Tag Archives: Photography

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Gulf Coast Florida History: Spanish Point

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 After enjoying the water and wildlife of Lido Beach, we toured historic Spanish Point.

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Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Spanish Point is an “old Florida oasis”.   Many people think of Florida as Disney, Orlando, and beach front condominiums, but a walk through Spanish Point reveals what Florida was like before it became a tourist/ retirement destination.

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There are four main elements to the overall story of Spanish Point: Prehistory, Pioneer, Palmer and Plants, and we enjoyed a walking tour through all of those elements.  An archaeological record exists on the site from approximately 5,000 years of Florida prehistory.

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I loved learning about Bertha Honore Palmer.  “The Chicago socialite and widow of Potter Palmer came to Sarasota to establish a winter estate. She purchased thousands of acres for cattle ranching, citrus groves, and real estate development.  She named her 350-acre estate “Osprey Point” and preserved the pioneer buildings and connected them with lavish formal gardens and lawns.

She also had vision, and she used her influence to elevate the status of women.  She was quoted as saying that “women have no desire to be helpless and dependent.  Having full use of their faculties, they rejoice in using them”.

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photo credit HistoricSpanishPoint.org

Bertha Honoree Palmer also said “Freedom and justice for all are infinitely more to be desired than a pedestal for a few”.  What a progressive woman!

The Guptill house, built in 1901 and originally rented to winter boarders, is now furnished to reflect the Florida pioneer era.

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Mary’s Chapel was built in 1901 in memory of a young woman who died while staying at the winter resort.  Mary’s parents provided the funding for the Chapel, and it’s six stained glass windows.

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Those six stained glass windows were salvaged when the Chapel was reconstructed in 1986.

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This Gumbo Limbo tree is known as the “tourist tree” because the bark is red and peeling like a sunburn.

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Visitors to Spanish Point can “explore 30 historical, environmental, and archaeological acres at this irreplaceable outdoor museum on Little Sarasota Bay in Osprey, Florida”.  I urge you to visit if  you are in the Sarasota area.

After all the walking and exploring, it was time for a cold beer, and where better to have one than in a Tiki Hut.

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Mother Nature and the local birding wildlife offered a beautiful end of the day show!

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Nest Post: Siesta Beach and the Museum of Art & Whimsy

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Blooming

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Spring is officially here and there are just two more days until a weekend without travel, and an opportunity to visit all of you.

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Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement

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The instructions were simple: sit quietly and wait to be served.

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The Sit-In movement was born in Greensboro, NC.  “Four African American college students walked up to a whites-only lunch counter at the local WOOLWORTH’S store and asked for coffee. When service was refused, the students sat patiently. Despite threats and intimidation, the students sat quietly and waited to be served”

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As the national Sit-In Movement grew, “participants would be jeered and threatened by local customers. Sometimes they would be pelted with food or ketchup. Angry onlookers tried to provoke fights that never came. In the event of a physical attack, the student would curl up into a ball on the floor and take the punishment. Any violent reprisal would undermine the spirit of the sit-in. When the local police came to arrest the demonstrators, another line of students would take the vacated seats”.

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To read more about that day in 1960, and the desegregation efforts that followed, please take a moment to read this brief article.

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That same Woolworth’s building is now the home of the International Civil Rights Center & Museum, whose mission “seeks to ensure that the world never forgets the courage displayed by four young North Carolina A&T State College students, on February 1, 1960, and the hundreds and thousands of college and community youth in Greensboro, in the South and around the country who joined them in the days and weeks that followed which led to the desegregation of the Woolworth lunch counter and ultimately to the smashing of the despicable segregation system in the southern United States”

* Much of the preceding text was taken from the website linked above *

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It would be too easy to assume that racism no longer exists because the more obvious “Whites-Only” signs are long gone.  Sadly, as has been evident in the news of late, racism is still a battle not yet won.

We must never forget, though, the brave ones who led the way to desegregation.

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Pilot Mountain

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On the way home from a weekend in Greensboro, NC, I made a quick stop at Pilot Mountain State Park.

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I’d driven by this natural landmark hundreds of times, but had never stopped.  Despite the chilly temps and overcast sky, it was a nice way to recognize the Spring Equinox.

“Rising abruptly more than 2,000 feet, Pilot Mountain has been a navigational landmark for centuries”.

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Pilot Mountain is capped by two prominent pinnacles.  Big Pinnacle, with walls of bare rock and a rounded top covered by vegetation, rises 1,400 feet above the valley floor, the knob jutting skyward more than 200 feet from its base.

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The mountain is a remnant of the ancient Sauratown Mountains.  To the native Saura Indians, the earliest known inhabitants of the region, Pilot Mountain was known as Jomeokee, the “Great Guide” or “Pilot.” It guided both Native Americans and early European hunters along a north-south path through the area.

The Redbuds are blooming!  Visit these links if you’d like to see more images of the beautiful purple / pink blooms that are some of the first signs of spring.

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The views were limited, yet still enchanting, on such an overcast day.

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The park offers miles of trails, camping, and climbing, and since it’s only an hour and a half from home, I’m thinking it will make for an excellent destination for a spring bike ride.

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Happy Spring Equinox!

Two weekends in a row spent traveling, bracketing full days in the office, leaves very little time for catching up with life, chores, and WordPress.  I miss checking in on all of you and hearing about the interesting things that you are up to, and I’m hopeful that I’ll find some time this week to visit.

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Standing Tall

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What a gift!

Four days on the Gulf Coast of Florida.  I’ve got much to share, but also have four days of chores to catch up on.

So for now, say hello to this handsome Great Grey Heron.

❤

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Gratitude: And Then I Met Anne

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Lynn from Life After 50 offered us wise words this past week.  Give yourself a gift: read this post, and take the 10 minutes to watch an incredible video.

For those who strive to be grateful, to express gratitude, and to remember the gifts in our lives, please watch.

For those who love photography and nature, please watch.

Thanks Lynn!!

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There are people we meet who leave an impact on us.

After a particularly stressful week, I have been feeling overextended & quite honestly, a little sorry for myself.

And then I met Anne.

Anne lives in the same retirement residence as my Mom.  She suffered a stroke 3 years ago, after being left unattended after surgery.  One might think she would be full of anger & resentment, filled with rage at the unfairness of her situation.

Nothing could be further from the truth.  Perhaps she has private moments of self-pity, but every time I run into this beautiful person, she is filled with a positive energy that would put most of us to shame.

Grateful for her life, grateful for the sun shining, expressing concern for others & all but brushing aside her limitations as a result of her stroke.

Without the use of her left side, she has…

View original post 181 more words

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February Ride

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Sixty Degrees on Feb 28th.  Guess where I was?

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For at least a few hours, I was able to ride, to breathe, to smile, and to soothe my spirit,

Then I parked the bike and wandered along the train tracks,

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visited an old historic school building,

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and had a little fun shooting some interesting architecture.

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After a quick stop at the local Pizza House, which I’ve written about before, it was time to head home for the day.

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Hope you were able to spend some time this weekend doing something that brings you joy.

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Walking By History

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During that same morning walk last Sunday, where I saw a few signs of spring, I also saw signs of history.

Signs that cause a distinct sense of sadness and pain,

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others that show the effect of time and weather,

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and some that showcase pride.

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I’ve passed by these markers hundreds, if not thousands of times, mostly on the bike or in the truck.

Walking though, offers time for reflection and commemoration.

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Walkin’ Around

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In an effort to deepen my understanding of the intricacies of my camera, I was up and out early on Sunday to walk and shoot.

Despite the remnants of snow, the signs of spring were everywhere.

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The warming temperatures created a subtle mist that softened this next image.

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Don’t get me wrong.  If it snows again this week, as the forecast predicts, I’ll enjoy that, too.  I’m all about trying to embrace, and capture the beauty of, whatever Mother Nature throws my way.

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Even still, it was lovely to hear the birds singing all along the way.

Time on the bike will be here soon!

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The ERA and the Art of Snow

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I’m a day late for the Valentines Day love, but I’m right on time for the snow love.

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Southwest Virginia is in the midst of another winter storm.  So far, we’ve got 6 inches of unexpected snow, which is soon to be followed by an inch of ice, and I am missing the Equal Rights Amendment Rally at the State Capital.  Did you realize that the ERA has STILL NOT, 100 years later, been ratified?  I’m bummed about that and about missing the rally.

In an effort to keep a positive attitude, I decided to show the snow in a different way.

 How ’bout a little Through the Screen photography?

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Or even some Screen Art?

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or the abstract Snow on Leaves?

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Hang in there, my friends.