Sunday night sunset

At least we got one good sunset while at Fort De Soto

Lunchtime

I wonder if this bird knows how much a red snapper dinner costs?

Defensive mode...as another bird checks out the possibility of a lunchtime robbery.

TIERRA VERDE, FL - - Osprey are good hunters.  This raptor has a large red snapper.  It takes a strong bird to haul a big fish from the water to the top of a utility pole. Unfortunately, no matter how hard you work for your meal there is always another bird ready to try and steal it.

Ship traffic

The Green Nova, a "reefer" ship based in Bergen, Norway, motors past the Eggmont Key lighthouse.

The Overseas Texas City (oil/chemical) tanker

This tanker wasn't waiting for the holidays. 

TIERRA VERDE, FL - - At home we watch the yachts and other craft head south for the winter.  At Fort De Soto, there a view of the main shipping channel heading to the Port of Tampa. Some shipping lines work in a port call during the holidays.

Gliding on

Sails await the call to take to the air. 

Some of the 25+ sailboarders in action.  In the background, the Sunshine Skyway bridge and a freighter headed to port for the  holidays.

TIERRA VERDE, FL - - A few days ago we took off for the West Coast of Florida and one of our favorite places to camp at Christmas: Fort De Soto - - a Pinellas County park.  The first day was breezy with high clouds.  The perfect day for Sailboarding.  Since then the wind, out of the North, then East, then various directions has been very brisk...sometimes 30mph brisk.

Cruisin' on the river

The Native II tour boat on the St. Johns River

A female Anhinga blending in with the scenery

A Snowy Egret drifts onto the buffet line

Let's ignore each other, the sun is too nice

It seemed as if this BIG gator was checking us out as we passed.

ORMOND BEACH, FL - -Since I purchased a Florida State Parks pass on December 1, the sun has been playing hide and seek.  Tuesday, the forecast looked good so we headed to Blue Spring State Park near Orange City.  BSSP is a designated manatee refuge.  Manatees love the constant 72-degree water, especially when the temperature dips in the St Johns River.  In really cold weather, upwards of 300 manatees utilize this safe haven.  So how many of these large, ugly creatures did we see on this warm day?  About a dozen.  And none were willing to pose.
     So we spent two hours meandering down the St John on the Native II tour boat with 12 other folks. The shallow draft pontoon boat allowed us to check out the turtles, gators, bushes, trees while listening to our guide go over the history of the area and the harvesting of the cypress trees.  We had hoped to spot a lot of birds, but the only feathered friends we saw were the usual suspects.  Still, the time spent was well worth it.
    

South bound

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Living one block from the Intercoastal Waterway (Halifax River portion) provides plenty of things to watch and do.  One favorite:  The yearly 'heading south for the winter/heading north for the summer' boat traffic.  Three miles south of our location lies Sunset Park in Holly Hill which has a fishing pier way out into the river allowing a great vantage point for watching the traffic.  Here, two sailboats motor south past craft moored.  Click on the photo and look just above the blue-hulled craft and you'll see a catamaran also heading my way.

     The sailboat in the lead is the Isolde II, a 35' Hallberg Rossy 352.  A Google check turned up a strikingly similar boat owned by a retired individual from Chicago who started a blog called"Sailing the dream" in 2007.  It appears sailing was more fun or the blog was too much work as the blog stopped at the end of 2007.  Apparently, chasing the dream didn't.

Still life

Look closely

Boat wake ripples

Water droplets on swamp grass

More 'Keys" photos

Breakfast and early morning sun on the Gulf side

You can find any style Keys transport you need: Caddy, pirate or luxury

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - It pays to double-check all the cameras when returning home.  I found these pics in my Canon 1100s point and shoot which I carry in my pocket when we're just 'out.' In this case it was breakfast at a Gulf side cafe in Islamorada.