Guana River State Park

Members of the Beaches Photography Club went on an outing a week ago.  We went to the Guana River State Park and Preserve and spent the afternoon taking photos.  I had never been there before - and what an interesting place it was!  We hiked (or moseyed) along a trail that was about 1 and 1/2 miles long - snapping photos along the way.  It was a beautiful afternoon.  The sun was out, there was a slight breeze, and there were so many interesting looking trees and vines and lichen.  We didn't see much in the way of wildlife.  However, there were many "no-see-ums" that seemed to attack when there was no breeze.  We stayed until sunset and took more photos and then we almost had to jog to get out of the trail area before it got too dark.  I was glad I had a flashlight with me!  This is a great place to come back to and spend more time on the trails.  There is a lot to explore - and a lot to photograph!

Lights and Sounds of Christmas in Jacksonville

Before going to The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens last Tuesday, I went to Friendship Park in Jacksonville.  There is a pretty fountain there in which the music and lights are programmed with the water to make a gorgeous display!  This fountain is close to the Main Street bridge, otherwise known to me as the blue bridge, which was even bluer with its lights!

I walked part way up to the top of the bridge, which was easy to do and very popular with joggers!  It is a drawbridge and before I got to the top, traffic was halted and crossing bars went down so the bridge could open for a sailboat.  I didn't complete my walk up to the top of the bridge and down to the other side to the Jacksonville Landing, but I had a great view of the Landing from my position on the bridge.

The lights back at Friendship Park and Fountain seemed to be even more spectacular, since the sun had set.

After taking more photos, and wishing that I had brought a tripod to take the evening shots, I went to The Cummer which had two great exhibits going on.  One was a photographic study of people and customs in Africa that was just about ready to leave the museum.  The other was the first night of a special exhibit of paintings about Florida.

Signs of the Holiday Season!

As I have been driving and wandering recently, I have noticed many signs of the coming holiday season.  I was amazed to see not only one, but two and sometimes three cut Christmas trees on car tops during the days after Thanksgiving, in North Carolina!  In that area of North Carolina, the most north-western part, Christmas tree farms are big business.  Just from the many cars with trees that I saw in a couple of days, I can see why!  We didn't bring one back from NC with us - I just wasn't sure what a tree would be like after riding for 10 hours down a highway on top of a car.  There are plenty of tents set up here with trees that have come from many places north of here.  One is from the same area where we were at Thanksgiving.  I haven't been there yet to get a tree, but I know that I will get my tree there as I have done in previous seasons.  
The city of Atlantic Beach has transformed the entire area near the beach with the holiday decorations they have put up.  Here are a few pictures.  Lifeguard chairs and surf boards make all the decorations more interesting!

Working on a Poster!

Every now and then I like to work on a poster - putting together some of my photos that seem to go together.  A couple of years ago I did one showing photos of various market scenes in Aix-en-Provence.  It was one of the first ones I worked on - and my son helped me finish the final steps in Photoshop Elements to make sure I could print the poster the way I wanted to print it.  I like to use my HP wide format printer with 13 x 19 photo paper to print the poster.  Recently, I've been taking a class in Photoshop Elements at UNF, hoping I could learn more about this program myself!  The other day, I put some of my butterfly photos together to make a poster.  I decided to use photos showing nine different types of butterflies and identify them with their names below their photos.  Here is a small version of what I have been working on!

Fall Festival time!

Several weeks ago I went to North Carolina to go to two festivals, not to show my photography, but to enjoy the work of other artists.  Both festivals were held near each other, but both were different.  I like to go to Valle Crucis on Saturday - actually, it is only held on Saturday!  The first stop is always to get some apple butter that has been made by church members using all the different varieties of local apples that are grown around there.  It is delicious apple butter!  Sometimes the number of jars that one is allowed to purchase is rationed....this year there was no rationing - it must have been a good year for apples.  And our kids always ask for us to get them a jar.  The apple butter immediately goes to the car so it doesn't have to be carried around.  Next stop is for kettle corn....then I can begin to relax and really look at all the displays.  It is nice to see some of the same artists year after year and see what they have been working on.  I always take my camera with me because the festival is held in a valley with the most beautiful trees surrounding it!

The next day is the Woolly Worm festival....it is a two day festival.  The kids and grandkids  have practiced racing their woolly bear caterpillars up a string to get ready for the races at the festival.  None of us ever win at the festival, but it is so much fun trying!!  Then we wander for awhile and get something warm to eat.  The most important stop at this festival (well, other than racing the caterpillars) is to get a bag or two of local apples.  These are the most wonderful apples - so tasty!  And we have learned not to leave them outside on the deck of the cabin if we don't want to share them with the raccoons!