Camera Crazy

Say it aint so--there is one more day to go!

Daylight comes early this time of the year; although there were black-out curtains, enough light filtered through so that when I woke up, I threw on a dress and sandles, grabbed my camera and headed to the beach for the sunrise. I missed the actual rise, but the sun was still low enough to bathe the area in warm, golden tones.
There was a nice boardwalk along the beach for those who prefer running or walking on wood, I dodged a few in my haste! Something very weird happened to my photos--do you see it around the sun? That blue blotch--I still don't know what happened. Anyway, I hung around for about thirty minutes, enjoying both the photo taking, and the peacefulness of the mostly deserted beach, which I knew, sooner, rather than later, would be filled with people having fun in the sun.
I love how a sunrise makes the water glow! The slightly curved horizon in most all of my shots was very interesting; I don't recall seeing it so rea…

That should come as no surprise--this is Florida, after all, with more than 1,000 miles of shoreline, not to mention countless lakes and rivers. We saw some new water however, even traveling over it to Key Biscayne and the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, home to the oldest standing structure in Dade County. That's it above--a lovely lighthouse, originally built in 1825, and reconstructed in 1846. Located on the bottom tip of Key Biscayne, which by the way has had some notable residents in the past, including Brad Pitt, Cher, and most famously President Richard Nixon, it stands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. Parking the car after about a 15 mile drive, including over two causeways, fortunately low ones, we made our way onto the beach. For Matt's upcoming birthday I picked out a little "Gnome Away from Home" for him to take on his many travels, Amelie style. Sadly, although Mr. Gnome has his own name, I've forgotten it, however, here is Bruce hel…

Before we continue onto Miami, I interrupt my regular post to say just how happy I am that DOMA is no more. If you're like me, your life tenants, if you will, are formed by your experiences. At one time in my life, I would more than likely have been on the other side of this case, however, having a gay son tends to make a person see things in a different light. In politics it's called flip-flopping, in the real world it is simply changing ones mind based on new evidence. No one can convince me that the love Matt and Tom feel for one another is not as valid as what I feel for Bruce. End of story. Let all discrimination end now!

So, off my high horse, and into the Beemer. Like most folks, after leaving LCS we got on the Turnpike, however, that didn't last very long at all. Before getting off though, we made a quick stop at one of the renovated rest areas--very nice from the outside, and just as nice inside:
 They have modern green and white chairs, and the whole things looks…

Because Matt was not arriving in Miami until 4PM, we made a long day trip of our journey, which won't surprise you at all if you are a regular reader of Camera Crazy. Why take the straight shot when you can meander? Leaving the house a little after 7AM, we started off on the Turnpike, but not for long, getting off after only about 60 miles. Two things were on my agenda, seeing Lake Okeechobee, and Lion Country Safari, just outside West Palm Beach. Mission accomplished!
Bruce is standing on top of the bike dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee, mostly seeing water. No great surprise because the lake covers 730 sq miles, or roughly half the size of the state of Rhode Island! There are locks and flood gates along the perimeter, one such gate looks like this:
The folks who were fishing kindly informed me that the baby herons I saw in the nest belonged to Mama heron sitting on the foreground post.
Originally I thought the standing one was the Mother, but apparently that is not the case. Thi…