Near my home, seated on bluffs above the northwest tip of Tampa Bay called Safety Harbor, lies a city of 16,000 with the same name. Bayshore Drive runs along the water and Main Street runs perpendicular, off to the west.
These images were all shot in the 100 block of Main Street. Click an image to enlarge.
Starbucks at 2nd and Main
If coffee isn’t your thing, stronger libations abound as you stroll towards Bayshore.
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Pizza and Ice cream are also right there in Block 100.
The tunnel under the Harbour Pointe sign leads to a courtyard in back. Below are photos of that tunnel, the view looking back, and the backside fountain.
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At the east end of the Harbour Pointe Bldg, accessible from the rear courtyard or Main Street, is Crispers Salad Bar. Across Bayshore is the famous Safety Harbor Spa.
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Across Main Street from the Harbour Pointe Building are more shops. Above the shops is a senior citizen living center. Finally, from the sidewalk back at Starbucks, is a peek across 2nd street at the 200 block — an invitation to explore more of this charming little town.
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When I drove over this little stream crossing under Alt-US 19, I often glanced at the backyard docks with Gulf of Mexico access. Today I turned off the narrow highway, parked on Buena Vista, and walked back to the bridge for a good look.
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride and I’d live here. Sliding into the Gulf, I’d take my little day-sailor to Mobile, Key West, perhaps even Cuba! Back in the car, I continued down Buena Vista and Santa Barbara past the pricey waterfront homes. I came to this postage-stamp park tucked between two houses that cost more than I’ve earned in my whole life. I am not cursed with a jealous nature, but still, one wonders what it would be like to live here.
Back to reality and Alternate 19, I made my way to downtown and found a parking spot in back of the Methodist church. The first thing I saw was this alley behind Skip’s Bar. It’s a real dive, but the canine mural promoting his dog-friendly business was worth a snapshot.
Click To Enlarge – It’s worth it!
Broadway runs off the foot of Main Street for two blocks where downtown shopping and dining is extended. Check out the mannequins climbing the ladder!
Like many Dunedin eateries, the Broadway Deli offers sidewalk dining.
Crossing Broadway to the east, you encounter a maze of cobbled sidewalks leading past an assortment of shops and more places to tempt your appetite.
You finally exit the maze through this delightful courtyard and you’re back on Main Street.
New Year’s Day 2016 was a sunny holiday and people are just out enjoying themselves.
ALL ABOARD! Calls the brass statue of an old-time conductor outside the former railroad depot, now a museum.
And finally, this bit of whimsy. A photographer actually getting paid for her work and two ladies dressed in black and white stroll through a monochrome world.
For the Photography nerds: Every image in this shoot was made from 3 bracketed exposures, ±2ev, using a handled Sony A600 and the 16-50 kit lens. After adjusting white balance in Lightroom, the three images were combined and tweaked in Aurora HDR software. Vignettes & borders and some additional adjustments were made in On1 Photo software.
It was a cool 55º as I strolled through Wall Spring Park, a county park on the Gulf coast between Tarpon Springs and Palm Harbor. Considering the weather and only 6 days before Christmas, it was surprisingly busy. Click any image to enlarge.
This is the spring on the old Wall Family Farm that gives the park its name.
All manner of hikers, dog walkers, and families were enjoying the park. Here are two shots of them on the bridge seen in the background of the first picture.
Walking west from the spring are a series of paved trails & bridges.
When you get to the Gulf there’s a view of the high-end homes on Indian Bluff Island.
On the north side of the park, when the tide is low, you can often catch the wading birds looking for a meal.
An Ibis And Snowy Egret Glean The Same Watery Field
I had an hour to kill and spent it shooting up 3 blocks of Cleveland Street in downtown Clearwater. I made 150 exposures, 3 for each image. They were combined in Trey Ratcliff’s new software, Aurora HDR. This helped ameliorate the harsh early afternoon shadows. When I was all done, I had harvested these 12 images to share. Click any image to enlarge.
Tucked between the office buildings in the 600 block, this little pocket park is a great place to have lunch or, if you’re so inclined, take a nap in the December sunshine.
The Cleveland street median is decorated with some Avante Garde sculptures. I love the eye candy.
This third sculpture is framing the old Capitol Theater Marquee.
This iteration of the ubiquitous Starbucks chain blends nicely with the early 20th-century Wiseman Building …
… however, most of the restaurant offerings are local, many with sidewalk seating.
I love this handsome old brick building at Cleveland and Fort Harrison, built after the great 1910 fire destroyed much of downtown.
Notwithstanding the holiday decorations, it didn’t feel much like Christmas in the 80º weather, but it was a fine day for a stroll.
With the exception of greeting a newborn child, visiting the hospital is always a dreary business. Photography is not only my avocation, it’s my escape. Concentrating on my craft blocks out all this world’s trouble. What better time to escape for a few moments, than when you’re confronting the suffering and pain of a loved one. The nifty landscaping at this Tampa hospital didn’t hurt either. Click any image to enlarge
Gay flowers grace the entrance to the sprawling medical complex
The entrance to the main building almost obscured by the lush plantings.
The main entrance features benches to rest on while enjoying the grounds
One of two walkways to reach the main building, masked by more beautiful plants
The patient pickup area. The one place you’re happy to visit.
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Across the street, there’s a handy escape from the bland hospital food.
A Checkers Burger with Flavored Fries – A Heart Attack In A Sack
Crystal Beach is an unincorporated seaside community between Tarpon Springs and Dunedin. There is no beach, just a mud flat, but the community pier and waterfront park is a favorite spot for locals to watch the sunsets. Just across Gulf Drive is a delightful park of sprawling live oaks. Click any image to enlarge
Massive Oaks in Crystal Beach Park
Stepping back across Gulf Drive, there are lots of benches and rocks to relax on while you watch the moored boats bob on the Gulf of Mexico.
Beach Your Kayak And Stay A While
Just Another Day In Paradise
Troubles Seem Far Away Here
There’s also a 50 yard fishing pier. Across the water are Honeymoon Island State Park and three rocker sand bar, a favorite for boaters.
Join The Egret And Watch The Clouds Roll By
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For a small town in the Ozarks, there are more restaurants and theaters in Branson than you can believe. This idyllic spot overlooks lake Taneycomo, ( short for Taney County Missouri). It’s a cold water reservoir formed from the White River. The average temperature of 49˚ makes it ideal for trout fishing and boating but swimmers are few and far between.
I’ve been experimenting with the technique of overlaying a base image with multiple images of textures. My first victims have been from my dog-park friends. So far there have been no complaints.
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“Punkin” (Southern for Pumpkin), the Maltie-Poo
Bill the Beagle
Barney the Yorkshire Terrier
Foxy the American Eskimo
Obviously, I was going for “realism” in these images. Some folks think such manipulation is a travesty. If you’re in that bunch, please read this article, from a much better photographer than I.
This former home of the First Presbyterian Church of Dunedin was built in 1888. The architectural style is called Carpenter Gothic. In 1929 the building was purchased by the Dunedin Historical Society and moved a few miles to it’s present location. The move required cutting the building in half and reassembling on the new site.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places 1n 1972. In part, the maintenance is funded by renting the premises for weddings, memorial services, and the like.
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Front view of chapel and gate
Front of the chapel viewed from San Mateo Drive
Side of the chapel viewed from North Buena Vista, Drive
Memprial brinck on the front walkway
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