Tag Archives: Florida

The Beauty of Sunsets

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Everyone loves watching a Sunset!

And it’s hard to find a person who will not stop in their tracks, even if only for a moment, to watch one that is exhibiting a beautiful and unique combination of colors and patterns.

So, I often think about just why Sunsets are so popular with people around the world and I come up with what I consider two great reasons.

First of all, there is the unmatchable and awesome beauty if a Sunset as it goes through the minute by minute changes of it’s dying phases, as it slowly drops below the horizon.

But, personally,  I think there is yet another reason for the popularity of watching Sunsets; and that is the fact that by the time of day the sun is setting over the horizon so many people are themselves just beginning to relax after their daily. And the act of watching such a fascinating event gives a strong sense of calm to the one’s watching.

And by the way, if you think about it, all beautiful sunsets are not just the ones giving off so many great mixtures of the color spectrum; but rather, because of different weather conditions, they can often just be a subtle change in shading and light, taking the viewer from the brightness of daily light to the darkness of another night of rest.

The reason I mention all of this is the fact that I am sharing a recent picture I took of a Sunset that is as beautiful as it is simple.

The picture I share with you here, is one I took at a restaurant called Marker-88 in the Florida Keys, not long ago.

It was right after the Sun had set and the ambient light was quickly fading over the Gulf of Mexico providing me with a great shot of simple colors and shadows.

by Don Bobbitt, October, 8, 2017

Copyright, Don Bobbitt, October 8, 2017, All Rights Reserved.
The reader is free to enjoy and share this article and attachments with friends, but if it is to be used in any commercial way, the author must give permission, in writing beforehand.

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Things you think about in the KEYS on the last day of MAY

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I’m just doing a little “free-association” writing here.

Here are some of the things you think about when you are living in the Florida Keys when you realize it’s the last day of May and Summer is really here;

This the first day of the Hurricane Season, so for some reason, whenever the news people say there is a storm coming, those horrific news photos of Hurricanes striking land pop into your mind.

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What I Got! – Today!

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Wanna know what I got?

I got a rising Sun over the Atlantic shining in my Eyes.

I got Palm Trees waving in the morning breeze,

I got warm Sand under my feet and in my plastic shoes.

I got strangers, walking by, smiling and saying Hello to me.

I got families with small children giggling as they play at the edge of the Water.

I got waves coming in and wiping out sand castles built with such care, only an hour ago.

Or, should I just say;

I got Life, surrounding me with so many great things that I just have to Smile stupidly at everyone that I see.

by DON BOBBITT, April,4 2017

Copyright Don Bobbitt, April, 2017, All Rights Reserved.

Traffic Control Situation, A Florida Thing!

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My wife and I were out on one of our (sometimes daily) walks, around our community and there he (it?) was, a turtle in the middle of the street.

He was a 15-16-inch-long example of one of our lake turtles that we see all over Florida. Its back was scarred and had a coating of what looked like a grayish moss 0r mold growing on it. Its head was extended and its legs were doing everything they could to get across that expanse of asphalt.

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I live in Florida, so where did the Sun go?

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I have to say it!

I live in Florida, dammit!  And when I’m not bathed in sunshine every day, I start to worry.

It’s why we all live here, on this long finger of land, really. Oh, you can come up with any of a long list of the advantages of living in Florida, but in reality, we’re here for the Sunshine.

We worked for decades, in cold weather, in office buildings, in factories, always IN somewhere, saving our money for the chance to get the Heck away from the crappy weather further North.

OK, OK, there are a certain number of you that act like you enjoy sliding, out of control, down a snow and ice covered mountainside.

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Horseshoe Crab Shell , A walk on a Beach in the Flats.

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I am one of those Lucky people, living in the Tampa area, who has a friend that owns a Boat. And we are often invited to just go out onto the Tampa Bay and enjoy the water and the many small islands (keys) and beaches, with them.

There were five of us on the boat the other day and we were just tooling around in the area that everyone calls the “flats”. It’s called the Flats because the water in the area is very shallow , often just 1-3 feet deep. And, if you do go there be aware that the area requires some careful navigation to avoid grounding your boat or Prop. But the extra caution is worth it.

Besides the great fishing in the Flats, there are beautiful white sandy beaches that you can pull up to and Picnic, or just take a walk on the beach and enjoy the cooling Bay breezes and near perfect weather.

My Buddy eventually did just that and pulled his boat onto a beautiful clean beach on an island. He jumped into the knee-deep and clear waters to do a little cleaning on the rear of his boat, and the ladies pulled out our light picnic lunches, singing along with some old Parrot Head music on the radio.

Me? I took the opportunity to stroll down the beach with my camera. I snapped a few good shots along the way, including this lonely, empty shell of a Horseshoe Crab.

Eventually, I turned, retracing my steps and when I got back to the boat, we sat and talked, mostly about nothing, as we devoured our lunch.

Then, a push-off from the beach, and a smooth ride home.  I can’t wait until we get another invitation to explore Tamps Bay.

DON

Orange Wave

by DON BOBBITT May, 2013

Copyright  DON BOBBITT 2013,  All Rights Reserved

Orange Wave

Gator Food on the Golf Course

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Water Turtle

Water Turtle

You find these all over Florida in the small ponds and lakes. This one measured almost 18-inches along the shell. This time of the year, they are busy laying eggs to feed the larger birds before they go back into the water to provide a meal or the ever growing Gators.

Don

 

 

 

 

Say HELLO to my Little Friend

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Nig Mama Gator

Big Mama Gator

This elegant lady, that we all call “Mama GATOR” is one of our many wandering examples of florida wildlife in our community, here at Riverside Club.

I caught this shot while she was “sunnin'” next to our Boat docks. Aint she cute.

by Don Bobbitt, 2013

Just Thinkin’ – Internet Sales Tax

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I was Just Thinkin’

I was Just Thinkin’ about an Internet Sales Tax

OK, Here I go on one of my stupid Rants.

I am a Techno-Geek, an Old One, I admit, but still, as Popeye says, “I Am What I Am“.

So, from my perspective, I have watched this Internet world of ours blossom into what it is today.

Hold on, for a minute. Yes, it is confusing, filled with great and awful things, sources and people. But, in my opinion, the good far exceeds the bad, so I keep on using it.

Why do I by on the Internet? For the convenience and specifically for the PRICE! That’s right, I want the best Price on the best Product. Part of that price is the presence of a Sales Tax.

With that said, I just want to express my frustration about this Internet Sales Tax issue that is now in our Florida legislature.

Here are my questions and thoughts:

  1. If they start forcing an automatic Internet Sales Tax on Floridians, how much will they actually gain for the state coffers.
  2. Yes – They will get more money, of course, from companies in other states that are forced to collect.
  3. Yes – Individual Floridians will now have to pay the same extra tax cost whether they shop with Florida companies or not.
  4. Yes, This means that the individual Floridian online shopper will lose a decent discount of 6% on whatever they purchase, regardless of the location of the company.  
  5. And, Yes, we all know, and wink at the fact that most individuals do not make or claim these sales taxes.

In conclusion, what I see coming in our complex global economic system is the fact that, by leveling the sales tax field, Florida companies will, in all probability, no longer have this slight pricing advantage for many individual shoppers.

Look at it logically. If I can get the same product, from multiple companies, and they are priced the same, do I really care where it comes from?

Especially considering that the only other variable to consider is Shipping, and so many companies now offer this for free.

Anyway, I was Just Thinkin’

DON

 

SOUTHERN DANCER

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Graybeards on Peace River

Introduction

When I wrote this little “non-poem”, several years ago, I had been in a campground in central Florida for a couple of months.
It was our first really long stay at one place during the winter in our RV. And we had really learned a lot about “long stay” camping. The most important lesson, I think, was just how to relax and enjoy your surroundings.
The weather was so grand that winter, that at night we opened our side windows by our bed, to allow the night breezes to blow and keep us cool.
The very first night, I noticed that if I turned onto my left side, in bed, the view out my window was of an enormous old Live Oak tree.
The limbs of that majestic, old tree spread in all directions and were covered with long and beautiful strands of Spanish Moss. During the day, they were a beautiful combination.
But at night, directly across the campground was a common yellow street light, and it gave a fantastic backlight to the Spanish Moss hanging on this majestic tree.
Being a light sleeper, I wake up often during the night, and I often amuse myself with writing stories and such in my head.
Often, I am so inspired by my idea that I get up and jot down notes on what I have come up with. Must of my “night notes”don’t survive the light of the day, but occasionally one will, and get turned into something like this story.
Anyway I go into the habit of just staring at this ight and shadow show presented to me by this combination of Tree Limbs, Spanish Moss, and the Night Winds, and I would let my imagination run free and sway with the Moss on the winds.
You see, to me, what I was watching, out that little RV window really did give me the feeling of watching a complex ballet in the air.
The view was often so compelling, and I would become so entranced, that I had to force myself to turn away and go back to sleep. I hope this writing of mine imparts some of that feeling to you, also.

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Graybeards

I am lean, and lithe,
as I dance in the sweet summer breeze,
under my full bright Moon.
I sway and catch the night scents,
of a distant Magnolia,
and freshly bloomed Gardenia,
Then, suddenly,
the sweetness of both are overpowered,
by the pungent odors, of a nearby Lilac.
All of them seem to be competing,
for my fickle, yet hungry attention.
Both day and night,
through weather fair and foul,
they haunt me.
A fresh gust of air, from nowhere,
and without volition,
my fellow Graybeards and I,
are caught up in our,
never ending dance of life,
swaying,
synchronized and silent.
We gather ourselves,
then slowly dance,
first left, then right,
but always,
at the mercy of the wind.
Never complaining nor crying,
but instead rejoicing,
in the flavors delivered by the wind.
Our insatiable appetites,
receiving sustenance with each burst
and shift of the fickle air.
I rejoice in the breezes,
as I feed on the air itself.
I am Spanish Moss,
I never tire,
and my hunger never ends.

by DON BOBBITT, Copyright 2009, All Rights Reserved