Went with family to take my granddaughter to the park, which is to the right of this area but I thought it was interesting how deserted the beach area looked…it was a warm night, definitely swimming weather?
Remember when…I used to enjoy making sand castles as a child. Found this abandoned one on the beach!
North & South
We didn’t stay on South Beach this year, but managed to visit…have to say I missed not staying along the coast.
North…
South…
White Ibis
If you been to Florida you will have seen these fellows, they are all over the place and are not too proud to beg for food. The White Ibis is one of 26 species around the world. In Florida you will find the White Ibis, which has black tipped wings you can only see this detail when they are flying, the Glossy Ibis, which has brown patches…there is also a Scarlet Ibis in southern Florida, this happens to be the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago and was introduced to Florida either deliberately or through migration. I’ve not see the Scarlet one but will watch for it…
From an “Artist’s Garden”…in Key West
I’ve returned from Florida and have just gotten to my photos. They will be in random order depending on what I get to next. Here is a fellow we found at the Naples Zoo. I’ve been to the zoo a couple of times and enjoy the fact it is small and hasn’t been overly busy when we have been there making it relatively easy to observe the zoo residents…fyi…all my photos taken this trip were with my iPhone it was just easier to carry around.
serenity…
This photo was taken a couple of years ago, while on our Friday early morning drive to the Rosseau Market. I was not driving, hence the photo! It is a tad blurry but I like the photo non the less!
Saw this fellow and his companion last year…you could tell they were used to people being around as they didn’t appear to be the least bit concerned.
Hibiscus…
I think…if this is not a Hibiscus please let me know? A knowledgeable fellow explained this is a specie of Bauhinia, common called an “orchid tree.” Thank you Russel at russelrayphotos2.com
how to paint a sail boat!
Certainly an interesting undertaking…with a crane involved I’m sure expensive as well!
these photos where taken off the beach at Fort Zachery Taylor Historical Park…boat traffic was somewhat heavy that day! It is an awesome view…
http://www.fortzacharytaylor.com/home.html
tranquility…
I was looking through the hundreds of photos I took while away and realized 95% of them are of my granddaughter! The other 4% are of family with her and 1% is of sites while away! I didn’t realize I did this…was always taking a photo so thought there would be many to post but it turns out there isn’t…
Here is a simplistic one, but one that speaks to my heart!!! While I don’t/can’t sail, I love the water…
I’m here…
I was away in Florida for a month, this is my first post since I returned mid February…took this photo on the way to Key West.
hard to believe…
This has been a most unusual December for me…Christmas arrived in the blink of an eye! Enjoy your time regardless of how or if you celebrate. By the way, it is raining again and is supposed to continue through tomorrow…snow will be gone again!
sunset anyone…
Took this photo with my iPhone 6 last night…began using the phone Friday evening so don’t know what I think about it yet…made sure I found a solid clip on case as I have a tendency to drop my phone. One shattered screen is enough! As you can see we have snow again…it is cold today so it just might stay for a while this time!
Midway?
I’ve not been to a midway, it many years…since my grandson was small and he is now 17, so I’m guessing at least 7 years, maybe more. My daughter, son-in-law and I decide to meet my son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter Paige at the Midway yesterday. Now you should know Paige is 6 moths old this week…
The crowds were considerably smaller than the previous two days… the Petting Zoos I’ve been to the past certainly didn’t have the types of animals I saw yesterday, I was actually surprised to see these and other animals there.
Entrance
The sign said these two fellows are gentle and could be hand fed if you were so inclined!
There are two zebras in this tiny cage…the sign said they were not gentle, they bite, keep your hands away and do not feed!
puff the magic dragon…
On Saturday June 28th the local FLK Taoist Tai Chi Society, held a Dragon Parade, celebrating 35 years of Taoist Tai Chi activities! The parade ended at Civic Square beside the North Bay Farmers’ Market…when they arrived the Market walk way was too busy for them to parade through but after a bit of Tai Chi demonstration they were able to take the beautiful Dragon through…as they paraded it through the busker/entertainer for the day sang “Puff the Magic Dragon”…anyone old enough to remember that song???
a close up of the beautiful Dragon face
smaller Dragon…part of the parade
perfect spot…
Monday was a hot, humid, hazy day, which you can see in the distance of the photo…but as I drove past the waterfront I decided to stop…saw this…perfect spot to sit, relax, and read a book!
Saturday at the North Bay Farmers’ Market
I’ve not posted photos of our local Market before but a first time for everything I guess…
Saturday not long after opening, before the crowds…you can see the RE/MAX balloon in the distance…they were offering free rides, but were accepting donations for the North Bay Habitat for Humanity
Mid morning, this is the west entrance of the Market, it is diffiuclt to tell but, there are a total of 46 vendors.
a closer look at the RE/MAX hot air Balloon, if you look closely you can see that it is tied to the ground…it goes up and down but not away!
yellow, green & abandoned
I’ve been busy…I’ve taken on the job of Market Manager for our local Market, which is two days a week…it takes up a great deal of time. I have a many photos and will post some one of these days but for now, here is another abandoned building. I love the contrast of the old buildings with the green and yellow! Again, this was taken from my vehicle on the way to Sudbury…don’t worry my son was driving!
Ice gone…
the weather is getting better, the ice is off the lake, I can see summer in the not too distant future! These photos were taken two weeks ago before all the ice was off the lake. I’ve not taken anything much since, too busy preparing for the Opening Day of our local Farmers’ Market.
the photos were taken at Sunset Park…a favorite childhood place for me to visit. The ice was moving about that day…you can see it piling up on the rocks.
when I took the photo below I stood at the shore line listening to the ice as it moved, I could actually hear it moving against itself…a very strange sound!
touches of green…
simplistic I know, but I really liked how the evergreen trees popped through what appears to be a tangled mess of white trees…
I know some are Birch trees, but don’t know what the rest are, they almost look like they are dead or dying.
flowing…
I had the chance to take a few photos last week…thankfully we have lost most of the snow we accumulated in the mini snow storm we had last week…but the lake still looks very solid…no dark patches at all yet, so it will be sometime before there is open water!
This creek is certainly running fast…hard to tell from my photos though…
treasures of the sea???
It all depends on how you look at things, what you see…right? I’m sure many see these as nothing of importance or worthy of a second look. To me these are interesting finds…especially the beautiful empty intact shell! Just look at the Nacre, or Mother of Pearl as it is known in the jewelry world… it is smooth, an even color, without damage. For those who aren’t familiar, Nacre is the white inner lining of the shell, the outer layer of pearls is also Nacre. This would make a beautiful piece of jewelry if you were into making something from raw materials such as this…
look what was washed up on shore after a windy day…
.
after the sunset II…
when your condo is facing west it is difficult not to be obsessed with sunsets or the after glow…here are two more photos…I particularly liked the contrast between the dark wispy cloud and the colorful one!
close up…
It is great when I’m able to get close…there is so much detail to see! This fellow along with a few friends was at a Marina on the North East side of Marco.
I got the feeling food tossed their way at this Marina, there were a few people fishing from the dock & something smelled tasty!
would you give it a try?
This is something I would like to do but won’t…my body would rebel! I always thought it looked like fun though. We saw boat drawn para-gliders each day, but only this motorized para-glider …as in the second photo, during the two weeks there.
fascinating clouds…
Our condo in Marco Island faced west, so of course I saw my share of sunsets…I do have to say the most beautiful sunsets were when there was some interesting cloud formations! The Gulf of Mexico sky does seem to offer strikingly beautiful clouds!
surfer dude…
the first couple of days it was windy…one of those days we saw a few fellows out catching a few waves…this fellow did well, I managed to capture one attempt.
I don’t know anything about surfing but I wouldn’t have thought the waves large enough for a descent ride?
He seemed to enjoy himself and make the best of it managing a few rides!
All be it short rides…
different…
this vacation was much different from what I’ve done for the past eight or so years…I’ve not stayed at the ocean for two weeks, nor in a anything higher than the first floor, for that long…we generally rent a condo in Key West in a complex which is only two stories, and always choose the ground floor. Last year in Marco we rented a house, so being on the 5th floor was different…it was so awesome to sit on the deck and look around, watch the people, the water and the sky. So much to see from one view point. I do have to say I’m not a fan of highrises…but that was the only option if we wanted to be on the beach…
this is looking right/north off the balcony, it looks like a short walk, but in reality it is much longer than it appears…
this was our first day, a bit cooler for some, around 18c I think, but for us it was fabulous
this is looking left/south of our balcony…the beach ends there as a rock formation which would make it difficult to walk on.
Photos weren’t taken on the same day as you can tell from the sky…
fishin buddies…
From my balcony I watched a man fishing, he stopped by a few times, never saw him catch anything but I’m sure he enjoyed himself…it really wasn’t the gentleman that caught my eye but these two fellows…his fishin buddies! These two weren’t concerned about people walking by, I’m sure they were just hoping the man would leave something…the man completely ignored them, I’m sure he was used to them hanging around.
home…
As you may know I was away for a couple of weeks, we were most fortunate to have missed the two coldest weeks so far this winter!!! Didn’t take my laptop so I couldn’t keep up with posting and visiting. This year my daughter and I went to Marco Island. I stayed there for a week last year in a house and enjoyed it so thought I’d try it again. This time we decided to go for a condo on South Marco Beach, with a west exposure. As a result the majority of my photos will be from that area…of course we went out, but for the most part when we did I forgot my camera, as we were going shopping, to the Market or to eat! If you’ve never been, the beach itself is a beauty, fairly wide, with most of the surface compact broken shells with some fine sand mixed in, the waters edge is small shells, some live some not. I enjoyed myself watching theses fellows moving along across the shells. Shoes are required when walking along the beach unless you are right at the waters edge…
I may not be around…
I’m leaving today for Florida for two weeks…I’m not bringing my laptop so I may not have the opportunity to post or visit until I return. I intend to take as many photos as I can so should have lots to work with when I return…
This was taken a couple of weeks ago when we had the hoar frost morning, I’ve since learned that is what it is called…”a grayish-white crystalline deposit of frozen water vapor formed in clear still weather on vegetation, fences, etc.” Today it was much warmer -5C or 23F and we now have wet slushy roads. I’ll take a few photos to show you the difference a day can make in the appearance!
holding the moon…
On the way back from Sudbury, which is 1.5 hrs west of North Bay, I managed to capture a few photos…of course they were all taken from the moving vehicle as a result they are not as crisp or clear as them should be…but I couldn’t resist posting them regaradless!
the moon isn’t as cool in the last two photos, but the positioning was rather interesting…
frosty…
This was taken on Friday morning as well…the trees did look beautiful. The clouds were rolling in fast as you can see behind the trees…
sunny for now…
I went out this morning to take photos at the waterfront…it went from sunny to cloudy in minutes! The lake appears to be frozen over but at this point the ice will only be paper thin…
Heather Cote... 