Trying out my new cameraphone

Here's a couple of photos I took on my walk the other day. The camera-phone isn't as good as a 'real' camera... but it's not too shabby either. The light was a little dim for some of the shots because it was getting a bit late in the evening, but my sunset photo came out beautiful.

I adore frangipani... they're such beautifully delicate flowers, and they have a glorious perfume. It's just a shame they don't bloom for very long.

The Canal a block from our apartment. There are three bridges across the canal in our immediate vicinity, and I usually take at least one of them on my walk. I'm a bit jealous of the people who's houses back onto the water - they get to see this beauty every day.

And lastly, the sun was just setting when I got home. I usually take my walk in the cool of the evening because it's too hot out there to even THINK about doing it in the daytime. I love the evening light - the only bad thing are the mosquitos that eat me alive!

Orchids

Sorry it's been so long! It's been a very busy time for me... I've seen a bunch of things I would have loved to photograph while I was taking my daily walk, but I didn't have a camera with me. John's fixed that - he bought me a new phone (my old one's dying of old age) and it has a camera AND a built-in mp3 player. So when I walk I'll be able to photograph anything I see, at least once I figure out how to use the phone.

But for now, here's an older photo. I snapped these little beauties in the greenhouse at the Orchid Gardens up in Boca. The gardens are run by the Orchid Society and they almost closed down earlier this year for lack of fundage... but somebody came up with a donation to keep them running.

Budlia

Today's photo is a budlea (budlia?) in the Butterfly Garden at the Leu Gardens in Orlando. My parents had a big budlia in their garden and the butterflies used to swarm around it when it was blooming. Ours was one of the light-coloured budleas that looks like a giant lavender bush, but we had a cutting growing in a pot that was this vivid purple colour.

Morikami Gardens

The Morikami Gardens are in Boca... you follow a trail around the ornamental lake, enjoying the Japanese-style gardens as you go. There's something to see at any time of the year, but it's nicest in the Spring.This is the view across the lake from near the main building.

Everglades bird

Birds are great opportunists... this particular one was hanging around the tourist park in the Everglades, hoping that the grateful tourists would ignore the 'don't feed the wildlife' signs and give it a snack. It didn't even ruffle a feather when I took its portrait.

Lauderdale by the Sea

I didn't get an entry posted yesterday, so you get two today to make up for it. I just love the sound of waves breaking on the beach. We live three miles from the beach, so you'd think we'd go there often, but in truth there's not a lot to draw you to Fort Lauderdale Beach unless you're a sun-worshipping tourist staying in one of the many waterfront hotels. There isn't really anywhere for the locals to park, and it's to far to walk there and back. But one day I put my walking shoes on and hiked to the closest waterfront just to see what was actually there - a lot of touristy stuff, a really yummy chocolate shop (which I'd love to revisit if there was ever anywhere to park within a mile of the place!), and the pier.

Butterfly

Today's image comes to you from the Leu Gardens in Orlando, Florida. They have a beautiful display of camelias, azaleas and rhododendrons, and roses every year... but there's plenty to see even when none of them are flowering.  It's a lovely place to sit and have a picnic lunch (yes, you can take your own food and drink in with you) and admission is only a few bucks apiece so it's well worth it.

Florida Sunrise

I very rarely wake up early enough in the day to see the sunrise... usually I wake up when the sun starts shining through the bedroom doorway and hits my face. But one morning in January I opened my eyes and noticed that the sky was vivid red! I grabbed my camera and dashed outside and took this glorious photo from our balcony (Click on the image to see it in all its glory).