Study in Motion

TS Fay for all intent and purpose, topped off lake Okeechobee. Hurricane Gustav is building south of Cuba and headed northwest and TS Hanna isn't sure what direction to take. It's overcast and blustery with occasional showers and easy to create images that have motion without the typical motion filter application in CS-3. The result, the two images above on a soggy US-1, Plantation Key.

Ah, Hurricane Season

Hurricane season is here again.  Tropical Storm Fay is on the way and just a few days away. Hopefully she'll stay a TS and won't grow to hurricane strength.  The two photos of the hurricane monument are in Islamorada, dedicated to those civilians and veterans who perished in the storm of 1935.  200 mile per hour winds and a tidal wave estimated at 17 feet destroyed the Florida Keys and Henry Flagler's railroad back then. Today, million dollar homes line the shore and the Flagler railroad has long since been replaced with US-1, soon to be designated a "scenic highway".

Beach Road, Islamorada

Beach Road, Islamorada, when the end of the road is just the beginning . . .

Red-shoulder Hawk

I was watching traffic one day recently and noticed that I wasn't alone. Sitting on the cable vision line trying to find that "next" meal was a red-shouldered hawk.  He checked me out cautiously as I approached. The idea is to shoot, take a few steps, shoot, take a few more steps. Once you hit that imaginary "too close" line, the game is over and he flies away. He did. Plantation Key.

Flora found

Photographer Ed Cale, aka back country fishing guide, guided me to a private estate for a little macro photography. We worked the property separately and then compared final images later. Needless to say, the results were great. Above is the calliandra surinamensis, Pink Powder Puff a Brazilian import. Botanist I am not, but, Luis Canedo from Audubon could help and did. 

Snake Creek as seen from the Atlantic side.  On the west side of the creek is the subdivision of Venetian Shores, created from the canal dredging spoils. The green areas of mangrove are what help to protect the island chain.

There is a fragility to the Keys too. Above, open sandy areas can easily be seen amongst the sea grass beds. The thin white line in the bottom left hand corner is a prop scar from a power boat passing over the sea grass at too low a tide. These ocean front estates are on Upper Matecumbe, Islamorada.  — Pete