Creative Exploring
We are very lucky to have exotic flowers growing all around us in Miami because of the wonderful weather.
Whilst out walking yesterday I saw a bright orange flash of color and realized there were a number of Bird of Paradise flowers growing nearby.
I just had to snap a picture or two 🙂
Strelitzia reginae (Strelitziaceae)
Common Names:
Bird of Paradise Flower
Crane Flower
Crane Lily
Bird of Paradise flowers are associated with liberty, magnificence and good perspective.
Sometimes humans are just too interesting to ignore! On a recent trip we were enjoying a nice relaxing sit by a lake. In the distance we could see a few ducks, Ibis and Embden Geese walking purposefully towards us.
It turned out to be a wonderful photo op – they also had a lot to say, and even though we had no food to share, they ended up just sitting and chilling by the lake. Well most of them – one feathered friend, the Embden Goose explained a lot how he was extremely unhappy at the lack of food provided!
Somewhere up in the trees were a flock of crows but they kept out of sight even though they too had a lot to say.
There are quite a few dog lovers who live in Miami Beach and we also have a number of Bark Parks.
Here are a few furry friends making the most of the sun and green spaces. Not a bad place to exercise and meet the locals!
Sometimes the seagulls on the beach are interested in what you are doing but are still too nervous to really trust you…unless of course you are carrying food and then they suddenly lose all their fear and become your best friend and slightly possessed!
A selection of trees by the bay that looked interesting in the sunlight. I thought the long grass underneath the trees looked very wispy where the sunshine was coming through.
Whilst visiting Matheson Hammock State Park, three cheeky Raccoons wandered by to investigate some nearby trash cans.
Raccoons possess amazing dexterity that allows them to open doors, jars, bottles and latches. They are also great climbers, which allows them to better access food and shelter.
Fun Raccoon Facts
Activity: Nocturnal in nature, raccoons are mostly active at night. They are most active in spring, summer and fall, and will sleep in their dens for most of the winter.
Social Interaction: Raccoons are independent after 12 – 14 months of age. Adults live in loose knit communities of 4 – 5 raccoons for better protection against predators.
Communication: Raccoons communicate with each other using over 200 different sounds and 12 – 15 different calls.
Pelicans fly through the air, dive into the ocean but sometimes they just want to sit and be.
They are very chilled out birds but it was a triumph for me to capture these images without disturbing their rest.
Dixon Lanier Merritt (1879–1972) was an American poet and humorist. He was a newspaper editor for the Tennessean, Nashville’s morning paper, and President of the American Press Humorists Association. He penned this well-known limerick in 1910.
A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican,
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week
But I’m damned if I see how the helican!or:
A funny old bird is a pelican.
His beak can hold more than his belican.
Food for a week
He can hold in his beak,
But I don’t know how the helican.
The limerick was inspired by a post card sent to him by a female reader of his newspaper column who was visiting Florida beaches. It is often misattributed to Ogden Nash and is widely misquoted as demonstrated above. It is quoted in a number of scholarly works on ornithology, including “Manual of Ornithology: Avian Structure and Function,” by Noble S. Proctor and Patrick J. Lynch, and several others.
Today, let’s walk in the footsteps of masters like Ansel Adams and focus on landscape photography.
Landscapes generally focus on wide, vast depictions of nature and all of its elements, from formations to weather. In this genre of photography, you won’t find much of a human presence: nature itself is the subject.
Our lives are made up of big events and tiny moments. Ultimately, life is fleeting, and often it’s these small moments we love to document.
I was so lucky to be facing the right way and have my camera ready just as this heron took flight. Look at all those feathers and the size of his wings.
As there was no planning or set-up – it all happened very fast – it’s not the best focus in the world but I’m still pleased with the results. I would have loved a blue sky too but once I’d looked at the picture, the grey sky actually makes the white bird stand out more.
Off he goes
Some photos are significant not because of what’s depicted, but because of the mood they create. They communicate an idea that transcends the actual subject of the image.
Here’s a photo that conveys a sense of mystery. Can you tell what it is?
In case you need a clue – it’s an Alligator lurking just below the water – it was extremely large and very close. It’s very well camouflaged against the stones and quiet. He had swam up close without me even realizing.
Let’s move on shall we 🙂
