Introduction

I Am Here (So Are You!)

Hello. Here we are. But why?

I'm here to tell you all about my Florida photographs, and show you some.

You're here, I presume, to see the pretty pictures and find out what, if anything, is inside my head. Perhaps you'd like to know the stories behind the pictures.

So let us proceed.


I like to take a wide variety of photos. Some I discover in my yard, like this tiny nest of acorns in a bit of Spanish moss, which was establishing itself on the trunk of a sand live oak tree just a few steps from my front door.
















Sometimes my wild, overgrown yard has insects such as this moth, perched on the dried stem of last year's faded wildflower.

Photos at my house, especially macro, are challenging due to frequent breezes. I live about 7 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, and flowers or insects perched on long stems sway in the breeze while I try to catch them in a very shallow depth of field.






And then there are the occasions when I try to catch a moving insect, such as this female Carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica) coating its back with the pollen of a Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata).








Or I just capture the beauty of a simple flower, in this case, a Beach Sunflower.



 







At the end of summer, when rains are heavy, I get standing water in my back yard. In addition to being near the Gulf of Mexico, I'm also just north of the Chassahowitzka Swamp. One morning I went out and caught one of the many grasses in my yard gazing at its reflection in the water. At least I think that's what it was doing.



Occasionally I actually go beyond the confines of my own fence, and visit the manatees at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. I take photos of them, and...









...sometimes of the romaine lettuce they get at chow time.

I never see lettuce this lovely at the supermarket!











Widening my circle a bit - all the way to the next town - I venture to Crystal River, where I may see something lovely, or just something very odd that strikes me as hilarious, like these safety cones atop a telephone pole. So pedestrians don't trip over the wires? And I have to wonder why they were only on this pole, not any of the others nearby.



Once in a blue moon I go on a photo expedition to somewhere far, far away. For instance, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park in Cross Creek, the former home of the author of The Yearling. Here, in the kitchen pantry window, were these lovely blue jars.





One of my favorite photo expeditions, a truly big one, was a trip to France in 2008. I was fortunate to capture these beauties on the mantle in the Estampes Exhibition Room at Chateau Chenonceau.

I'd love to go there again. In the meantime, there are many exciting places to go much closer to home.


This rusted bicycle was in the yard of an abandoned home in Floral City. (The same yard was the location of the welcome sign at the top of the page.)

I like rusty, derelict, abandoned houses and objects. They're mysterious and interesting, with stories to tell.



Abandoned house in Gainesville, Florida. A broken window, tattered old curtains, the trees and sky above...

I took a many pictures of this place. I'll share more with you later, as well as other photos I think you may enjoy.

Thanks for stopping by!

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