Alligator hunting at the golf course

When I was at my sisters the guys (and my sister) went to play golf at Buffalo Creek, which is their local course, and I went along for the photo opps. A few weeks ago there was a video all over the internet about an alligator wanting to play golf at Buffalo Creek Golf Course in Florida. Well guess where I was alligator hunting? This is the video of the alligator. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXn1g0xtUMk

And this is my photo of the gigantic alligator. Luckily he didn’t come out the water as I don’t know if the golf carts can go fast enough to escape him!

It’s an alligator, not a log!

I did find a small one sunbathing at another pond, but when I got closer it swam away. This is a huge crop from my zoom lens.

Sunbathing alligator

This is it swimming away when I approached it.

I can still see you

Then when we were driving back from Miami to Tampa through I75 ‘Alligator Alley’ we stopped at a conservation area and although we didn’t see any alligators my sister and I swear this was a dead body in the pond. Both husbands say it was a rock… BUT WE KNOW BETTER!

A woman’s white top methinks!

The Dancers

Dance like nobody’s watching.

Love like you’ve never been hurt.

Sing like nobody’s listening.

Live like it’s heaven on Earth.

Whilst photographing the graffitied wall art in Miami I was in the right place at the right time to capture these 2 ballet dancers . A serendipitous moment indeed.

People watching in Florida

I love people watching, especially with my camera, but need to be careful and use my ninja-skills when shooting them. I’ve been clocked, totally caught red-handed, a few times but luckily no-one has asked me to stop. Anyway here are some people shots from my holidays. People are great aren’t they?

Contemplating the sunset

Miami fashion

Too much….?!?

Searching for treasure

Love’s young dream

It’s a hard life for some

Beach, bar, music…. does life get any better than this?

Strolling the boardwalk in Miami

Beach Volleyball

YMCA anyone?

Miami Graffiti

As one of the photographs say – is it art or is it vandalism?

Most definitely art in my opinion.

Miami’s Dual Personalities

First night in Miami we booked to stay in a hotel near the port for the cruise ship. Bad mistake. Downtown Miami was an eyeopener to put it mildly. I mean the hotel was lovely (apart from the glass wall in the bathroom…. nobody wants to see their other half use the toilet, no matter how many years they’ve been together. Or is that just the prudish Britishness in me coming out again?) So after pressing everything that was pressable in the bathroom incase it was one of those glass walls that fog up when you shut the door (it wasn’t) we walked out of our hotel to find a restaurant, a nice cold wine and a Walgreens for emergency snacks and bottles of water. Restaurant found, $19 for a burger and $12 for a glass of wine (whit!) then following my phone directions to find the Walgreens, looking amazingly like a couple of tourists. Especially since I couldn’t stop gawking at everything I passed. Like the drug deal stopping the traffic in the middle of the street. Like the prostitutes running away when the undercover cop car pulls up and puts on it’s flashing lights. Like the guy in a wheelchair puking into a carrier bag in the middle of Walgreens (which we found eventually. Who knows what way is North anyway Siri?!?) Like the elderly woman (105 years old I’d guess) naked under a flimsy see-through dress (again at Walgreens) I guess Walgreens is THE place to be in Miami…

So after the cruise we were meeting up with my sister and her husband for a couple of days in a hotel at South Beach. What a difference! From the beautiful art-deco hotels, the amazing art-district with all the fabulous graffiti (photos to come) to the gorgeous boardwalk and beach. I loved Miami second time around. I was still people-watching but this time round I wasn’t scared and I even took some street-shots of people. Would I go back? Yes, but not to the downtown area. More Miami stories and cruise-ship stories and pics coming up later peeps.

 

It’s a beautiful world

It’s a beautiful world. Don’t let all the bad news, evil people and hatred let you think otherwise.

I have flown over the Atlantic many, many times but this was the first time I’ve ever been on the ocean on a ship, with nothing but sea all around me and I was awestruck by how wonderful the Earth is.

I just happened to be reading a book about humans colonising Mars at the same time (Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson) and it stuck a chord with me that our world is so unique and utterly perfect.

Now back home and sitting working at my PC with my music on, my dog at my feet and ‘Wake up everybody’ by Teddy Pendergrass comes on and it perfectly suits my mood today.

“The world won’t get no better
If we just let it be
The world won’t get no better
We gotta change it, yeah, just you and me” 

Peace and love my friends {hugs}

Holibags

Hello Bloggers,

For the first time in 6 years (since we moved to the USA) we’re not going home to Scotland for the holidays (vacation). I’m sad we won’t get to see friends and family this year but life happens (which is much better than the alternative). Anyway as a great comedy show once said “And now for something completely different”…. we’re going to try a short cruise to see what we think, followed by a few days in Miami with my sister and her husband, then driving over to the Tampa side of Florida for the rest of the holiday (where my sister lives).

I’ve been lucky enough to have visited some great US cities including Chicago (my favourite), New York, New Orleans, Memphis, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Des Moines as well as loads of smaller ones. When we moved here I said to myself that I was going to say yes to everything and come out my shell more, and so far I think I’m doing OK.

I’m looking forward to Miami and people-watching. Hopefully I’ll have some good pics to upload when I return, but in the meantime here’s a photo of my cruise ship.

What’s that swan doing on my cruise ship?

Cheers Me Dears,

Alba.