Your Sunday Best #30 ~ Fabulous Sunset

While visiting Florida this past week,

we were gifted one evening with the MOST incredible sunset.

As I walked the beach, I kept thinking

"I need to photograph this", as I slowly sauntered back towards our cottage.

By the time I put a 'rush' on my thoughts, I almost missed it ...

but will have to say what I did catch was still amazing ...

an orange sunset!

I have never been to the Gulf Coast of Florida where I am not inspired by the sunrise and sunsets.

But never hve I seen anything as magnificent this!

(Other than a tad-bit of sharpening, the photos' are SOOC.)

Photo Art Friday, August 10th, 11th ~ gift(s)

Bonnie's prompt for this week's Photo Art Friday is "GIFT(S)".   

"You can interpret that in ANY WAY you want.  Let your imagination fly.

Your interpretation can be literal or not."

This morning, my 'new family' of birds were longing to join their counterparts

in the great outdoors, to be free!

... their longing prompted me to take them on an outing ...

What really makes my 'bird family' a true family was the gift of the "momma" bird.

I had settled on the two smaller birds but my friend Lori insisted that I couldn't break-up the family,

and gifted me the 'momma'!

Isn't she sweet!

This is the second time this week that 'gift' was the prompt.

Some think there are no coincidences,

and I'm wondering what my lesson will be.

"The manner of giving is worth more than the gift."  Pierre Corneille

Flower Art Friday ~ #16

While Tropical Storm Debbie hit and sat further up the Gulf Coast of Florida

then where Manasota Key is located, it did damage there as well.

We could see the damage in the changes of the coast line and beaches,

changes in the natural landscape, less sea grass and no beach morning glories,

also for the first time since we started 'retreating' to Manasota Key,

there wasn't a 'turtle patrol' guarding and caring for freshly laid turtle eggs,

nor did we see signs of turtle activity in the area.

The landscaping around our cottage changed as well, 

no baby palm trees, and while most of the older, more mature plants survived

there were new plantings, I presume, to fill in what was lost.

This is one of the new plantings ... I have no idea what it is, but it was positively gorgeous!

What we did see for the first time, which was quite exciting,

were porpoises swimming close to shore!

Edit Me ~ Summer Show Off {Week 5}

I edited a photo taken one evening as we were leaving a restaurant in Florida,

close to where we hide out for a 'near' week on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

The photo was taken with my phone camera, 

it was dusk and we were racing back to our cottage to walk

the beach before the sun totally set.

Original Photo

Cropped, used healing brush tool to eradicate flood light

Adjusted levels and contrast

Added a cooling photo filter

Adjusted the levels again; and

Added two textures

Edited Photo

 Manasota Key has quite a nostalgic feel with old fashioned cottages along the beach,

sorta throws you back to an atmosphere reminiscent of the 50's

so I decided to carry through and finish off the piece as an old photo.

We missed our walk on the beach ... got back just as the sun set!

But it was a beautiful evening with a magnificent sunset, whether we were on the beach or not!

"May I never miss a sunset or rainbow because I am looking down." Sara June Parker

52 Photos Project Gallery 16 ~ {Gift}

This week's prompt is gift:

"can you own one {or some} of your gifts and capture it through your lens?"

Four years ago, my dear friend and I decided on a trip to the Gulf Coast of Florida

and while we had planned excursions,

must see's and must do's ... 

we ended up doing nothing ... 

just enjoying being where we were.

We then decided during our trip that it should become a yearly 'retreat'

where we can ignore work, e-mail, chores and whatever our life entails and just be.

My gift is a gift to myself;

the gift of being!

"Women need solitude in order to find again the true essence of themselves.”  Anne Morrow Lindbergh