Tag Archives: Photography/Art

Life’s a Beach in Dunedin, Florida

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Dunedin, Florida reminds me of Yellow Springs, Ohio.  It’s artsy–small–cute–quaint–spiritual!  Zully (my blogger friend) and I stopped by there on Wednesday morning.

One of the shops is very spiritual with crystals, books on Shamanism, sage.  I love the painted tree with artificial vines…

LOVE this peacock tree…

A pretty painting in one of the shops…

The very stylish entry to one of the shops…

Zully is working her magic on a shop keeper’s dog.  She (Katie) is smiling…

More street art!  They even have wine tastings here…

We took a quick walk on the pier in Dunedin and I followed this Great Egret around trying to get a good photo.  He had just eaten something (a fish, we think) because his neck had a big bulge!

The day’s not over yet!  Zully went to lunch with a friend…I got my nails done and tomorrow I’ll post about our evening on Pier 60!

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Clearwater, Florida with Zully

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One of the many fun aspects of blogging is to get to meet–in person–fellow bloggers that you’ve known through their blogs!  I was anxious to meet Zully (rhymes with Julie) from the Spiritual World Traveler, so I left my VRBO condo in the Panhandle of Florida two days early and drove the 7 hours to Zully’s condo, where I would be staying for a few days, before continuing my trip down to the Ft. Myers/Cape Coral area.  We talked late into the night and I slept great in her extra bedroom (loved the down comforter)!  She has frequent guests.  I can see why–she’s so friendly and makes everyone feel so welcome!  The following day we went exploring.

First, we stopped at one of her favorite restaurants, The Ohana Cafe, and had an early lunch (since we skipped breakfast).  They offer fresh, delicious organic–vegetarian food and the staff and owner are so friendly!  I had a veggie burger.

This is the lovely Zully.  It was a bit chilly so she had a colorful scarf wrapped around her…

Next, we drove downtown, parked and began walking.  Although Zully has lived here for over two years, she is still exploring the area and this was a new experience for her also.  We passed by this cute miniature park that was built by the committee,  Citizens for a better Clearwater“, in working towards bettering downtown Clearwater.

The Street Art in Downtown Clearwater is beautiful!

We passed by this cute outdoor Cafe…

I love palm trees and office buildings.  An odd combo…

More Street Art…

The Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church is beautiful…

Our final destination for the day…Clearwater Beach!  Zully informed me that the busy season for the Tampa area beaches is beginning now.  It was picture perfect with the beautiful white sand!

We walked along Pier 60, where every night you’ll find live music, street performers, and festivities!

We took a stroll where the touristy shops were.  This Hooters bicycle of course, would have huge tires!

This “Jaws” boat was cool!

We drove back home and I made a trip to the grocery for fresh produce for salads, berries for homemade smoothies, and eggs and freshly baked bread for breakfast!  Next on the agenda is exploring some of the small towns in the area!

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Rosemary Beach Art Festival

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After my bicycle ride, I took a quick walk to the beach for a bit, back to the condo to shower and then to a festival that was going on in the common area of Rosemary Beach.

I wanted to show you the path I take to get to the beach…

At the festival, children were making art everywhere…

This lady is on stilts.  She’s not that tall!

More art…

Face painting is fun…

After my long day…it was back to the condo for some photo fun!  The lights are on since it’s the weekend!  I’m wondering if I should contact the owners and see if they want a photo…

Let’s see what Sunday brings!

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Bicycling through Alys Beach, Florida

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The stretch of pavement that extends 18 miles from Rosemary Beach to the West is perfect for walking and/or bicycling!  After jogging a couple of miles on the beach and having a healthy lunch, I set off to explore the area.

One of the areas you pass is Alys Beach…

Everything is white, blue or green!  Except for the yellow lines in the road!

I like the aura around the entry gates…

This home wasn’t in Alys Beach.  I’m not sure what development it was in, but I love the color!

I passed Camp Creek Lake and Deer Lake on the ride.  I think this is Camp Creek.

Rusty bridge and shadows love!

The day’s not over yet.  Tomorrow I have photos from an Art Festival and another fun sunset photo!

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Saturday’s Spectacular Sunrise

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I awoke before dawn, started the coffee pot, pulled on my winter jogging clothes, grabbed my camera and my container of coffee and walked to the beach.  It continues to take my breath away.  I feel giddy and excited when I see nature’s display of spectacular colors!  I’m the only one on the beach.

I like the legs of water in this photo.  I’m assuming that’s Panama City Beach in the distance.  I haven’t driven there yet, but plan on it.

I like the birds in the next two photos…

The rising sun was casting a strong glow in the sky and on the water…

I turned around and loved this side too!

Tomorrow I’ll have photos from my 10 mile afternoon bike ride through the Alys Beach area and passing a beautiful deep blue lake!

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It just keeps gettin’ better!

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It’s so much fun to find new ways of looking at things.  I saw a spine…so I got down to take a photo!

These amazing homes are on a beach called Alys Beach.  They’re right next to Seacrest and Rosemary Beaches, within walking distance.

I would call this palatial!

Wow!

Wow….again!

It seems the more photographs I take, interesting scenes pop out.  Almost like I was blind before and now I can see!

He waved at me!!

Someone’s home…

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

This is one good reason not to have a place right on the beach!  You can take photos of the people in front of you!  Tomorrow is another full day…see you then!

Bicycling through Rosemary Beach, Florida

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Hopping on my bike, I set off to explore the Rosemary Beach area located four blocks east of my condo.  With over 500 homesites and a town center with shops, restaurants, and activities, you never need to leave home!

The town is a master-planned community and with its cobblestone streets and gas lanterns, has a definite European vibe.  I began to imagine the perfect couples with their perfect children, living their perfect lives in their perfect homes (kind of like The Stepford Wives), but then remembered no one is perfect!  Even on the beach you feel a bit out of place…me in my bikini…them in their one piece with a little skirt bathing suit!  Oh gad….what must they think of me…the interloper!

Rosemary is also known for its Bocce ball tournaments and the popular candy store, The Sugar Shak.

They have plenty of bicycles for hire…

The Town Hall and Post Office are charming!

A partial view of some of the shops…cafes…

The homes and condos varied in design.  This is one of the more modern homes…

The community has some beautiful common use areas…

No code…No Access!

This is another community two blocks from Rosemary…

I worked up an appetite.  Salad–Bread with Cheese–Vino!  On the balcony.  Life is grand!

After lunch…time to soak up some sun at the pool!  I think it made it to 70 degrees…just barely warm enough.

Tomorrow we’ll finish up my day with some absolutely gorgeous photos from my walk on the beach!!

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I’m in Love!

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I’m in love!  The colors in the gulf are surreal!  As promised in yesterday’s post, here are some images I captured walking to the beach and then with my zoom lens from the balcony of my condo…

Symmetry appeals to me…

Standing at the top of the steps…

These are from the balcony…

I have a Mac laptop with iPhoto and that’s what I use to tweek photos if necessary.  Most of these are the true colors that were captured.  I can’t believe how beautiful our world is!!

I’m a lucky girl!!

It was still early so I drove 4 blocks down the road to Rosemary beach, which is the cutest planned beach side development I’ve ever seen!  It’s upscale and trendy.  Not much of a night life…but there were a few places.  There was a musician singing and playing the guitar at one of the restaurant/bars that offered outside seating.

I stopped a lady walking by and asked her for suggestions.  Her name was Paige and as we were going over the options, she said I could come with her.  She was going to pick up pizzas and salad from one of the restaurants and taking it back to a friend’s home around the corner, where there were about 10 women celebrating one of them turning 50!  We had a glass of wine and then walked around the corner to the home/condo.  I really enjoyed talking with them.  I think they were surprised that Paige had picked up a visitor to bring back.  The condo was gorgeous and the women were well traveled and interesting!  Paige had attended the prestigious Vanderbilt University.  I love meeting new people and solo travel definitely encourages you to expand beyond your comfort zone!

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Historic Pensacola, Florida

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Pensacola, Florida has a lovely historic area contained within a few blocks, consisting of 27 properties, 11 of which are open to the public (for a fee).  I packed a lunch and drove the hour and 45 minutes to Pensacola from Seacrest, with no agenda or knowledge of the area.   Along the way, I passed through a variety of beach towns–Santa Rosa, Miramar, Destin, and Fort Walton.  Destin reminded me of Myrtle Beach…very commercialized with shops, restaurants, putt-putt golf…and lots more!

A stop at the Visitor’s Center and I had information about the historic area.  The Old Christ Church is located there…

I’ve never seen a green wooden fence…

I LOVE brightly colored homes with porches…

This looks to be a nice area to sit and relax…

Not sure what this is…I parked momentarily in a pay lot (but didn’t pay)…so I had to hurry.

I have a big treat for you tomorrow!  After I drove back home…I walked to the beach and have some extra special photos!

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Seacrest Beach, Florida…Ahhhh!

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I arrived in Seacrest Beach, Florida at noon Central Standard Time on the 7th after a 7 hour drive from Savannah.  I remembered I had audio books on my I-Pod which made the last couple of hours go by quickly.  Seacrest is located in between Destin and Panama City beaches…Rosemary Beach is a few blocks to the East.

I’ve never been to the Panhandle of Florida and am delighted with the area!  The sand is soooo white!  I called a few Vacation Rental By Owner (VRBO) properties and negotiated a rate of $350 inclusive of tax and cleaning for a week’s stay!  The owner even included use of her bicycle during my stay because I asked.

This isn’t their busy season, but the weather is supposed to be 70-75 degrees during the day and 50-60 degrees at night.  Perfect for walking/jogging on the beach and bicycling on the 18 mile stretch between the beach towns.

This is the view from the balcony of my studio condo.  The ocean is a couple of blocks away.

There’s a “Murphy bed” (it pulls down from the wall/hidden behind doors during the day) behind where I stood to take the photo.

After I unpacked, the hot tub was calling my name!  I basically have the place to myself.  I saw one other person walking their dog.  I hope I don’t get lonely! 😦

I know…it’s hard to feel sorry for someone in a place like this!

The grocery is located about 5 miles from the condo and I purchased my week’s supply of food.  Eggs for omelets–homemade blueberry preserves–fresh strawberries, blueberries and yogurt for smoothies–Boar’s Head Chipotle Chicken lunch meat, cheese, and freshly baked bread Italian 5 grain bread for sandwiches–crisp romaine lettuce, avocado, tomato, red bell pepper, squash, and cucumber for salads–a frozen organic Mediterranean pizza–a frozen lemon & dill wild caught salmon–baby peas–a frozen P.F. Chang’s Shrimp Lo Mein dinner–Crunchy Shrimp Sushi–and Coco Lopez cream of coconut, pineapple pieces and rum for Pina Coladas!

After putting the groceries away, I ate the Sushi for dinner and noticed the sun was getting lower in the sky.  I was informed that the beach access was 1 block East and then 1 block South, but I shimmied through the gate of a community right across the street (bad Sherry)!

Here are my photos…

Can you say…Ahhhh!

p.s.  I realized there is no oven/stove here.  She does have a George Foreman type grill, a toaster oven, and microwave!

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Tybee Island, Savannah, Georgia

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My second and final day in Savannah was spent taking a drive to Tybee Island with Sonya (my Couchsurfing host).

Located approximately 30 minutes by car from Savannah, with lots of shops and restaurants, it’s a great spot to spend the day!

As soon as we walked onto the beach, there were lots of birds!  Seagulls and Black Skimmers!  I started running alongside them so they would fly for our photos…

We walked onto the pier…

And under the pier…

It was a windy 60 degree day.  Here’s Sonya…

After leaving the beach, we stopped at some shops that had interesting items…

On the way home, our next stop was the grocery where I purchased ingredients for the dinner I was preparing!

Sonya and her husband Graham had booked an evening carriage ride in Savannah, so we had a nice tour of Downtown after dinner.  It was a little chilly, but they had blankets.  I had seen much of what we saw during my self-guided walking tour, but the Tour Guide had some interesting tid bits to share.  I didn’t know that most of Historic Downtown Savannah is built on top of a grave yard!  Unfortunately, none of my photos came out…it’s difficult to take night photos when you’re moving!

I hope you’ll keep following my adventures as I travel to the Pensacola/Destin/Panama City Beach area tomorrow!

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Savannah in a Day

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I left Alexa’s (my Couchsurfing host) at 7am to drive the 2 1/2 hours from Charleston, S.C. to Savannah, Georgia.  I parked at the Visitors’ Center (it’s free for the first hour and only $1 for each additional hour), spoke with a very nice lady about Savannah and started walking on my self-guided tour.  Before arriving, I was wondering how it would compare to Charleston.  Both are walking cities…if you don’t mind walking for a few hours.

This is the first photo I took at the Savannah College of Art and Design.  They own over 80 buildings in Savannah!

I walked about a mile down Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. to the Savannah River and turned right.  There are restaurants and shops lining the River and it extends about 10 blocks.

The weather started out in the 50’s and cloudy, but warmed up to the 60’s with some sun.  You can see the river in this shot…

This is the WWII Monument, “A World Apart“, symbolizing a world divided by war.

The steel globe is overlaid with bronze oceans and copper continents. The pathway lists the 527 Chatham County residents killed during the war.

This is the Waving Girl Monument…

I couldn’t resist asking if I could take a photo of the barbershop…(they looked at me oddly)!

A puddle of water…:)

Savannah has a variety of types of architecture.  In comparison to Charleston, the City seemed a bit run down, but still beautiful!  Historic Downtown Savannah has 22 beautiful squares with a statue or fountain and benches for sitting.

The Cathedral of St. John is massive and spectacular!  I’m not posting a photo because it’s difficult to take a photo to do it justice!  There are quite a few Churches in Savannah, but I’ll just post this one…

The Oak trees with the Spanish Moss hanging down are beautiful and are everywhere!

This stairwell caught my eye…

I drove to the home of my Couchsurfing host–Sonya, her husband Graham, and 16 yr. old son–Val.  Sonya is from Bulgaria and full of life!  We spent a couple of hours looking at her photos from Bulgaria and Belgium.  She was in the Bulgarian Army for 17 years and has only been in Savannah for two months.  Her husband is still in the Army and is leaving for Afghanistan after Thanksgiving.  I was in the Army years ago…so we all have something is common!

She made Chicken and stuffing for dinner.  Tomorrow Sonya and I are going to Tybee Island and she made a reservation for all of us to go on a carriage ride in Downtown Savannah in the evening!

See you then!

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Fun Activities in Charleston, South Carolina

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Charleston is known not only for their historic architecture in Downtown, but also their picturesque beaches!  The next two photos are from last night.  I posted so many photos yesterday, I thought I’d save a couple of them for today!

Since Alexa was driving, I was able to take a photo while crossing the Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge at sunset!

As we were driving across another bridge, I asked if we could stop because the view was breathtaking…

Sunday morning we went to Yoga!  It wasn’t quite what I expected.  The instructor was a lovely lady and she gave us a good workout, but she had very strong views on not killing anything, including animals for the purpose of eating them.  During most of the 1 hour and 45 minute session, she either lectured or played tapes loudly espousing the negative karma associated with doing so!  I still enjoyed it…because I’m learning how to take what I want from situations and leave the rest.  I told Alexa I was in the mood for Steak and Shrimp after we exited the building (hee, hee)!  Actually, I was a vegetarian for about six months a few years ago.  Who knows, I may try it again!

We stopped at Harris Teeter, a local grocery store and purchased produce for a nice luncheon salad.  And we picked out a juicy roasted chicken and asparagus for dinner!  After lunch we drove to Sullivans Island…about 15 minutes from her condo and took a three-mile walk along the beach.  Here are some of the photos from our jaunt.

How did they come up with a fine of $1040?

We both loved the foot prints in the sand.  Not sure why they look raised, but we like it!

Here’s Alexa…I asked her to stand for a reflection shot…

She pointed out all of the birds surrounding a shrimping boat…

There were also a pod of Dolphins very close to the shore, frolicking in the water, that we enjoyed watching!  I don’t have a photo though!

After leaving the Island, we stopped at a Red Box and picked up the movie “Magic Mike”!  We both had heard a lot of positive reviews, but after watching it, felt it was a bit cheesy, although we did appreciate their physiques!

It was a nice Sunday and tomorrow I leave for Savannah!  I’ve really enjoyed my time here in Charleston and with Alexa!  I’m trying to play matchmaker, because she’s single, beautiful, intelligent, and personable!

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I Love Charleston

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This morning I left Alexa’s home early…about 6:30am and headed to Starbucks, where I savored a Tall Caramel Brule, while checking my e-mails and preparing a blog post.  I turned around and asked a man seated behind me a question about Charleston and we talked for a few minutes.  He was originally from Cincinnati.  The odd thing was that the day before, while sitting in traffic, with my window down, a man next to me in a vehicle asked if I was from Cincinnati.  He could tell from my plates.  Anyway…he said he used to live in West Chester (a suburb of Cincinnati) and moved to Charleston four years ago for work.  I asked if he liked it here and he said yes, especially the weather, but he missed Cincinnati sometimes.  What’s that saying…”It’s a small world”.

My next stop was the Isle of Palms beach…so I could take photos of the sunrise.  It was less than 10 minutes away, but I had to rush to make it.  I pulled into a public parking lot and ran through a condo complex to the beach.  There was a gate and a code was required.  The sun was beginning to rise as I scanned from side to side, wondering how to get to the beach.  I entertained the thought of climbing over the gate, or going through the dunes and jumping a fence, but my common sense took over.  I ran back the way I came and saw a sign that said “Public Access to beach”!  I ran down the path just in time for this…

 

After taking two photos, my SD card said “Full”!  Frantically I began looking through the photos from my trip to Africa back in May/June and deleted some of them.  (They’re already loaded onto my computer, but I like to have a backup).  Then I was able to take a few more.  Here’s one of them…

Driving across a bridge I had to stop to take a photo…

I parked along the Waterfront and started walking…

There were people scattered around the Downtown area painting…

A cool cat must live here…

The devil’s in the detail…

I think everyone loves cobblestones!

I enjoy stark–contrasting–colorful photos!

I’ve never taken a photo quite like this…I like it!

After walking for a few hours…I made my way back to the car and took a final parting shot…

It was lunch time so I drove to a recommended restaurant named “Taco Boy” and sat outside sipping a margarita and eating fish tacos!  I had driven across the Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge coming from Downtown Charleston going to Mt. Pleasant (where Alexa lives) and wanted to take a photo…so I found a spot and used my zoom lens.

And this photo…

Later that evening, Alexa and I went out to eat at a restaurant called “Rita’s” at Folly Beach.  I had Shrimp and Flounder with Grits…yum yum!  Then…we went to a Couchsurfing event at someone’s house.  It was mostly 20 somethings.  Someone even called me “Mam”!  There was a fire pit out back and we stayed for about an hour.

Join me for my last day in Charleston tomorrow before driving to Savannah!

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Charleston at first glance

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I arrived in Charleston from Asheville, N.C. shortly after noon on November 2nd and stopped at the Visitor’s Center to pick up maps and information.  Finding a reasonably priced place to park can be a challenge.  Luckily, Alexa, the Couchsurfing girl I’m staying with told me about free parking at the Battery, located right on the waterfront.  I began walking from there and was so excited to begin exploring all of the beautiful architecture and landscaping!

Here are some of the treasures I found…

Paths are so intriguing…you never know where they’ll lead…similar to life!

I absolutely LOVE all of the pink hues in Charleston…

This photo is interesting to me because it’s a building with dead vines, a lit lamp, a reflection in the window and in the background to the left…a tree!

The gray, white, and black make a nice combo…

There were lots of large homes to take photos of…but more often than not…I was drawn to other buildings…

The Crape (or Crepe) Myrtle tree is found everywhere in Charleston.  They remind me of camouflage!

If you haven’t figured it out yet…I really like vines growing on buildings!

I love this outdoor lamp!

As I was walking along, a man in a suit saw my camera and commented that there was a lot to photograph in Charleston.  I agreed with him and asked if he was in real estate.  He said no, I’m an Attorney, but please don’t hold it against me.  He sounded just like Forest Gump.  When I showed him my walking tour and my next stop, he said he could walk with me part of the way, to show me where it was.  Like they say, people in the South are extra friendly!

I believe this first church is St. Philip’s Church…it had a nice cemetery!  Charleston is known as the “Holy City” because there are so many churches.  I’m told by Alexa that there are no buildings in Historic Downtown Charleston that are taller than the church spires, by City ordinance!

I had a self-guided walking tour map with me, but mainly referred to it for directions.  I’m not a big history buff, so for me it was more about taking photographs.

Alexa wasn’t getting home from her 2nd job as a dance instructor until 9pm, but I headed to her place to go through my photos, eat some soup for an early dinner and rest.  The combination of driving, walking a lot, and sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings contributed to me feeling tired!

I’ll be taking another long hike through the streets of Charleston tomorrow…see you then!

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