Roadside Daises Near O'Leno State Park Near High Springs, Florida

While on our annual UUCJ [Unitarian Universalist Church of Jacksonville] retreat at O'leno State Park just outside of High Springs, FL I managed to catch this sight on the scenic drive to this beautiful nature preserve.  I used our Canon Rebel XS with an automatic setting for this shot.  We had pulled just off the side of the road to catch this beautiful spread of wild daises that lit up the country side as they swayed in the breeze.  I was not able to pass it by for a few shots for posterity.  Martha managed to pick a few for out cabin that lent extraordinary color to the spartan offerings for our stay.   

Nature's Palette Cleansed

This past Sunday during the post services festivities for our church, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Jacksonville, what is known as a 'gully washer' took place that is typical of a Northeast Florida Spring/Summer day.  Services had just ended and I almost waited until the rain stopped before leading the sanctuary.  I had changed my mind thinking of the post rain run-off photos I might get and then I happen to catch that very thing thing I was looking for from an eve adjacent to the sanctuary with a series of photos.   I like the pattern the water made as it flowed to its natural gutter run-off end.  I used our Canon Rebel xsi EOS on automatic setting with a 78mm lens.  In retrospect I should have used a faster ISO setting.

The post rain run-off at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Jacksonville

Hibiscus After The Rain

I was able to catch our hibiscus plant in our backyard after an afternoon shower.  I love the beauty of the color contrasting with the background and the beaded rain drops on the petals.  This is probably my wife's favorite flowering shrub in out yard. Even the camera lens cannot capture the real beauty one sees after a rain.  This particular variety is the Hibiscus syriacus named for the Greek officials that tended to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, inspiration, and the arts bestowed upon them by Pedanius Dioscorides a Greek physician and botanist circa 60 - 90 C.E.

The Jacksonville Arboretum: Cutting Edge Technology For The Rains

I love this shot of the rain guage at the Arboretum in Jacksonville.  Cutting edge technology that Thomas Jefferson would love!  I just like the color contrast of the guage against the brown theme of winter/fall starting to fade at the park.  It just would not be the same in a green thatch of grass or somewhere in a yard.  The brown hues int he background with the yellow water gauge is what makes the shot for me.  I shot this with the Canon Rebel xsi EOS digital SLR with a 78mm telephoto lens on automatic setting.  To bad there weren't some drops of water to give it better depth.

A Wood Duck On A Mothers' Day Frolic

While Martha was out tending to her Real Estate business on Mothers' Day Jamie and I took a hike at the Jacksonville Arboretum.  I was able to catch this magnificent and beautiful male Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) or what is commonly referred to as a 'Drake' doing a little frolicing near a wooden overhang for visitors to gawk at on Lake Ray.  Wood Ducks usually nest in old tree cavities along lakes and other wetland areas but may nest as much as one mile from the nearest water.  The Drake is one of the most colorful birds in North America while the female or hen has much subtler color tones with a distinctive teardrop-shaped eye-patch.  I shot this with our Canon Rebel xsi EOS digital SLR on automantic setting through a 78mm lens.

A Wood Duck or 'Drake' paddling on Lake Ray

The Girls & The Max

It was a beautiful morning today and I was up early to mow the lawn.  The girls were taking off in our beautiful new Ford Hybrid C-Max with Martha dropping off Jamie at gym class before heading to he office for a little Saturday office time.  I love the metal tint blue as it produces a great color hue contrast to almost any background.  Let's hope the color coat on the car stays as fresh and shiny 5 years form now.  This was shot with our Canaon Rebel xsi EOS with a 35mm lens on automatic setting.

Jacksonville: City of Bridges - The Dames Point Bridge [Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge]

Jacksonville is called the 'City of Bridges' for a reason.  Every school day when I commute to work I travel over what is known to most motorists as the 'Dames Point Bridge' which is part of the I-295 Interstate road system.  It's offical name is the Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge connecting Arlington and the Northside.  It is named after the 19th Governor of Florida and a former Duval County Sheriff.  I don't know why it took me so long but I finally noticed the other morning the fresh coat of paint the span cables recieved last year.  So I made a mental note on way home after school to stop and take a couple of personal photos of the bridge I've been taking for granted every morning. This is our tax dollars at work and I couldn't be more pleased.  Here are a couple of facts about this beautiful bridge that was offically opened on March 10th, 1989. It took four years to build and is one of the largest cable-stayed bridges in the U.S.  It has 21 miles of cable and 175 ft. high.  Its longest span is 1,300 feet [the main span] and an average of 75,000 vehicles a day make thier way across.  In 1989 dollars it cost $117 million and in 2013 dollars that comes to over $500 million.  I shot the photo below with our Canon Rebel xsi EOS with a 35mm lens on automatic setting.