The interstate highway in Florida is long stretches of boring punctuated with brief glimpses of amazing. Interstate 75 is inland, protected from the hurricanes, but when it crosses marshes or rivers you get a quick glimpse of the landscape. This bridge stretches a mile over the Manatee River near my home. There are houses that line the river but I managed to find a vantage to take this without walking through someone’s backyard. Can you imagine waking up to this each morning?
Drawbridge at Sunset
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Getting stuck on a drawbridge is not necessarily a bad thing. I was headed to the beach to watch the sunset and got “stuck” here while the bridge lifted to let a sailboat pass. The first thing you do is kill the engine, roll down the windows and enjoy the scenery. Or, in my case, grab my camera and take a few photos. In fact, truth be told, I secretly hope I get stuck on a drawbridge. Just one of life’s happy little surprises.
Dog’s Eye View
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Last weekend I came to the local farmers market with my dogs. It gets pretty hot in the day so I sat down on the sidewalk under a tree across from some local musicians. Sitting there I thought, why not shoot the scene from Wiggle’s point of view. So this is the result of that. We sat there for a few minutes listening to the music and enjoying the atmosphere. Then moved on to check out more cool stuff.
Clam Digger
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A gentleman digs for clams along the causeway the other day. I was on my way to a restaurant near the beach with my wife and a friend when I quickly pulled over to get this shot. The people in my car must think I’m crazy. I think I am a little crazy when it comes to pictures. At least I wasn’t on a mountain road, now that would be CRAZY.
Under the Bridge
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There are usually one or two people fishing from this spot. The walkway under the bridge is just long enough to give the sense of a tunnel and in the summer it’s a nice spot to pause in the shade. Just a few feet beyond is a new ice cream shop that serves doggy ice cream (not really sure what that is) so I will just have to stop with my buds and check it out.
Angels in the Morning at Sunrise
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I don’t know where I heard it, but when you see these wispy clouds there are angels in the sky. Such was the case this morning and lucky for me I had my camera handy. It seemed that all the angels and all the boats pointed in the direction of the sun on this morning not too long ago.
Morning Reflection
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I came here early one morning a few weeks ago to find the water like a sheet of glass. It was just before sunrise and everything was quiet and still. After I took this shot I walked onto the dock and at that very same moment the sun rose. Instantly a light breeze picked up such that the water was disturbed. These moments are fleeting and I’m glad to have witnessed the morning transition when I did.
Sunrise Over the Dunes
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Early one morning on Anna Maria Island near the public pier. It’s amazing how many people are up at dawn to watch the sunrise on a Sunday morning. And then ten minutes later they all leave to go back home for breakfast or whatever. Yet some stay around to linger and enjoy the relative solitude of an early morning walk along the beach. Note to self, I’m going to do that more often.
End of the Day
This is at the very tip end of Anna Maria Island locally known as Bean Point. My wife and I came here last night to catch the sunset and take a few photos. We lingered until dark, relishing every last bit of the pastel hues and warm water until we knew we must go. On our way out we stopped at the local ice cream shop and to our surprise there was a line out the door. I thought to myself, what an iconic little village, and what better way to enjoy a Sunday evening than watch the sunset and stop for ice cream on the way home.
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Urban Sunset
Because I live in Florida there’s water everywhere. Inlets, bays, waterways, rivers, …the list goes on. So this is an urban sunset, meaning that I just happen to be driving by the water and pulled over to take a picture. Every day the sun sets on urban areas, but somehow the fact that there’s a body of water makes it just a little bit special. Don’t you think so?
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