Spending Christmas in Florida is fun! This is the first time my husband and I have been somewhere warm over the holidays. After savoring a home cooked turkey dinner, we headed out to the hot tub and pool and got a little silly. We talked about past snow skiing trips while enjoying the warm weather.
Not looking so happy here…
Really happy here…
My husband arrived in Florida yesterday and I was one happy camper beachcomber! I greeted him in the airport parking lot with a kiss and a homemade frozen Pina Colada. We enjoyed a delicious fish dinner at the condo that evening with our friends Wayne and Deanna. This morning following a fun bicycle ride, we headed to Fort Myers beach for relaxation and a nice long walk on the beach. Of course I took my camera to see what new sights I could capture…
This colorful mermaid kite caught my eye…
Sarasota, Florida not only has beautiful beaches, it is also home to Ca’ d’Zan, meaning “House of John”, a Venetian-style mansion built-in the 1920s by John Ringling, of the Ringling Brothers Circus, and his wife, Mable. The John and Mable … Continue reading
Located on the Atlantic side of Florida, Fort Lauderdale makes a great day trip from the Fort Myers area on the Gulf side. Yesterday, a new friend “Deanna” and I drove a little over 2 hours to check out what’s changed in Fort Lauderdale since the Spring Break days of the 70’s. Researching on Trip Advisor, our first stop was the Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, formerly owned by Frederic Clay Bartlett, an artist and his wife, for use as a winter retreat to escape Chicago’s cold winters, dating back to the 20’s. The tour of the home lasted over an hour. The architecture was interesting in that there is a courtyard with doors leading to each room (i.e. most of the rooms are not attached to each other, you’re required to go back out to the courtyard to access another room). The grounds were beautiful with tall palm trees, small ponds, and flowers.
A little sitting area in the courtyard…
An ornate lamp Mr. Bartlett made from an oil drum…
My friend Dee came to visit me in Florida and I’d like to share some of the fun we had. Friday started off with a trip to Cape Coral Yacht Club for a “fun in the sun” drink and a bite to eat while watching the sunset! Unfortunately, the weather dropped about 10 degrees shortly before she arrived (68 degrees/48 degrees), so she had her Alpaca sweater and fingerless gloves on for the first evening.
We headed to Fletchers, a local club, for some live music and dancing.
Saturday was a long day, a great day, a fun-filled day! It started with dropping one of my girlfriends off at the airport, followed by a trip to Fort Myers Beach with my remaining friend. We took a walk on the pier and saw men fishing, pelicans resting…
Had to get a close-up…
I think he was thinking, “Look at all of the pretty colors”!
Mullock Creek Marina in Fort Myers, Florida is one of those places only the locals know about. My friend who lives in Fort Myers hooked us up and we had a wonderful afternoon kayaking through an estuary (for those of you who don’t know exactly what that means…”An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea”). It was a steal at $25 for an all day rental. Partly cloudy skies and light winds made for a perfect afternoon.
I took my camera in a large Ziploc bag to protect it. Here are my friends…
Here’s Wayne catching a large Tarpon fishy…
Yesterday, my friends and I headed to Ft. Myers Beach for some fun in the sun. We went farther South this time and picked a spot that was less populated. This pelican was diving for fish…
The ladies taking a nice long walk on the beach…
More birds…
My two girlfriends (who are sisters) and I drove the 16 hours from Ohio to Cape Coral, Florida in two days and arrived on Monday afternoon. Back in the day, we would’ve driven straight through. To take advantage of the remaining sunshine, we changed into our bathing suits and headed to the pool. A friend who is like a relative very generously allows me to stay at her condo which is near Ft. Myers. There is a small stretch of beach with a fun restaurant bar called Cape Coral Yacht Club about five minutes from the condo. After relaxing for a bit at the pool, we headed there for a casual dinner and to watch the sunset.
Tuesday, we couldn’t wait to see the beach…
I’ll be heading to the Fort Myers area of Florida this weekend to spend the month of December and I’m so excited! You may remember when I visited two years ago during my six-week Couchsurfing road trip through the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. I’ll have my Nikon D5100 with me this time, so I hope to capture some amazing sights! Here are some photos from 2012. Most of these are from the Rosemary and Seacrest Beach areas on the Gulf…
This resembles a spine…
There are some destinations and experiences in life that are etched into your memory and looking back at the photographs tends to rekindle the wanderlust that’s burning in your soul! It may have been the exotic aromas wafting through the air, the peaceful and serene feelings evoked, the indescribable beauty of the landscape, or the delightful people; most likely a fusion of these events served to secure their designation as extraordinary for you. These are a few of my amazing experiences.
Okavango Delta, Botswana, Africa
Ears tuned to the varied wildlife within the Okavango Delta, leaning against a pillow in a traditional dugout mokoro canoe, transported through the shallow waters with the lulling sound of poles dipping in and out of the water, I was living in the moment.
Emerging from the mile long narrow “Siq” trail with rocks towering over 250 feet on each side, the stunning “Treasury”, carved into the sandstone cliff face dating back to the 5th century, leaves you breathless!
Sossusvlei Dunes, Namibia, Africa
Ready for some adventure? Try walking the spine of Dune 45 in the Namid Desert at sunrise. It’s only 557 feet tall and you’ll be tromping through sand that is 5 million years old. The views are otherworldly!
Deadvlei Salt Pan, Namibia, Africa
Believed to be about 900 years old, the dead skeleton trees are set off by the contrasting colors of burnt orange sand, biscuit cracked earth, and cobalt blue sky!
Gudvangen Fjord, Norway Continue reading
My newborn baby photography session on Saturday was extraordinary, sweet, draining, and funny! I drove 45 minutes to the client’s home and luckily they had a huge window in the living room that provided spectacular natural light. While the mother was finishing feeding the baby, I took some photos of their very active and darling three-year old daughter. But first, I’ll show you some of my favorites of the baby. I initially told my friend (the Grandmother) that we should set the appointment up for the photos when he was two to three weeks old. This being my first newborn photo shoot, I didn’t realize until later that the pros recommend taking the photos when the newborn is 10 to 14 days old. Lockland is 3 1/2 weeks old, so he wasn’t quite as sleepy and flexible, but he did great! After checking out poses on Pinterest to come up with some ideas, I brought a large wicker basket with me and took this shot…
The Grandmother brought a large Christmas stocking for us to place the baby in. It looks like he’s saying “ho..ho..ho”!
Of course, I used Lightroom to soften his baby acne…
This past weekend, I had fun taking photographs of my brother, sister-in-law, nephew and niece. The weather wasn’t suitable for outside shots, so we racked our brains trying to think of places to get some cool and interesting photos. We finally decided to meet in Downtown Cincinnati and check out some of the hotels. This fun Christmas shot was taken in the Westin Hotel lobby. It took a while because people kept walking behind them!
There’s a skywalk that provided good lighting…
It’s been a busy 10 days, but I wanted to catch you up on what’s been going on with me lately. In addition to the previous senior photo shoots of Sami Jo and Vivian, I attended a Bengals football party at a friends’ house, but didn’t watch a minute of the game. I’m not much of a sports watching fan. I enjoy the conversation with friends at parties and love to be active, hiking, jogging, biking, etc. I contacted an acquaintance, who is a model, to see if he’d like to meetup at an area park for a quick outdoor photo shoot and to get to know each other a bit better. He usually does magazine or runway modeling, so I thought a fun casual shoot might be a change of pace for him. Isn’t he cute…
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~Marianne Williamson
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
“To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself heaven. Don’t wait until you die. If you wait, you die now. If you love, you live now.” ~Alan Cohen
“When virtue and modesty enlighten her charms, the lustre of a beautiful woman is brighter than the stars of heaven, and the influence of her power it is in vain to resist.” ~Akhenaton Continue reading
Sherry Lachelle Travels 