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Sunset in Paradise

The story behind this shot is a little creepy so don’t read this if you hate bugs. Ok, here goes. I came here to the fishing pier at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge near my home in Florida to get a photo of the sunset. To get to this spot I had to walk on a concrete seawall by climbing over a fence and then over a bunch of big concrete boulders. Once on the seawall I started walking with my equipment to this spot and noticed something was not quite right. As I looked down, hundreds, if not thousands of bugs, not unlike cockroaches, were scampering out of the way. I was having my own little Indiana Jones moment, less the snakes (as far as I know). My guess is they feed upon the dead fish and bait from local fishermen, but whatever the case, there is a thriving population. I was committed to the shot so I steeled myself, marched on, setup, took about 20 frames, picked up my tripod and got the *%^#* outta there. During that episode I heard some noise in the water just a few feet away but was too pre-occupied with getting the job done that not until I got home did I notice that a dolphin and pelican passed by. I suspect they had a good laugh at the silly human freaking out in Paradise.

The story behind this shot is a little creepy so don't read this if you hate bugs. Ok, here goes. I came here to the fishing pier at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge near my home in Florida to get a photo of the sunset. To get to this spot I had to walk on a concrete seawall by climbing over a fence and then over a bunch of big concrete boulders. Once on the seawall I started walking with my equipment to this spot and noticed something was not quite right. As I looked down, hundreds, if not thousands of bugs, not unlike cockroaches, were scampering out of the way. I was having my own little Indiana Jones moment, less the snakes (as far as I know). My guess is they feed upon the dead fish and bait from local fishermen, but whatever the case, there is a thriving population. I was committed to the shot so I steeled myself, marched on, setup, took about 20 frames, picked up my tripod and got the *%^#* outta there. During that episode I heard some noise in the water just a few feet away but was too pre-occupied with getting the job done that not until I got home did I notice that a dolphin and pelican passed by. I suspect they had a good laugh at the silly human freaking out in Paradise.

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Night on the Water

I took one last photo as dusk gave way to night and I headed back to my car and then home. Before I left I noticed the faint light of a small fishing boat a mile or two offshore and tried to imagine the scene from out there. Perhaps the light of houses along the shore. In any case, late last night I was driving along this same road and saw a fisherman coming in from sea with his small boat. I don’t know why but that got me thinking there is no way I would be out in the Gulf of Mexico in such in a small boat at night, yet hundreds do it every evening. And so I silently acknowledged his courage and fortitude and thanked him for the fish tacos I just had for dinner.

I took one last photo as dusk gave way to night and I headed back to my car and then home. Before I left I noticed the faint light of a small fishing boat a mile or two offshore and tried to imagine the scene from out there. Perhaps the light of houses along the shore. In any case, late last night I was driving along this same road and saw a fisherman coming in from sea with his small boat. I don't know why but that got me thinking there is no way I would be out in the Gulf of Mexico in such in a small boat at night, yet hundreds do it every evening. And so I silently acknowledged his courage and fortitude and thanked him for the fish tacos I just had for dinner.

Follow link to obtain a print of this photo.

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Venice Pier

This is the Venice Pier which is attached to Sharky’s on the Pier in Venice Florida. A couple of wooden versions of this washed away in hurricanes and so they built this newer stronger concrete version. It’s such an iconic setting that we always bring guests here. When my sister-in-law was down she lamented she hadn’t seen any dolphins, however the day we came here we spotted a small pod frolicking at the end. Florida’s west coast is dotted with establishments like this, but this is one of our favorite. Everything just seems to add up.

This is the Venice Pier which is attached to Sharky's on the Pier in Venice Florida. A couple of wooden versions of this washed away in hurricanes and so this newer stronger concrete version is here to stay. This is such an iconic setting that we always bring our guests here. My sister-in-law was down and was lamenting she hadn't seen any dolphins until the day we came here where we spotted a small pod frolicking at the end of the pier. Florida's west coast is dotted with establishments like this, but this is one of our favorite. Everything just seems to add up here.

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Pond at Dusk

This was taken at a pond at Emerson Point state park near my home. This and a couple of other nearby ponds are hangouts for migratory birds. I’m not a birder and I don’t know a lot about each species, but they’re still fun to watch in their natural habitat. There’s all kinds of wildlife in and around this pond, I’ve seen Raccoons, Armadillos, Turtles, Osprey and Eagles. So there you go, I’m no birder, but apparently I’m Daniel Boone.

This was taken at a pond at Emerson Point state park near my home in Manatee County Florida. This and a couple of other nearby ponds are hangouts for migratory birds. Now I'm not a birder and I don't know a lot about each species, but they're still fun to watch in their natural habitat. There's all kinds of wildlife in and around this pond, I've seen Raccoons, Armadillos, Turtles, Osprey and Eagles. So there you go, I'm no birder, but apparently I'm Daniel Boone.

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Old Piers

Apparently, piers are not permanent here in Florida, seems they erode away from Hurricanes and waves all the time. I’m fairly new to Florida, we moved here about nine years ago and in that time I’ve seen a couple of piers crumble away. I was at an art show with my photos the other day and a shot I did of the pier at Venice Florida was recognized by folks as “the new pier”. That was news to me since it’s the only one I knew of. But long time residents have seen two others washed away and the latest built about ten years ago. So now I know. In any case, I like even the crumbled down old remnants of a pier, it seems to attract birds like egrets, herons and pelicans as they use the old pilings to wait for prey or scraps from the fishermen. So now you know, probably more than you ever wanted, about Florida piers. Your welcome. 😉

Apparently, piers are not permanent here in Florida, seems they erode away from Hurricanes and waves all the time. I'm fairly new to Florida, we moved here about nine years ago and in that time I've seen a couple of piers crumble away. I was at an art show with my photos the other day and a shot I did of the pier at Venice Florida was recognized by folks as

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Gulf of Mexico

So this might not look familiar but it’s under the Sunshine Skyway bridge between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Sometimes I find myself in the craziest places in search of a shot, especially when not traveling. When I do travel I cross this bridge in a car on my way to the airport at a pretty good rate of speed. The bridge is so level and smooth I forget I’m traveling over a vast body of water with dolphins, sharks and swift currents below. Before this was built the old one collapsed and a bus and cars just drove right off the bridge into the water. Yeah I know, scary. But today I doubt anything like that will happen again, this bridge is constantly under maintenance, no chances are being taken. And thanks to all that maintenance its a very smooth ride and I forget I’m driving over the Gulf of Mexico. Thankfully though, the state of Florida does not.

So this might not look familiar but it's under the Sunshine Skyway bridge between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Sometimes I find myself in the craziest places in search of a shot, especially when not traveling. When I do travel I cross this bridge in a car on my way to the airport at a pretty good rate of speed. The bridge is so level and smooth I forget I'm traveling over a vast body of water with dolphins, sharks and swift currents below. Before this was built the old one collapsed and a bus and cars just drove right off the bridge into the water. Yeah I know, scary. But today I doubt anything like that will happen again, this bridge is constantly under maintenance, no chances are being taken. And thanks to all that maintenance its a very smooth ride and I forget I'm driving over the Gulf of Mexico. Thankfully though, the state of Florida does not.

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

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Cortez Sunset

Cortez is a little gem of a fishing village in central Florida. Because it’s on the way to the beach thousands of people drive by it every day and never stop. There are several fish markets tucked away which we like stopping into every now and then to pick up fresh catch. There are tree lined streets with quaint houses as well as a little trailer park where winter residents (aka snowbirds) love to come and escape the harsh winters up north. On the evening I took this several of the snowbirds where lined up in lawn chairs with their cocktails along the water to watch the sunset. It lasted for about 30 minutes and as soon as the colors faded they stood up and headed back to their homes. However I noticed they left their chairs behind so it seems to me they must repeat that ritual each evening. If I ever retire, I might just get a trailer down the road from my house and live the life of a snowbird in the little fishing village of Cortez Florida.

Cortez is a little gem of a fishing village in central Florida. Because it's on the way to the beach thousands of people drive by it every day and never stop. There are several fish markets tucked away which we like stopping into every now and then to pick up fresh catch. There are tree lined streets with quaint houses as well as a little trailer park where winter residents (aka snowbirds) love to come and escape the harsh winters up north. On the evening I took this several of the snowbirds where lined up in lawn chairs with their cocktails along the water to watch the sunset. It lasted for about 30 minutes and as soon as the colors faded they stood up and headed back to their homes. However I noticed they left their chairs behind so it seems to me they must repeat that ritual each evening. If I ever retire, I might just get a trailer down the road from my house and live the life of a snowbird in the little fishing village of Cortez Florida.

Follow link to to obtain a print of this photo.

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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.

Follow link to obtain a print of this photo.

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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.

Follow link to obtain a print of this photo.