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Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Florida Vacation: Part FIVE

This is a continuation of a series of photos of our recent trip to Florida.

More blogposts with pictures are below this one, if you haven't seen them yet.


As I mentioned before, our weather was not as warm as we wished it would have been when we were down there. All the local people and even people returning to the same area from years past stated it has been an exceptionally cold winter there.

(Great! Just our luck!)

Of course, we were glad just to be there visiting my daughter so any good day without snow was good for us Michiganders!



But we DID get plenty of THIS:

(That was a shot right outside of our hotel room door, showing the rainy night).


So, when we actually got no rain, no matter WHAT the temperature was, I was determined to get some photos!




Of things like:


the wonderful Palm trees:






And gorgeous little birds:







And water causeways:
They said Manitees came into this causeway, which I wish we would have seen.
But no luck! (Maybe the next trip?)
What was neat is that the people that owned our little hotel on the beach also owned two more little hotels across the street which were both on the water causeway. We therefore had access to fish on the piers on the causeway for free and to go Manitee spotting.



These great boats were right across the causeway from the piers.
I could just imagine living there and laying out on the boat. (Pure heaven!):
A girl can DREAM, can't she???






These are Sea Oats. They are protected in Florida:




Down on the pier, we spotted this little bird under the dock:




He waited around, and it wasn't long before he went fishing:




GOT it!!:




Although Gulf Boulevard is a main street paralleling the ocean (and therefore full of hotels, restaurants and shops), we went for a few walks away from the main street into some neighborhoods to admire their flowers and landscaping.

Beautiful hibiscus flowers:





And beautiful birds. This little guy is the same kind that we saw fishing at the pier:
That is it for today's pictures...
I am trying to stick to only 10 or 11 per post, so you don't get too bored!
Have a great day!

21 comments:

DJan said...

BORED? I don't think so. Not with your photography. Love the bird shots. I look forward to the next batch.

Brian Miller said...

each of these is beautiful in its own way...the bird under the dock struck me though. the first one is my fav...sounds like you had a wonderful time!

The Retired One said...

DJan: SO glad you are not bored...I have SEVERAL more blogposts with pictures to come. ha

Kearsie said...

1. Since you didn't get to see a manatee, just imagine a giant baked potato floating in the water.

2. I looove hibiscus. In fact, I'm fairly certain that in another life I was Esther Williams. I know in real life the two don't go together, but this is my fake world wherein they do. So.

Joanie said...

I love looking at all your photos! Bring 'em on!!!!

Insanitykim said...

You actually snapped the photo with that tiny fish right in his mouth! Awesome!

Aren't you glad you're not in the Florida weather right now? I mean, it's cold where we are but sheesh, Floridians must be going crazy!

Alan Burnett said...

Another wonderful collection. Thanks for taking me on holiday with you.

Bernie said...

Joan one would have something wrong with them if they ever bored of your beautiful photos. These were ever so clear and crisp. I think Florida is beautifull no matter what the temperature. Great job my friend......:-) Hugs

L. D. said...

Keep them coming. I really liked that photo of the side view getting ready to fish. Palms are so fascinating and the causeways look so peaceful. Thanks for sharing.

Jientje said...

I don't think I could ever get bored with your posts or photos! Love that bird, I've never seen any like him before!

Rick (Ratty) said...

I kept thinking I recognized your bird. I thought it had the look of some kind of heron. And after doing a quick check, I discovered it is indeed a Green Heron. You found a kind of bird I've been hunting for quite a while now.

Lucy said...

The colors are so lush and gorgeous!

The Retired One said...

Brian: Despite the cool weather, we did have a wonderful time.

Kearsie:Yes, I can see that flower behind your ear in that 40's swimsuit..yes I can.

Joanie: Don't worry, many many more are coming your way!

InsanityKim: I know! They really never warmed up since we were there in December, all the way up to today...I do feel for them..their weather is a major part of their economy and it was nearly empty when we were there then.

Alan: You are most welcome! You can come on holiday with me anytime!

Bernie: Thanks so much! Sometimes cloudy weather is better than sun for photos, so I lucked out there...but some days were foggy where I couldn't take hardly any because the fog was so thick I couldn't even get my usual "dreamy fog" ones either. ha

L.D.: Thanks so much! The tropics just are a treasure chest of opportunities for photos...now I am dreaming of going west and taking some of the mountains some day too!

Jientje: That is so sweet of you to say. I feel the same way about your's!

Ratty: Really? I never thought it was a green heron..he had pinks and purples and all kinds of colors on him...how neat!

Lucy and Dick: Yes,and it really is their winter, so things aren't as green as they are when it gets warmer there either.

Wanda..... said...

Those were gorgeous views and birds Joan...Never ever boring!

Joanna Jenkins said...

Glad the rain cleared for the pics. The palm is especially stunning.

And those birds! I've never seen them before-- the colors are so subtle and beautiful

Thanks!

Loree said...

I really wish you could have seen a manitee. You should have sent that rain over here. It would have been appreciated.

The Retired One said...

Wanda: Thanks so much..there are a lot more coming yet! :-}

Joanna: That is what I love about the tropics..it brings birds and flowers that are so exotic and different!

Loree: I wish we could have seen one too...maybe the next trip! My daughter is due to have a baby at the end of April, so I will be down there again...I will look for them then!

Sara said...

what awesome pics, I am not bored at all!

The Retired One said...

Sara: Good! There's plenty more to come!

SquirrelQueen said...

Bored, never! I am enjoying each and every photos, the birds are always fun and the flowers are gorgeous. But you've got me curious as to what some of these birds are, It's time for me to pull out the books.

Judy

The Retired One said...

SquirrelQueen: I am so glad I am not overdoing it by posting so many from the tropics, but I figure this time of year, it might raise folks' spirits to see some lovely flowers and sun~ if you find out the name of some of the birds, let me know what they are ok?

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I retired in June 2008 and started my blog in November 2008. I worked at several jobs as a Registered Nurse prior to retirement. I LOVE being retired! Blogging has offered me a whole new venue to start writing again and to share new hobbies such as gardening, birdwatching and sharing my nature photography. If you like my blog, PLEASE click on "follow this blog". Having a lot of followers reading my blog gives me incentive to continue to do photography and to continue to write. I also LOVE comments, so I encourage you to leave me a comment after you read my posts. Thanks everyone, for taking the time to read me!!

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