Characters at Fort DeSoto

This snowy egret likes fishing...as long as somebody else does it

The early morning breakfast stroll of a yellow-crowned night heron 

PASS-A-GRILLE, FL - - The usual suspects still hang around at Ft. DeSoto (a Pinnelas Co. park/campground) but not in the numbers of a few years ago.  This night  heron liked the grit near the edge of a sandy area.  We saw the bird two mornings in a row intently focused on finding breakfast.    

Santa's rest stop

PASS-A-GRILLE - - Ho, ho, ho...Happy Holidays

Perfect landing

Making touchdown look easy

Sometimes you come up empty

Catching bait fish is a two step process

PASS-A-GRILLE, FL - -  Pelican antics and one human trying to gather up his bait fish after emptying his cast net.

On the rocks

Hanging out

PASS-A-GRILLE, FL - - Six snowy egrets rockin' out on a  rocky breakwater at the end of PAG peninsula. (Gulf side)
     We're on the road for a four day holiday break from OB...a whole 120+ miles away on the other  side of Florida

Coming out for the holidays

Hibiscus bloom time

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Our recent warm stretch...70s reaching for 80...has some of our bushes figuring its time to bloom.  This hibiscus must be on steroids because six blooms (the top one is washed out color-wise by the sun) is way past the normal 3-4 at a time.

When you live near the beach...

Bull session?  Gull session? Note the fishing trawler on the horizon

Royal Terns don't associate with rif-raff seagulls

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - We don't 'do' the beach s much as 25 years ago.  Now it's more like grab some grub for a picnic and wander down the sand for 3-4 miles (round trip).  This was Sunday at lunchtime, yet the beach was nearly empty (by tourist standards). 
     Of course there were plenty of seagulls; a few terns and one or two slumming egrets.  Just another lazy day.

Brrrrr

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - To hear the weather forecasters,  you'd think we were set for the Halifax River to freeze over.  To most Floridians any temperature below 60-degrees calls for hunkering down.
     Unlike most folks we enjoy it brisk.  Saturday morning our breakfast walk got rained out.  Saturday evening the Christmas parade in OB actually started on time...probable because it was high 40s with a steady breeze.
    It was today, Sunday, we were waiting for.  Clear skies and 40-degrees when we left the house at 6:10am.  No problem since we have plenty of cold weather gear from our travels.  However, the fingertips always take a hit no matter what gloves you wear.
     Always interesting to listen to the folks at Rivergate discuss 'how cold was it when you left the house' among each other.  And the the sly looks at us when they realize we walked to breakfast.

Getting up there

Denali, highest point in North America with low lying clouds

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - We worked in Denali National Park in summer 2007 as shuttle drivers and sometime tour guides.  The mountain, at 20,310',  creates its own weather so that in nearly five months on site Denali showed a clear profile less than 10 times.  The rest of the time it was ringed with clouds or totally obscured.  On a 90 mile (one way) day-off shuttle trip to the base we passengers  started out catching glimpses of the mountain early but by the time we reached Wonder Lake (30 miles from the base) Denali was so socked in by weather you didn't know anything was there.
     You might think Denali rates an entry on the list of the highest points in the world.  Sorry, there over 400 peaks higher led by Mt. Everest at 29,029.  And nearly all of those are located within 20 degrees (north or south) of the equator.  Denali, located at 63 degrees (latitude) is an anomaly.
     Our summer in Alaska  was full of "wonder" and Denali was just one part of it.

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia. (June 16, 2009)