Doing what I love!

 

I love being out on the water!

Boating is something I did when I lived on Long Island and it's what I do here in Florida.

The only difference is that I can now do this all year round.

The photo above was taken on a sunset sail in Key West, Florida.

November sunsets on Long Island

The November sky on Long Island, back in 2005 when I first started this blog, I took a similar photo just the other day. Although my photography skills have gotten better and my camera gear more expensive, it still can't compare to the spectacular show produced by Mother Nature.
I'm thankful and humbled by the beauty I see every day!

Sunset from Davis Park

Sunset from Davis Park, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

The sunset from Davis Park, Fire Island and the Great South Bay...

The wind was very strong today but the Great South Bay sunsets have been spectacular!

Today's bay did not look like this photo.

Today, there were waves and whitecaps, but I thought you'd enjoy this shot more.

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sunset fishing

sunset fishing, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

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Sunset fishing on the Great South Bay....

First day of "fluke" season and we had to go fishing. 

Didn't catch anything but the weather was beautiful and the sunset- spectacular!

Well, it was a beautiful evening, one of the warmest on the water so far this season.  

The complaint of sport fisherman is that this year the fluke requirements are a 21 inch minimum size and 2 per person. 

It's almost impossible to catch anything that size anyway. 

Years ago you could fill a cooler with fluke, which is probably one reason why there are none left!  

The clam boats would line the bay in the 1970s and now there are only one or two boats on a given day. 

I recognize the boats so it's the same two or three men.  

I don't know what the answer is, but I hope my grandchildren will be able to fish someday!

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Jupiter Lighthouse

Jupiter Lighthouse, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

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Warm Florida weather and a trip to the Jupiter Lighthouse for a sunset shot....

There is something so romantic about a lighthouse. 

Its history and its connection to the sea, brings it to our hearts!

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Fishing on the Great South Bay

Fishing on the Great South Bay

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Note: Click on the photo to see more detail.

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Sunset before Spring

The sunsets have been spectacular. 

Not today's, since it was raining all day, but the last few days were wonderful.

Tomorrow, Thursday, is the first day of spring. 

The long awaited day when sunlight takes over the night-time. The hours of sunlight keep increasing until the first day of summer.

It feels good to know that warmer weather and additional sunlight will warm our spirits.

Let's welcome spring!

Go for a walk, take a bike ride, do some yard work, check on the daffodils and crocus.

They are starting to sprout.

Yes, spring is here.

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For Sky Watch Friday

Pirates Point Resort, Little Cayman

pirates point beach, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

I'm home now, on Long Island, with temperatures of 25 degrees F.  :-(

In Little Cayman just days ago, from sunrise to sunset, the view was spectacular!

The weather was a pleasant 75-85 degrees F. and the sights underwater are the reasons that people travel from all parts of the world and come to Little Cayman to scuba dive.

I swam with turtles and swam atop and along a "wall" of coral that was thousands of feet deep. Little Cayman has the well-known Bloody Bay Wall and the Jackson Wall.

 I met some wonderful people, who like me, would rather wake up early and enjoy the wonders of nature than stay up late and party as vacationers do on the larger islands. (Little Cayman is the "little sister" island of Grand Cayman but does not have its nightlife, population or traffic.) 

A daytime bike ride after two spectacular dives, and an evening of playing card games or dominoes after a wonderful relaxing dinner, is the way of life here. Does it sound like an exciting vacation? You must define "exciting" for yourself.

 For me, it's my kind of vacation!

Into the city for the day....

Looking back over the bridge just crossed....the Brooklyn Bridge.

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You can still walk across the bridge. Many people do.
It is still amazing, even after 100 years!

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Click on each photo to see them larger!

Pier 17, at the South Street Seaport, at sunset as seen from the Brooklyn Bridge

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fishing on the Great South Bay

We went fishing the other night, and watched the sun go down.

Beautiful!

Fishing to me is not just the activity of catching some fish.

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In fact, we caught a King Fish and a Sea Bass, which we ate for dinner.

I then went to the farm stand and got some fresh corn and local tomatoes, a head of Boston Red Leaf lettuce....all picked fresh off the farm.

Yummy!

A real farm fresh dinner with fish from the bay! To me, a perfect dinner!

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I really enjoy the time on the water...the feel and smell of the salt air...the connection to nature.

Birds flying overhead. Fishing jumping. The sunset.

The Great South Bay in September is practically empty of pleasure boats.

The only boats out there are sport fisherman or sailors.

No crowds or boat traffic.

Just me and nature!

I love it! And I love Long Island for those reasons!

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Watching the Moon Rise, Watch Hill, NY

We walked along the beach, at Watch Hill, Fire Island, and watched the sunset and moon rise.

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This is Davis Park after sunset. We walked along the ocean, from Watch Hill to Davis Park for dinner at the "Casino," the restaurant at Davis Park.

It was a wonderful meal, although expensive.

The walk along the ocean was awarded with watching the moon rise.

Definitely needed "Off" to keep the mosquitoes from biting!

It was a wonderful night!

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Walking on Fire Island to the Pines

Another photo of people walking on the beach.
I don't show their faces. Why?
Well, they are walking to the Pines and I like to give people their privacy.
We all need our privacy, don't we?
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Clouds over the Great South Bay

It was a beautiful weekend for boating!

Great clouds, better without rain, give the sky a special appearance. It's magical!

Clouds reflect and absorb the sunlight. Sunsets are spectacular with colors of red and yellow visible in the clouds.

The photo above is of the Great South Bay.

Click on the photo to see more detail.

You can see the Robert Moses bridge in the distance.

Summer on the Great South Bay....Spectacular!

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Wishes for a happy and problem free Fourth of July.

May you enjoy the day with family and friends and remember why we celebrate this day.

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La Salle Military Academy, now St. John's University

Almost every night after dinner, my husband and I search for interesting places to take sunset photos.

We decided to drive into the grounds of the old La Salle Military Academy which is now St. John's University. It is a spectacularly beautiful place.

There is an old mansion with a long line of trees leading to the main entrance of the estate. The photo above shows a quaint little bridge over a pond, actually a river tributary, that flows into the Connetquot River.

At sunset, it is spectacular!

The main building, the mansion, has this huge chimney extending up above the roof-line.

It now contains the nest of an osprey.

This is the third osprey I've seen this spring that is nesting in an old chimney.

It is wonderful to watch them fly into the nest with a fish or eel for their young.

And, it is a great sign to see the return of the osprey...a healthy Long Island! Don't you think so?

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Sunset on the West Sayville Golf Course

Sunset on the West Sayville Golf Course....

Notice the very tall, wind-scuptured pine tree.

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See the photo below, also the Golf Course...

...and click on the photos to see the larger versions.

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West Sayville Golf Course

Tonight's sunset on the West Sayville Golf Course...

After dinner this evening I decided to take a ride looking for the perfect sunset.

Someone told me that there is a Sunset Street in Oakdale where the sunsets are beautiful.

Well, I went looking for Sunset Street but just had to stop at the Gold Course before the sun went down.

The photo above is the result.

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Click on the photo to see a larger version.

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