The Second Set of our Trip to Florida Pictures, (other than the Wedding!)

We went to Florida

for the second time this year...

(For my daughter's wedding),

but we didn't have much time.

And,

I didn't have my favorite camera

with me due to having to fly there.

But I did have to take some photos anyway.

I mean..how couldn't I???

(I was in the tropics, for cryin' out loud!)

I was so pleased that I did.

My old trusty Panasonic Lumix

Point and Shoot camera

didn't disappoint me.

I had forgotten how I fell in love with that camera

when I first started doing photography.

It didn't disappoint me, and I had fun using it again.

A gorgeous sunset:

Let's grab those two chairs there, shall we?:

A pelican in the sunset!:

Can nature be more beautiful?:

Wait....

maybe!:

We were sitting by the pool and I spied a butterfly by the fence.

I grabbed my camera and ran off.

(My family is used to that sort of thing with me).

But, I couldn't help myself.

He was gorgeous!:

We were lucky to land a condo for a week.

It was small, but it had a balcony overlooking

the Gulf.

We watched a man one day build a huge

sand pyramid on the beach.

It had a tube inside

and at sunset they were looking through

the hole and the sunset

landed

dead on so that they could see it thru the tube.

I wondered about it, but I didn't ask them...

Now I wish I had:

My point and shoot has a zoom, which was used for this one

and I was amazed I could see as much as I could on

the boat with it:

Lovely, lovely sea grass...

Our last night at the beach:

Sigh.

This is the last set of photos of Florida

from me for a while...

I am back in the U.P. now

in the height of our spring.

It has its own unique beauty too...

I will be sharing it with you soon.

A visit to Lantana, Florida and the Atlantic Ocean!

After we spent some time in the Tampa area, and at the Homosassa Springs area,

we went to the east coast to visit a dear friend in Lantana, Florida

and an Aunt in West Palm Beach.

As much as I love the Gulf waters, the Atlantic ocean was wonderful, too...

and the water was warmer.

So today, I am posting some random pictures of Lantana and the ocean there.

There is a lovely pier there and the pelicans like to land on the pier awnings:

I spied this little one playing on the beach..so focused! His mom was sitting up to the left keeping her eye on him, but he looked so cute, I had to use my long lens to capture him:

People and birds walking by the pier:

Chairs waiting for you and me!:

A hungry bird eating on the pier!:

We went here for breakfast..a wonderful place!:

Sun, sand, birds, ocean and people walking the beach...a lovely day!:

His big sister joined him in playing in the sand...

All kinds of these black capped seagulls on the shore:

Ocean waves!:

The Pier!:

If we would have had more time, I would have wanted to have a go

at that fishing pole!:

Can you hear the waves and the seagulls?:

We took a lovely stroll all the way down the pier, talked to some fisherman and visited the pelicans on the arched covers!:

I ADORE this picture of my friend Maureen picking seashells along the shore...

her hat was so cute:

Hello, Cutie Pie!:

What a wonderful face!:

Wonder what kind of sea vessels hooked up to this old chain pole. If only it could talk:

Under the pier:

(Look again at the top right of the picture, right under the pier floor..is that a man's ghost?)

This sunset picture is a trick picture.

Do you know why?:

Because the sun does not set on the ocean in Lantana..it is on the EAST coast of Florida...it gets sunRISES on the ocean...
this photo is actually a sunset on the GULF.

(Just wanted to mess with your head to see if you were paying attention!)

Have a great day everyone!!



Florida Trip: Part FIVE

Back to more random pictures of our sunny Florida trip!

Enjoy!

You can't go to Florida, on the western coast...

without taking some sunset photos, right?:

Flying seagulls!:

Unknown plant. Anyone know what it is?

(It looked like an Alien seed pod to me, but that's just me):

Who can't look out on ocean waves

and

not be content?:

I don't know the name of this plant either....but I loved its spidery blossoms:

This was blooming on an empty, deserted, kind of sandy plot of land:

A great heron, right on the dock beside our hotel:

Evidently, he had an itch or two!:

(I offered to help scratch it for him, but evidently the southern birds don't take kindly

to us Northern folks!)

Not to worry, though....

I still liked HIM.

**************************************************************



Florida Vacation Pictures: Part Seven

Another installment of the many, many photos I took in Florida in December!

Let's get to it, then, should we?


Who could not fall in love with a face like THIS?:

Ok.

He might need a nose job.

But I can overlook that, because that's what makes him so unique.

I also fell in love with this light that was outside our hotel on the beach:

Somehow, I didn't think I could fit it on the plane if I took it home.

Plus, I don't think it quite goes with a log home decor.


Here is a shot at night on the beach side of the hotel.

They decorated the palm trees with lights for Christmas:

Another shot of my favorite Florida bird.

(Shhh, don't tell the others I said that):

And the west coast of Florida never disappoints you for sunset opportunities:


And these guys are too adorable:




But if you are talking strikingly handsome?

Sorry, he still wins:





Unless you are into reptily things.
Then I guess this guy would be more your type:

To me, I just couldn't NOT take a photo of this lady strolling with her arms folded in front of her and her long flowing dress:

And the clouds formed in front of the setting sun:

Bringing a close to another beautiful day in Florida....