Category: Florida landmarks

'scene' along the way, a second look, adventure, connections, family, Florida, Florida landmarks, friends, making memories, perseverance, photography, road trip, sunset, travel

Catching up…

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Sometimes you get to catch up with a friend and also catch up on some sunset and sunrise photos all in the same visit. This visit was to John’s Pass, an overnight visit with no long drive home hanging over our heads and the hope of a nice sunrise before taking that long drive home the next day.

This was our view as we enjoyed the breeze and the food at Bubba Gump’s.
Do you see that dolphin fin? I got up to grab a shot in-between sips of beer.
Forrest had to dash away.
Sunset colors starting showing up and we decided that we’d better head out for a view.
Great blues in the surf was a new one on me.
There were just too many distractions, but the sunset color on the cement of this bridge abutment reminded us to keep moving.
Yay, we hadn’t totally missed it. But let’s stop and grab a shot.
I loved this composition, but I had to edit out some people to get it.
And then the sun was swallowed up, and this early bird was ready to call it a day.
'scene' along the way, a second look, adventure, brainstorms, bucket list, dolphins, family, Florida landmarks, Florida wildlife, friends, fun, Just do it, making memories, nature, Nature's beautiful creatures, perseverance, photography, Rise and shine, road trip, technology, timing is everything, unintended images

Dolphin photobomb!

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The trip to John’s Pass was a spur of the moment decision, with little expectation except a chance to catch up with a friend, but with sunset and sunrise as possible photo ops at the same time. We sat on the balcony overlooking the boardwalk, on a beautiful breezy afternoon, drinking beer and enjoying apps at Bubba Gumps. Staying in the hotel right there on the boardwalk was an essential part of the plan, so that the drinking could be enjoyed with no long drive home, and the sunrise would be right outside the door in the morning also. The dolphin’s were a bonus. I hadn’t seen them at John’s Pass before, and I couldn’t resist focusing my camera on the water and waiting, all the while expecting a fin to pop up, but I got more than I expected.

This was more of a photobomb than anything else. I was only looking for a fin, and then this dolphin leaped into the air almost in the focal point of the viewfinder, but close enough for a decent picture.
I decided that even if the sunset wasn’t great I was going to be happy with the trip because this sort of a picture doesn’t happen nearly often enough.
Splashdown!

We were so busy watching for dolphins that we thought we’d dithered too long to catch the sunset, but I wouldn’t have minded that after seeing this dolphin.

a second look, alligators, attention to detail, birds, facing facts, Florida landmarks, Florida wildlife, live and learn, nature, Nature's beautiful creatures, perseverance, photography

Technology…

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It was another eagle-eyed photographer who pointed out the little alligator lurking in the weeds at the edge of the water at the rookery. A baby alligator, which implies that a mommy alligator must also reside in there, the thought of which hadn’t ever crossed my mind before this visit.

We ask a lot of our cameras and lenses these days. We aim into the shrubbery and ask them to focus on the subject, and they do. Cameras these days will lock onto eyes once they find them. These three tricolor heron youngsters are still on the nest, still calling for their mother to bring food, even though they are getting big.
Night herons are hard to spot, unless you are lucky enough to see them fly in and land.
Just the second nest of egret chicks I’ve spotted at the rookery. We can hear the babies, but the nests don’t happen to be located well for us to see them.
This must be what mamma sees when she arrives back at the nest.
Photobomb!
This is the first picture I took that day. I was excited to finally see a wood stork baby. But it didn’t keep its head up for very long, and the foliage was waving around in front of the nest, so this is the only shot of it that I got.

Technology, I’m a fan. But I barely use the capabilities of the camera I already own, so I don’t spent much time wishing for newer, better equipment. If I would put my mind to it I would probably be amazed at what else my camera can do, but once I’m out there ready to take pictures I forget about everything and just have fun. And that is really the point, isn’t it?

attention to detail, attitude adjustments, blessings, Florida landmarks, friends, fun, life goes on, making memories, perseverance, photography, strangers become friends, timing is everything, unintended consequences

Our last race track photo shoot…

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Yesterday was the last of the Tampa Bay Downs photo shoots of the season, which ends right after the Kentucky Derby. Except for one weekend in July it will start up again in the fall. It was going to be HOT, and I wasn’t too enthused about going at all until Bernie said that he’d like to shoot from the grandstand and that sounded like an excellent idea. Standing trackside doesn’t give me a good angle to shoot, but the grandstand makes for a better angle and has huge fans to keep you cool. Walking out onto the balcony is still shaded and is a good option too.

I had my eyes open for shots of the people that were there also, but I think this kid would have caught my eye even if I hadn’t thought about it ahead of time. My son always toted a toy with him wherever we went and I thought for a second that this kid had brought a toy horse with him. Maybe this dinosaur goes everywhere with him. Note the horse ‘tattoo’ on his arm.
I thought that the babies in this group might make cute photos, and then the trainer brought over #8 to say hello.
I had already noticed the gray horse as they led the horses out for this first race of the day. I kind of wanted the gray one to win, but if not him then maybe #8 who had stopped to see the kids.
I wasn’t at the perfect spot to get a shot of the photo finish which had the horse in the center nosing out the other two horses. #4 was third.
I thought I could cheat and tell you that the gray horse won after all, but those with sharp eyes would probably notice all the dirt in the air and catch me in a fib.
When they moved the gates into position for the next race I thought it would be interesting to get a few shots of them loading up the horses. Number 6 was having no parts of getting into the gate however. AI got rid of a huge, bright red tractor that was center stage in the shot.
I always have to try to get the horses as they come right at you out of the last turn and into the home stretch. #6 is on the left, and, sadly, he didn’t win the race either.
The third race was a turf race so we like to get a shot of them coming down the chute. When I looked at the pictures in the computer I saw that a sea gull appeared to be racing with them, but they were gaining on him.

Thank goodness pollen season is nearly over, or so said the ophthalmologist the other day. My eyes were itchy and dripping so we left after this race. Lately we have been the only ones from the photo group who have shown up for the once a month trip to the races. I went to one just after I joined the group in 2017, and I was surprised to meet another member who also had grown up in Brockton, MA. Life happened in the meantime, and we are now the 5th couple who have met by joining the group. Funny how life turns out sometimes.

adventure, connections, Florida landmarks, food, friends, fun, go with the flow, on closer examination, perseverance, photography, road trip

The Chattaway…

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Last week’s meeting of the photo group not only gave us a heads-up about the Raptor Fest that was taking place on Saturday, but it was also suggested that if you’d gone to St. Pete for that then you might want to stop at a unique local restaurant called The Chattaway. It was a good thing that I took a picture of the front of the building as we drove by because that busy intersection wouldn’t have lent itself to stopping traffic for a better view.

Somehow you just knew that this place was going to have a personality all its own.
Walking over the bridge you enter the outdoor seating area and seat yourself at one of the many picnic tables provided. 
I loved the tubs that bordered the property all the way around.
“If you’re drinking to forget, pay in advance”
We sat at the bar to be out of the sun, but this was a view of the outdoor area.

Jillian, the 90-something British owner of this family run restaurant, had to help me with the ATM when I saw that it is a cash only restaurant. I blame my lack of readers at that moment. In reading more about the place I saw that they will serve high tea by reservation with 48 hours notice. Cucumber sandwiches and crumpets on the menu for that. We stuck with The Chattaway burgers, which were very good. What a fun place that we probably wouldn’t have found on our own, in sunny St. Pete.

adventure, birds, Close encounters, exploring new places, Florida landmarks, friends, gardens, go with the flow, live and learn, nature, Nature's beautiful creatures, perseverance, photography

Raptor Fest…

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If not for our Tuesday club meetings we wouldn’t have known that there was a raptor fest going on at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve on Saturday. But plenty of people did know, so much so that we parked at the high school and took a shuttle over to the preserve. And that had us arriving in the nick of time to see the ‘show’, but we weren’t able to get the most ideal vantage point for pictures. But what a unique opportunity to see these birds and hear their stories. The feature photo is Steve, the very entertaining host of the day, with a Harris hawk who performed beautifully. 

There were two Harris hawks actually, and they flew together.
Off he goes.
A peregrine falcon, which I hadn’t seen before.
Of course rewards were a part of the performance.
Not much was asked of the Great Horned Owl except to look handsome.
Here you see the disadvantage of our position, with the grandstand full of people as our background to our photos of this Condor. But in this case I had to wonder about the image the lady got on her cell phone.
After the show we took notice of the birds who were being held by volunteers who are essential to the success of this preserve. Red-shouldered hawks are commonly seen here in FL, but not up close like this.
this eagle got a close up, mostly because my long lens wouldn’t let me get far enough a way for a long shot.
A barn owl close up.
A pretty Kestral.
I was interested ti see this Swallow-tailed Kite. I’ve taken pictures of them flying overhead in the summer, but I hadn’t ever seen one close up.

For one reason or another these birds aren’t able to be returned to the wild, but they do an important job as ambassadors to make us aware of their importance in nature.