Monday, August 18, 2008

Hey it's good to be back home again -

As I said, I sang along with John Denver - This was another of my marathon "whistle-stop" trips. 2500 miles in 11 days! I went first to Atlanta to see my mother, then on to Jacksonville FL. We went to St Augustine just to see what we could see in a few hours. John has 4 sons and a brother in FL, so we decided to stop in for a while to see them all. It was wonderful; the only disappointment was that we had hoped to meet Klaus, and by the time we got near his area, we were really running behind.


St Augustine Beach

Waterfront at St Augustine - looks like a painting waiting, huh?


Fishing pier at Jacksonville Beach.

Jacksonville Sunset..

It was too hot for much birding, even had we had the time, but you gotta do what you gotta do - and we managed a few shots ... all with the "toy cameras" - I didn't even pack the big stuff, and truly wouldn't have had a chance - or the energy - to get it out.

Bob-white in son's yard - they said they had a nesting pair, but they think the snakes got them.

Sandhill crane along the roadside.


Yellow-crowned night heron at Ding Darling..(It turned out that this was really close to John's brother's house, so we took a drive through..)

He wouldn't come out into that lovely light - but there he is!


17 comments:

Marsha said...

Very beautiful shots! Especially to a land locked girl like me :-) Is that really a wild cougar? I would have been shaking too hard to capture that photo!

The Birdlady said...

Well, Floridians call it a Florida panther - it's a big, beautiful, scary cat, at any rate...and he was a long way away.

Anonymous said...

Ah yes, I remember it well... and lucky you to have seen an actual panther! Glad you had a nice trip and that you're home safe and sound.

Anonymous said...

Lovely views Helen, hope you post the completed painting later on.

Shelley said...

Sunset shots- especially the fishing pier were wonderful. Can't believe you were able to capture a shot of that panther - exciting and scary at the same time.

Jayne said...

Welcome home Helen! Beautiful photos of FL. It's good to have you back safe and sound. :c)

John Theberge said...

If that was a wild Florida panther you sure were lucky.

Eve said...

Welcome home Helen...now I've got that song stuck in my head! That's ok, I only listened to that album 5 million times as a kid!! So glad you brought us all the pictures. That panther is something else!! I would have been shocked to see one!! Thanks!

kjpweb said...

Oh wow - a Florida Panther! You go down for a few days and see something like that? I must be doing something wrong! ;)
Wonderful pics!
Cheers, Klaus

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Helen: What a great post and loved all your photos. A panther in the wild? That is an amazing capture.

NCmountainwoman said...

Glad you're back safe and sound before the severe weather hit down there. I just love Ding Darling. It's always different no matter how many times you may go.

Especially loved the sunset shots.

Mary said...

Beautiful beach and sky shots! Looks so peaceful! And the birds are terrific even if you didn't have much time. I think I would be glad that the cat kept its distance :-) Welcom home!

Anonymous said...

wow that looks like it was a fun trip. The beach pictures makes me what to visit a beach soon.

jalynn01 said...

I must say you did good with that 'play camera'. I love the shot of the 'cat' and also the Crane. Lovely! The sunsets were gorgeous too. Glad you are back safe and sound.

abb said...

Wonderful photos! Great panther shot - love it!

Peggy said...

The panther is fantastic-How you ever got to see one of those rare glimpses is amazing!

Willard said...

It's good to hear that you had a safe and successful trip and to see the photos you got.

They are good, even if you couldn't take your big equipment along. I know the feeling on that. I am about to go to Yellowstone, but due to logistics am leaving my 500mm lens at home.