Off the Grid

SDP Headquarters is shutting down for awhile.  Rather than returning 'new and improved', staff has every intention of returning just the same!  See you around July 4th.

Going Down

As you know, I've been taking a photo of gas prices once a month for the past few months at the same gas station in Sarasota. My what a difference one month makes! Since May, the price has has dropped 32 cents. One day it plummeted 18 cents in four hours! This particular gas station never hit $4.00, but came very close at $3.98, which was fortunate for me (and my co-workers) because I had vowed to bicycle to work when it hit the $4/gallon mark. Let's hope this trend continues. Stay tuned!

Multi-Modal

There's lots of talk in Sarasota about increasing multi-modal transportation....like biking and walking.

Earth Mother

The city of Sarasota has an extensive public art collection, including this ceramic clay piece, created by Jack Cartlidge in 1983, which sits outside City Hall. This one is called 'Earth Mother' and has always captured my attention since it gives the illusion of an oversized human reposing in the midst of this greenery and spanish moss. Cartlidge passed away several years ago and was well known in Sarasota, having created 20 percent of the city's public art collection. To learn more about public art in Sarasota click here.

Wednesday Doorway: Tropical Cat

The bright colors prompted me to pause for a moment during a neighborhood walk and take in this doorway. And that's when I noticed the smokey feline peering through the vegetation protecting the area like a tropical jungle cat. I'm still not sure what to make of it all. Especially when you toss the cat carrier into the mix.

Least Sandpiper?

It took a bit of chasing, but I finally got a shot of this little fellow scooting around the celery fields in rural Sarasota County. After studying my 'Birds of Florida' field guide, I've decided it's a Least Sandpiper --- not a Western Sandpiper. The primary difference (to me) is that the Least Sandpiper has 'dull yellow legs', according to the guide, while the Western has black legs. Of course, there's a chance it's a Semipalmated Sandpiper, a Lesser Yellowlegs or a Sanderling. Ugh! So many shorebirds with so many similarities! For now, I'm calling it a Least Sandpiper. Anyone know for sure???

Nothing To Lose Your Head Over

I encountered this great blue heron fishing near the Siesta Key bridge and I was rather perplexed when it caught this fish sans body. After a few minutes of watching the bird (which seemed equally perplexed and aware that something was missing), I realized some nearby fishermen probably had chopped off the heads of their catch and tossed them in the bay. He seemed to want a whole fish --- and a live one that would put up a bit of a fight --- because over the course of the next 15 minutes, it couldn't decide what to do: eat it...or leave it? Time and time again, it pulled the head out of the water, shook it, and walked around with it, only to drop it back in the water with an air of disappointment. Finally, though, it must have figured the fish head was at least an appetizer and **gulp** down the hatch it went, in one big, disturbing swallow. Wow.