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Sun set with a twist…

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Went with family to take my granddaughter to the park, which is to the right of this area but I thought it was interesting how deserted the beach area looked…it was a warm night, definitely swimming weather?

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Lake Nipissing, taken last November…we have some of the most beautiful sunsets!

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One of my all time favorite places to be…photo taken with my iPhone

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These stark, yet vibrant photos are some of my favorite to capture…take from a moving vehicle with my iPhone…

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I don’t post photos of my grandchildren, but was taking a photo of something else and I thought I would share this very cool finger painting by my grand daughter, before she was two.   I love this, but then I’m the grand mother so biased…

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I was looking through some of the photos I’ve taken and came across this one…love this tree with it’s gnarly branches

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I took this photo last fall, in October some time…we always have over the top winds in October.  This tree had a large base but it just couldn’t withstand the intensity of the wind that day.  
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while orange is not a favorite color, who doesn’t love a Gerber Daisy?

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lovely lily…

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Hey…I’ve been under the weather for a few weeks, but I’m feeling like it is time to get back to “normal”…

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a little different perspective of a photo I posted a couple of days ago…taken with my iPhone will on the road!

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A fruit bouquet…given to my Mother on Mother’s Day by one of my brothers…

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Another photo taken while driving with my iPhone…of course I wasn’t driving.  I enjoy this type of landscape, barren but every once in a while something cool pops up!

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My view left and right while in Marco Island this winter…I have to admit while the house was awesome I missed the ocean view and will be doing my best to stay ocean side in the future.

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Remember when…I used to enjoy making sand castles as a child.  Found this abandoned one on the beach!

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To all Mother’spurple.flower.16.mothersday.,,,

Buds on the branches mean spring is here!!!

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I put the clean laundry down…turned my back for a minute and look who decided to burrow in…

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I spotted these lovely purple crocuses at the waterfront last week…same day I photographed the ice moving.

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Thought I’d post a few photos of the ice up close, gives you and idea of the force behind the ice when you see how small the pieces are…

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Last week, Wed. April 27th, I stopped at the waterfront to take a few photos of the ice…it has finally begun to move.  If you look closely you can see the ice is beginning to crystallize as well.   A bit slow this year but then this winter has been unusual to say the least…

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Fog area…

On the drive to Florida we always discuss the “Fog Area”, which is near Calhoun, TN.  Fog is common in this area due to the combination of mountains, valleys, rivers and lakes.  The Fog Area is approximately 19 miles of fog lights, 8 fog detectors, 22 speed detectors and gates on the on/off ramps.  The reason for the lights, detectors, etc., is because Dec. 11th, 1990 there was a 99 car pile up due to fog…12 people died and 42 people were injured.   The accident happened due to fog that drifts over I75 north and south, generally early morning.  I75 goes over the Hiwassee River, which is part of the reason for the fog…this is where the worst fog occurs.  It is always under observation and when dense fog occurs this area is closed and vehicles are rerouted until the fog has dissipated, but those who are caught in this area when the fog is present are given the following instructions when driving through: follow the speed limit, do not slow down, do not stop!

We have driven to Florida eight or nine times, so total of 16/18 times driving through this area, and have always been fortunate to go through later in the day, without fog.

On the way home from Florida this year we drove through that area around 9:00am and experienced light fog.  As we drove over the Hiwassee River I looked to my right and saw what looked like a solid white, wall of nothing, it was so close I could almost reach out the window and touch it.   I realized we were fortunate to go past the river when we did or we would have been engulfed in the dense fog…

This is a photo I took driving through the area(I wasn’t driving).  We were almost through the fog area…I was watching the fog so it took me awhile to realize I should take a photo…unfortunately I only have the one!  As you can see it was very light fog here, for which we were thankful for after seeing the dense wall of fog over the river…

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http://itchyfish.com/the-fog-lights-have-been-activated-on-i-75/

http://newschannel9.com/news/local/i-75-fog-zone-closing-flashbacks-to-25-years-ago

http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/30759466/heavy-fog-closes-i-75-days-after-anniversary-of-deadly-fog-related-crash

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It is a bit cooler here today, the wind strong and cold…this reminds me the warmer days are on the way!

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eyes on the world…

Yesterday morning we had some frost which had melted on my umbrella…

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Date Palm…

This was an interesting trip, I learned new, interesting info while away…no I didn’t know these were Date Palms!

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Don’t bother me…

This fellow was relaxing, without any concern for those who where observing him…Naples Zoo, Florida

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Screen…

while this photo leaves much to be desired, I liked the way the screen from the lanai was visible…
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rolling…

On the drive to and from Florida one of the areas I enjoy driving through is around Lexington, Kentucky.   I love the farms/ranches and the rolling hills in that area of the state.  Even on a dreary day it is lovely to see…

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When I took this photo I didn’t see the plane, I saw a speck and thought it was dirt on my iPhone screen…I was interested in the clouds. When I cropped the photo the plane became visible. Fun…

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barnacles…

These fellows are from the arthropod family, apparently there are 1,220 species of barnacles…this particular one is related to the lobster and crab…who knew?pole.sea.stuff.2016

Reticulated Python…

Kaa, is a 19ft. 191 lbs., Reticulated Python found at the Naples Zoo.   The enclosure looks small for this lady, but it was new in June of 2015.   While these snakes are large and strong enough to kill an adult human they are nonvenomous constrictors who are generally not considered dangerous to humans…attacks are rarely reported.   The photo is cropped thin due to the reflection of the glass in the photo, which was distracting and taking away from this magnificent specimen.

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Red bananas

Saw this plant at the Naples Zoo and I have to admit I didn’t know what it was at first…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_banana

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Ginger flower…

I have to admit, I’ve seen these flowers for years and never knew what they were called…Ginger flower.
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Another photo taken on the drive home of two of my favorite subjects, clouds and trees…

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new condo…

This photo shows a new condo construction in its early stages…photo isn’t great but the process intrigued me.

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North & South

We didn’t stay on South Beach this year, but managed to visit…have to say I missed not staying along the coast.

North…

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South…

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White Ibis

If you been to Florida you will have seen these fellows, they are all over the place and are not too proud to beg for food.   The White Ibis is one of 26 species around the world.   In Florida you will find the White Ibis, which has black tipped wings  you can only see this detail when they are flying, the Glossy Ibis, which has brown patches…there is also a Scarlet Ibis in southern Florida, this happens to be the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago and was introduced  to Florida either deliberately or through migration.  I’ve not see the Scarlet one but will watch for it…white.ibis.2016

Chinese Hibiscus

I’ve simply called this flower a hibiscus but apparently it has a grander name…”Chinese Hibiscus”…the leaf of this plant is lovely in it’s own right!flower.2016

From an “Artist’s Garden”…in Key West

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Again, a photo taken while driving home…there is an area in southern Ontario where there are hundreds of windmills along the side of the road in farmers’ fields.  While in theory these are a good source of energy, apparently the vibration causes medical issues for those who live close by?

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skinny buildings…

Every year when I go through Cincinnati I wonder about the ‘skinny buildings’…I’ve done some research trying to find out why the tall thin buildings?  What I found was reference to their historical aspect but nothing with detailed information about this particular architecture preference.   I’m going to assume when these buildings were built the roads were narrow,  with possibly a large influx of settlers, with space being limited?   If anyone knows the reason please leave a message…fyi…photo taken while driving, not me of course!

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You can find this just off Duval Street in Key West…don’t think it would be deemed acceptable here in Canada?

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all in a row…

If you know me at all you know I love trees, especially “naked trees”…without leaves of course!   This was taken while driving on the way home from Florida…fyi…I wasn’t driving!   A crisp cold morning, brrrr.  There is a bit of dirty windshield showing up on the right hand side but I really liked this so excuse the dirt!

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see you later Alligator…

These are such cool fellows…I’ve seen a couple outside the zoo one in particular up close and personal.

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I’ve returned from Florida and have just gotten to my photos.  They will be in random order depending on what I get to next.   Here is a fellow we found at the Naples Zoo.   I’ve been to the zoo a couple of times and enjoy the fact it is small and hasn’t been overly busy when we have been there making it relatively easy to observe the zoo residents…fyi…all my photos taken this trip were with my iPhone it was just easier to carry around.

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holding the moon…

Photo taken while driving…of course I wasn’t the driver…
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abandoned…

One of my photos taken from the vehicle…no…I wasn’t driving.

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You can’t tell from the photo but this little fellow was looking for lunch in the city, with this property butting up to a four lane highway.

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