Sun set with a twist…
One of my all time favorite places to be…photo taken with my iPhone
It is a bit cooler here today, the wind strong and cold…this reminds me the warmer days are on the way!
Date Palm…
This was an interesting trip, I learned new, interesting info while away…no I didn’t know these were Date Palms!
Screen…
while this photo leaves much to be desired, I liked the way the screen from the lanai was visible…
Reticulated Python…
Kaa, is a 19ft. 191 lbs., Reticulated Python found at the Naples Zoo. The enclosure looks small for this lady, but it was new in June of 2015. While these snakes are large and strong enough to kill an adult human they are nonvenomous constrictors who are generally not considered dangerous to humans…attacks are rarely reported. The photo is cropped thin due to the reflection of the glass in the photo, which was distracting and taking away from this magnificent specimen.
Red bananas
Saw this plant at the Naples Zoo and I have to admit I didn’t know what it was at first…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_banana
Ginger flower…
I have to admit, I’ve seen these flowers for years and never knew what they were called…Ginger flower.
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…
Chinese Hibiscus
I’ve simply called this flower a hibiscus but apparently it has a grander name…”Chinese Hibiscus”…the leaf of this plant is lovely in it’s own right!
From an “Artist’s Garden”…in Key West
???
You can find this just off Duval Street in Key West…don’t think it would be deemed acceptable here in Canada?
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.
A belated Merry Christmas to those who celebrate…this photo was taken Christmas night from my daughters balcony. It was taken with my iPhone as I forgot my camera!
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
laying down…
this particular Bougainvillea tree is on the property of the condo we rented in Key West this year. It has grown terribly out of shape, completely bending over, and yet it continues to thrive. As you can see it is lifting the interlocking brick as it grows. 
to thrive.
washed up…
Saw many pieces of coral like this washed up on the shoreline. It was windy & wavey for the first few days, which meant the beach was covered in sea shells. A bit farther down the beach from our location it was soft sand, so our area is a bit of a catch all when windy…we knew this from last year.
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…
dramatized!
I didn’t care for colors in this photo, they were very dull, but I really loved the cloud formations. Someone told me never to delete a photo that I didn’t like…to work with it, there might be something that can be done to it to improve the appearance…so I gave it a bit of color to dramatize it! I don’t usually do that to photos but I like it much better…
old is new again…
I’ve not taken any photos for a couple of weeks now, which is why I’ve been posting photos I’ve taken in the last year or so…here are three more.
Lake Nipissing facing south west…
Leesburg, Florida, taken a couple of years ago.
Lake Nipissing, facing north along Memorial Drive.
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…
.
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!
gray scale sunset…
when I take a photo of the sunset, sometimes the colors look right to me and sometimes they don’t…when they don’t I try the grayscale…I rather like it!
Family outing…
On the beach, Marco Island…not sure but I think these are Willets? If anyone thinks differently let me know…
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.
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…
sand and sun…
I decided it is time for a bit of sand and sun…since I can’t photograph the sand here I will rely on photos I took in the last few winters…when I go to Florida I generally don’t stay in a condo/house on the beach, for one far to expensive for my liking and Key west generally doesn’t have condos on the beach…across the street or close by but we like to be able to walk everywhere so find it better to stay close to Duval Street…as a result I don’t have a great many beach photos…should have many this winter as my daughter and I will be staying in Marco Islands in a condo on the beach in January…the first for me in many years.
Marco Island, Florida – 2012
Naples, Florida, 2012
Fort Zachary State Park Beach – 2012
makes me smile…
the last couple of days have been cold, very wet and windy…typical fall days…but I decided I’d rather look at something else…the beach at Fort Zachary State Park, Key West! The sand is very pebbly and hard on the feet…definitely need flip flops. All three photos were taken in the winter of 2011 with my iPhone…
a bit of B & W
I becoming a big fan of b & w…these are older shots I’ve converted as I’ve not been able to take many photos and the ones I’ve taken I’ve not done anything with yet. I’ll get to them soon I hope. The photo below is cropped as I liked the rather eery look of it this way…believe it or not there is a restaurant/bar behind me, I think I’ve shown photos of before…right on a canal that feeds into to Lake Harris, Leesburg Florida.
this is a shot I took from my vehicle window while driving through Kentucky on my way home last winter…if you are a visitor you will know I’m a huge fan of “naked” trees…
this is one side of Sunset Park point…before all the ice was gone…I thought the b & w made this shot look rather interesting…
simplicity!
clouds are a favorite thing of mine…especially when they are heavy and moody!
Cocoa Beach
different night, but same location, Cocoa Beach.
Jellico Mountain, Tennessee
drive bys….
When driving to and from Florida I would snap shots along I75…most are terrible, but everyone so often I see one that has merit, with a little help of course. These were taken this past March on the way home in Kentucky…
this one from a distance looks like the moss you see in Florida…not sure if it is though…it is a bit blurry, but thought it was interesting none the less.
If you have visited before you will know I’ve a thing for gnarly trees, especially on their own…
bud n mary’s…cocoa beach
today was dreary, it drizzled, rained and darn well poured…hard…all day long, so that means today is another beach/water day on the blog…always makes me happy. the photo directly below was taken on the way back from Key West…in the Keys, but not sure which one…I don’t know Bud n Mary, but I liked that they named their Marina that way…this was taken from my moving vehicle so not the greatest shot…I played around with this one a bit…was interesting to see what I could achieve with the colour…
the two photos below are in Cocoa Beach…the sky was very strange this day, ranging from white fluffy clouds to wispy nothings and the colour of the sky was unusual as well…pretty but different… this is a long shot of the beach facing the Pier…it is a great place…people fish of it near the end but the main attraction are the 4 restaurants there, ranging bars type establishments to a classy type place…
the photo below was the day before the one above…confusing I know…I was surprised at the number of people who tried their hand as surfing on this shore line…I watched them on and off most of the day…looked like fun!
my view…
on the way back from Key West, we stopped so I could take photos of the old rail bridge on Bahia Honda Key,
I post them another day…but when I looked behind me I thought that view deserved a couple of photos as well…but then that is just me and my love of the water…both views are looking back towards Key West…
the shore line wasn’t great here, but then it isn’t in some places in the Keys…not a big deal for me…
if I wanted a beach I would be going to the Caribbean… not Key West.
7 mile bridge…
some of you will know Key West is a place where I like to spend some time in the winter. to get there you have to travel the Overseas Highway U.S.1 from Homestead, Florida, through the individual Keys…an amazing drive. I love being so close to the water on the highway…of course I’ve been fortunate to travel during good weather…I don’t know if I would enjoy it as much in rainy/windy weather. the old Seven Mile Bridge was considered one of the 7 wonders of the world back in 1912…
this bridge links Marathon, Florida, Middle Keys to Little Duck Key, Lower Keys…beginning at mile marker 47 on U.S. 1. the original bridge was closed to traffic in 1982… locals & travellers us it now to fish from, bike ride, or simply walk along it, which I’ve done.
the old and the new…
it was originally used as a rail road…after the hurricane in 1935 it was widened and the tracks were cemented over…it became part of the Overseas Highway U.S. 1 in 1938
the old bridge is in need of repairs…in order to continue to allow it to be used in the same manner work will have to done on it in the coming years…
it truly was an amazing display of architecture for the time!
oranges & grapefruit…
my mother has a huge grapefruit tree and a much smaller orange tree on her property in Florida, she has enjoyed an abundance of grapefruit in the last 7 years. the orange tree is only a couple of years old so not much fruit from it, 9 oranges I think she said…
I don’t eat grapefruit, but apparently these are delicious! she gives them away by the bag full every year…
below is the lovely flower on the tree along with the tiny green grapefruit…
below are the tiny new oranges…it is interesting when they are this tiny they look exactly like the grapefruit…even the flowers do!
land & ocean…
this fellow is in a bush (approx. 5.5feet high) on my Mother’s property were she lives in Florida for 6 months of the year…we spotted him scurrying along the ground to get under the tree where he obviously felt safe to observe us on the patio, from the top of the tree…it has rather funny as it appeared he was watching us…he stayed there for about 15 min…
the fellow below we saw from a dock on Lake Dora, he didn’t move…just enjoyed sunning himself…as u can see he was considerably larger than the fellow above…
I’ve never seen a Manatee before so this was rather cool for me…he was at the Marina in Key West…he/she seemed very docile until someone attempted to get its attention then he swam away…
I’m using my camera as much as possible while I’m away…taking photos of everything that catches my eye…trying to figure it out as I go…
this little fellow is very tiny, I don’t think he would be any larger than an inch…he just sat there while I snapped away, I zoomed in as much as I could…taken in Leesburg, Florida
the pilot and crew managed to find a parking spot so the could go for lunch…taken in Traveres, Florida
there actually were about seven of these fellows, but they wouldn’t cooperate so I could get them all at once…taken in Marco Island, Florida
I’m around…
I thought I should do a post to let anyone who happens to stop by that I’m away…left February 15th returning March 17th. with the exception of answering emails, I’ve not been online…I will visit and post when I have the time…below are photos from Florida…
this fellow is having breakfast in Dunedin…
Lake Dora, Tavares, 
part of the Clearwater Beach skyline…
these are the first photos taken with my “new to me” Nikon DSLR camera…I’m having fun experimenting with it…after only a few days I realize already I need a macro lens, possibly a stronger zoom lens? will see after a bit more working with it…
warm weather thoughts…
it is still very cold here…-24F with wind chill right now! it is expected to warm up in the next few days…I’m looking forward to it…but for today my photos will be “warm weather” shots…
this is a view from the vehicle on the way to Key West…although slow going the trip from the mainland to Key West is beautiful…so much to see along the way…so far, we’ve been fortunate to have perfect weather during the drive to and from…
below is a very small part of Shipyard Condominiums, Truman Annex, Key West Florida, it is a great complex of condos…all are individually owned many rented out to winter vacationers…by the week, month or season, which ever is preferred…this complex is beautifully landscaped with a pool in the centre…only two blocks from Ducal Street…what ever you are looking for is within walk distance…
this is a small shopping area to the south of Mallory Square…have visited it numerous times and never found it any busier than it is below…not sure why it is a pretty area, nice shops…the cruise ships dock just to the right and in front of this area maybe people don’t venture here as they think it will be terribly busy???
to the left of where I’m standing taking the photo is a unique outdoor establishment serving cold beverages, and delicious food…
Heather Cote... 