I suspect that waking up early at John’s Pass Hotel, which is right on the boardwalk, is the closest I’ll ever come to walking out onto my balcony for a sunrise, or sunset for that matter, photo op. I used to wish for one or the other, but not being able to afford a view like that in the first place has me feeling like I dodged a bullet now that I hear of people’s property insurance bills of +/_$30,000 per year! The cost of living in Florida, which not so long ago was very affordable, is now on the rise and rising. I suspect that the same is true most everywhere else also, so I expect to be a Floridian for the rest of my days. Thankfully there is no lack of photo ops everywhere.
This great blue heron was already up when we walked out to the balcony to see the sunrise.He tolerated our shifting positions as we looked for just the right angle.This green heron was being blown in the wind.I think the birds were active because the fishing boats were being readied for their day.It wasn’t the spectacular sunrise I might have hoped for, but it was still pretty and I was happy to be there.Then the sun came peeking through.This egret posed nicely for us.The end.
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.
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.
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.
I saw a bug. It landed on a pretty leaf in the yard and then it left. And then it came back. Which is what dragonflies do, so I picked up the camera and went out to investigate. This cooperative dragonfly just sat there for his photo shoot, not only staying still, but choosing a landing point with a little something to it, which made the photographer in me happy. I hope you can see the feature photo.
Also going on in the yard for weeks and weeks now is the saga of my plumeria plants. Cuttings were given to me two years ago by some photographer friends. Despite a dismal history with plants I said that sure, I’d love some cuttings. They looked like fat sticks at that point, but I got pots and potting soil and stuck them in there, and almost to my surprise they grew.
I don’t remember how long it took to reach this stage.
And then the inevitable happened. One by one the leaves turned yellow and fell off until there were only tall sticks sitting in those pots. By then the bird feeders had happened and my attention was elsewhere, and if I wasn’t such an accomplished procrastinator I’d have chopped up those sticks to see if I could possibly start over with the plumeria. I thought about it, but that’s as far as it got. And then one day I looked and something was happening at the tip end of one of those ‘sticks’.
Hmm, bumps. What’s going on?Aha! Flowers are coming.
Every single one of those sticks now has this sort of activity going on at the tippy top ends. They are eye level with me, so if/when flowers do appear I’ll probably have to stand on a step stool to get a picture. I have no idea if plumeria plants are supposed to look like these do, but I guess that’s what you get when you totally ignore them until you are sure they are dead. And as soon as I saw some signs of life I wanted to ‘help’ them. Water, fertilizer, pull the pots away from the house so they get even more than just morning sun! But I procrastinated that too, so there they sit. The anticipation is killing me!
We spent the weekend visiting with friends in Ocala, where they took us on a tour of the lovely community of On Top Of The World. Not only pretty scenery to look at, but classes galore to choose from should you be so inclined. It has us thinking…
Ocala is horse country you know.What a nice view!This park was a nice place for a walk. We should have brought lunch to enjoy. We didn’t expect a mnesting pair of great blues to put on a show for us.There we were with our noses pressed up against the window of the model train club’s window when the member who painted the scenery let us in to see the display, even though it wasn’t an actual visiting day.As a fireman’s daughter I found this part of the display especially fun. When the trains are running, said our host, smoke rises from the ‘fire’.Our last stop was to see the remote control airplane event that just so happened to be on the menu on Saturday.
I didn’t expect to be taking pictures so I didn’t have my camera with me. I won’t make that mistake again. Thank goodness for the trusty iPhone. Traffic going north on 75 was crazy on Friday afternoon, probably with snowbirds heading home, plus photographers heading north for the eclipse, and an hour faster going home. We had such a nice visit!
A Snowbird's Life Through the Lens 