Ann-Christine’s challenge is Alone Time. She tells us ”Alone time means time spent by an individual or a couple apart from others. It is often used to ground oneself, or to do something creative.” She asks us to share our thoughts and share what we use our alone time for.
I treasure my alone time. Sometimes I just want a quiet place to sit and do nothing. Other times I like to read or grab my camera to find something to photograph. Working in my garden or working on my blog posts are other ways I spend alone time. When we are at home I often enjoy some alone time in the rope swing shown in the above image.
Traveling to a remote national or state park is a great way to enjoy some time alone. Being far away from civilization allows me to enjoy the nature around me.
Alone at sunrise in Flamingo, Florida, Everglades National ParkAlone in the Okefenokee Swamp, Fargo, GeorgiaAlone in the Denali Wilderness, Denali National Park, Alaska
Closer to home, we can take a boat ride to one of Georgia’s deserted barrier islands and be the only people there.
Bren’s challenge is to show how we bring softness to our photos. She tells us ” You don’t have to stick to flowers, landscapes and architecture are also ideal subjects. By lowering the clarity and creating softness in those areas frames the subject in an image, be it a tree, path, bridge, even a door or house or just a dreamy looking image.”
My first image is a landscape photo from Lake Bistineau in Louisiana. I used my photo editing software to create a radial blur surrounding the tree stump.
Wildlife
Another method I experimented with was creating a vignette effect. It seemed to work well with the pair of pelicans and the bunny in the following images. I used a radial blur for the deer in the woods.
Flowers
My final two images are flowers softened with a radial blur.
Amy’s challenge is to explore differences between locations in the East and West or North and South using culture, architecture, plants, or landscape. I’m going to take a look at the differences between North Georgia and South Georgia landscapes. The opening image is springtime in Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah.
North Georgia
North Georgia has mountains, waterfalls, Tallulah Gorge, and the highest point in Georgia.
View from top of Brasstown Bald, the highest point in GeorgiaBlack Rock Mountain State ParkL’Eau d’Or Falls in Tallulah GorgeOne of the waterfalls as seen from Inspiration PointSylvan Falls in Mountain City, GAAda-Hi Falls in Black Rock Mountain State Park
South Georgia
South Georgia is flat and has the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, barrier islands, beaches, salt marsh, farmland, pecan groves, and historic Savannah.
Okefenokee LandscapeNanny Goat Beach, Sapelo Island, GeorgiaSunrise at Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, GAEarly Morning Salt Marsh
Our home away from home for our recent getaway to Florida’s Gulf Coast was a cute Airbnb in a quiet neighborhood near Crystal River. It was our first Airbnb experience and it was exactly what we were looking for. When we weren’t out exploring the area we enjoyed just relaxing on the large screened porch or walking around the neighborhood in search of wildlife.
I started each day with a walk. The sunrises were glorious and I enjoyed seeing the many birds each day.
Florida Sunrise Brown pelicans stand by while an American White Pelican scratches an itchTwo kinds of pelicansA fisherman tossed a fish to this Great Blue Heron who enjoyed a free breakfastIbisBrown pelican at sunrise
Weeki Wachee Springs
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park was just a 45 minute drive south so we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see the famous mermaid show there. The park is celebrating it’s 75th anniversary this year. In addition to the mermaid shows there is a swimming beach, Ranger led wildlife talks, picnic areas, kayaking and a nature cruise on the Weeki Wachee River. Mermaid statues around the park are part of the 75th anniversary celebration.
We took the nature cruise where we saw Martha, one half of the resident Bald Eagle pair George and Martha, and a Tri-Colored Heron in the mangroves.
The highlight of our visit was attending the mermaid show. We arrived early for the show and while we waited for the main show we were entertained with videos of the history of the park and highlights of some of the old mermaid shows. My favorites were the old black and white videos with the mermaids in their old style swimsuits.
Swimming with Manatees
One of my bucket list items was to swim with the manatees in Crystal River. We had done this back in the 1990’s and I’ve been wanting to do it again ever since. We booked an early morning tour with Fun2Dive in Crystal River. Before we left home we watched a manatee manners video which explained what was acceptable and what was not when in the water with these gentle giants.
I donned a wetsuit and met our guide at the dive shop before riding a bus to the dock where we boarded our boat, the Manatee Life for a tour through the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. There are several springs which are protected Manatee sanctuaries in the refuge. Henry stayed on the boat with the captain to watch the manatees from above the water. I was one of four guests who got in the water with our guide. As soon as we hit the water we watched a small female chewing on the anchor line of another boat.
Two manatees enter the sanctuary while we humans watched from outside the roped off areaFollowing our guide outside the sanctuary in search of manatees
Our guide led us in our search and showed us where to look. We spotted several manatees and stayed in the water for about an hour before getting back on the boat. Our captain then took us on a boat ride around the bay to a second location. The highlight of the day was observing a huge female moving along the bottom grazing on the grass as we watched. She weighed about 1500 pounds and ignored us.
We watched her for a while before it was time to head back to the boat. While we were in the water Henry and the captain spotted a mating herd in the water near us.
Scenic Drive on Fort Island Trail
Another day we took a drive along the Fort Island Trail. We stopped to walk out on a fishing pier on the Gulf and watched a manatee swim under the pier. We took a walk on a beautiful white sand beach near the pier and stopped at another smaller fishing pier before returning home.
Boardwalk trail on Fort Island TrailA manatee swam under the fishing pierFort Island BeachView from fishing pier at Citrus County Fort Island Trail Park
Sunset
Watching the sunset on Florida’s Gulf Coast was a great way to end each day.
I am grateful that in 2022 we were able to take not one but two fabulous cruises, enjoy a wonderful weekend with family attending our grandson’s high school graduation, and take a few short road trips. When we weren’t wandering we enjoyed being at home in Coastal Georgia.
January
Barbados
February
Camellia
March
University of Georgia Arch
April
Georgia Salt Marsh
May
Magnolia, Coastal Georgia
June
Sunrise over the St. John’s River, Palatka, Florida
Wandering Dawgs 