Eureka Springs Park, Tampa

I discovered Eureka Springs Park when I was living in the Tampa suburb of Brandon. It's one of those small urban parks that can make you forget you're in the middle of a city. These photos are from my first of many trips to the park. If you would like more information, please follow the link in the Landmarks I've Visited section.

Sign at the entrance.

There are lots of ponds in the park, so water lillies are a common sight.

Another water lily.

A female Golden Silk Spider. This is in my top 10 favorite photos.

A rose.

Roses.

Roses.

A rose.

An orchid.

I think this is a type of orchid.

Unknown.

A type of orchid?

Unknown.

Unknown.

Orchid.

Part of the grounds.

Tampa Skyline

Here are some photos of the Tampa skyline at dusk. The city has a growing downtown, and there are more high rise buildings now than when I took these photos. I took these photos from Bayshore Boulevard, using high speed film, so they're a little grainy.

Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa

This was my first visit to the Tampa Zoo, officially known as the Lowry Park Zoo. It's a great zoo with modern exhibits. They just know how to to things right in Florida (except for counting ballots). A quick note about these photos: they were shot using slide film, and my scanner isn't the best at scanning slides. Please pardon the technical quality issues.

Ring-Tailed Lemur.

Baboon.

Golden Lion Tamarin.

Bald Eagle.

Turkey. It's not your farm variety, though.

Roseate Spoonbill.

A relative of the Squirrel.

Unsure of this one.

Black and White Angolan Colobus.

Black and White Angolan Colobus, looking rather pensive.

Black and White Angolan Colobus.

They have flowers at the zoo, too.

Sandhill Crane.

Sandhill Crane.

More from Hillsborough River State Park

Another visit to Hillsborough River State Park near Tampa. Make sure to follow the link in the Landmarks I've Visited section for more information about the park.

Unusual color for June.

Caterpillar and beetle on a fence rail.

A dragonfly rests on a leaf.

Another dragonfly looks ready to take off.

This squirrel looks accustomed to human presence.

Another of those tree-climbing turtles.

More from Myakka River State Park

Another trip to Myakka River State Park. I went there a lot when I lived in Florida because I knew I would never be disappointed. There was always a lot to see.

Hornet's nest.

Some type of small bromeliad or something growing on a tree.

Red moss grows on the trunk of this tree.

Wading waterfowl.

And thus begins my spider stage.

More from the Ringling Museum Courtyard

Although I was living near Tampa at this time, I made a trip down to Sarasota to visit the Ringling Museum of Art. Unfortunately, I have not been back to the museum since this visit.

Potted bouganvillia.

This photo is a perfect example of how difficult a subject the courtyard can be. There is far too much going on in the photo.

A bronze replica of the Statue of David. I can say without reservation that this is my favorite photo taken at the Musuem.

Walkway on the south side of the courtyard.

The south side of the courtyard.

Walkway behind the statue.

Hillsborough River State Park

On this day I visited Hillsborough River State Park, which is just northeast of Tampa on U.S. Highway 301. Even though it's less than ten miles away from the city, it feels like you're far from civilization. This was my first visit to Hillsborough River State Park, and I enjoyed it quite a lot. If you want more information about the park, please follow the link in the Landmarks I've Visited section.

I had to see it to believe it - a turtle climbing a tree.

An alligator in the wild.

I don't know what kind of insect this is, but it looks menacing.

A footpath next to a fencerow.

I am also a fanatic for photos of translucent backlit objects, such as these leaves.

An armadillo hides from the human intruder.

Yes, we do have rapids in Florida. These may not be big, but they meet the definition.

Shoe Trees

While Missourians have the Burr Oak Tree, the people of Greeley, Colorado have the Shoe Trees. While driving down a highway southwest of Greeley, I went past these trees with shoes hanging from the branches and nailed to the trunks. After doing a double take, I turned around and went back. Having avoided getting hit by traffic, I was able to get these photos.

The southernmost shoe tree.

A closer view of the southern tree. In both this and the above photo, note that there are also shoes dangling from the branches.

A good look at the shoes nailed to the trunks.

Trunk closeup.