The Tampa Aquarium

One day my best friend Amber called me and asked if I would take a trip to Tampa for a girls weekend. I jumped at the chance. She had recently gotten married and I was working two jobs so we hadn't had many chances to catch up with each other. A weekend to ourselves sounded like a perfect idea. 

On a whim we ended up going to the Florida Aquarium. I hadn't been in years and I loved every minute of it. 

The Upside Down Jellyfish. Normally it does what its name suggests, but these three individuals were pulsing with their bells pressed against the glass. 

This stream of bubbles was filtering its way up to the top of one of the tanks. I love the way I was able to catch the view from under the surface of the water all the way up to trees and glass ceiling above. 

This lovely little Sea Turtle had a missing front flipper from a previous accident. I was lucky enough to snap this shot while he was resting at the bottom just as a shark was swimming past. 

Some tiny fish darting past some elegant sea grass. 

Amber silhouetted in the process of capturing the image of a fish against the neon backdrop of the tank. 

Certainly one of my more unique shots from the trip. This tank was supposed to hold a tiny octopus but was instead undergoing some minor renovations. 

Stunning shot of a beam of sunlight slicing through a murky tank. 

A school of Lookdowns swirling around a column. 

One of my absolute favorite places in any aquarium is the Stingray touch tank. Once the harmful barbs are removed these surprisingly docile creatures become easily approachable. I never get tired of watching children smile when one glides just under their finger tips. I was lucky enough to get a shot of this young man petting one of the Stingrays who seemed to enjoy the attention. 

A delicate Sea Horse gently wrapped around a small patch of sea weed. 

A "bouquet" of Sea Horses. 

I took this photo on the drive home. The famous Sunshine Skyway Bridge in the distance behind the rain drizzled windshield. 

Fond Memories of Newport Colony

I have lived with my best friend Amber for a total of five years. The first two years we rented a house with two other girls, the remaining three years we rented an apartment together. This is a reflection back on our time spent at Newport Colony.

My cat lounging by the window on a rainy afternoon.

The smooth silhouette of a red-shouldered hawk in contrast to the ruffled foliage of the tree. 

Newport Colony was a very dog friendly community and when we moved in two of our immediate neighbors had a combined total of three black labs. Amber and I would often go downstairs to play with the dogs. Over time an old bird feeder had been repurposed to hold play things such as tennis balls and stuffed chew toys.

I brought my camera outside and began experimenting with whatever caught my attention. I was sorting leaves when I found this tiny black and orange bug. It is an Asian Multicolored Lady Beetle and it is the only one I have ever seen the entire three years I lived at that apartment. 

My cat basking in the early morning sun. 

This picture was pure luck. I was trying to get a good shot of these wild mushrooms but at the time I had accidentally messed with one of the photo settings on my camera. It was taking pictures, however, the viewfinder was completely blacked out so I couldn't actually see what I was photographing. After taking several blind shots of the mushrooms from above I finally decided to try and reset the camera. In my frustration I dropped it and decided to go back inside before I did any further damage. Amber helped me fix the settings and when I upload the photos I only had one clear, focused shot, which happened to have a great perspective. It was the shot that went off when I dropped the camera.

Amber training her new puppy as my cat intently observes from the second story window.

One of my favorite photos of Amber and Lexi. 

This lovely bouquet was a "just because" gift from Amber. 

This photo was taken after a stormy day as I was returning home to my apartment. 

The view of our apartment just after dusk. 

On this particular day I was washing my sheets. It didn't stop my cat from curling up as close to me as he could while I was working on my computer. 

A nice, clear day at the pond near the entrance of our apartment. 

I took this photo of one of the flood lights while I was taking a evening walk. 

A beautiful view of the sky shortly after sunset. I love the way the warm apartment lights are complemented by the soft purple of the sky. 

Jenny and Amber

This is one of my favorite photographs

My sister Jenny on the left and my best friend/roommate Amber on the right. We were sitting at Bagel King waiting for our food and light was hitting them perfectly from the window. This is the reason I take lots of random photos - because I love catching gems like this one.