go with the flow – A Snowbird's Life Through the Lens

a second look, attention to detail, attitude adjustments, backyard visitors, Florida wildlife, flowers, fun, gardens, go with the flow, let it go, nature, Nature's beautiful creatures, perseverance, photography

Where’s Waldo…

May 4, 2024May 3, 2024 naturecoastimagesblog

Or Mrs. Waldo as it turns out. My firebush has grown. There are flowers down in the foliage as well as at the outer edges, and down in the foliage is where she spent the vast amount of her one minute or so that she visited with us yesterday. And she waited until the shadows were developing to visit at all. But she came, so I’m happy.

I didn’t think I had gotten her in the shots at all until I zoomed in on the photos in the computer. Thankfully she did emerge from the foliage now and then.

I was a little disappointed that the Mr. wasn’t with her.

You know, there are wildly expensive lenses that might give me better pictures. Or maybe it’s me that could learn more of the technical stuff involved in photography. Or maybe I could just count my blessings and by happy with how I get to spend my time these days.

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

The Chattaway…

February 7, 2024 naturecoastimagesblog

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…

February 5, 2024 naturecoastimagesblog

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.

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.

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.

a second look, attention to detail, attitude adjustments, Florida landmarks, fun, go with the flow, on closer examination, Passing time, perseverance, photography, reality check, Taking it in stride

Back to the Downs…

November 27, 2023November 26, 2023 naturecoastimagesblog

It was the first weekend of racing of the year at Tampa Bay Downs. Always a fun destination and especially on an absolutely perfect day for it. Our favorite vantage spot gives a nice view of the track, and is in the shade which saves us on a ‘normal’ day at the track. On this day, with the breeze, it was almost chilly. Often I find people in the crowd to be as interesting as the races, and there were a few candidates this day also.

The guy on the right? His vest front was the same fabric as her outfit. A uniform? Or just a fashion statement?

I tried to see what new destination this might be, but alas, Puerto Rico, and not a road trip.

Vince Halliday Strong. So I looked it up this morning and he is a jockey who suffered devastating injuries in a race last summer, but is recovering nicely.

This gray horse, #9, had caught my eye. Gray horses always catch my eye. I suppose it might be because there are so few of them, so they stand out. The leader of our photo group says the gray horses never win.

And this time was no exception. He finished all by himself, dead last.

This gray horse was last going into the turn.

I thought I’d try a few close ups, to capture their expressions. This horse cooperated nicely.

Oh the dilemma, three gray horses in the same race. Numbers 1, 2, and 3!

I always want to get at least one shot of them coming around the turn and right at you.

Now here is a winner, Samy Camacho. His third win of the day, or so I heard. The winningest jockey at the track, again, overheard. Almost $30,000,000 in career earnings so far, I looked him up.

His two kids were in the winners circle with him.

At $3 to get in this isn’t an expensive way to spend the day. Unless you bet of course…

foggy sky, go with the flow, in the neighborhood, leap of faith, moments, on closer examination, perseverance, photography, reality check, road trip, sunrise

Mostly Clear…

November 20, 2023 naturecoastimagesblog

My weather app said ‘mostly clear.’ That may have been true for somewhere in Pasco County, but not where I was. Actually I looked out the dining room window and saw a star shining pretty brightly before I headed out, but in the time it took me to get dressed and walk to the park the fog was rolling in.

The lights across the pond looked pretty, so I sat on the bench to wait.

There was lots of quacking going on out there. I tried to tell myself that there was a pink-ish glow in the sky.

And then I had to admit that the fog was descending, so I headed for home.

adventure, attitude adjustments, brainstorms, facing facts, Florida landmarks, fun, go with the flow, healing, life goes on, live and learn, perseverance, photography, unintended images

Sun shy…

September 3, 2023 naturecoastimagesblog

We didn’t know where we were going when we left the house, except ‘to the shore’. A plan that leaves a lot to the imagination. We have been mostly confined to the house since my unfortunate encounter with skin cancer and it seemed like time to get out and do something. When it was decided, mid-trip, that we would go to Fort DeSoto Park I was convinced that I had the wrong lens on the camera. If we were lucky enough to see the flamingos that have been sighted there I was sure I’d need a longer lens than my 18-150mm. But that wasn’t the real problem as it turned out. I found myself very unwilling to walk out into the hot sun even with my wide brimmed hat on. I should have worn a long sleeved shirt too. So we didn’t give seeing the flamingos much of a try, but we decided to head to East Beach before we left, to take a picture of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The windsurfer we found was a bonus.