Two parks in one morning

On November 15, 2018October 22, 2018 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

A very hot morning at North Shore Park in downtown St. Petersburg. The beach was busy with volleyball players. On a Saturday morning you can find a lot of joggers and dog walkers on the sidewalk but not many people in the water. Since this is the bay, the water here is not nice but you can usually get a breeze.

Across the bay, you can just make out the energy plant with steam coming out.

After walking around at North Shore Park, I stopped by the Safety Harbor fishing pier before heading home. They have a new boardwalk that goes along the mangroves next to the pier. This small area is a little piece of Florida that hasn’t changed much over the years (with the exception of that big condo building going up next to the old Safety Harbor Hotel in that first shot).

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A beautiful beach day before red tide rolled in.

On October 25, 2018October 12, 2018 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights3 Comments

Things along the trail from our car to the beach.

Out on the beach, it was a perfect quiet morning in late August. We get there early before it gets too hot and crowded.

The water was crystal clear but warm. This was before the red tide had brought dead sea life to the beach, the calm before the storm. I was traveling light this morning so all above were taken with my phone.

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The dolphin show at Fort Desoto

On June 21, 2018June 12, 2018 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals2 Comments

After running around in the woods at Fort Desoto Park taking pictures of small birds migrating through the area in late April, I stopped at the fishing pier before heading home. The dolphins were feeding on the bait fish, swimming back and forth in front of the pier. The water was clear that morning so it was easy to see them as they rose to the surface. It was fun watching them splashing around.

Pelicans were also floating close to the pier.

Not too many people on the beach yet near the pier. The crowds were just starting to form north of the pier where the beach is a little wider and nicer.

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A late walk on Daytona Beach

On September 28, 2017September 28, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn Vacation5 Comments

These were all taken with my phone during our one night stay in Daytona beach in July. After dinner with our friends, we took a long walk on the beach right before dark. This was much farther south of the busy area of Daytona beach, almost to Ponce Inlet. It was a beautiful night to be out and hardly anyone on the beach.

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Over the river and through the woods….

On September 7, 2017September 7, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn VacationLeave a comment

to Daytona Beach we go. On the east coast of Florida. This was our first trip and we were staying over for one night to visit friends who were visiting for the week from Georgia.

The view from our room on the 14th floor. I zoomed in with my phone on the last one. Our hotel was next door to a small amusement park.

We met up with our friends who were staying near the Ponce Inlet and spent some time walking around the lighthouse before heading to dinner.

We had dinner at a fun little restaurant next to the lighthouse that was right on the water.

View from our table.

It was a quick short trip to have dinner with our friends. I was traveling light so all of the above were taken with my phone.

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Honeymoon Island beach before the tourists get here.

On April 20, 2017April 20, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

After walking the nature trail at Honeymoon Island State Park, I headed over to the beach to see if there were any shorebirds hanging around.

The usual birds were there: marbled godwits, royal terns and dowitchers.

The waves were splashing over the jetties. It was fun to be out in one of the last cool windy days before the heat sets in (and the tourists).

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Road trip to south Florida

On April 6, 2017April 6, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn Vacation1 Comment

A few sites from our trip to Hallandale Beach.

The beach had tall buildings as far as you could see.

This big statue was at the Gulfstream horse race track in Hallandale. I made Brett pull over so I could jump out and take a picture. It must be a new statue. The park around it had not opened yet.

Brett and I spent a long weekend in south Florida recently hanging out with his relatives. Hallandale Beach is in between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale so you get the best of both worlds. We spend 2 days running from the north end of Ft. Lauderdale to the south end of Miami. Tons more pictures to come.

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Another episode of “Being a Tourist on the Beach”

On March 9, 2017March 9, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights5 Comments

I rarely go to Clearwater Beach anymore. It’s very crowded and cost a fortune to park, if you can get a parking spot. Although, it is fun to go over every once in while to see what’s going on. Right after I picked up my sister from the airport we headed over to the beach to walk around. She had not been in several years. We were hoping to get a good sunset but dark clouds had moved in. I guess the weather had kept most people indoors because it wasn’t too crowded the Tuesday before Christmas. It was fun walking around the beach and marina.

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A perfect view

On November 17, 2016November 17, 2016 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals, Vacation2 Comments

The view of the pool area near our room.

The view from our room.

The view from my beach chair.

The view from the front door.

The view of the critters that come out at night. We would see them coming back from dinner each night. I’ve never seen lizards this color before, especially with glowing red eyes.

Another view from my beach chair.

All views at our hotel, Casa Ybel, in Sanibel Island.

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Looks like a postcard

On November 10, 2016November 10, 2016 By dinajohnstonIn Vacation5 Comments

A few more pictures from our vacation in Sanibel Island in southeast Florida. All were taken from my beach chair, which was steps away from our condo. We went in late September and it was perfect. Sunny skies and very few tourists. We had most of the beach to ourselves.

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