Look! Parrots!

Feasting on High

Sepia Scenes #83: Spring Harvest

Moody Monday: Close

SkyWatch Friday 03.26

Overlooking the Spa Beach Park across the Vinoy/North Yacht Basin entrance from Tampa Bay. Downtown St. Petersburg.

Happy SkyWatch Friday!


“May the wind under your wings bear you
where the sun sails and the moon walks”
~Gandalf, The Hobbit

Pick your next heavenly destination at
SKYWATCH FRIDAY

What does this scene inspire in you?

My first thought was, "I'd love to be up there, too." My thought now: "The world is awesome." :)

Soldier’s Hole Trail. Fort de Soto Park. St. Petersburg, Florida. 2009.

Google Map It



“May the wind under your wings bear you
where the sun sails and the moon walks”
~Gandalf, The Hobbit

Pick your next heavenly destination at
SKYWATCH FRIDAY

Oh, to soar through the skies...

Soldier’s Hole Trail. Fort de Soto Park. St. Petersburg, Florida. 2009.

Google Map It

Welcome to my first LATSOF post.


“May the wind under your wings bear you
where the sun sails and the moon walks”
~Gandalf, The Hobbit

Pick your next heavenly destination at
LATSOF

Take Me With You

Soldier’s Hole Trail. Fort de Soto Park. St. Petersburg, Florida. 2009.

Google Map It



“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
~Henry Ward Beecher

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WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

B for Blue/Bird/Beach... :)

Is this the place to do schoolwork, or what? I spent the day here doing schoolwork with breaks here and there *clears throat* for picture-taking and daydreaming. Hey, can you blame me? It was a great spot, except for the crows, who eventually drove me away with their LOUD and incessant crowing from the tree branches above--not to mention several attempts at stealing my food every time I walked away! And then, of course, there were the seagulls, too. Sheesh... The good news was, I did find another great spot (hard not to do in this place); although, I was pretty distracted to do schoolwork by then. Heheh.

Taken at Fort de Soto Park in St. Petersburg, Florida. 2009.



“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
~Henry Ward Beecher

Pick your next ABC destination at
ABC WEDNESDAY

WATER04 - Contact

Taken at Fort de Soto Park in St. Petersburg, Florida.

[From my Picasa Web Album: Beach Walk at Sunrise]



Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water
~Lao Tzu

Pick your next watery adventure at
WATERY WEDNESDAY

MM03 - Excuse Me. I Live Here.

[From my Picasa Web Album: Beach Walk at Sunrise]



“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
~Henry Ward Beecher

Pick your next macro destination at
MACRO MONDAY

CRITTERS02 - Welcoming the New Day

My favorite find on the beach so far. Taken at Fort de Soto Park in St. Petersburg, Florida.

[From my Picasa Web Album: Beach Walk at Sunrise]



“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
~Henry Ward Beecher

Pick your next Camera Critters destination at
CAMERA CRITTERS

Camera Critters 001 - Red-Tail Hawk

Taken at the Aviary in Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Preserve's Aviary houses birds of prey that have taken permanent injuries that prevent them from living safely in the wild. I took this picture through an opening in the cage, which houses two red-tail hawks.

One of the largest and most common of hawks, [the red-tail hawk] is often seen soaring or perched in a tree searching for prey. Red-tailed hawks vary considerably in color, but most adults are brown with a read tail. A band of dark streak forms a belt across the white belly. Rodents and rabbits are its main diet, along with birds, snakes, and lizards.

Other birds in the small aviary include a bald eagle, turkey vulture, barred owl, and two very cute little Eastern screech owls.

Welcome to my first Camera Critters post!

This photo concludes my Boyd Hill photo series, at least, for this week. :)



“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
~Henry Ward Beecher

Pick your next Camera Critters destination at
CAMERA CRITTERS

PhotoHunt Saturday 003 - Sir Armadillo

Oct 17 Challenge: FREE WEEK
A steel sculpture of an armadillo by Paul Eppling, a local artist in St. Petersburg. Doesn't it look like a dinosaur in shining armor? :mrgreen: What makes this massive steely creation extra cool in my book is it's made up of recycled materials! The "welded steel [armadillo was] painstakingly constructed with "found objects" from old cars and construction machinery (and some donations)." I absolutely love it.

According to 1980 article in the Evening Independent, this knight of an armadillo had a twin. The twin stood next to what was a library, now the Boyd Hill Nature Preserve office. I didn't see the sculpture when I last visited, but I may just have missed it. I'll look for it next time I go there.

Taken in Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg, Florida.



“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
~Henry Ward Beecher

Pick your next PhotoHunt destination at
PHOTHUNT SATURDAY

SkyWatch Friday 004 - A Great Egret or a Great White Heron?

I don't know how to tell them apart, and I didn't get a good look to give you clues. If I'm going to guess, I think it's a great egret based solely on the information plaques scattered around this spot of paradise. There are plaques for the great egret and the great blue heron, but not for a great white heron. Perhaps you can tell?

Taken on a cool, cloudless day in Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg, Florida.



“May the wind under your wings bear you
where the sun sails and the moon walks”
~Gandalf, The Hobbit

Pick your next heavenly destination at
SKYWATCH FRIDAY

ABC Wednesday 001 - M for Majestic

The great bird of Florida takes flight. This is either a Great Egret or a Great White Heron. I didn't get a good look, guys. Sorry. :( Perhaps bird enthusiasts can tell from this photo?  I found a journal entry on herons and egrets that might interest you. The entry, Herons vs. Egrets--How to Tell Them Apart, includes several photos and can be found at An Amateur Birder's Journal.

Taken in Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Welcome to my first ABC Wednesday post!



"Ever charming, ever new,
when will the landscape tire the view?
~John Dyer

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ABC WEDNESDAY

Lens Day 002 - Spot the Alligator

I was hoping the gator would swim closer to the bridge, where I was standing, but it shied away instead. Too many people, perhaps? I was with seven other "gawkers" :D who were making too much noise with their oohs and aahs. lol Okay, I was, too. :P

Taken in Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg, Florida.


“A photograph is memory in the raw.”
~Carrie Latet

Pick your next Lens Day destination at
LENS DAY

Wordless Wednesday #3 - My Domain, My Spotlight

A Picture of many colors
proclaims images of many Thoughts.
~Donna A. Favors

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WORDPLESS WEDNESDAY

Blue Monday 002 - Great Blue Heron

A metal sculpture of the great blue heron by the equally great Paul Eppling, a local artist in St. Petersburg, FL. Two more of his metal sculptures can be found in the preserve.

Taken at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg, Florida.


“A photograph is memory in the raw.”
~Carrie Latet

Pick your next Blue Monday destination at
BLUE MONDAY

Lens Day #1 - Blaze the Brave

Lens Day Challenge: Cat

Eight-year-old Blaze braved a long road trip from Florida to California last year. She's a sweet cat. One can never tell how old she is, because she meows like a kitten, especially when she wants to be cute—that is, more than usual. :D She eats like a fish, lays about like a cat, but somehow manages to avoid obesity.

Welcome to my first Lens Day post!


“A photograph is memory in the raw.”
~Carrie Latet

Pick your next Lens Day destination at

LENS DAY