The St. Augustine Lighthouse

The last location I checked off my list before I headed back to Charleston was the St. Augustine Lighthouse.   A beauty for sure.  I climbed to the top, but cheated sort of, because I was photographing all the way, so I didn't get in the least bit winded.  While I was working there, I watched many locals who climb up and down the stairs multiple times as a daily exercise regime. That's more interesting than the stairmaster at the local gym!

St. Augustine's Alligator Farm

No visit to St. Augustine would be complete without spending some time at the amazing Alligator Farm, a misnomer really, since this zoo is so much more than alligators.  To be sure, they have a LOT of alligators, more per square inch than most southern swamps.  I was there to photograph their rookeries.  What a chaotic cancophony of  discordant squawking and activity.  Birds of every description are nesting and raising their chicks in every nook and cranny they can find.  Just when you think it impossible to fit another nest in a tree, some resourceful bird has bagged a spot.  All of this is going on above the alligator infested swamp. Here are a few of the birds that I photographed.

Sunrise at Marineland Beach, Florida

I have been wanting to visit this beach for years, made plans in the past but they never materialized for one reason or another.  Finally made it.  What attracted me are the unique outcroppings of coquina rock found along this particular stretch of beach.  Love the textures, and the way the water swirls around them, creating wonderful motion patterns.  This was sunrise, and I went back for sunset later on. Those images will be posted later.

Afternoon in Darien, Georgia

I stopped here for awhile on my way from Charleston down to St. Augustine.  I wanted to see if there was still a good sized shrimp fleet in the Darien River, but as I wandered, I discovered other gems in this sleepy little southern town.  It has quite a history, and I spent some time at the Fort King George State Historic Site, which is very well reconstructed and beautifully maintained.  Wandering through the neighborhoods, I stumbled into Vernon Square, a beautiful park with a fountain and graceful old oaks, surrounded by historic churches and quaint bed and breakfasts.  I need to go back and photograph in softer light to do justice to the town of Darien.

Grandchildren are just the Bomb!

Ah ... seasons in life.  So many roles; child, daughter, sister, mother, and finally grandparent.  Funny how the tide just rolls along and carries you, like it or not.  I still feel the same inside even though of course I know I look very different.  Hopefully I have acquired a little wisdom along the way.  Enough of philosophy.  Suffice it to say that much of my time these days is taken up with these four adorable children.  It's not often that you catch them all looking clean and preppy at the same time, but Easter affords such an opportunity, so I took it and updated their photos, Gideon, Euphrates, Torah and Raven.

 

Last Few of Hunting Island, with a different take!

I have been playing with some painting and texture effects since these kinds of seascapes lend themselves very nicely to some artistic license.  New subject matter coming up (some will be saying, thank goodness for that!)

More from Hunting Island, Beaufort, SC

I have been sifting through literally hundreds of images, and deleting many of them, mostly because they were redundant, but some because they were just no good :)

Here are a couple more from last weekend's excursion.  Here's a shout out to Eric Horan, a great naturalist, photographer, and guide through the creeks and shorelines around Beaufort. If this is something you would enjoy, get in touch with Eric Horan Photography. He knows the area like the back of his hand and does regular shorebird, dolphin and shrimp boat tours.

Water in Motion

Hunting Island called me back.  It is so badly damaged from the storm, and honestly I don't know how the state of South Carolina is ever going to find the funds to re-open it to the public.  Rows of camping sites enjoyed by families for generations have apparently just disappeared.  Trails are impassable.  I didn't break the law and go places that are off limits, but the public has legal access to the beaches below the mean high tide line and that's where I was. Over the next few days I will post a few images of the boneyard debris scattered all over the place, but I also had fun capturing the motion of swirling tides as you can see here.