Time for a fun new game.

Yesterday on my walk I tried out the zoom on my new camera, it has a whopping 20x optical zoom. So take a look at these sets of pictures, they were taken from the same spot only seconds apart. The only difference was the first was taken at full width, the second on full zoom. No digital zoom was used in this experiment.









There are couple more sets on my Flickr and you can really see the difference better at the larger photo sizes available there...So check it out.

Heron

It's been very nice weather here for the past couple of days. Temperatures in the 70's and a brisk breeze. Since I had this camera to try out I've been taking the dog on a long walk the past two mornings to try it out. Unfortunately we are having some internet connectivity issues so it's taken me longer than expected to put them up.

This one I took today. I was passing by a pond and saw the head of this dude poking up over the hill. I was able to walk a little closer to get more of his body in the shot, but since I had the dog with me I really couldn't get much closer without spooking him.

Playing

Recently, my Dad sent me one of his old cameras to play with for a while. It has a lot more features than my current camera, so I was out on the porch today trying to figure out how to change some settings (alas an instruction manual was not included in this loan). Since they were convenient and don't have a tendency to move around a lot I took some pictures of my container plants. This is a nice little Gloxinia bud with some caladium leaves next to it.

A new experience

Another thing we tried out while my parents were visiting was snuba. We didn't wear BCs or have tanks on us. The air was kept at the surface and we were connected to it via long hoses. My parents aren't divers, so we kind of wanted to try something that we all could do. Unfortunately, what I didn't know at the time was they only were going to take down two people at a time anyhow, and do the other two on the second location. So I would have been better off just diving so I could take more pictures of everything. Oh well, at least I got to try diving while only wearing a wetsuit. I found it less enjoyable than actual diving, but a good experience anyhow. My snorkeling at the second reef was marred by a jellyfish incident (they were everywhere that day), but I carry vinegar in my save-a-dive pack so it stopped stinging by the time we got back to shore.

Kayaking

After Christmas and Roland's Birthday my parents flew down for a visit. They stayed over the new year and we spent a few days having fun in the sun down in the Keys. The weather was much warmer than usual allowing us to partake in some Florida activities that would otherwise have been quite chilly. We were originally going to stay in Key Largo again, but one of my Dad's coworkers suggested Marathon. I'm certainly glad he did. I really enjoyed staying there and in the future will probably push to stay there again. It is centrally located being on Key Vaca allowing for day trips both up to Key Largo and down to Key West. We didn't make it up to Key Largo this time (except to visit the Key Lime Products store on the way back up to Fort Lauderdale) but we did go down to Key West for an afternoon.

One of my favorite excursions was to go kayaking. We even ended up taking Bleys! He wasn't too sure about the whole operation but I think we did pretty well since I'd never been in a kayak before and we managed not to tip over at all. Here is a picture of us in the foreground and my parents in the background. We bought one of those cheapy underwater cameras that uses film so they aren't the best, but it was at least something to preserve the memories. I think if my parents make noises about coming down again I may find a way to spring for an underwater digital camera. They have some that aren't too atrociously expensive and I think the quality would be greatly enhanced.

Pier 60

This weekend we made a little trip over to Clearwater to meet up with Roland's Grandparents. His dad had just driven them down for their yearly stay in Florida. By going over now he got to see both his Grandparents and his Dad at the same time. And to be honest we haven't been over there to see their trailer yet so it was probably about time. It was a long drive with some not very fun parts as it decided to pour rain for a while and there was also quite a bit of traffic at the end that was a little stressful. But we got there just fine and went out for a little walk on a nearby pier and grabbed some dinner. As an added bonus we drove right past the headquarters of Scientology, which Roland found particularly thrilling.

While we were on the pier I managed to take some pictures. I've noticed that Roland's families pictures are almost entirely of people all lined up in a row smiling at the wrong camera. So I tried to take some when people didn't know it, or weren't expecting it, so they didn't have time to line up. The first is a picture of Grandma Rosemary taking a little break on one of the benches along the pier. I'm pretty sure she didn't have any idea I was taking pictures at all.

The second picture is probably my favorite. I like the three generations thing and I sort of caught them off guard, giving them just enough warning to get them to smile (which they all did!). I really like how it turned out. Although I think I might crop it a bit and get rid of a little Roland's arm.

Third is another picture of this handsome fella with the monochrome filter. This was actually a practice shot, I was trying to sneak around Roland a bit so I could get a shot of him, his father, and his Grandfather who were all in a row leaning on the railing and looking out at the ocean, but I just wasn't fast enough and they started to walk away.

Aperitif

I think our vacation with Jason can be officially reported as a success. Every time we go somewhere with Jason I am reminded how vacationally compatible we are. We seem to move at the same pace and enjoy the same things. I just hope Jason feels the same! We had a lovely time wandering around enjoying good food and wine and not feeling the need to be on the go all the time and seeing every last ounce of Disney.

We started at Epcot this time. Usually when we have new people with us we like to start at the Magic Kingdom because that is the epitome of Disney. However, since we were all about the Food and Wine Festival this time we made an exception and started at Epcot. Pictured above, Jason bravely tries the Beverly, one of the interesting sodas of the world available at what used to be called Ice Station Cool. Then we moved on to the World Showcase and started eating our way around the world. It was very nice and the food was great. We also tried some interesting wines/drinks from other countries. I got to try some of the ice wine this year. I liked it, but I don't think we will be shelling out the money for any!

We were able to watch the candy lady in Japan, which is one of my favorite activities. And, thanks to Roland I was lucky enough to get a hummingbird from her. We also saw some of the bands around the world, including MoRockin' (I think Jason enjoyed the belly dancer), the British Invasion, and Off Kilter. I made everyone stop for a show with the Voices of Liberty too. Since Jason is a diver, we made arrangements for all of us to dive in the Living Seas. It was awesome, and neat to be able to show Jason. I think he agrees that the best part is playing with the people! Although many of the kids are a little freaked out when you come up to them. We were pretty lucky and the wildlife was fairly active while we were diving. A green sea turtle swam right up to us and gave Jason a good looking-over. After that it was over to the Rose and Crown for dinner. Roland and Jason both had the fish and chips (and I snitched a bit) and a beer flight. Add the Illuminations show and sticky toffee pudding for dessert and it was a wonderful evening.

Otis Jr.

When Roland came home the other night he saw this little fella, who had taken up residence in our front hall. I still have no idea how or when he got inside. He is one of the weird semi-transparent lizards that only come out at night. Kinda creepy.

Royal

I also took a picture of the other gloxinias that are blooming on the balcony. These are a really nice deep purple with white edges and look all fuzzy like the red ones.

Keen

My first begonia bloomed today. It looks lovely and I hope there are many more to follow. Unfortunately I've been having a lot of trouble with stem rot due to the extremely high humidity here. It has cause the loss of at least two begonias unless they are able to send out a new shoot, which I'm totally doubtful of.

Tips

As you may have read, Jason is taking a new position at Stryker (I wonder if he will have to wear a suit more). But before he does he will probably come to visit us for a little vacation. It's a good idea to take that vacation before starting the new job, because after he starts the chances of him being able to squeeze in time away will be much dimished. Luckily for Roland and I, it looks like Jason will be coming down to visit us!

We've been chatting a bit about what to do when he arrives and beside the obvious (some fun dining, some beach bumming, etc) we were thinking of visiting the Keys for a few days. Even after living here for quite a while now I still haven't been to the Keys. Bad Susan. Jason was thinking, and I am totally in agreement, that a little side trip would be cool and we could possibly do some diving while we are there. I'm always being told how great the diving is down there, but I'm not comfortable just driving down there by myself and taking my chances with a dive buddy.

So I've been looking around online at some info on the Keys and it seems like Key Largo has a lot of cool stuff going for it. Key Largo has some wicked looking diving, with the Spiegel Grove and cool statues underwater and all. They also have dolphin encounter places that would be really cool, but too expensive for the time being. Kayaking sounds cool and if they water is calm, relaxing too. However, it is tempting to go on down to Key West, because, well it's the end of the line. Plus, you hear a lot of about the interesting people who reside there. Right now Key Largo is calling to me, but who know what more cool stuff I will find online. I still haven't looked into places to stay for the few days we will be down there, but given how touristy it is down there, I'm sure they have all sort of options.

Date

My walks are getting fewer and farther between as the temperature rises. I'm currently getting up around 7:00 to beat the heat, but it's catching up with me. Here are a couple of palm trees I noticed the other day.

You see a lot of palms down here are aren't coconut palms, so here is one that actually is a coconut palm with coconuts to prove it.


And the other is a different kind of palm with the cool cross-hatch bark. It has some ferns growing out of it that I thought looked pretty sweet.

Where are the reindeer?

In the program I assist with sometimes at the nature center we talk a bit about lichen. Usually we talk about it in the hardwood hammock habitat, but here is some growing on a tree along my route.

Succulent

I found this neat little garden in front of a house I walk by. I never really notice it before, but I love the cactus! Although I would have designed the garden a bit different, but who knows? Maybe it's relatively new and will look different once it has had time to mature.

Snap

I think this is a gumbo limbo tree.



Sometimes the gumbo limbo is known as the tourist tree because the bark is always red and peeling.

Beware

On my walk I saw this tree in full poof.


The poofs were pretty and there were a bajillion of them.


It was fairly early in the day so the sun was coming through the poofy tree and I took this picture. Maybe you can find a poofy tree and take a picture too!


But be careful, poofs eat kites...and possibly babies.

Muscovy

This is what passes for a duck around here. They are actually domesticated animals that have set up a feral population here. They are not terribly afraid of people and like to congregate around strip malls looking for handouts, yet they are protected by state law so no hunting or hurting them.

With feeling

I still sometimes have a hard time believing that I live somewhere that if we had a house I could wake up, look out the window, and see this.





I thought the reflection of the heron in the first picture was pretty cool. I was also suprised that they turned out quite so well because I was facing into the sun and was using my hand as a shield over the lens.

Pointy

Today, near the same place I saw that cool bicolored plant I saw some sort of euphorbia. It's probably a crown of thorns, but it sure looks wicked. I wouldn't want to have to weed around that bad boy.

It's ALIVE

Good news! It's not dead yet either! It turns out that the poor little teeny tiny dead lookin' tree was just dormant. I think it might be a cypress, which is one of the few conifers that drop their needles.

Brown Anole?

I did manage to go on a walk today. It was a close thing at the end there as it got very warm on the last quarter of the trip. My path goes past the nature center where I do some volunteering and I saw this little one hanging out on a rock under the gate.

Orange

There have been a lot of pictures of Bleys lately and not so many of the local nature. A lot of this stems from the fact that it is getting hotter and hotter and my daily walks are dwindling in length and sometimes don't happen at all. I did catch this common gallinule the other day though. It was using one of those fake Canadian geese as a perch. Again this is one that is much easier to see if you visit my flickr.

I didn't make that up

I think this is a yellow bellied sap sucker (female), but it wasn't willing to let me get any closer. It's a little hard to see in the picture below, but if you embiggen it or, even better, look on my flickr version you can see it a bit better.

Bat

It got a little chilly here last night and this morning and consequently some of the indiginous insect life was a little sluggish. I found this ba-giant dragonfly on the landing outside our apartment. It didn't (couldn't) move so I ran back in and got my camera. I would guess that it was around 9cm long!



I kind of like this picture even if it is a little out of focus.

I know it would have been funny

Like most of the plants down here I don't know what this shrub is, but it's pretty. I would guess that it should have been trimmed more and kept at a smaller size (which also probably would have kept is a little fuller) so as not to overwhelm the tree lawn, but the contrast of the leaves and flowers is nice.

Better

I think I was right. This type of tree looks better with a blue sky background, although this isn't the same specimen used in the other photograph. More contrast I suppose, and because yellow and blue are complimentary. Perhaps the other photo would look interesting in black and white...or are the yellow of the tree and gray of the sky too close in density? I also like the splash of green in the corner of this picture.

Vengeance

Another bird that let me get very close was this little blue heron. It was so beautiful, and it's bill was iridescent blue. Maybe it's because blue is so rare in nature (birds, flowers, and such), but it just catches your eye when it does occur.




I think this is one of my favorite pictures that I've taken.

Glide

I don't know what was going on, but I managed to get really close to some birds the other day. This was a great blue heron that was a little leery of me, but more interested in fishing in the shallow water.


And then a closer shot of the bird.

Pop

I saw a cool plant on the way to the dog park the other day. I was part of some landscaping in front of a gated community. I really liked the contrast between the older red foliage and the new bright green leaves.


I still don't dig red mulch though. Plus in this case it actually detracts from the plant. If the mulch was, well, dirt colored the red leaves would then contrast with the ground making a more striking display.

Aware

People have been commenting (on my blog and on the phone) that they enjoy seeing the area where we live. This (and a hand-me-down pocket sized camera from my parents) has encouraged me to take more pictures and post them here for those people to enjoy. I've also noticed that having the camera and thinking about taking pictures has helped me get my eyes off the sidewalk in front of my feet and looking around...



...well most of the time.


The first picture is just a median along the road I generally walk along in the mornings, although It's getting to the time of year when I just can't do it anymore. The second picture is of a butterfly wing that was on the sidewalk. A little weird because, clearly, some butterfly somewhere isn't doing very well, but the contrast struck me.

Overcast

Being spring here in Flordia a lot of the trees are in bloom. Here is another cool one that is near our building at the complex.


I thought the shape of this tree was interesting too. I don't know if they trimmed it at a crucial point or if there used to be another tree above it, but it does that near 90 degree turn there in the middle.


This is a closer shot of the flowers. I think I would like this picture better if the sky had been clear like in the picture of the pink flowering tree.

Vert

I took this picture because the sheer green-ness of it was mesmerizing as I walked by.

Shutter

I hope ya'll like the nature pictures because I've got more. I snapped this one of some sort of bird of prey (hawk, eagle, osprey?). I thought it was cool because the sky was so clear and blue.



Update: Some help from a fellow scuba-boarder and my mystery is solved. This is vulture...probably a turkey vulture.

I also got a few of a neat tree in bloom that is along the route I normally take in the morning. I thought it was just lovely with the pink flowers and green leaves contrasting with the blue sky. I couldn't decide which picture I liked better so I'm putting in both and you can decide.

Tick Tock

When I was out walking I thought I would just take some pictures of the area around where we live and this was one. This canal runs along one edge of our aparartment complex (ours is on the right). There is another canal the runs perpendicular to this one that hems in the back of the complex.

I think I'll go for a walk

I came upon this tree and from a distance I thought, dead tree.



But then I got closer and behold...it's not dead yet.

Fuzzy

These are on a tree outside our apartment building. Only one half of the tree is in bloom though. It's sort of split down the middle, maybe one side gets more direct sun? I like how they sort of cascade.

Blooooood Suuuuuuckers

I noticed this wierd palm tree parasite plant while out walking. It looks sort of like the suckers you sometimes get on roses. If it continues like this and gets very many more of the root-looking things wrapped around the tree, it could look pretty creepy.