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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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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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Florida West Coast

This is a section of Bradenton Beach in Florida opposite the Tortuga Inn and Resort which is a favorite of visitors from the north, especially for weddings and family gatherings. Bradenton Beach doesn’t have any mega-size resorts, they’re all rather small in comparison to those in Miami or Ft Lauderdale. The west coast of Florida has a different feel, low key, laid back, go with the flow. In a sense, I think Florida’s west coast is an east coast version of California. I’ll admit it’s a weak comparison and there are a world of differences, but the beaches here rival anywhere in the United States and the sand is powdery white and smooth. That, the warm water and calm waves all add up to a nice experience. Add to all that a sunset and Bob’s your uncle.

This is a section of Bradenton Beach in Florida opposite the Tortuga Inn and Resort which is a favorite of visitors from the north, especially for weddings and family gatherings. Bradenton Beach doesn't have any mega-size resorts, they're all rather small in comparison to those in Miami or Ft Lauderdale. The west coast of Florida has a different feel, low key, laid back, go with the flow. In a sense, I think Florida's west coast is an east coast version of California. I'll admit it's a weak comparison and there are a world of differences, but the beaches here rival anywhere in the United States and the sand is powdery white and smooth. That, the warm water and calm waves all add up to a nice experience. Add to all that a sunset and Bob's your uncle.

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This Side of Heaven

When I spied this shot I thought maybe I’d died and gone to heaven. Well, maybe not me but the folks watching the sunset in their beach chairs. Not many people that move down here to Manatee County in Florida return to their northern homes unless they’re what we call “snowbirds”; fly down in winter and back up in summer. I used to live in a northern climate and now I think I’d have a hard time going back. It’s true there’s beauty everywhere, but something about the gentle rolling of the waves and the warm breeze is hard to resist. Lets face it, Florida is a retirement state and for good reason. So, while Florida has industries and agriculture, I think it’s biggest draw is tourism. In my opinion it’s too hard to focus the mind when the climate and scenery are this inviting. It’s my theory that people in northern climates are more industrious because they are forced to stay indoors through the long cold months. I don’t know where I’m going with all this, probably nowhere. In any case, when I wake up from this daydream I hope I’m close to this beach. In the meantime, I’m not retired so I better get back to work.

When I spied this shot I thought maybe I'd died and gone to heaven. Well, maybe not me but the folks watching the sunset in their beach chairs. Not many people that move down here to Manatee County in Florida return to their northern homes unless they're what we call
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Kokonut Hut

The Kokonut Hut is in Bradenton Beach, Florida. About a mile radius from this spot is where I shoot a lot scenes, an area with beautiful beaches, bridges and of course, sunsets. On this evening I was hoping for more but the heavy clouds were not cooperating. In fact I met a family of four that were standing there waiting for the sunset as it was their last day and they picked a (very) rare week when it rained every day. I doubled my resolve not to take the natural beauty we have here in Florida for granted. I ended up with this exposure because I thought that even without the sunset, hanging out at a tiki bar close to the water with the warm air and cool drink is not so bad after all.

The Kokonut Hut is in Bradenton Beach, Florida. About a mile radius from this spot is where I shoot a lot scenes, an area with beautiful beaches, bridges and of course, sunsets. On this evening I was hoping for more but the heavy clouds were not cooperating. In fact I met a family of four that were standing there waiting for the sunset as it was their last day and they picked a (very) rare week when it rained every day. I doubled my resolve not to take the natural beauty we have here in Florida for granted. I ended up with this exposure because I thought that even without the sunset, hanging out at a tiki bar close to the water with the warm air and cool drink is not so bad after all.

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Coquina

This is such a popular spot for family picnics that it can be hard to get parking on weekends. However, I took this in the middle of the week when few locals were out. I came here the other night to take some more pictures and saw a pod of dolphins frolicking in the waters pictured on the left. The water drops off just a few feet from shore and the current is quite strong, just right for dolphins to play and catch a meal. I never get tired of watching them in the wild. It’s an amazing feeling to stand just a few feet away from animals that may be smarter than me. And that’s just my dogs. I’m pretty sure dolphins are indeed smarter than me.

This is such a popular spot for family picnics that it can be hard to get parking on weekends. However, I took this in the middle of the week when few locals were out. I came here the other night to take some more pictures and saw a pod of dolphins frolicking in the waters pictured here. The water drops off just a few feet from shore and the current is quite strong, just right for dolphins to play and catch a meal. I never get tired of watching them in the wild. It's an amazing feeling to stand just a few feet away from animals that may be smarter than me. And that's just my dogs. I'm pretty sure Dolphins are indeed smarter than me.

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Weather Patterns

I’m convinced that Bradenton Beach in Florida has some of the best sunsets. I’m not entirely sure why but there seems to be a unique weather pattern that places high clouds over the beach as the sun is going down creating the perfect sunset. I also think it happens mostly in the spring, summer and fall. Which is entirely fine with the millions of snow birds that come down in winter since “all” they get are clear skies. Too bad for them, but then I suppose that’s a good thing (no clouds in the sky in winter) unless you are some over the top sunset obsessed photographer, …not that I know anyone like that.

I'm convinced that Bradenton Beach in Florida has some of the best sunsets. I'm not entirely sure why but there seems to be a unique weather pattern that places high clouds over the beach as the sun is going down creating the perfect sunset. I also think it happens mostly in the spring, summer and fall. Which is entirely fine with the millions of snow birds that come down in winter since

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Beach Houses

These houses are in Bradenton Beach in Florida. I’m not sure how long they’ve been here but I recently noticed them when walking back to my car after taking pictures of a sunset. I think I never noticed because they are across the street from the beach and when I’m driving or riding my bike on Gulf of Mexico drive, my eyes are always glancing at the beach, not the other way. These just add to the fun feel of the beach town that is Bradenton Beach.
These houses are in Bradenton Beach in Florida. I'm not sure how long they've been here but I recently noticed them when walking back to my car after taking pictures of a sunset. I think I never noticed because they are across the street from the beach and when I'm driving or riding my bike on Gulf of Mexico drive, my eyes are always glancing at the beach, not the other way. These just add to the fun feel of the beach town that is Bradenton Beach.
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Tortouga Gazebo

I took this from Bradenton Beach about a day after the first named storm of the year. In Florida we have a semi-tropical climate and so our summer is almost like winter meaning we get a lot of storms. Of course, afterwards the clouds are awesome and everyone, and I mean everyone, is down by the beach at sunset taking photos and wishing it would never end.
Tourtuga Gazebo
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