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!
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…
up close and personal…
I hunted for these two photos last week and I couldn’t find them…I found one similiar but not the right one…then yesterday when I was looking for something completely different, of course I found these two…the one below is a terrible photo, I was inside the house and there is a very large over hang, like a huge wooden umbrella so it didn’t allow for a great shot, terribly dark and I tried many things to do something with it…but it shows how close the deer came to my house on the lake…
on his way home…as you can see the water is not up to full levels.
favourites…
I’d decided to show you a few of my favourite photos today…but…I’ve been having an issue with the photos showing up on the page properly…anyone else having a problem with this?
more experimentation…or playing if you will!
I’m enjoying experimenting with the settings in PhotoScape…it is a free program that is basically for beginners like myself…it does have a few advanced settings, at least to me they are… of which I’m trying to understand but for the most part it is very simple to work with!
below is the original photo…love this area of Leesburge, Florida…
grey scale…I would like to figure out how to do the grey scale, but adding a punch of color…for instance in this photo the bird or some of the docks could be coloured…that look appeals to me.
worked with the saturation on this one…
and of course the reverse black and white…I love contrasts…
what a differnce a season makes!
the photos below are of the same tree, take frnm slightly different angels & of course taken at different times of the year…I added the double photo below as it was something I was trying with PhotoScape…turned out alright but it cuts off the original photo…would have to take the time to crop the photos to fit…the individual photos are below this one…
this tree is in Champlain Park, in North Bay…we are very fortunate here to have such a beautiful lake…the sad thing is this park has very little use…when I was a teenager I used to visit this park all the time…it was crazy busy then.
now the park sees very few visitors, except a few people walking their dogs or people bringing children to play, or those who use the boat ramp off of Lavasse River…rather sad when you think of such a beautiful area not being used to its potential…
do you know why?
I found this photo of a Key West sunset and it is rather pretty but there is a very large halo above the sun…can anyone tell me why this happened? did I have the flash on? I’ve also had photos with circles in them…again not sure why this happens…
for those of you who enjoy the snow photos here is one of a tree that pretty much obliterates the house with the snow on it!
more warm weather shots…
Daytona Beach, 2008 or 09 not sure which…I used to enjoy visiting…was rather disappointed the last time I was there in 2011… 
Daytona Beach…found these two photos, figured they would make good warm weather shots 
PS…it is considerably warmer here today 9F, a balmy day… 🙂 so I’m going to walk today, will take photos but they will be snowy winter ones!
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???
summer photos in honour of the snow!
I’m late again today…we had at least 10 inches of snow Friday over night and we are expected to have close to the same again tonight! Ok…I really think it is time for someone else to take a turn…seriously, I won’t mind… 😉
In honour of all that snow I’m posting summer photos…
above is a small view of a few of the great shops on 5th Ave., Naples, this was early in the morning when it wasn’t busy… 
this photo is of Callander Bay, east end of Lake Nipissing(approx. 3 kilometres in diameter) but something I’ve not shown before as I don’t have many photos of this area…I will have to take more as it really is very lovely, more so in the summer! 
above is on the drive to key west…coming up to a abridge, not sure if it is the long bridge or not…excuse the antenna…
this is one of the public accesses I like to stop at on my walks…this was taken November 13, 2012, on a blustery day…Lake Nipissing is famous for being calm one minute and gale force winds the next, which has led to some rather frightening times on the lake, when I was younger…not gale force this day but windy non the less…
this is the exact same location…a bit broader photo, you see more of the trees on the left. this exactly one month later…December 13, 2012…looks more calm and serene this day!
clear skies and ocean…except one!
I have many more snow photos but I thought maybe I should show you something else…we did get some snow last evening…not sure how much…enough to need to shovel!
this is in new town in Key West…it is not far from where you come on to the island…pretty but I prefer old town, it is much more quaint!
Key West marina…there is a nice boardwalk, with restaurants, in case you need to keep your strength up…
this is Lake Nipissing when the water has been drawn down, the left hand point is called Cheery Point…they draw down the water every fall to avoid flooding in the spring…I used to live to the right of the photo…we had a huge sand bar, often similiar to this, most falls…in the twenty years we lived there I remember a couple of times we had flooding in some areas along the shore line…we had damage done to our break wall and water came up very close to the house…I moved from this house in 2010…
signs of the times…
I’ve visited this public beach access often during my walks this fall, always finding it clean…but…the other day when I stopped by to take photos I found these two signs, along with the full garbage can? we have such a beautiful water front, we should respect its beauty…it is such a sad state of affairs when it is necessary to post signs to remind people to clean up after their dog!!! never mind the logic of people who feel it is acceptable to throw their garbage around the access…as I mentioned I’d always found this access clean but on that day someone had walked their dog and didn’t clean up after it…were they snubbing their nose at the sign? truly sad…
by the way…there is the blue snow again…
just after sunset…
haven’t been on a boat of any kind in too many years to count…just after the sunset…west coast of key west
was feeling like a water shot today…doesn’t look like much but there is a tiny outside restaurant to the left…we go there at least once when I visit my Mother…it actually is very quiet, and peaceful…good food as well!sad island…
this tiny island is at the end of champlain park…to the left is the lavasse river…looks rather sad with the water out and the leaves off the trees, grass all brown…
fort zachary park beach…key west
key west doesn’t have wonderful sandy beaches as they are all man made…this one… if you look closely you can see the beach is small pebbles…very hard on the feet…walking in sandals or water shoes is a must…as mentioned before I don’t go there for the beaches…having said that south beach has a much nicer sandy beach, although very small…there is also higgs beach, which I don’t have any photos of, rather small but the sand is better there & smathers beach, the couple of times I ventured there I found the shore line littered with weeds…
here it comes…
when I began this blog I consciously didn’t write…my thought was keep it simple…only show the photos, not who I was as a person by writing…I think my photos are very much a part of who I am, but sometimes I feel the need for words…I’ve been visiting a couple of photography blogs since I began this blog…the people have inspired me a great deal, to do what is in my heart..here goes!
west side of Fort Zachary State Park…Key West
happy new year!
I wondered what I should post for my first in 2013…I decided on a photo of two of the views I love most…a sunset on lake nipissing. This was taken a few years ago…
off premier road, lake nipissing
this was taken a few years ago…when I lived on the shores of lake nipissing…funny how when something is there for 20 years it becomes common place, but when gone you feel the lose! This was part of my view for twenty years…I moved two and a half years and miss it more each day…
Happy New Year to you and yours…may 2013 bring you health, happiness & prosperity!
Leesburg waterway to Lake Harris
Love sitting at the small uniquely interesting outdoor “bar/cafe” that is to the left of this photo…it is usually peaceful, now and then a boat will pass by, would be a great place to sit and read!. When I’m there this winter I will take a photo of the bar/cafe…it is old, and run down, in terrible shape really, I’m sure it hasn’t been updated in years but I like it regardless…
to the left of where I’m standing taking the photo is a unique outdoor establishment serving cold beverages, and delicious food…passing by…
this cruise ship is passing by the beach at fort zachary state park in key west…
frothy at the shore…lake nipissing
this was taken a few short weeks ago…how I miss the open water!
Heather Cote... 