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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.
Riverwalk Regatta
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.
Sunrise Over the Pond
The night before I took this I was at the same spot taking a picture of the sunset in the other direction. When I got home I realized I lost my lens cap. It’s only a few minutes from my house so I got up this morning to come back figuring I dropped it on the ground. It was nowhere to be found but nevertheless the clouds were crazy good and so I resigned to the loss and captured this sunrise. After watching it for a few minutes I walked back to my car and put the camera and in the back seat and there was the lens cap on the floor. Such a silly thing, but thanks to “losing it” I was here first thing in the morning.
Heron on a Palm
Herons like to find a perch up high to preen and watch. I know because we have one that sits on an oak branch out back. He typically shows up in the afternoon to scratch and decide what to do next. This one however I found at Emerson Point which is a local preserve. We are fortunate to have these birds in such close proximity. Years ago when I lived in Canada, Heron sightings were rare and a “big deal”. It’s still great when I see them down here in Florida, just not so rare.
Before Rush Hour
This is one of the many bridges in Manatee County here in central Florida. The river is about a half mile wide at this point so the bridge is good size. But growth in our area has this and a nearby bridge filled to capacity during rush hour. So now they are looking at building yet another, or possibly making this one bigger. I took this as early one morning when the only rush was of the water under the bridge.
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Emerson Point Quickie
Whenever I need a quick sunset but don’t have the time to drive to the beach or someplace for the “perfect shot”, I head down the street to Emerson Point for a little quickie. It’s a little peninsula that points west into the Gulf of Mexico and no matter how many times I go there, it never disappoints, it’s my secret sunset “go to”. Only it’s kind of an open secret, I almost always run into another photographer and half a dozen others who just come to watch the spectacle.
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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.
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Sunrise in Palmetto by the Water
I managed to get out early this morning to capture these crazy clouds we’ve had for the last few days. This is only three minutes from my home so I’ve been here many times and whenever I show up in the morning I see this same Heron. I think this is his little stretch of shoreline where he fishes and lives out his days under the Florida sun and stars. I’ve seen him so often that pretty soon we’ll be on a first name basis, and then just maybe he’ll ignore me while I take his picture.
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Clouds Over the Water
I captured this earlier this evening close to my home in Palmetto Florida. We have some cool air and wind which created these long crazy clouds as the light of dusk painted the water. Tomorrow is the Thanksgiving holiday here in the states and among other things, I’m thankful for amazing displays like this every now and then.
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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.
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