My neighborhood tomcat not only “owns” this whole block but he’s a bad*ss on a bike. I call him Morrissey, not that it matters because he doesn’t answer…

Caught this Great Blue Heron last week at the tail end of the “golden hour”. The light was fading fast which limited the crispness of the image but I was rather delighted with the painterly outcome.

Though I have artist friends who I know could paint a much better rendition, it’s not bad for a photo taken with my cell phone.

I was driving home when I saw a handwritten, cardboard sign by the road, “Free Raspberries.” As a big berry lover I was not one to pass up this deal (especially when the sign uses my favorite four-letter word).

It didn’t bother me one bit that the berries were not, in fact, as advertised (black instead of red). After some washing and pureeing (with a bit of sugar) I ended up with four large jars of blackberry syrup. It’ll be perfect over ice cream or pancakes, as the base for bbq sauce, or even as a fruity mixer for drinks.

Berry-licious!

Caught this stunner at John’s Pass this past weekend. I’d have a hard time believing this was real if I hadn’t witnessed it.

Sitting by the water, watching dolphins swim by, and marveling at the colorful show put on by the setting sun = one of my favorite ways to spend an evening!

I rescued some columnar cactus cuttings from an alley a few months back. I planted them as a group in a bare corner of my yard and hoped they’d survive. I’ll take this recent bloom as a sign that they’re doing well.

Fairly true statement, though thankfully it didn’t quite break 90 here at my house today.

The main thing I’ve noticed is the days are noticeably shorter (just 12 hours and 9 minutes of sun today) and the nights are definitely cooler (lows around 75 degrees).

I’m looking forward to sleeping with my windows open again soon!

My explorations yesterday led me to Lassing Park in the Old Southeast part of St. Petersburg. This wide swath of green space borders Tampa Bay and serves as a buffer for storm events when tides rise.

While all the hustle and bustle and new high-rise condos are happening downtown, Old Southeast is a quiet, older area with a funky vibe. Established in the 1950s this neighborhood flies under the radar yet the views can’t beat.

Wandered over to nearby Gulfport Saturday night, just in time to catch the fireworks show that wrapped up their 20th annual GeckoFest.

Near the end of the impressive display I caught this photo of a lone explosion above a palm tree. I thought the similarity was quite striking!

Last weekend, after Hurricane Ida swooped by, I found one of the most complete Pen Shells (Atrina rigida) I have yet come across here along the Gulf Coast. Since it was such a nice specimen I brought it home.

I set it on my kitchen windowsill, my preferred location for recent finds that I want to spend more time examining later. In the morning light I noticed that the shell rather matched my accent tile – the interior nacre had a similar iridescent sheen and color.

As Dante Alighieri said, “Art imitates nature as well as it can…”