Veterans Day Parade

The annual Veterans Day parade was held yesterday morning in downtown Sarasota.  Very patriotic with thousands coming out to thank veterans for serving our country.  As I snapped this photo on Main Street, it struck me...

 This could have been a scene from the '50s.  What do you think?

Lots of ROTC cadets marched in the parade.

Always love to see the parade goers proudly waving the American flag.

And, so nice to see the younger generation paying tribute to our vets.

The topper for the morning's event was....a military flyover!  Two F-16s from Homestead Air Reserve roared over the ceremony.  Awesome!  Thanks to all the veterans.

Oystercatcher

Who can resist the the bright orange beak and orange-yellow eyes of an oystercatcher? Not me! Such a unique seabird. I spotted this guy this past weekend during a relaxing day at Lover's Key State Park near Ft. Myers Beach.  Oystercatchers prefer environs south of Sarasota, so it was fun to encounter this one....who appeared to have his head cocked and ready for his closeup.  Nice!

Hello!

Just popping my head up to say hello and let everyone know all's well. It's been a very busy past month preparing and recovering from Hurricane Irma. At long last, yesterday, the SDP Editor-in-Chief ordered the entire staff to get outside and enjoy Mother Nature -- DSLR in hand.  We visited one of my wildlife go-to locations near Ft. Myers to check on the burrowing owls.  Success!  This one was quite cute and a bit camera shy, playing peek-a-boo between the blades of grass. Love these little guys! Nice to be out and about again. Hope everyone in the blogosphere has been doing well!

Weekend Ready

 

 I think one of these chairs has my name on it this weekend. 

 Happy Friday!

Quick Change

The entire SDP team ventured out for sunset Thursday night on Sarasota Bay.  We were poised for an incredible sunset, when all of a sudden a small cloud materialized next to the setting sun and quickly expanded into a very large cloud blocking the sun. (As the SDP Jr. Editor observed, it grew like Aladdin being released from his lamp.  The Editor-in-Chief, on the other hand, viewed it more as a map of Scotland, with Mother Nature paying homage to Sarasota's Scottish roots.) Anyway, the glow of the yellow-orange sunbeams radiating from behind the cloud and reflecting off the clouds above was quite impressive. Goes to show...you never know for sure what you're going to get with a sunset here. Happy Saturday!

The Big Orange

Have I mentioned we've been having some incredible sunsets this summer?

Happy Hump Day!

Aaah...Anhinga!

An anhinga drying its wings just before sundown on Sarasota Bay.

Aka: bird photographer's delight!