Wednesday, November 04, 2009

A Day At The Beach

Yesterday we went to the beach. Sadly we didn't get onto the sand until about an hour before sunset but we still had time for a swim and time for some people watching - always fun in America !

The first port of call on the 90 mile trip to Siesta Key on the West coast of Florida was the small town of Lake Placid. There wasn't any snow to speak off so I'm not sure how they managed to hold the Winter Olympics there in 1980. I know, I know. Different Lake Placid !!

This town is famous in these here parts for having loads of buildings with murals on them. Someday I'll go there and photograph a bunch of them properly but we were only there for a few minutes yesterday so I was only able to take photos from the truck. Oh and there are odd little things like the car and train dotted all over the place too. Yes it's a bizarre town for sure.








Then it was on to Sarasota for a spot of retail therapy with 'visits' to Sams Club and Best Buy before having a quick food court meal at the Westfield Mall.

By then it was a bit overcast and time was getting on so we got to the beach about 4pm. As usual on the West coast, you have to walk out about half a mile before the water covers your knees but I'm all for getting the extra exercise. The water was quite warm but not warm enough to walk straight into without a few pauses and woooohoooo's as it touched the 'sensitive' areas on my body !! You know what I mean, fellas ?

After avoiding the diving pelicans and the sudden rises and dips on the sea floor which would drop you to your chest one moment and then have it lapping your ankles the next, we got out and lay on the beach while the sun prepared to set. It was that strange time of day when you'd take a photo looking away from the sun and have that wonderful almost orange light which I love for portraits and then the other way would give the impression it was almost night time.

It was at this point that we saw some Amish or maybe Mennonite ladies strolling along the beach obviously enjoying the wind over their hair nets, the warmth of the sun on their faces and the unadulterated joy of no electricity in their lives.



I hadn't taken my SLR with me so this compact camera view is the best I could manage. I was hoping for a decent sunset but it became a bit too overcast so we left before the sun dipped below the horizon.


Just as a final touristy reference thing, Siesta Key is a beautiful part of the West coast with ample free parking right at the beach with excellent changing and restroom facilities. Actually ample doesn't do it justice as about 500 cars could park there. The sand is soft and white and goes all the way to the water which is always a good thing !

Expect a long walk to get the water up above your knees. Perfect for kids, hobbits and Tom Cruise. Be careful of kamakazi pelicans, water skimming birds and youths on skimboards that will fell you quicker than an offensive tackle.

Going to the seaside here can be a dangerous outing !

We're going again soon.

2 comments:

Daphne said...

I've seen those murals! I've seen those diving pelicans (well, maybe not the exact same ones). I've seen the white sand and swum in the warm sea - - - I've been to Florida, you know! About a year ago - - loved it - - and thank you for the memory. Yes, I'd be going back to that beach again soon if I were you too.

Jay said...

"Perfect for kids, hobbits and Tom Cruise" LOL! I love it!

So you're back Over There, are you? Traitorous person. And you're having fun, too! How could you?

The murals look great! You should definitely take pictures of lots more of them!

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