Tag Archives: Anna Maria

April … A is for Adjusting

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Laughing gulls at sunset, Anna Maria, Fl

In these uncertain times, one thing for certain is that our wildlife is adjusting to the absence of human intrusion into their worlds.  There are images of animals exploring empty streets and waterways, like in Venice where their canals are so clear right now, one can see sea life in the usually busy and turbulent waterways.  There are images of deer herds wandering around empty town streets, cougars wandering the streets in Santiago, Chile, and dolphins swimming and jumping near the banks of Istanbul due to the lull of boat traffic and fishermen.  Even on the beaches of Anna Maria, the birds have most of the beaches to themselves with little intrusion by the normal crowds.

It is a nice reminder that we are Mother Nature’s guests on this planet and all the beauty that is right outside our door …. is a gift.  And it is free.

 

April … Something Purple

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Little Blue Heron, Anna Maria, Fl

Well, here we are into April and still hunkered down on Anna Maria due to the pandemic.  We received some very much needed rain yesterday and this Little Blue Heron took shelter on our dock.  I don’t see these guys very frequently let alone have a photo of them, so I was delighted to have captured this one.  Stay safe and well, my friends.  Until next time.

March … Something Mauve

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Sunset, Anna Maria, FL

One would think that with all this ‘shelter-in-place’ time due to the corona virus, I would be out and about capturing images.  But the truth is, I haven’t really felt in the mood to venture out with the big camera.  I’ve been quite happy with late morning coffees with hubby, dogs walks, biking, hanging out around the pool and watching our resident crow couple build a nest in our neighboring pine tree.  A couple of Great Blue Herons had been building a nest in the same tree when we arrived here two weeks ago, but they decided to abandon their efforts due to our dogs objecting to their flight path.  Naughty dogs!!!

The above iPhone image was captured this past Thanksgiving as we spent a week with family on the island.  I had no idea that we would be spending March and probably April sheltering on Anna Maria.  During those months, we avoid the area all together due to the traffic and spring breaker families.  Now, it is quiet and peaceful.  And for now …  safe.

M is for …. Madness!

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Anna Maria, Florida, North End … March 22.

In all this crazy COVID-19 ‘madness’, I thought a peaceful beach scene would be refreshing instead of images of empty grocery shelves.  We are sheltering-in-place on Anna Maria in our vacation rental home after finishing up four months of its renovation.  There are punch list items yet to complete along with new landscaping, which is keeping us quite busy.  The beaches are closed except for residents and rental guests, so it is quite pleasant to be here now versus what March is usually like with lots of traffic and spring break families, (which is much better than this virus! ).  It’s a mad mad world out there and it’s my hope that we as a nation can recover soon from this invisible enemy.  Stay well and safe, my friends.  #flattenthecurve

Week 5 – Joy

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Anna Maria, Florida Sunset

The Holidays are upon us and with all the hurry and flurry of the season, I find it an important time to pause and take in moments of joy.  For me, that would be sunsets on the quiet beaches of Anna Maria.  It’s the best gift I can give myself!

Joy exists in the ordinary.

Captured with an iPhone 11 Pro Max with minor edits in Luminar 4.

Week 4 – Motion

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Net casting, Anna Maria, Florida.

We are celebrating this Thanksgiving week on Anna Maria with family. Kids and grandkids from Utah, Alaska and New Jersey made it, but we miss our other family members from Iowa, Ohio and Maine. Even though time and distance keep us apart, we always have a great time when we all come together. Everyone in motion …. kayaking, biking, swimming, sand castle building, story telling and sharing glimpses into the lives we lead while away from each other. It’s a time to catch up, a time to share, a time to be thankful for being able to come together another year.

Week 3 – Feathers

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Brown Pelican, Anna Maria Pier.

One of my favorite birds is the Pelican with their spectacular dives, bill first, into the water.  Or when they are gliding just above the water with the occasional wingbeat that may briefly touch the sea.  Awkward in their take offs and landings, they provide me great entertainment in the water, in or out, such as this fellow as he cleans and straightens up his feathers preparing to rest.

November – Something Orange #1

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White Ibis, Anna Maria Beach, Florida.

Since I had such a good time over the past year participating in our local photo club’s 52-week challenge, I’m looking forward to joining in again with our new challenges.  The best part of participating is that it forces me to try new things as well as getting out and capturing scenes around me.  For this week, I chose the theme of ‘something orange’.  This group of white ibises were strolling along Anna Maria beach.  They are quite common in Florida and not unusual to see them in my backyard along the water’s edge or strolling through yards digging for food.

Thanks for checking in and hope you follow along with me again this year!

Week 28 … #23 Balance … Waiting for a Bite

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_NIK7472-4Snowy Egret, Anna Maria, FL

This fellow had a challenge on a breezy day balancing on a pier piling hoping to snatch some discards from a fish being cleaned on Rod and Reel Pier in Anna Maria.  He was never lucky, though, as the fisherman tossed the remains to the pelicans below.  For this week’s theme of “Balance” where the left and right halves of an image draw the eye equally, I used this image as an example of an ‘imbalanced’ image where the visual weight of the egret is on the left where your eyes are drawn primarily, with nothing on the right to counter the ‘imbalance’ of the photo.  Had there been a fish in the egret’s mouth or another egret’s head popping up from the right lower corner would have helped put this image into a more balanced pose, making the difference of a great shot versus an average one as is this one.