Tag Archives: nature

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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The OLD MAN in the Keys, a developing digital book

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For want of a title, I thought this was an appropriate one. I am OLD! and I am presently living in my motorhome in a campground in the Florida Keys and I have opinions about this place and the people who visit here.

As I walk and drive around the Keys, I continue to wonder what draws people down here, in this heat and high humidity.

Add the high cost of visiting here, and unless you are a fisherman, the lack of things to do, and what you end up with, is a long string if small islands that exist on tourist dollars and still manage to look worn out and dilapidated.

Well, I have put together several chapters of my musings on just what I see that makes this place so interesting.

If you are in any way interested, I have placed my chapters onto my HubPages site, and you can start with chapter-1 by clicking on the link below.

The Old Man in the Keys

by Don Bobbitt, May, 2017

Sign of Autumn – A lone leaf

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Frog_01-1

A Colorful Leaf

rides a light Autumn Breeze

on its

Trip to Nowhere.

Bamboo_01

 

by Don Bobbitt, 2014
Copyright, DonBobbitt, 2014, All Rights Reserved You are free to use and share this work with others, but if you wish to use it commercially then you must have written permission from the author.

Bamboo_01

Storm over Tampa Bay

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Storm over Tampa Bay

Storm over Tampa Bay

I was sitting at one of my favorite Tiki Bars, called the Sunset Grill, at Little Harbor last week.

It was late afternoon and my wife and I were relaxing over a glass of wine and trying to decide whether to eat there or go home and cook up something later.

We were Just Chillin‘

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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

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.

Autumn_Moon_02

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