Fresh Florida Seafood

Did I mention how good it is to be back in Florida after spending four days in cold, snowy Ohio? They just don't get the fresh seafood like we do here.

Sunset Tonight

Right before the sun finally went down, I found a pair of ospreys working on their nest. They were building it atop a remnant of the old fort that used to occupy the site, hence the name Ft. DeSoto. One of the birds would fly away every few minutes, circle around until he spotted a good piece of nest material, grab it, then bring it back to the nest. They'd both spend some time working it into the intricate design, then the cycle would repeat. The actual sunset is below. To the left of the sun is a large freighter that had passed by about half an hour earlier. I couldn't see it when I took the picture, since I was pretty much looking into the sun, so I was surprised when it showed up in the picture. I'm thinking that both of these pictures are early contenders for calendar shots next year.

Water Sports

There was plenty of activity in the water as well as the air at Ft. DeSoto today. The cormorant above was spending a few seconds on the surface between dives when I caught him. I had to get him at just the right angle so that his turquoise eye would show up. I don't know what purpose that odd coloration serves, but it sure does look cool. The pair of dolphins below were two of a group of five or six that were playing just off the pier. They never got close enough for me to see any more of their bodies than this, though. I was pretty happy to get this much of them in the shot!

Awesome Osprey

I went up to Ft DeSoto this afternoon, and wound up shooting some ospreys. I must have shot four or five hundred pictures, but this was only about the third one, and I'm so impressed that I'm going to go ahead and post it. Just look at him, frozen in mid-air like that, staring right at the camera. What a great shot!

Two For Tueday, Episode Nine Or So

It's Tuesday, and I'm in Ohio. But through the magic of the internet, I can still post you a little bit of music. Today's two tracks are drum workouts from a couple of later-day big bands, Billy May and Pete Rugolo. I could tell you more about them, but it's late and I'm tired. If you have any questions after you've downloaded and listened, just leave me a comment and I'll see what I can do. FYI-The drummers on the Pete Rugolo track are Shelly Manne, Mel Lewis & Larry Bunker. Oh, and the piano is played by one Andre Previn. So go download these things, and don't forget to check back every week for more musical excitement!

And Then There Was Snow

Well, here I am in Ohio, and what a shock to the system. The shot above is from right before I boarded the plane. That's the skyline of Tampa off to the right. And below was the view outside the terminal after landing at Cleveland-Hopkins a few hours later. It was actually snowing quite a bit while the plane was landing, but it ended quickly. It's been fairly nice ever since, if you can call anything below freezing nice. At least it's not snowing anymore...

The Next Week Of March

The calendar page this week is a gorge in Brecksville, Ohio. That's Tinker Creek you see running through the rocks and under that stone bridge in the background. I believe it's Route 82 that runs over top of the bridge. Oddly enough, I'm actually headed to Ohio tomorrow morning, but I doubt if I'll have any time to get out and take pictures. But you never know.

Update: I was mistaken. It's not Tinker Creek that flows throught this gorge, it's Chippewa Creek. It flows all through the Brecksville reservation, eventually reaching the Cuyahoga River. Sorry about that screw-up. I guess I did get some use out of my recent trip to Ohio after all.

Volume 8 For Hi-Fi Living

It's been three weeks since the last time I shared a volume of Hi-Fi Living with you, but I'm back in the groove and ready to go tonight. We're going to spend a little time at the beach, or at least long enough to take a picture. Doesn't the blanket that the woman is on look like a big pair of lips? I wonder if that's intentional? Hmmm... Anyhow, please download and enjoy Malcolm Lockyer And His Orchestra-A Lazy Afternoon-Vol. 8 For Hi-Fi Living (RCA Custom RAL-1008, 1957). It's smoooooooooooooooooth!

Don't forget, if you're just joining the party, you can still download the previous 7 volumes of this series (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). And stay tuned, we're in the home stretch now, with only volumes 9 through 12 left to go!