but I stopped and took one last iPhone photo of the sunset.
I think that the iPhone enhanced the color a bit in that last photo. I’m glad that the sunset itself, or lack of it, isn’t the make or break moment of the day’s fun. One way or another it’s always good to get out and go shooting…
It’s not that I’ve lost interest in sunrises and sunsets, it’s mostly that I’m living a more ‘normal’ schedule these days. I used to get up around 4 AM, and after an hour or two of drinking coffee in the dark and quiet I’d get bored and head out for the sunrise. I might be home by 8 AM with pictures in the camera, and editing them and writing a post meant I had something to do that day. And then often times I’d head back out for the sunset that night. But lately I sleep in. If I don’t get up until 7:15 I feel like I missed half the day, but I’m enjoying myself. And I stay up watching TV at night, and most of the time listening to thunder outside close enough to time for sunset that I don’t bother checking to see what I think the sky might be like that night. Which means I miss a lot of pretty skies. But this morning I was up early and back at the bridge over the Pithlachascotee River. The feature photo is the first one I took, and the water was still and the color was pretty. It was early and I hoped for even more color, but eventually it just dimmed to a dull glow. Still it was nice and peaceful to be out, and the coffee tasted good when I got home.
I’ve been meaning to go back to Hooters. For wings yes, but really for the sunset. Another photographer’s photo had clued me in to the view from the deck at the Hooters in my neighborhood, and on my last trip there my shenanigans with the camera didn’t seem to bother anybody. I must have mentioned it to my friend because last night he suggested we go there, so off we went. I was a little disappointed to see that the string of lights that had hung at the dock weren’t there this time. They went a long way to making me like the shots I had gotten there before. And as I stepped out onto the dock I remembered that last time there was a kitty out there and I thought it was a shame that she wasn’t there this time. I had taken a lot of pictures of her, which had amused me no end. I opened my mouth to mention the kitty to my friend and there she was…
She was strolling among the customers.She decided to investigate my phone, and when I scratched her ears I think I made a friend for life.I saw the lights coming on as the evening grew darker, and I hoped for a colorful sunset.There was some color, but I hoped for more from the sunset. This was as good as it got.When we drove in I was pleased to see that this little bait shop was still in operation, and I said that on the way home I wanted to stop for a photo when it was dark and the lights were on.
The feature photo is a panorama taken with my iPhone. Even if it wasn’t the prettiest sunset ever, it was a pretty enough night to make me happy. And there is always next time to look forward to…
We reached the canal on Wednesday, but too early to continue on to check in to our motel. So we found a bench in the shade, and sat and watched the world go by. Or the boats, one speeding faster than another. And people on bikes. We got out our bag of snacks and munched, and took pictures for quite a while. And then it happened, just as it was time to leave. Something different, a tug boat pulling a barge came into view as it passed under the Sagamore Bridge. It was a treat to see it after an hour of more ‘normal’ shots.
But when I looked at the pictures later I saw that they looked dull, and I blamed the snow-white sky. Yesterday I said I needed to learn how to replace the sky in photos, and today that’s what I did. While it’s easy to do, there is a learning curve and lots of additional adjustments you can do, so I chose only a couple of pictures with sky involved, tweaked them just a little, and called it a day. The wonders of technology.
As the tugboat and barge continued toward the Bourne Bridge I saw that the tugboat was called the Sapphire Coast, and was out of Chesapeake City, MD. And the barge was a cement hauler. I guess I never wondered how cement got from one place to another, but I don’t think I would ever have imagined it traveling on a barge through the Cape Cod Canal.
If there ever was a time for me to learn to replace the sky in an image then today would be the day. My day in Rockport really was lovely, after all, it wasn’t raining. But the sky could have been a lot prettier. But the lack of color in the sky couldn’t spoil the colorful scenes I was seeing everywhere I looked.
This, I was told, is the iconic image of Rockport, so it was the first image we tookIf I didn’t believe it when I first heard it, then this sign would have convinced me.As we walked to the waterfront these glimpses down the alleyways made me anxious to get there.I have been seeing these gorgeous hydrangeas everywhere, but none prettier than these.Hollyhocks are a favorite from my childhood.And then we were there.The restaurants touted fresh lobster, and it probably doesn’t get fresher than this.Another view of the iconic building. It was destroyed in 1978 by a huge storm, but the townspeople pitched in to recreate it.The scene behind the facades.You would likely have a view like this no matter which of the waterfront restaurants you might choose to have your lunch.Or a view like this…This parade of little sailboats was being towed by the speedboat ahead of them. We decided that it was a group of kids being guided in after sailing lessons.Where ever you choose to eat you will have seagulls staring longingly at your lunch. But we had this house sparrow keeping us company.When we finally arrived at our room for the night we found this great potential sunset view right from the doorway. But the clouds took over.
When you are retired every day is a vacation I know, but to be back ‘home’ with time to enjoy places I never visited when I lived here is the best of all possible worlds.
The point of the trip was never the Sanibel lighthouse. No, I noticed the lighthouse when we drove to Sanibel Island from Cape Coral after photographing the burrowing owls. Since we were so close we decided to drive to the lighthouse and pier, and so did everyone else in the vicinity. Memorial Day weekend wasn’t the best timing for this trip, and the hopeless traffic jam caused us to give up and go back one the bridge for a more long distance view of the lighthouse. I wasn’t the driver and I’m exhausted, too tired to sort through all my owl pictures tonight. I’ll start on them fresh tomorrow. Today was a lot of fun, I wonder where we’ll go tomorrow…
And then it was time to head for home. With two hours of driving ahead we weren’t happy to see this sky developing, but we did stay mostly dry all the way home.
