March 04th, 2021

Joy is away this week so I hiked solo.  Which means that I stayed on island. But it doesn't mean that I forgot to take pictures! No Siree!   I walked for hours, with the camera which means it's time for:  The Photo Safari Report!

I don't know how much of a safari it is when you are within shouting distance of assistance at all times. Ok not a photo safari this time. But it was still a nice long walk with a camera in my hand so ......................pictures :)

The weather was beautiful but the wind was fierce which sometimes made capturing a shot tricky.  I would have the shot all lined up and perfect and then the wind would blow the subject out of focus once again. At first it was frustrating and then it was just funny.  That's ok. I got some pictures anyway!

As you all well know, I never know what I'm going to end up with any time I set out with my camera whether I'm with Joy in a nature preserve or state forest or by myself wandering around loose in my own town.   The same held true yesterday.   And in the end, what I mostly got pictures of was flowers.   Flowers of all sorts. Potted flowers, wild flowers, flowers in gardens and flowering blossoms on trees. It was glorious!   

I took photos of flowers everywhere: at  the arboretum, in parks, along the trails and sidewalks and even in people's yards!  Well I didn't go into their yards, I have a telephoto lens!  Nobody seemed to mind. Or at least nobody called the cops on me!  Yikes!

And this is just the start of the flowering season!  We aren't even to the most colourful part!  Can you imagine?   The City of Venice does a wonderful job of keeping stunning hanging pots and elaborate planters full of colourful and fragrant blossoms in the parks and around town throughout the year.  But most of the rest of the posies have a definite blossoming season and it's only just begun.

I did capture a few folks hard at work.  One is of a muralist who is working on the wall around our post office!  Instead of a boring old brick and stucco wall, it's a delightful garden!  Or it will be when she is done.  The other photo is of some of the construction workers labouring over our new Fire Station!  Woohoo!

There were a few architectural things that caught my eye along the way, but I held back a bit more than I normally would this time around. (Not sure why)  Anyway, there are only a few things.  Perhaps another walk will be mostly architectural and design elements and only a few flower?  Hey anything is possible.

Even managed to capture some "wildlife" photos!  I speak of course of birds.  I didn't set out with the express intention of taking photos of birds, but the little critters are everywhere!  A few times it was almost as if they stopped to pose for me.  Very thoughtful of them!  I"ll just include a few here for you:

Just in general, there is some pretty scenery here abouts. So many lovely places to walk just right here on island!  And not all of it on the beach. Although to be fair, that is probably my favourite

And because it's my favourite place, naturally, that's where I finished my trek. At the beach.  The wind being so fierce yesterday  meant really good waves.  But it also meant, wild and crazy hair and salt spray in my face and on my camera lens. So I did have to stop frequently to clean both the camera and my reader glasses.  Totally worth it!

I needed a thorough wash up and a comb when I returned home, to say nothing of the amount of sand I poured out of my shoes!  And that's just fine too.  The price one pays for living in paradise I suppose.  Just to give you an idea of the wind yesterday here are two photos of me, first tired but cleaned up and combed after the walk and the other taken while standing on the beach.  Check out the hair! LOLOL!

At any rate, Joy will be back next week so the photo safari report ought to be more safari and less suburb.  For now?  Hugs all 'round.