Territories

These two pictures bring to mind a cartoon I saw years ago. A man was explaining to a group of people that birds, being inferior to man, had to establish territories. He was standing in a subdivision where every house had hedges and fences around the property line.

Spanish moss, garden, Roscoe

Of course Spanish moss isn't Spanish nor is it moss. It's an air plant or bromeliad. It seems to grow very quickly and is in most of the trees in our yard. It doesn't do any harm and gives most of the southeastern US that otherworldly look. It was once used to stuff mattresses. There was a huge fire at one of the mattress factories in 1901, here in Jacksonville, that is famous locally. It ended up destroying more than 2300 buildings and 146 blocks of Jacksonville, making 10,000 people homeless.

Places I'd like to sit 3

This, upon viewing, looks more like a cage than the delightful little corner that it is. These chaises look out to the Atlantic, 100 yards(meters) away.

Grease trap, Winn Dixie

LP gas tanks. Behind Winn Dixie, Solano

These have seen better days.

Electric services, Winn Dixie, Solano

A nice unbalanced, post-modern, post-industrial installation.

Natural gas tank, behind Winn Dixie, Solano

Looks sort of like a caged robot.

Planter with weeds, Winn Dixie center

Half of these plants are meant to be here, the rest just invited themselves to the party.

Live oak 1, Roscoe

This tree sits on one side of the path to our dock. Every time I go out on the dock with a camera I end up taking a picture of it. This is one of the better ones.

Lichen on tree, Bird Island Park

I love the color of this lichen, especially in the blue light of shade.

Winter light on trees, Bird Island Park

 The young branches turn a lovely red that catches the afternoon sun.

 My shadow

 My shadow II.

 Crepe myrtle

These are either woodpecker of sapsucker holes girdling the trunk. So perfectly spaced.

Palm frond, Solano

The wind of passing cars must have blown the little strings into the center.

Crepe myrtles, Nocatee

For those of you who watch Downton Abbey, these trees are planted with the same precision that Carson lays out the silverware. To all others, they are so perfectly spaced that they lose their individuality. When you walk in them they once more become beautiful trees. I can't wait to see them with five more years of growth.

Crushed can 1, PV Beach

A new theme starting up! these are everywhere, along with plastic bottles that have been flattened, and I usually stop and take pictures of them. As I find them I'll add them. Of course Irving Penn did this years ago, but they are so sculptural.

Buttermilk sky, PV Beach

Buttermilk sky is in the lyrics of a song that I can't place, but it's a very good description of these clouds.

Winter light on weeds. Two themes for the price of one.

These little weeds were right next to the sprawl signs (see below), and captured our lovely winter light.

Anti-sprawl posters in Nocatee

Nocatee, for better or worse, got off to a tough start. It is a HUGE development that spans a county line. When first proposed, it met a lot of opposition because of all the wild land that would be plowed up, creating suburban sprawl. They built all the roads and planted all of the trees and landscaped it to a fare-thee-well. They got all of the subdivisions started and then the mortgage crisis hit, stopping it in it's tracks. A very small percentage of the proposed houses have been built, or even started, and it sits, silently waiting for a recovery. The infrastructure is being maintained, but it remains a symbol of overreaching. These posters were stuck to a giant electrical box near a huge Publix supermarket that was built to service all of the houses.



All of this is 4 miles from my house so at least I got a giant well-stocked market, that is never crowded, nearby.

Crepe myrtles, Ponte Vedra Beach

Crepe myrtles are wonderful trees. They provide interest year-round. In the spring and summer they have a lovely vase shape with lively green foliage and, later on, beautiful lilac-like flowers (sadly, with no scent). In the autumn and winter they reveal their delicate architecture and interesting seed pods. The top ones are planted near one of the Publix markets on Palm Valley road. The bottom on is one of thousands planted in Nocatee with a future road behind it.

Pond and trees, Nocatee

This was a lens test that went well.

Sand patterns with frames, PV Beach

The sun went in and I used a small gull feather nib to make little frames and provide contrast.

Sand patterns, PV Beach

We have had a few weeks of gentle weather and this leads to a smooth wave action as the tides change. This leads to a lot of contrasting, delicate patterns in the sand.

Shadow self-portrait and pelican

I have shoulders like a pelican!?

Kumquats, dock, Roscoe

Every time I walk out on the dock I have one or two of these. Sweet and tart at the same time.

Dock in disarray

The daily rearranging of the dock continues.

Fern frond with spores, garden, Roscoe

This is more of a gadget story. I bought an Olympus 17mm lens for my little Panasonic Lumixes (Lumices?). When I tested it most of the pictures weren't very sharp. So I sent it in to Olympus, who tried to charge me $119.00 for an out of warranty lens. I found the receipt and sent it along. A week later my lens was back, no charge, and this was the first shot I took with it. It is now one of my sharper lenses.

Always save your receipts. I had registered this lens with Olympus but my guess is that there is not a lot of communication between retail and repair.

Tree and fence, Nocatee

Late afternoon light with blue shadows. A seasonal combination.

Philodendron monstera, garden, Roscoe

Usually, by late January, a freeze will have killed these back to the stalk. We have only had one light frost so all of the semi-tropical plants are thriving, as are the mosquitoes.

Sand patterns, PV Beach

These two looked like torso details.

Sand pattern, PV Beach

A whirlpool, recorded in sand.

Knot on post, Jacksonville Beacg

Every time I walk by these posts I stop and take four or five shots. This looks the way I wanted them to look.

Runaway bride, Ponte Vedra Beach

Boardwalk, Jacksonville Beach

There are new body positions we adopt when we adopt new technology. It's hard to mistake someone talking to their cellphone. As is usual I could share his part of the conversation from this distance.

Blue Heron on roof, San Juan Drive

I took a walk down San Juan Drive last week and looked up to see this heron surveying his domain. From this rooftop he can watch two canals for food and all of his territory. He's also probably looking for a mate as those hairy feathers on his breast are breeding plumage.

Two shadows, evening light, Nocatee

Teh blacks were like liquid this evening.

Tree in evening light, Nocatee

Palm fronds and moon, Nocatee

Palm trunk, Nocatee.

The light was so lovely that I couldn't resist.