A weekend in south Florida

On July 6, 2026July 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Vacation4 Comments

In March Brett has some relatives from Canada visiting the Fort Lauderdale area so we headed to south Florida for a long weekend. We stayed in Dania Beach and while we weren’t actually on the beach we had a great view from our room. We could see the planes from the airport taking off and the cruise ships out in the port.

I caught a video of the now defunct Spirit airlines taking off.

I was up early one morning heading to breakfast and stopped at the window in the hallway to catch the sun coming up.

From the other end we could see the sunset and the guitar hotel lit up at nearby Hard Rock Hotel.

We had some time one morning before meeting everyone for lunch so we went for a walk around the hotel.

We saw a lot of myna birds. Even though they are pretty they are invasive to Florida. They are destructive, driving out native birds and damaging crops and fruit trees in the area. Their population in south Florida has exploded and we now have some in the Tampa Bay area.

A view of the sawgrass marshes as we headed home on Alligator Alley.

Almost home as we were about to cross the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

A holiday sunset walk

On April 8, 2026May 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights6 Comments

We did not have family come into town for Christmas this year and the family that is local had gone out of town so after our late Christmas supper we headed over to the Dunedin marina for a sunset walk. It was a beautiful cool night and we were not alone. The marina area was packed although I was able to get the above pictures without anybody in them.

Going down behind the nearby dock. This dock was completely lost in the hurricane in 2024 and was just finished being rebuilt right before Christmas.

The marina with that pink and orange glow once the sun had gone down.

A beautiful November sunset

On March 4, 2026April 10, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights5 Comments

Another beautiful sunset in late November. We decided to swing by the causeway at the last minute so we only caught the last of the sunset. It was a little chilly this night and we only got out of the car for a few minutes.

Sunset walk before dinner

On February 18, 2026March 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights7 Comments

In early November we were at home trying to decide what to do for dinner (when you’re a kid you never thought this is what you would be doing every single day for the rest of your grown up life). The weather was perfect, sunny and 70. We decided to take the drive over to the causeway for a quick short sunset walk and then get something to eat on the way home. We could already see the full moon when we got to the causeway.

The sun was going down pretty fast.

Almost down as we walked by the kayak rentals.

Almost done.

The sun had gone down and the moon was getting bright as we headed for dinner.

Around the yard in early September

On January 10, 2026February 5, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

The juvenile bluebirds were still coming to the feeder and bath in early September. They still had their cute spots and acted like toddlers. One was eating the berries off the ferns that bloom in late summer.

House finches were migrating through and stopped at the bath as well.

The bunnies were still coming to backyard.

I caught this one looking at me through the window. I’m always yelling at them “Stop being cute and stop eating my flowers”.

Fred was flirting with me in front of the window.

Mushrooms growing in the yard from the summer rains.

Sunsets across the street.

I went out to get the mail right before dark and the bats had just come out and were buzzing around. Florida is home to 13 different types of bats and I have no idea which ones these are (not going to get that close and we only see them at dark). They are beneficial and one can eat thousands of mosquitos in one night.

I spotted these two bucks in the utility field down the street coming home from the grocery store.

Falling in love with a quant town in Tuscany.

On January 5, 2026February 5, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Vacation6 Comments

Monticatini Terme is a small town in Italy, between Florence and Lucca. It’s a great home base when visiting the Tuscany area. We spent a week here during our recent 2 week trip in Italy and then did day trips to the surrounding cities. This was our view from the hotel room and you could see the ferris wheel (pink) in the left.

We had some free time to spend wandering the town and soaking up the local food. On a late Sunday afternoon we got gelato and sat on a bench and watched everyone going about their day. It was nice to see more locals here than tourists.

Monticatini Alto (meaning high or tall) sits on top of a mountain at the edge of town. We could see the small town up there as we walked around near our hotel.

You can drive up to the mountain top but we took the funicular that was near our hotel. The funicular has been in service since 1898 and was a little jerky as we made our way up the mountain.

The view from the top was amazing. You could see most of Monticatini Terme from the top.

We walked all around the outside of the small village and on one side we saw a pool on the side of the mountain. Now that’s a pool with a view! The house was on the other side of the street and they had a tunnel under the street going from the house to the pool deck.

Shots of the village above. It was a little cool and windy up there on this morning.

We had lunch here. La Torre was run by some older Italian men who barely spoke English. We got salads and pasta and I had the best spaghetti cooked in red wine with pancetta and onions.

Riding back down the mountain later that afternoon.

Monticatini is know for it’s mineral rich thermal spas and is a designated Unesco World Heritage site. The Terme Tettuccio spa was built in 1779 and is still used today.

Looking down a quiet street.

The town has a lot of green space and there was a beautiful park near our hotel.

Sunset from our hotel on our last night in Tuscany. The next day we were heading back to Rome and Naples.

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) at Image-In-Ing.

Sunset on the causeway

On December 31, 2025January 3, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Tampa bay sights6 Comments

Back at the end of August I went for a sunset walk at the Dunedin causeway. The sun was still up pretty high so I had time for a long walk since I wanted to be at the other end of the causeway before the sun went down.

The sun was peeking through as I walked past the kayak rentals.

I made it to the west end with plenty of time.

Every Wednesday night jeep owners have a meet-up here to watch the sunset on the causeway. I counted 42 jeeps this night. They have events during the year such as the Trunk or Treat Halloween event that draws tons of people. During December many of the jeeps are decorated for Christmas.

When I got to the west bridge there were a lot of flying critters also watching the sun go down.

Heading back to my car I saw a great egret catch a fish and take off in front of me after swallowing it.

Almost down and I still had quite a ways to get back to my car. There wasn’t any clouds in the sky for a great after glow so I wasn’t paying attention on the way back.

🎵 “Don’t let the sun go down on me” 🎵

On December 10, 2025January 3, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights5 Comments

I usually like to get my walks out of the way in the morning but every once in a while I have something else going on so I walk later in the day and try to catch sunset. In late August I started my walk at the Dunedin marina and walked for about an hour around the area before coming back to my car before the sun set.

I walked down a neighborhood street that runs along the water before getting back to the marina.

The sun was going down on the “still damaged” dock. They are currently repairing the damaged areas in the marina and are supposed to start on the dock early next year.

Going down along the jetti in front of the marina.

🎵 “Sittin on the dock of the bay” 🎵

The End.

Beautiful colors after the storms

On November 19, 2025November 19, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn Uncategorized5 Comments

Lightning from the bathroom window in late July.

Beautiful summer skies from the front and back yard in late July. When it storms late in the day and the sun comes out right before dark bright colors appear for a short time.

The little frogs come out after a storm. They show up on the windows and the walls outside.

This is Fred. He has a specific hump on his neck and back and sleeps on the old white trellis during the day. If he sees me walking up to the window he jumps over to the window and acts like he wants to come in.

Around the yard in early July

On November 8, 2025October 28, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

The little hummy was still visiting the backyard in early July.

The bunny too. It’s always fun to catch him with a mouthful.

I looked out the back and saw 2 black bellied whistling ducks walking around. I’ve seen them many times on the other side of the lake across the street but this was the first time seeing them in the backyard.

They started taking a bath in the small newly formed pond that appears after a heavy storm.

One afternoon I looked out the back and saw a turkey lurking around near the bird feeder and bath. I shot this through the window. Later I didn’t see her and walked outside with my camera.

Looking around I saw her standing in between 2 trees in back of my neighbor’s. I sat down on my patio chair and watched her for a few minutes.

She plopped down and fell asleep while I was sitting there. After a while I quietly got up and went back instead. She was gone a little later after her quick nap.

A brown thrasher showed up while I was watching the turkey sleep.

Sunsets in July from the pond across the street. Note the alligator in the middle of the pond in the first shot. He’s a small one and I don’t see him often.