Sunset July 3rd Matanzas Inlet

The sun was very bright and blinding and as it was sinking into the west, the rays painted the sky with a bright wash of red, yellow and orange watercolors. Another evening and another work of art.

Sunset Matanzas Inlet July 2

Friends of ours live on the Intra Coastal and told us that the sky was different every evening.  Always unique and beautiful so we decided to try and capture the different colors of the evening during the July 4 weekend.  July 2nd the sky had several shades of blue with clouds covering the horizon to frame the sun as it was setting.

Behind Salt Water Cowboy's

July 1, we ate breakfast at Wildflower Cafe and decided to take a quick trip across the street to Salt Water Cowboys.  This is the marsh behind the popular local restaurant.  This is the view you have as you are dinning.  Love Florida!

East Butler Park, St. Augustine Beach before July 4th

We decided to take a walk at Butler Park in the late afternoon.  This is the scenery before the big weekend of July 4th.  There are no crowds or vehicles row after row like it will be this coming weekend.  It was wonderful having the beach basically to ourselves with only a few local residents walking their dogs or taking a cool dip.  A really gorgeous beach! 

What Stream is this that flows through the Meadow?

The Intra Coastal has countless streams running through the marsh.  This one flowed next to a meadow off Shores Drive.  In the distances is Matanzas Inlet.

Intra Coastal Clouds at Dusk - Shifting, Swirling and Intertwining

An evening walk on Shores Blvd. gives a full view of the Intra Coastal.  The different formation of the clouds always make it interesting.  A different skyline every evening.  They say no two snowflakes are the same and I say there are no two clouds the same.  They are always moving and changing shapes at different altitudes.  Shifting, swirling and intertwining with the vastness of space.

West Butler Park-Acres of Oyster Beds

On the way to lunch, we stopped at Butler Park for a few photos since the sky was filled with layers of clouds.  Oyster Beds, Ocean and Clouds makes a trip to Wildflower Cafe enjoyable.  A few people were fishing off the pier under 206 bridge.

Before the Thunder-Matanzas Inlet

It was thundering south of Matanzas Inlet so I thought I get some good shots. Who would try and take photos when there is a thunderstorm moving in?  Me, of course.  When Lightening filled the sky, I had to stop.

The Old Carnegies Mansion Cumberland Island

Refer to as the "The Last Bastion of the Gilded Age".  Cumberland Island was a vacation home for the extreme weathly.  Let us be So grateful that the Island is no longer in the hands of the wealthy and elite.  Its unspoiled beauty is now available for us all to enjoy.

A Flower Left Behind

Deer love to eat flowers.  They have been feasting on flowers in our yard for the last two weeks.  Here is one they left behind.

Cumberland Island, Sand Dunes and Marsh Boardwalk

Horses were everywhere on the island.  Due to the heat, I never thought the horses would be so close to the beach or hanging near the marsh but if there is grass, the horses were there.  You can see them in the distance from the boardwalk.  The sand dunes are the mountains of the island.  Your feet would sink in with each step up the slope. 

Cumberland Island - Wild horses and Manatees!

We took a 45 minute ferry over to Cumberland Island. The Barrier Island is wild and beautiful with feral horses running free all over the island.  It was a very hot day and it was more heat then I could handle.  We only saw a the southern tip of the Island and plan to come back for a full day of bike riding.  We got to see a group of manatees swimming close to the ships dock.  That was a treat to see so many of them.  Seeing Wild horses, Wild Turkeys, Deer and Manatees made it a very good day!

Nature's Beach Dunes, Sand and Sun at Jekyll Island

Unspoiled beach just before you reach the large construction site of the new convention center.  Once the center is complete, how much of the beach will remain intact in its natural state once the crowds come?



Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island

Not even Jack Sparrow or his pirates could be so lucky as to be shipped wreck on Driftwood Beach.

Views of the Fishing Pier at Jekyll Island

If Trees Could Talk - Ft. Frederica, St. Simons Island

At Ft. Frederica, we saw trees that stood during the days of the colony and witness the struggles of the new settlers..  We stood on the same ground as John Wesley the founder of the United Methodist Church.  Charles and John Wesley, considered the founders of Methodism, were both run out of Ft Frederica at different times. John had his cassock chewed and torn by a leading citizen’s wife after she pulled a gun on him and tried to stab him with a pair of scissors. I would love to know what he did to outrage the lady.

Fishing Pier, St. Simons Island

St. Simons Island Lighthouse

We spent the day at St. Simons Island to visit the lighthouse.  We decided to visit the gold coast islands off of Georgia and learn about the history.

Anastasia Beachcombing Memorial Weekend

Another beach where the wildlife is protected, no cars, no crowds, and beautiful sand dunes.