travel – A Snowbird's Life Through the Lens

attention to detail, exploring new places, fences, friends, Just do it, nature, perseverance, photography, travel

New England will always be ‘home’…

May 17, 2024May 16, 2024 naturecoastimagesblog

Visits with my closest friend take me back to New England. They take me back home…

I thought I’d be too late to see forsythia.

I might be a bit early for lilacs to be in their glory. But they might be perfect before I head for home.

No chicks in sight. Too early or too late?

The stone wall in the feature photo is another favorite sight when I visit. These are the things that I miss by living in Florida, but I get to visit, and that’s a good thing.

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

Catching up…

May 11, 2024May 10, 2024 naturecoastimagesblog

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.

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, 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.

flowers, friends, growing old, life goes on, making memories, Nature's beautiful creatures, perseverance, photography, road trip, squirrels, travel

New Hampshire happenings…

May 14, 2022May 13, 2022 naturecoastimagesblog

There isn’t just one story to tell since I’ve been back at my friend’s house in NH. We mostly just talk and talk. And eat. Ice cream for lunch one day, but lots of other good stuff too. I see the birds in the feeders out front, and the squirrels who torment my friend to no end by eating all the bird seed. We’ve visited the Squam Lake Nature Center and gardens. But mostly we laugh at ourselves when we can’t quite remember the word we are searching our brains for. Our opinions of the state of the country and universe are as in sync as ever. Grow old along with me… and be my forever friend.

Even with a nice background we were shooting through the window and had reflections to deal with.

This little guy was enjoying the feast out front until the squirrels destroyed the feeder.

'scene' along the way, a second look, adventure, exploring new places, friends, fun, kids, learning, nature, perseverance, photography, road trip, travel

Odds and ends…

October 23, 2021October 22, 2021 naturecoastimagesblog

I was chauffeur driven for a week in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, which means I was taking pictures from the car, a lot of pictures. Now when I look at my pictures I have some that never did fit into any post I made already, but I liked them, so here goes. The feature photo is one of the four tunnels we drove through every day we were in NC. Two tunnels were longer, but that doesn’t make for as interesting of a picture.

Mingus Mill. A destination in the park, but one that didn’t yield as many pictures for some reason.

I loved seeing these silos along the roadside in Bryson City. After wishing to stop each time we drove past I finally said something and my driver kindly obliged.

This view escaped us the first couple of times we passed by, but once we noticed it we made it a point to stop for a picture.

The actual water wheel in action. Just for show at a shopping area.

This is a view into the house at the farm museum at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. I noticed this boy standing still, looking into the room, after the rest of the family had moved on. I wondered, hoped really, that he was trying to imagine life in those days.

This carving is outside the Indian museum in Cherokee, NC.

I’m so glad that we made this trip. My computer is full of images of lovely fall scenery. I was initially disappointed that all the hills weren’t ablaze with color, but once I found myself traveling through tunnels of foliage overhead I was quite happy with the fall foliage we did see. It was a nice trip, but it’s also nice to be home…

'scene' along the way, a second look, adventure, exploring new places, friends, fun, making memories, Nature's beautiful creatures, Natures little dramas, perseverance, photography, road trip, travel

Elk sighting…

October 21, 2021October 20, 2021 naturecoastimagesblog

We pulled the car over to join the line up of cars on the side of the road just beyond the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Cherokee, NC. We quickly saw the female elk that everyone was getting out of their cars, toting their phones and cameras, to photograph. She had just emerged from the tree line, and was wandering into the pasture to graze. More females followed her, emerging by twos and threes, or just one at a time. I had seen elk before, but not in such a natural setting. In Yellowstone they had taken over the streets of a town, and the rangers weren’t so much herding the elk as they were herding the people who were getting too close to them. In Colorado Springs I saw them on a lawn of a business on one corner of a busy intersection, with a traffic light and constant traffic just a few yards away. The elk were not fazed by either of these situations.

First came one female elk, testing the waters perhaps?

She seemed to lead the herd, or maybe her collar made her seem more official to me.

What was so different about this situation was the appearance of a huge buck, sporting a very impressive set of antlers. He also emerged from the tree line, and was bugling, and obviously rounding up his herd, which had scattered a bit. It’s the season of ‘rut’, so he was probably establishing his dominance to any other bull elk in the vicinity. It was interesting that a lone female quite a distance away, but in the same pasture, was of no interest to him, beyond a glance in her direction now and then. She apparently didn’t belong. Despite his attentions the females slowly continued to wander in the general direction of the road, and the dozens of people lined up beside their cars, intent on getting their pictures. And as they wandered so did the bull, right towards us, until a female ranger suddenly ran a short way into the pasture, waving her arms, and shoo’d the gals back to the center. I thought she was carrying a camera and long lens, but I was corrected, it was a tranquilizer gun. I’m happy to report that it wasn’t necessary to use it, at least on that day. I guess seeing the beautiful scenery, and having a chance to see the animals going about their business in the same way that their ancestors had done, is the entire point of a visit to our national parks, isn’t it?