Tarpon Springs and Stilt Houses

Yesterday, Mom and I took a trip through northwestern Pinellas and western Pasco counties, revisiting Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey.

I've written about previous trips to Tarpon Springs, in 2008 and 2010. It's our default coastal destination, being closest to our house, even though there's really not much of a beach. We usually explore town and have lunch. Yesterday we went to the colorful Leepa-Rattner Museum, the local art museum, which has an exhibit of paintings by George Inness, Jr. (He was a Yankee but he wintered in Tarpon Springs and painted some Florida scenes.)

Then we went to Rusty Bellies for lunch, where I had a crab cake sandwich. I thought about having grouper, which I love, but it was pretty expensive and as I recall it's being overfished (hence the price, I suppose).

Tarpon Springs was settled by Greeks and many of the shops and restaurants have a Greek motif. I couldn't resist taking a photo of the Alexander the Great Apartments (above).

Then we drove up to New Port Richey, where I wanted to take a look at the downtown area. I hadn't been through that region in years, except to drive along U.S. 19, the widely reviled main highway, on the way to somewhere else. So we drove some side streets and then drove out to Brasher Park on the Gulf.

Brasher Park is right next to what used to be known as the Energy Management Center, a sort of marine ecology lab operated by the county schools. I used to take field trips there in high school. I remember studying the mangroves and the other wildlife, and I was always intrigued by the distant stilt houses in the Gulf that we could see from shore.

Turns out the stilt houses are still there. The state doesn't allow their construction anymore, so they're gradually disappearing, but I counted six or seven of them. (Here's an interesting series of articles about their history.) We also drove out to a park at the end of Green Key Road, which allowed us to see the houses from two angles.

It was a fun day!

A Colorful Drive

I already mentioned that as Mom and I drove to Jacksonville last Friday, I saw lots of places along the roadside that I wanted to photograph. I didn't stop then, but on the way back to Tampa on Monday I made sure to take a little more time and get out the camera.

I love any kind of road trip, and rural Florida is so ripe for photography. We took a slightly different route this time, too, which gave me access to new sights.

I am a meandering traveler. I like to drive slowly, explore back streets, stop for coffee or lunch.

When I was a kid in the mid-'70s, we used to drive U.S. 301 all the way from Central Florida to the middle of South Carolina, where we could then pick up the still-unfinished I-95 to Maryland. (That's where my grandparents lived.) I eagerly awaited every familiar little town, every slightly tatty motel. It always drove me nuts that my mom was so insistent on driving, driving, driving and we had to bypass all the highway curiosities like South of the Border.

Now that I'm in the driver's seat, the rules have changed!

(Photos, from the top: Green Cove Springs, Keystone Heights, Hawthorne, Lochloosa and Citra.)

Manatees!

On Sunday, to give my brother and his family a little quiet time at home, Mom and I made a quick trip to the Walter Jones Historical Park on the St. John's River south of Jacksonville. The park includes an old farmhouse, which unfortunately isn't open to the public without a reservation (but you can peer in the windows), as well as some outbuildings. Next door there's a public boat ramp and a long fishing dock.

We wandered the boardwalk along the river, photographing butterflies, and then went out on the dock. We heard a weird sound, like a snort. "What was that?" we said. I figured it was a nearby person blowing their nose or clearing their throat.

Then, as I was taking the photo above of the Jacksonville skyline and the Buckman Bridge, Mom grabbed my arm and said, "Look!" She pointed down into the water.

I looked:

Manatees! At least three of them, rolling around in the water and swimming in and out of the shadow of the dock.

Here's what I learned about manatees: They're hard to photograph. All you ever see are their backs -- when they look like floating bars of soap, as my brother later said -- and occasionally their noses. They only surface for a second and breathe with that snorting sound before they dive back beneath the water.

These manatees seemed to be keeping very close company with each other. Maybe they were mating, which surely must be an awkward process.

We got a good view of their bulky bodies and at one point, as one swam beneath us, we clearly saw its huge, round horizontal tail fin. Like most manatees, they all had scars on their mottled gray/green backs. It's really amazing to see such creatures in the wild, to think they're just out there, swimming around, living their lives.

The Very Red World of Jane

Yesterday I was showing my eight-year-old niece how to edit photos with iPhoto. I showed her how to crop, straighten, adjust tint and temperature and add special effects. Then I let her try her hand at a few.

Above is my photo of a Zarucco Duskywing (I think) that landed in my brother's backyard.

Here is Jane's edited photo of the same butterfly. "You have to call it 'The Wings of Gold,'" Jane told me. It may be the first photo on my blog with a title!

Here's my photo of a little lizard on my brother's hammock.

And here's Jane's.

"Why does everything look like it's on the surface of the sun?" my brother asked.

Here's a photo of my brother, whose name is James but who we've all called JM practically since he was born, building a shed in his yard.

Here's Jane's dreamy version of the same scene. She has a kind of psychedelic eye, doesn't she? No wonder she likes wearing shirts with peace signs and tie-dye.

I tried to explain to her that the rule of photo editing is to do as little as possible. (That's my rule, anyway.) But to an eight-year-old, less is not more. More is more.

Insects, and a Birthday

Unlike the last time I visited Jacksonville, I don't have my own car. My transportation and picture-taking options are more limited -- I haven't managed any storefronts or urban wandering this time around. And actually, that's OK, because we've been plenty busy!

This butterfly was at my dad's house back in Tampa -- a tiger swallowtail. It was huge. I got to shoot it from a couple of different angles.

Here in Jacksonville we spent yesterday hanging around the house. We went to a local fish camp for lunch -- about the closest I will ever come to actual fishing -- where I had mahi tacos. I went with my brother on an afternoon outing to Lowe's so he could complete a project to build a backyard shed. He was furiously sawing and screwing in boards all afternoon.

While he worked on the shed, I watched "Zambezia" with my niece. Pretty darn entertaining! I told her I'd been to the real Victoria Falls, which is the setting of the movie, and showed her photos on Flickr. Maybe she'll be inspired to visit herself one day.

Then, in the evening, we celebrated her eighth birthday with a cake and presents. Woo hoo!

This is a dead cicada I found on my brother's back porch. My niece's reaction to this picture: "Gross!"

Up to Jacksonville

We bought my dad a new computer -- an Apple laptop -- so he can sit at his preferred perch in the kitchen and stay in touch with the world. (He has a big desktop in his home office, but he doesn't like to have to go back to that part of the house and get out the keyboard and turn on all the computer components. Hence he only gets his email about once a month.)

I spent yesterday morning configuring the new computer -- migrating information from his PC, connecting his e-mail, that kind of thing. This proved to be a challenge considering he doesn't remember his passwords and usernames, and when asked presents a stack of well-worn bits of paper scribbled with various codes. But we finally got it figured out, more or less. I'll be back at his house at the end of next week to fine-tune things.

Meanwhile, I've traveled up to Jacksonville with my mom. I'm staying at my brother's, visiting with him, his wife and their two daughters. We got here yesterday afternoon, after a scenic 3.5-hour drive. I had to keep fighting the impulse to pull over and take pictures, but I told my mom that there are several places on the route that I really want to photograph, so we have to build an extra 45 minutes into our return trip! (My mom is one of those leadfoot travelers who doesn't like to stop for anything. I, on the other hand, enjoy a more meandering approach.)

(Photo: Climbing dayflower (Commelina diffusa) in my dad's lawn.)

Driver's License

Another obstacle down! I have a new driver's license!

You may remember that in addition to solving the coffee table issue, the other major goal of my trip was to switch my old New Jersey license to my family home address in Florida (and thus renew it, because my New Jersey license was about to expire). I never drive in the U.K. so I don't need a license there, but I do need to maintain one here in the states so that I can get around when I return.

So yesterday morning my mom and I went to the county tax collector's office (which is apparently where they process driver's licenses now -- I'm not sure what became of the DMV) and after shuffling many documents I emerged with a new license. I registered to vote, too, so I can exercise my rights as a U.S. citizen in a state where I actually have roots (as opposed to New Jersey, where I voted in the last elections, it being my most recent state of residence).

It's all a huge weight off my shoulders.

The picture isn't even bad. Unlike the UK, where I'm asked not to smile for official photos, here I could at least look friendly.

To celebrate the maintenance of said driving privileges, mom and I went to Village Inn for breakfast. Later I drove dad's truck back from the dealer (turns out it died because of a bad fuel pump, which required $900 in repairs) and exclaimed, "My first drive with my new license!" I felt like a teenager.

It's good to know I'll be mobile for the foreseeable future.

(Photo: A dragonfly at the lake behind my dad's house.)