From the Archives of 2008—2
January 16, 2022
Here are some photographs I took in Gulf-coast Florida in January and February of 2008.
1 Once in a while a lagoon forms on the beach of South Lido Park, in Sarasota. Most only last a matter of weeks.
2 It was fun to arrive at Siesta Key before the fog lifted. The man was probing the sand with a metal detector.
3 An early-morning Siesta Key-walker didn’t seem to disturb nearby gulls.
4 But these runners did.
5 Pelicans get itches, too.
6 I don’t think this great blue heron ever noticed me standing about two yards away. He just kept preening.
7 When other park visitors—no matter where—see me with a camera, many ask whether I am photographing birds. I always answer no, but sometimes that isn’t true.
8 People never ask whether I’m photographing cats. These were in the Rosemary District of Sarasota.
9 I took 104 photographs of this algal mat that formed in the remnants of one of South Lido Park’s temporary lagoons. You probably don’t want to see them all.
10 In Cortez, a fishing village north of Sarasota, someone cut down and burned some palm trees.
11 I could have taken 104 photographs of the burned palm trees, but I didn’t.
12 An old water bottle was home to tube worms, barnacles, and oysters.
13 I wonder how long the bottle had been in the Gulf.
Romancing Reality 
Right from the very first photo: splendid! And I’m not just saying that because I’m glad that I’m not alone doing these “archive dives” and posting old, old photos. 🙂 I always enjoy your the humor of your captions too Linda — it’s so true! A lot of people ask whether one photographs birds, and no one asks if it’s cats! Thanks for sharing, and the chuckle. 🙂
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January 16, 2022 at 10:00 PM
Thank you, Alex. I agree, archive dives are fun. In my case they can also be embarrassing—when I find photos I once tagged as good but now see as quite faulty. But then there are the times I find something that I passed over back then that I now like. It’s also fun to improve the processing. Glad you get the humor in my captions.
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January 17, 2022 at 9:13 PM
That is not a cause for embarrassment – it is reason to be happy with one’s growth, obviously! 😉 (and yes, that of course happens to me too when I go to my archives)
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January 18, 2022 at 1:10 AM
Yes, that’s a better way to think about one’s lesser work. Thanks, Alex.
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January 18, 2022 at 11:20 AM
All of these were amazing! you know I loved the burned palm, and life in the bottle! You are so good!
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January 16, 2022 at 10:26 PM
Thanks, Kathy. I’m surprised I haven’t found more bottles like that one. I’m sure they exist.
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January 17, 2022 at 9:14 PM
Fine set, Linda!
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January 17, 2022 at 1:49 AM
Thanks, Harrie.
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January 17, 2022 at 9:14 PM
It’s good that you caught the clouds reflected in your opening lagoon shot. I was scanning some of your pictures from the bottom up and was going to ask how you decided on 104 as the number of burned palm tree pictures you could have taken; then I saw the answer in #9. If you hadn’t identified #12 as an old water bottle I’d not have recognized it as such—at least not till seeing #13. That’s a great pose you caught in #7. People often assume I’m photographing birds, too.
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January 17, 2022 at 9:14 AM
Thank you, Steve. I wish those lagoons appeared more often. They can offer real treats. I’m glad I took a photo of the whole water bottle as well as the close-up; I don’t always do that. The osprey was gliding into its nest, moving slowly enough for me to track him. So that makes you, me, and Alex who have been asked if we were photographing birds. I’ll bet there are many others.
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January 17, 2022 at 9:14 PM
What fun to head down to Florida with you for a bit.
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January 17, 2022 at 10:30 AM
Yeah, I get a bit nostalgic for Sarasota when I see my old photographs. Maybe I’ll make it down there next year. Glad you enjoyed this virtual trip, Anne.
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January 17, 2022 at 9:15 PM
Very interesting, Linda. The Osprey is outstanding! I get why that’s not your thing but it must be nice to know you can do it. The GBH is gorgeous as well and the pelican is priceless. The burned palm tree photos fascinate me – they’re really beautiful. The encrusted water bottle is a great ending, wow. Rich life down there! I trust Dave steered clear of the tornado?
People have also assumed I was photographing birds in the past – not so often anymore. My camera is small and I don’t have a bazooka lens on it. 🙂
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January 18, 2022 at 8:42 PM
I don’t know, I must just look like a birder. I’ve never had a lens longer than 200mm. I think the only thing I shoot less often than birds is people. David has said nothing about a tornado, so I guess it hasn’t concerned him. He told me this evening that the temperature is going down to the low 40s tonight. It has been unusually warm in Sarasota since Thanksgiving. I wish I’d taken more photos of the burned palm trees. I think they are beautiful, too. They were obviously cut down first, then set fire to. Thanks for writing, Lynn.
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January 18, 2022 at 9:00 PM
Reblogged this on battleoftheatlantic19391945 and commented:
Thursday, February 3/2022@22:42-WELL, when the GULF COAST of FLORIDA is MENTIONED, more than precisely NUMEROUS PEOPLE think of TAMPA, ST. PETERSBURG, BUSCH GARDENS, SARASOTA; and that is A-O.K., and THEN SOME….THOUGH, EVERYONE has to RECALL…THAT THE GULF COAST of FLORIDA…including THE GULF of MEXICO, STRETCHES FROM KEY WEST, AND THE FLORIDA KEYS…TO…=YES, THAT IS RIGHT, RIGHT UP TO A CUNT HAIR-FROM THE ALABAMA BORDER, and THEN SOME!!! WITHOUT HESITATION; as I was LOOKING at a TEXAS GULF COAST MAP THE OTHER DAY-FOR a SECOND, ANYWAYS, IT HAS TO BE NEAR IN SIMILAR…FROM KEY WEST, FL., TO THE BEAUTIFUL HAIR I JUST MENTIONED, TO THE ALABAMA BORDER…BY WATER=THE GULF OF MEXICO, AS IT IS FROM ORANGE TEXAS-SADLY PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS, ON SOME MAPS, THOUGH, ORANGE , TEXAS ON MY TRAVEL LOG-my BRAIN; TO BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS…AS BOTH COVER a LARGE AREA, though THE PANHANDLE OF FLORIDA-IS NOT SMALL…SO CHECK IT OUT SOMETIMES…and FOR THE QUESTION and THE ANSWER…RESEARCH IS THE RWARD, AND-IF Y’ALL GOT THE VACATION TIME-FINANCES-ETC., AS MENTIONED 3-4, 5 TIMES BEFORE; TAKE A TRIP…FROM KEY WEST, FLORIDA, U.S.A., TO BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS, U.S.A., FROM OCTOBER TO APRIL; VISITING NUMEROUS SIGHTS IN-BETWEEN, and THEN SOME….AS THAT WILL BE…ONE HELL OF A GULF OF MEXICO…VACATION, and THEN SOME!!! HAPPY TRAILS; AND AS OUR VETERANS WHOM GAVE US OUR FREEDOMS…WOULD WANT US…ENJOY YOUR FREEDOMS, AND REMEMBER THE CASUALTIES, WHOM GAVE US OUR FREEDOMS….Later, and Yours Aye-Brian CANUCK-THE BREEZE Murza, W.W.II Naval Researcher-Published Author, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
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February 3, 2022 at 10:57 PM