Pass-A-Grille is an odd name, I’m sure there’s a good explanation; maybe I’ll find out one day. In the meantime this is a quiet community just south of St Pete’s beach in Florida. I’m standing here at the southern end on a Thursday evening. Little did I realize a WWII bomb was found here under the sand and today as I write this the beach was evacuated and the bomb squad detonated it: so much for being a quiet little community.
End of Another Day
If you drive up and down the gulf coast of Florida it’s amazing how many parks are named Sunset Park. But then you soon realize it’s for good reason. This is a picture of my wife sitting on a swing with our dog Mr. Wiggles at Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin Florida. It was our first time here and we lucked out with a great sunset. We had meant to leave earlier, but when we noticed the clouds and the sun we just had to stay an extra hour to take it all in. Mr. Wiggles was fine with that.
Walk at Sunset
Someone walks along the shore as the sun recedes. Now get out and enjoy the weekend (say’s me to myself). ;-0
Boca Grande Pier
This is another long exposure of an old pier at Gasparilla Island State Park in Boca Grande. There’s something about making time stand still that I find appealing. In any case, this is one of the last images I took before smashing my camera on the seawall. Don’t ask, it was my fault. Lucky for me I had an extended warranty and Sony fixed it good as new. Now that I have my camera back I’m going to look for more of these images, only this time I’ll stay off the seawall.
Palms in the Park
Palms grow near the wildlife viewing boardwalk in Myakka River State Park. I grew up near the mountains in California where most parks have pines trees or redwoods. Not so here in Florida as pines would not withstand hurricanes. In any case, this boardwalk extends into a wetland were you can see all manner of birds like Herons, Egrets, Osprey, Hawks and Eagles. And just off on the left is Myakka Lake which is home to about five hundred Alligators. Definitely not California.
Clearwater
This is a shot of the Florida beach town of Clearwater taken from Honeymoon Island State Park. This is a long exposure that I took from a breakwater that jetted out into the gulf. Normally when you are in Clearwater there is a lot going on, so much to see and do. But from here, a distance of about eight miles, everything seemed so peaceful and calm.
Bennett Park
So last I heard they’re going to build a water park here. This is right next to the freeway so I suppose it’s a good location as far as exposure goes. But I can’t help but feel a twinge of loss at another open space in this beautiful state. However, as hot as it gets here in Florida it doesn’t sound too bad. In any case, this is the “before” shot. Not sure how the “after” shot will end up looking.
View From Anna Maria
Another picture from my favorite place. At this spot on Anna Maria Island you can see a sunrise, sit in the beach or watch cruise ships pass under the Skyway Bridge. Its pretty close to perfect and a provokes the frame of mind that allows you to forget about the troubles of the world for a spell. Lord knows they’ll be there when you get back.
Skyscraper
To me this looks a little like a scraper of the sky. These are the clouds just as a thunderstorm passed only a few minutes earlier and just as the sun was setting, casting hues and colors across the sky. At that moment it looked so awesome that I had to scrape a bit of it up for myself. Lucky for you I saved a little.
Fireworks Over Bradenton
Found a great spot atop a parking garage to watch the fireworks over the town of Bradenton Florida. In fact, not only could I watch the main attraction, but those of all the neighboring towns and neighborhoods. A good time was had by all.