Unexpected day off

After a grueling 14 hour day yesterday, with a schedule meant for 3 people with only the 2 of us to shoot it, we were happy to learn we had today off. We thought about going to the Strawberry Festival but decided we needed to rest. We've spent nearly every day off so far driving, sightseeing, shooting pictures, etc. So today we only went about 10 miles south, though we took the long way around and drove closer to 40 miles. We stopped at an Amish-style restaurant for lunch and a huge strawberry shortcake (we shared the dessert), checked out the camera stores (nothing but small chain stores that don't carry much in this area), and drove out to Siesta Key to check out the beach. It's beautiful. Miles and miles of pristine white sand. Because it was a cool and windy day, we didn't stay long. Mostly just took some pictures to see if we'd gotten the sensor cleaned off with our makeshift blower. (Yes!)

Manatees!

Finally got to see the Manatees today. They're very hard to get a decent picture of, but we got a couple. The morning was bright and sunny, then turned off gray and dreary. Rained a bit. Picked up more trash on the sensor while changing lenses to take the Manatee pictures (serious flaw in the Nikon D70 design) and can't find a blower to clean it off. Spent some time watching them ( a male by himself, then a family group), bought some souvenirs at the gift shop, then headed for St. Petersburg.

Going across the Skyway bridge was a real trip. And the wind was high, which made us both a bit nervous. Once across the bridge, we stopped and had lunch at Bennigan's, thanks to our boss and the gift cards he gave us for Christmas. Thanks Bill! Lunch was great! Then we stopped at the St. Pete's beach, but it was raining. Then we drove down to Fort De Soto and hiked around, took some pics, and headed back to the motel. Have to get up at 5 in the morning to go to work. Pam says she does not do mornings!

Tomorrow it's back to work for 4 days before we get another day off.

Another day off, but most of it was spent moving from Bartow to Bradenton because the motels in Bartow are kind of nasty. Surprise! Bradenton is worse when it comes to motels. They're either dives or very expensive. Right now, we're in the worst dive we've ever stayed in. Not sure whether to risk a move and possibly end up in a worse place or just stick it out. Sure hope the camera equipment doesn't get stolen overnight.

On our drive here we saw a lot of bald eagle nests, and even saw two baby eagles! Next to dolphins and manatees, eagles are my favorites. But I love the sea birds too. This place is a sensory overload for me, getting to see the things I love in their natural habitats.

Anyway, we went to Manatee beach and got some nice pics. Even saw a dolphin.

Don't forget that you can click on a picture to see it full size. Most of them look much better enlarged.