Calm before the storm…

Living across the street from the beach puts me at an up close and personal seat for nature’s stage. Some of the things I’ve come to enjoy but not take for granted, are as follows:

• The crash of the waves from my bedroom window.
• The blustery beach wind. I love opening my windows, letting it filter throughout the house.
• The ability to look out from my deck in the morning and have a glimpse of the ocean.
• The morning conversation of birds, chirping and singing away. There’s one Cardinal who I see every morning, I think it’s appropriate I start thinking of a nickname for the little red guy.

But, by far, the coolest benefit of living on the beach is to experience the calm before the storm. Now I’m no storm chaser, but there’s just something so captivating about being in that vulnerable moment before the storm envelops, the eerie calm, whistling wind, and the distant rumble of thunder on the horizon…

Martin and I like to run across to the beach with our cameras and try and get some cool shots. We haven’t had a good thunderstorm in awhile, but these are from the last one. Enjoy.

Down the ominous path...

Angry sea...

A feeling of humility washes over you; suddenly you’re so small, standing alone in front of nature, on a deserted beach…

Lonely lifeguard post...

I’m never at a lack for words when it comes to the power of nature. It can be so many things…beautiful, powerful, threatening, joyous, peaceful. Storm clouds, until next time…

Floral hunting in Pompano

While at Butterfly World, wandered off into the botanical gardens to see what photographic opportunities laid ahead. The four years I’ve been in Florida, I’d never seen a passionflower, but they were all over the place here. I think this is one of my most favorite flowers. I just love the composition, so intricate, so delicate. A true work of art…

Deep magenta...

Aerial...

I loved these purple ones as well…

Beautiful...

Further down were these vibrant red passionflowers, the saturation of color was endless…

The passionflowers were my favorite, but there were other botanical wonders seeking some attention…

I especially liked this whimsical white one…

I have a tendency of zooming in when I photograph botanicals, just want to capture the intricate framework of these small beauties…

 

Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower.

-John Harrigan

Butterflies

Recently Martin and I went down to Pompano Beach for a little day trip. I love that about about us. We’re not a couple who stands too idle for too long. We know how to relax, but aren’t the types who can lay in bed lifelessly staring into the TV for hours on end. We’d rather get out, enjoy a beautiful sunny day and see where the road takes us. Florida is great for that, with so many beautiful places and scenery abounding, what’s not to discover?

So I googled places of interest in Pompano Beach. The first thing that came up was an exhibit called Butterfly World. I kind of scuffled at the name but checked out what is was all about. The facility boasted a huge butterfly conservatory, bird aviary, gardens and insect museum. I thought, heck yea, Camille’s going to go photo-happy here! Although the admission was somewhat steep ($26) I thought, what the heck, my curiosity has won in this case, and it doesn’t really care about the financial aspect. Below are some of the photos I captured…I must say, very pleased with how many butterflies were willing to pose for my camera.

He was trying to blend in...

I think they were talking...

The amount of butterflies was boundless. Some butterfly conservatories make it sound like theirs is loaded with them, but sometimes it’s anything but. I was happy to see this one, although a steep admission, delivered quality. Many of the butterflies were not shy, as this one happily rested right on my hand.

His colors were brilliant...

He also liked my shirt...

I wandered on through the conservatory, snapping away happily. This was right up my alley. Flowers, plants, and hundreds of colorful butterflies.

I was especially drawn to this skittish white butterfly. He was hard to photograph, but I got a few shots. I really admired how he was different from all the others. A simple white elegance to his wings…

Some other snapshots…

And another one that came to say hello…

Landed on my finger...

After circling the butterfly conservatory, I walked outside into the bird aviary. Inside were Lorikeets, a tropical bird and distant cousin to the parrot. For $1.00 you could buy food and be bombarded with nectar-hungry Lorikeets. Below is my experience…

Feeding...

They were like vultures. It was almost like they’d never seen food before! All of a sudden one perched upon my head. I’m guessing he liked my choice of shampoo?

Just don't poop on me!

Fun with Lorikeets...

It was definitely noisy in there. Lorikeets are chatterboxes. Their colors were amazing, very brilliant and rich saturation…beautiful birds.

Lorikeet

Napping...

I liked these three little guys, happily hanging out on the branch…

 

After the Lorikeets, went on to a small Parrot aviary. Can’t even remember the last time I saw a parrot, but one cannot ignore their colorful beauty. It’s truly amazing what beauty nature offers…

I wouldn't want to get on his bad side...

This concluded my visit at Butterfly World.  All in all, I’d recommend it if you’re a photo nut like myself. I’d definitely go again. 🙂