Old and New

In October I arrived by ship at this port in Bridgetown Barbados. The sugar elevators used to play a major role in the economy but are little used now due to the world market. However in it’s place tourism has taken hold and as most people know, Barbados has the most friendly people anywhere in the Caribbean and perhaps the most beautiful beaches. I was intrigued by these towering elevators which represent the old economy as they silhouette the tug in the foreground. This tugboat is used to guide large cruise ships into port which deposit the new economy (tourist) to the island. Either way, it’s an island that relies on the sea and is undergoing transition and I, for one, can’t wait to go back.

In October I arrived by ship at this port in Bridgetown Barbados. The sugar elevators used to play a major role in the economy but are little used now due to the world market. However in it's place tourism has taken hold and as most people know, Barbados has the most friendly people anywhere in the Caribbean and perhaps the most beautiful beaches. I was intrigued by these towering elevators which represent the old economy as they silhouette the tug in the foreground. This tugboat is used to guide large cruise ships into port which deposit the new economy (tourist) to the island. Either way, it's an island that relies on the sea and is undergoing transition and I, for one, can't wait to go back.

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Calm Waters

One evening not too long ago I was while riding a mountain bike through Emerson Point which a state park near my home. I stopped for a rest and noticed these colors and the calmness of the waters and felt I had to capture the moment with my iPhone. Perhaps one day I’ll try Google Glass as it seems I’m always looking for a shot even when I’m doing other things and Glass might just make it more convenient. Maybe we’ll all just end up with Glass implants in our retinas, I can see it going in that direction. In any case, when the water is this calm in Terra Ceia Bay you often see and hear fish jumping which momentarily creates rings in the water. I will leave you to contemplate the zen of that quite calm moment while I head to the mall for Black Friday Christmas shopping.

One evening not too long ago I was while riding a mountain bike through Emerson Point which a state park near my home. I stopped for a rest and noticed these colors and the calmness of the waters and felt I had to capture the moment with my iPhone. Perhaps one day I'll try Google Glass as it seems I'm always looking for a shot even when I'm doing other things and Glass might just make it more convenient. Maybe we'll all just end up with Glass implants in our retinas, I can see it going in that direction. In any case, when the water is this calm in Terra Ceia Bay you often see and hear fish jumping which momentarily creates rings in the water. I will leave you to contemplate the zen of that quite calm moment while I head to the mall for Black Friday Christmas shopping.

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Harvest Leaves

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. When I was seven years old in grade school we would create autumn leaves from construction paper to commemorate Thanksgiving. Also I remember drawing a picture of a turkey that my grandmother kept at the cottage and which remained on the wall for years. These little things and many others have ingrained in my mind that the end of November is the harvest season, full of leaves and color. In actuality it seems that harvest season should be over by the end of November. For instance in Canada Thanksgiving is held at the beginning of October, to me that seems closer to harvest season than the end of November. I have no idea where I’m going with all this other than these autumn leaves reminded me of Thanksgiving and so I thought I’d post this picture today. For my friends in the U.S., Happy Thanksgiving. For the rest of you, get back to work, two more days until the weekend. 😉

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. When I was seven years old in grade school we would create autumn leaves from construction paper to commemorate Thanksgiving. Also I remember drawing a picture of a turkey that my grandmother kept at the cottage and which remained on the wall for years. These little things and many others have ingrained in my mind that the end of November is the harvest season, full of leaves and color. In actuality it seems that harvest season should be over by the end of November. For instance in Canada Thanksgiving is held at the beginning of October, to me that seems closer to harvest season than the end of November. I have no idea where I'm going with all this other than these autumn leaves reminded me of Thanksgiving and so I thought I'd post this picture today. For my friends in the U.S., Happy Thanksgiving. For the rest of you, get back to work, two more days until the weekend. ;-)

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Top Down

This is a view of the lobby on the Jewel of the Seas, a ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet. The first time I saw this ship it played a trick on my eyes as I thought I was looking at two ships. Turns out this one is small relative to some others. Nonetheless, if you stand midship on about the 13th floor and look down through a glass table, you’ll see this lobby and elevators. And I thought a sailboat was big.

This is a view of the lobby on the Jewel of the Seas, a ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet. The first time I saw this ship it played a trick on my eyes as I thought I was looking at two ships. Turns out this is one is small, relative to others. Nonetheless, if you stand midship on about the 13th floor and look down through a glass table, you see this lobby and elevators. And I though a forty foot sailboat was big.

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Through The Palms

As I write this there are storms across much of the Unites States and winter has made an early entrance. But in some places such as Florida’s west coast you can still find people on the beach or enjoying a sunset. It’s no wonder the population of Florida explodes this time of year. If I lived up north and had the means I’d come down here also. Fortunate for me I live here and this weekend I was outside at the Sarasota Fine Arts Festival. This shot is from just south of Sarasota in Nokomis which is a community with an awesome beach among other things. Anyway, at the festival I got to show some of my photos (similar to this) of the area and meet some of you in person. Even though it was warm, that was pretty cool.

As I write this there are storms across much in the Unites States and winter has made an early entrance. But in some places such as Florida's west coast you can still find people on the beach or enjoying a sunset. It's no wonder the population of Florida explodes this time of year. If I lived up north and had the means I'd come down here also. Fortunate for me I live here and this weekend I was outside at the Sarasota Fine Arts Festival. This shot is from just south of Sarasota in Nokomis which is a community with an awesome beach among other things. Anyway, at the festival I got to show some of my photos (similar to this) of the area and meet some of you in person. Even though it was warm, that was pretty cool.

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The Proposal

When in Vancouver I almost always walk through Stanley Park. I overheard someone say recently that it was voted the number one park in North America and I think I’d have to agree. Anyhow, you’ll notice I post a lot of pictures from Stanley Park including this which was taken around sunset at Hidden Lagoon near end of summer. Just before I took this I walked past a big willow tree along the lagoon which was decorated with photos of a young couple, candles, flowers and an intimate picnic with cheese and a bottle of wine. Someone was standing guard awaiting the arrival of the couple and it was my strong impression that a proposal was to be made this evening. I’ll never know for sure, but supposing that did happen, then it happened with this sunset, and so I would guess it was a very special evening indeed.

When in Vancouver I almost always walk through Stanley Park. I overheard someone say recently that it was voted the number one park in North America and I think I'd have to agree. Anyhow, you'll notice I post a lot of pictures from Stanley Park including this which was taken around sunset at Hidden Lagoon near end of summer. Just before I took this I walked past a big willow tree along the lagoon which was decorated with photos of a young couple, candles, flowers and an intimate picnic with cheese and a bottle of wine. Someone was standing guard awaiting the arrival of the couple and it was my strong impression that a proposal was to be made this evening. I'll never know for sure, but supposing that did happen, then it happened with this sunset, and so I would guess it was a very special evening indeed.

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San Juan Charm

This is the old town section of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Walking through here on a recent afternoon was like walking back in time to a different era. It seems time has slowed down here and a different pace of life is respected. People get together for conversation and gatherings in the streets or in verandas above. This colorful street was just one of many I passed and to me represents a feeling of community and charm rarely found today. I will return to Puerto Rico one day and when I do I’ll stay a little longer, and move a little slower.

This is the old town section of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Walking through here on a recent afternoon was like walking back in time to a different era. It seems time has slowed down here and a different pace of life is respected. People get together for conversation and gatherings in the streets or in verandas above. This colorful street was just one of many I passed and to me represents a feeling of community and charm rarely found today. I will return to Puerto Rico one day and when I do I'll stay a little longer, and move a little slower.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

Beach Dunes

In Bradenton Beach Florida we have nice sunsets, and even when we don’t there’s always something to take a picture of. I thought a shot from about four feet inside these dunes would be nice and so started to set up my camera. Bad idea. Turns out the plants in these dunes produce a prickly burr that’s as sharp as any I’ve ever seen. So I figured as long as I didn’t move around I’d be okay. Wrong again. It seemed like the burrs started attacking me and attached themselves to my sandals, t-shirt, legs and shorts. So I finished the shot quickly and walked to my car in darkness where I began detaching the burrs one by one which took about 20 minutes. They were even attached to the bottom of my sandals. As far as natural defenses go, those dunes mean business. A couple of days later near the lifeguard stand I found a sign that indicated this is a “Blue Beach” which means a high degree if environmental awareness and protection is practiced here and, …the dunes are off-limits. I think I learned my lesson. Dunes 1, Me 0.

In Bradenton Beach Florida we have nice sunsets, and even when we don't there's always something to take a picture of. I thought a shot from about four feet inside these dunes would be nice and so started to set up my camera. Bad idea. Turns out the plants in these dunes produce a prickly burr that's as sharp as any I've ever seen. So I figured as long as I didn't move around I'd be okay. Wrong again. It seemed like the burrs started attacking me and attached themselves to my sandals, t-shirt, legs and shorts. So I finished the shot quickly and walked to my car in darkness where I began detaching the burrs one by one which took about 20 minutes. They were even attached to the bottom of my sandals. As far as natural defenses go, those dunes mean business. A couple of days later near the lifeguard stand I found a sign that indicated this is a

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Siesta Key Afternoon

I headed down the road to Siesta Key from my home in Palmetto hoping to catch a good sunset. The clouds are so dynamic that you never know what to expect and as it turned out there was no sunset, however the colors and clouds still put on a good show. It rains so often in summer that most people just ignore it. It rarely last more than fifteen minutes and then you just continue going about your business. Of course I’m making liberal use of the word “business” because that’s about the furthest thing from anyones mind. However the folks on this broken down pier were engaged in the business of fishing, the folks behind me were engaged in the business of sunset watching, and I was engaged in the business of taking it all in and snapping some photos. Have your people contact my people and we’ll do business.

I headed down the road to Siesta Key from my home in Palmetto hoping to catch a good sunset. The clouds are so dynamic that you never know what to expect and as it turned out there was no sunset, however the colors and clouds still put on a good show. It rains so often in summer that most people just ignore it. It rarely last more than fifteen minutes and then you just continue going about your business. Of course I'm making liberal use of the word

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

Antigua Sunset

As we left Antigua and Barbuda in October these Frigate birds were making the rounds and checking us out. However my mind was still back at Prickly Pear Island where we spent the day and the real world didn’t exist. It’s about a mile offshore with a few umbrellas and a little rum shack, the perfect place to forget everything. All good things come to and end but I find myself wandering back from time to time. Okay, back to work, don’t blame me if you’re losing your will to concentrate.

As we left Antigua and Barbuda in October these Frigate birds were making the rounds and checking us out. However my mind was still back at Prickly Pear Island where we spent the day and the real world didn't exist. It's about a mile offshore with a few umbrellas and a little rum shack, the perfect place to forget everything. All good things come to and end but I find myself wandering back from time to time. Okay, back to work, don't blame me if you're losing your will to concentrate.

Follow link to obtain a print of this photo.