boats – A Snowbird's Life Through the Lens

a second look, adventure, birds, boats, Florida wildlife, fun, nature, Natures little dramas, pelicans, perseverance, photography, second chances

A perfect day…

December 30, 2022 naturecoastimagesblog

Yesterday really was a perfect day. I wasn’t the only one who thought so either. Just look at all the fishermen on the Anclote Park Pier. 73 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. And everywhere I went the birds cooperated for some pictures.

This shipwreck is still hanging around at the Anclote River park.

After all the pictures I’ve taken of pelicans I never actually looked at the little hook at the end of their beaks. It looks like a claw. Oh my.

I heard, rather than saw, two pelicans splash into the water as I stood on the pier. I realized that one of them had dived for a fish and immediately panicked that he’d gulp it down before I could get a shot. Not quite though.

He dipped it back down into the water a couple of times, but it was lunch after all.

All along I’d seen pelicans and seagulls diving into the water, fishing as only they can. But when this seagull dove in nearby this same pelican took off after it. I assume to steal it’s catch. The chase was on.

I couldn’t tell if the seagull feared for it’s life or just wanted to hang onto it’s lunch.

In the end the seagull made it’s escape, with it’s lunch intact. Not good news for the lunch.

Sometimes you wait and wait for a photographic moment, and other times they come at you left and right…

'scene' along the way, a second look, Amazing artwork, attitude adjustments, birds, boats, facing facts, finding my way, friends, fun, making memories, perseverance, photography, sunset

Sunset and sailboats…

December 5, 2022December 5, 2022 naturecoastimagesblog

When we house hunted in Florida all those years ago the first place we looked was Dunedin. Such a charming town, but I had to face the fact that I couldn’t afford it then, and I can’t afford it now. The reason for this visit was to see the Dunedin Boat Parade, which we attended last year. But this time we wanted to stake out a prime spot to shoot our photos, and since we would be in the area for a morning with the photo group it seemed like a good idea to just head to Dunedin early. I’m not going to tell you what time it was when we snagged the last possible spot right on the seawall, you’d think we’d lost our minds. Not that other people we waiting already. Nope, they had just placed their blankets and chairs extra early. We didn’t have things we were comfortable leaving to save out spot so we stayed, but I will make a note for next time. In the meantime there were a few things to take pictures of as we waited.

This shipwreck caught our eye. I have no idea what the story is, and amazingly people walked on the rocks with their kids to see it up close, and looked like they were going to break their necks as they did it. Thankfully no one did. And by the time the sun set all the rocks were underwater and the boat looked like it was just at anchor out there.

This anhinga seemed happy to fan his feathers on the sail.

Boats came and went all afternoon, including this guy. When my kids were young we had a raft like this one, minus the electric motor, you had to row. My son and his friend used to take it out on the lake we lived on in MD, and they always came back soaking wet. They insisted that they didn’t know what happened, ‘it just tipped over’. So I stealthily set out with the dog on the leash to investigate one day, and saw them happily jumping out of the raft and climbing back in. I’m glad now that he got to do things like that growing up.

As it got darker the lighted boats started out of the harbor to take their place in the parade.

As you can see from the feature photo the sky did develop some color as the sun set. And the birds took to the sky to return to where ever it is that they rest for the night.

I’m quite happy with this photo taken with my new camera. But it’s the only picture that I got with it. Someone needs to read up on the settings in the camera because I fooled with them and it wouldn’t take a picture after that.

I pouted a bit, okay a lot, since I couldn’t take the pictures I’d expected to take, but I finally got out my phone and took a few more pictures.

There were a LOT of boats, and it was a very long day. But by the next time this event rolls around again I’m sure I’ll be ready to try, try, again. I’ll make sure I’ve conquered the camera by then.

'scene' along the way, a second look, boats, courage, facing facts, foggy sky, friends, perseverance, photography, Rise and shine, sunrise

Greeting the day…

September 26, 2022September 25, 2022 naturecoastimagesblog

It was back to the bridge along the side of the highway for the sunrise this morning. When I walked out my front door I saw a lot of low, dark clouds, but I decided to head the few miles to see what I would see. It’s a busy road, a major north/south route, three lanes in each direction with a median. The sidewalks have cement barriers, so it doesn’t feel as reckless as it might sound. And speaking of sounds, you know what I hear as I look at the scene and plan my shots? I hear a rooster, sounding as out of place as he could be.

This was my first shot. Actually a 5 shot HDR image. Enough color to make me glad I headed out.

I walked to the far end of the bridge to see these boats better.

The rooster wasn’t the only thing I heard this morning. Across the road, so across all six lanes of traffic from me, was a guy having an argument with someone. Himself? Was he on his phone? I couldn’t tell, and I wasn’t hopeful that the color would magically become amazing, so I walked (fast) down to my secluded parking spot and headed home. It was the first time I’ve ever felt uncomfortable when I’m roaming in the morning or at sunset. My house is ready for the possible storm that’s coming. It’s sure nice to have friends because I wouldn’t want to ride one out in a mobile home.

'scene' along the way, a second look, adventure, attention to detail, boats, changing times, Florida landmarks, friends, fun, perseverance, photography

Floating along…

September 20, 2022September 19, 2022 naturecoastimagesblog

If you are at Armature Works for a car show, or just for lunch, then you are on the Riverwalk. The river being the Hillsboro River, and there are lots of places you might like to visit along that river. The easiest way to travel up, or down, the river is by water taxi, and you might choose to get an all day pass and get on and off the boat to explore all there is to see. We, however, just rode one round trip and called it a day. Until next time.

You pass under a few bridges as you travel on the river. The tour guide pointed out that you must make an appointment to bring a larger boat through the bridges, and should you miss your appointment you would incur a $25,000 fine. Plus they would have sent out crews to open the rest of the bridges for you, which might make your fine $125,000. So don’t be late.

The round building is known as the ‘beer can building’, for obvious reasons.

At one end of your trip you will find the American Victory ship. Built mostly by women during WW2, it remains fully operational. Tours of the ship are available.

The schedule for the Lightning has been released, so we’ll soon be inside, looking out, rooting the team on.

Testing the camera’s abilities by shooting these little doves as we sailed on by.

I heard the guys sitting behind me talking about a rainbow but I had to go up and join the captain to see it.

This picture has it all. The water taxis, the beer can building, and yet another of the bridges. And cranes along they way also, an ever evolving landscape.

Are these minarets out of place in an urban landscape? They adorn Plant Hall, which now holds the administration services of the University of Tampa, but was once home to the Tampa Bay Hotel. A visit to the museum here will have to be enjoyed another day.

Plant wanted something exotic as a design for his hotel, so Architect J.A Wood designed a Moorish Byzantine style building, which was popular in the Victorian period. The hotel only remained open for 40 years, from 1891 to 1932, but was visited by Theodore Roosevelt and Clara Barton, guests who helped it earn its status as a National Historic Landmark.

What a nice way to spend a day in Tampa. The afternoon clouds were arriving right on time, and we were safely home relaxing when the storm rolled in.

'scene' along the way, a second look, attention to detail, boats, bugs, exploring new places, flowers, friends, fun, making memories, perseverance, photography, road trip, travel

Sails, and rocky shores of Maine…

August 15, 2022August 14, 2022 naturecoastimagesblog

I had crossed this ‘swing bridge’ the last time I visited this area. It takes you to Southport Island, where, according to our map, there are three lighthouses to be seen just off shore. The bridge operator told me that the bridge opens every half hour so that the boaters and the residents can plan their trips over land or water. I was glad that my friend got a chance to see it in action. There is a sign that warns, ‘draw bridge ahead,’ but this is what you see when you come around the bend. As far as the lighthouses go we weren’t totally successful this time, just like I wasn’t the last time I tried to find them either. Two out of three ain’t bad, or so I’ve heard.

The process of opening and closing probably takes about five minutes. Not too bad.

That rocky coast thing is no exaggeration.

I found this little beach area with a lighthouse the last time I was here also. Only there was just one lady sunning herself on the beach. From the beach the view of the lighthouse is obscured, so we talked about climbing on the rocks (not the big ones on the left, the smaller ones to the right with people in front of them), but I chickened out. I told myself I was being prudent for the sake of the camera. It was the lack of parking spaces that caused me to get this shot. We drove around the area in a circle and found a spot to park up the hill on our third try. But from the hill you had the view I was looking for.

Sometimes photographers are encouraged to ‘zoom with their feet.’ This time I was happy to do it with the zoom lens.

I didn’t have to wish for sailboats while in Maine, they were everywhere. But one of these sailboats is not like the others.

I have no idea what the advantages of these sails might be, but it makes for a nice photo op.

We encountered bushes with lots of flowers, and the flowers had lots of bees, but mostly they were down inside the flowers. But this one finally climbed out.

We found a town pier with a view of Cuckold’ Light.

When we walked off the pier I wanted to take a shot of the row of rowboats tied up next to it, and was surprised to discover that one was named The Sue.

'scene' along the way, a second look, boats, bucket list, butterflies, exploring new places, finding my way, flowers, perseverance, photography, road trip

Reruns…

August 12, 2022 naturecoastimagesblog

1344 is how many pictures were on the camera’s SD card when I inserted it into the computer when I got home from our trip up north. Not a lot really, having been away for a couple of weeks. I had looked at my pictures on the iPad on the first couple of days we were away, but now I could see them on the 27 inch Mac desktop. I couldn’t resist working on some of them, possibly ones I posted before, or maybe they are additional/identical pictures since I tend to take multiples of each shot. My mind is still playing catch up, thinking of all the people we visited with, and the places we saw, and all the things I might like to do next time…

A double crested cormorant. Another of the birds I only became aware of in Florida but were always there.

Flowers and bees, I just can’t help myself.

This trip started off with a bang. Literally. The bang of a piece of shredded truck tire being tossed into the right front corner of my car on I 95 at 70 mph. The fender ‘seam’ was now not flush with its neighboring piece. Without thinking about it I pushed it into place yesterday, and it stayed there, it didn’t pop back out as I had expected it to do. So now all I have are abrasions in the paint. It’s looking a little worse for wear, kind of like me.