Odds, Ends and Oddities

This week we had a cold front come through our area.  We went to the beach on an overcast, windy day to see if the waves were up.  The Gulf was very placid in spite of the wind.

Jim walks toward the water with rain visible beyond the pier.

The birds did not mind the weather either and several were gathered at the end of a pier that is no longer in use.  South of this pier (or "surf breaks" as they are called by the local surfers) there are several more (five or six) jutting out into the ocean and all of them prohibit pedestrian access.  Most appear damaged and it seems they have not been repaired after some prior storm damaged them.

A pelican comes in for a landing amid his friends.

The pier advertises it is not pedestrian friendly.

Fishing near the pier is popular and the pier makes a nice spot to place your fish net in between throws for bait.  While the water is calm at most times, good waves occur here during Gulf storms and draw surfers to enjoy them.  Shelling is popular on this beach with shells plentiful and equivalent to specimens found on famous shelling beach, Sanibel Island, to the south of us.

Sea shells on the shore.

I could easily spend hours perusing the beach for great shells.  I also feel guilty walking on them and hearing them break beneath my feet.  Unfortunately, there are so many pretty ones strewn along the beach at the water's edge you can not avoid stepping on a few.

We ventured south onto Long Boat Key and wandered around the residential area on the north end of this Key that lies southerly of "our" beach.  It is a pretty area with lots of condominiums and houses situated within steps of the beach.  The land here is barely above sea level so I suspect I would prefer not to own property here during a hurricane.  Otherwise, I imagine this is like being somewhere in the South Pacific.



In fact in 1948, just two years before Holmes Beach  (or what we refer to as Bradenton Beach) on Anna Maria Island was incorporated, Hollywood filmmakers brought Esther Williams, Peter Lawford, Ricardo Montalban, Jimmy Durante and Cyd Charisse to the community to film portions of the film On an Island with You.  It is reported that Esther Williams also bought a home here at the time, but whether or not she ever lived here in the home is apparently questionable. 

While we were on Long Boat Key we stumbled upon their "Arts Center" and beheld some outdoor sculptures.  Odd to say the least-in our opinion contemporary art at its extreme, we found these figures representing what entity I am not sure (pardon my vernacular but: "Head Up Your A**" comes to my and Jim's mind.)

Outdoor sculpture court of the "Arts Center"

Do you have an interpretation?

I am going to go back over there and visit the museum and have someone tell me the "official interpretation version" of these one day.  Ok, so now that I have you laughing...

Around the corner from the Arts Center, we discovered a moment of sun streaming through a young banyan tree that splits a road into a circle around the tree (until of course the tree gets so big they will have to either remove the banyan or widen the road.)

The banyan in the background looks like it is beneath a spot light.

On a dock back on Anna Maria Island, we spied this odd addition to a dock.  It appears to be a plastic bird missing a wing that resembles a rooster (maybe for the same purpose as the owls people put on roof tops to scare away undesirable live birds.)  I wonder if it works?

Look in the center at the brown "critter" dancing on the dock-Can you see it?

Inspired by the week's unusual subjects, I also photographed some silly as well as some pretty subjects around the RV late yesterday afternoon, so here you go:

A moth visits tiny flowers in the grass.

The real subject at hand-the tiniest of flowers.

and bougainvillea casting shadows on our patio.

I leave you with one of our favorite subjects:

A definite addition to the Bucket List of places to visit.

The shop claims that this is the best place in town for ice cream.  We'll have to see if we can hold them to their word!

No I haven't lost my mind nor am I bored.  I define this as playing.  Having fun as an old person who can finally do (or photograph) whatever I please to pass the time, commonly described by Jenny Joseph as:

When I Am Old.

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me,
And I shall spend my pension
on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals,
and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired,
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells,
And run my stick along the public railings,
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens,
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat,
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go,
Or only bread and pickle for a week,
And hoard pens and pencils and beer mats
and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry,
And pay our rent and not swear in the street,
And set a good example for the children.
We will have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me
are not too shocked and surprised,
When suddenly I am old
and start to wear purple!

Jenny Joseph