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Afternoon Thunderstorms

Death, taxes and afternoon thunderstorms are among the few certainties of life. At least it is here in Florida during the summer. I think I would be more surprised if we didn't get a storm in the afternoon. Like when I lived by the tracks then moved away and couldn't sleep because there were no trains going by. Thunderstorms are a little like that. We ignore them. They make noise but we tune it out. But lucky for me I'm a photographer and I'm always on the lookout. I didn't ignore this one. And now, I'll lay back in bed and wait for the sound of the midnight train. Goodnight all.
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Death, taxes and afternoon thunderstorms are among the few certainties of life. At least it is here in Florida during the summer. I think I would be more surprised if we didn’t get a storm in the afternoon. Like when I lived by the tracks then moved away and couldn’t sleep because there were no trains going by. Thunderstorms are a little like that. We ignore them. They make noise but we tune it out. But lucky for me I’m a photographer and I’m always on the lookout. I didn’t ignore this one. And now, I’ll lay back in bed and wait for the sound of the midnight train. Goodnight all.

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Riverwalk Regatta

Earlier this year our town had a regatta. Silly me, I thought a
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Earlier this year our town had a regatta. Silly me, I thought a “regatta” involved sailboats. Little did I realize these Formula 2 boats would be racing around a track in the river. They closed the main bridge over the river so you could get right on top of the action. These guys/gals are pushing the limits of physics as they try to remain stable on the water at extreme speeds, even so one of flipped upside down on a turn. The pilot was okay and the race continued. So NOW I know what a regatta is all about, silly me.

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Sunrise Over the Manatee River

I took this from the banks of the Manatee River as it flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Because of the tides the river flows in both directions so it's not a typical river in that sense. We do see dolphins and manatees swimming by so it's always fun to look out over the water. That was the idea I had in mind when I took this, just get down low and look out across as the sun rises over the opposite bank.

I took this from the banks of the Manatee River as it flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Because of the tides the river flows in both directions so it’s not a typical river in that sense. We do see dolphins and manatees swimming by so it’s always fun to look out over the water. That was the idea I had in mind when I took this, just get down low and look out across as the sun rises over the opposite bank.

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Palmetto Clouds

With winter coming here in Florida the season for these big clouds is coming to an end. It's not like we have a real winter, it's more like summer with warm weather and sunny skies. However there's no intense heat to produce the evaporation and energy required for these clouds to form. This weekend I took a quick trip up to North Carolina and we had a freak snow storm. Having just finished a very hot summer in Florida it was a breath fresh air and a very quick and very awesome taste of real winter, not the kind we get in Florida.

With winter coming here in Florida the season for these big clouds is coming to an end. It’s not like we have a real winter, it’s more like summer with warm weather and sunny skies. However there’s no intense heat to produce the evaporation and energy required for these clouds to form. This weekend I took a quick trip up to North Carolina and we had a freak snow storm. Having just finished a very hot summer in Florida it was a breath fresh air and a very quick and very awesome taste of real winter, not the kind we get in Florida.

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Impression

In art I'm attracted to impressionistic styles. I prefer to let my mind fill in the blanks. I do that a lot in everyday life, I think. My way of dealing with complexity perhaps, a momentary reverie while forming an impression, possibly an opinion. As I'm thinking about it, In general I don't like being fed too much detail. That's because my mind automatically fills in the details, not always right, but details nonetheless. I think we all do that, it's part of what makes us unique, it is part of the filters through which we see the world. It starts with an impression.

In art I’m attracted to impressionistic styles. I prefer to let my mind fill in the blanks. I do that a lot in everyday life, I think. My way of dealing with complexity perhaps, a momentary reverie while forming an impression, possibly an opinion. As I’m thinking about it, In general I don’t like being fed too much detail. That’s because my mind automatically fills in the details, not always right, but details nonetheless. I think we all do that, it’s part of what makes us unique, it is part of the filters through which we see the world. It starts with an impression.

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Manatee River, Florida

Recently we got rain here in central Florida and I got inspired to drive up the river from my home. The river is about a mile wide near home but a fraction of that here. A tranquil setting yet I was on guard for any alligators that might be nearby as I positioned at the waters edge. It's unlikely I'd ever have a problem with a gator here, nevertheless it's wise to use with caution when in and around Florida's waterways. As I write this our rainy season is coming to an end which I'm sure is perfect for all the people that come here to visit. But with a little bit of weather comes picturesque skies and as you know I'm a sucker for that.

Recently we got rain here in central Florida and I got inspired to drive up the river from my home. The river is about a mile wide near home but a fraction of that here. A tranquil setting yet I was on guard for any alligators that might be nearby as I positioned at the waters edge. It’s unlikely I’d ever have a problem with a gator here, nevertheless it’s wise to use with caution when in and around Florida’s waterways. As I write this our rainy season is coming to an end which I’m sure is perfect for all the people that come here to visit. But with a little bit of weather comes picturesque skies and as you know I’m a sucker for that.

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Rye Preserve

One thing we seem to have a lot of in Florida is nature preserves. I heard of a guy who is on a mission to visit every Starbucks in the US, ...there must be thousands, and that's just in one city. My mission is to visit every preserve in my county. I know it's a lofty goal, but you gotta aim high. So today I visited Rye Preserve and shot this near the canoe launch. There was a sign just before this saying that the dam (a couple hundred yards upstream) occasionally discharges large amounts of water and if you hear the siren then

One thing we seem to have a lot of in Florida is nature preserves. I heard of a guy who is on a mission to visit every Starbucks in the US, …there must be thousands, and that’s just in one city. My mission is to visit every preserve in my county. I know it’s a lofty goal, but you gotta aim high. So today I visited Rye Preserve and shot this near the canoe launch. There was a sign just before this saying that the dam (a couple hundred yards upstream) occasionally discharges large amounts of water and if you hear the siren then “prepare accordingly”. …Hmmmm. My wife said she didn’t have a good feeling. With afternoon thunderstorms this time of year the lake upstream can easily get too full. Hmmmm. But, …no sirens, no worries. Later this evening I was watching the local news and, apparently (get this), there are emergency repairs underway on the dam right now, because, …it could give way. I’m switching to Starbucks.

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Riverhouse

The Riverhouse Reef and Grill is a local eatery in Palmetto Florida that sits right on the Manatee River. Every time I come here it's crowded, but somehow we always get a table with a good view. It's not uncommon to be sitting here and have our conversation broken by something passing us by along the river, be it dolphin, manatee or just a family on a sailboat. Its way out at the end of a pier and so they pick you up with one of those golf cart shuttles if you don't feel like walking the length. All in all, a pretty good deal.

The Riverhouse Reef and Grill is a local eatery in Palmetto Florida that sits right on the Manatee River. Every time I come here it’s crowded, but somehow we always get a table with a good view. It’s not uncommon to be sitting here and have our conversation broken by something passing us by along the river, be it dolphin, manatee or just a family on a sailboat. The restaurant is way out at the end of a pier and so they provide one of those golf cart shuttles if you don’t feel like walking the length. Regardless, I always walk back since I’m usually full and need to stretch my legs.

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Shimmering Water

This is the Marina in the small town of Palmetto Florida where I live. The marina is along the Manatee River which as you can see is quite calm around dusk and dawn. Because the river opens into the Gulf of Mexico is common to see dolphins and manatee swimming by. If I didn’t know better I’d say this is a nice place to live. But I know better, it’s a great place to live. Not to say we don’t have the usual problems like everywhere else, but you have to take the good with the bad. In fact, I prefer to pay attention to the beauty around me. That way it seems stronger than the bad stuff. Just my way of looking at things.

This is the Marina in the small town of Palmetto Florida where I live. The marina is along the Manatee River which as you can see is quite calm around dusk and dawn. Because the river opens into the Gulf of Mexico is common to see dolphins and manatee swimming by. If I didn't know better I'd say this is a nice place to live. But I know better, it's a great place to live. Not to say we don't have the usual problems like everywhere else, but you have to take the good with the bad. In fact, I prefer to pay attention to the beauty around me. That way it seems stronger than the bad stuff. Just my way of looking at things.

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Manatee River Sunrise

The Manatee River is not very long as rivers go, about 36 miles and serves mainly as a water shed. It runs into the Gulf of Mexico and so near where I live in Manatee County it’s not uncommon to see dolphins or manatees swimming by. At this point the river is about a mile wide and as far as I know it’s not that deep. A few of my neighbors that own boats are very cautious to avoid the bottom as they head out to the Gulf of Mexico. One neighbor used breadcrumbs in his GPS unit and engages autopilot as the boat drives itself out. Pretty soon I suppose we’ll be doing that with the Google cars, which leaves us more time to concentrate on texting while the car drives itself.

The Manatee River is not very long as rivers go, about 36 miles and serves mainly as a water shed. It runs into the Gulf of Mexico and so near where I live in Manatee County it's not uncommon to see dolphins or manatees swimming by. At this point the river is about a mile wide and as far as I know it's not that deep. A few of my neighbors that own boats are very cautious to avoid the bottom as they head out to the Gulf of Mexico. One neighbor used breadcrumbs in his GPS unit and engages autopilot as the boat drives itself out. Pretty soon I suppose we'll be doing that with the Google cars, which leaves us more time to concentrate on texting while the car drives itself.

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