My Florida Pics So Far.....
 

I've taken over 600 pics since moving here last winter and been meaning to upload them to my computer for the longest time to share with everyone so bear with me as I go through some of what I think is the best of me, my family (the few that live here and others that came down to visit) and the beautiful beaches I've been to these past few months from Tampa/Clearwater to Naples almost in the Everglades, and just about every SW FL beach in between. Out of all I have to say I love the Sarasota area and beaches and so glad I chose this region of Florida to live.

The other day at Lido Beach in Sarasota.

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At the Venice/Nokomis Jetty on Casey Key. Stephen King has a home here and gathered inspiration for his book Duma Key.

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Siesta Key in Sarasota

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Lido Key Beach in Sarasota

My niece and nephew
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My brother and sister inlaw.

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Lido Pass out to Gulf of Mexico

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Looking down the bay at Lido with Sarasota in the distance.

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We couldn't decide on where to watch the fireworks, so we went down to Charlotte Harbor and watched as they were let off over in Punta Gorda on the other side. I absolutely love the skies here in Florida.

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Alligator behind Publix Supermarket in the canal. He/she was there for a few weeks then one day it was gone. I hope animal control left him alone because he never seemed to bother anyone. Just came to the waters edge hoping you'd throw food.

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This Banana Spider just kept growing and growing all summer and was as big as my hand eventually. These keep to themselves pretty much but it's the furry fat spiders that wanna run inside your house that give me the jeebies.

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I love Tampa Bay and this picture doesn't begin to do it justice how huge it actually is. It looks like you're on the open ocean out there with no land in sight. I love the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. It's the best 1.00 toll I've ever spent. :nod:

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Venice, Florida.

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Down the coast about 30 minutes is Boca Grande, Florida. If you want a day without crowds, you come here. It was summer and rains moved in but I managed to get some decent pics that day.

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Boca Pass. Warning signs are posted all over warning people not to swim in these passes, or risk being swept out to sea from the swift changing currents into the Gulf. Sadly a few years ago a young teen boy drowned attempting to swim across one of the passes here at Boca to reach the other side.

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The working lighthouse at Boca Grande.

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Driving around Boca. The homes here (like all the islands) are multimillion and so pretty.

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100 year old Banyan trees on Banyan Street. People get married under here.

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My 1 year older sister in the pink, and my sister in law under one of the trees. People have carved their names on the trees but we all felt iffy doing it, cause they're I dunno... over 100 years old and we're just superstitious like that.

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My sister said she wouldn't have any other of the immaculate mansions here, she'd be happy with this little beach house here lol. (And she would)


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Are there any other people who just LOVE the beautiful tropical Florida skies? If anything has amazed me since moving here, it's these beautiful skies we get. Growing up in Ohio, nobody cares what the sky looks like, it's just another day up there. But down here they really are so different and so beautiful. :nod: Gulf sunsets.


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absolutely gorgeous, thanx for sharing:wavey:~

Hey neighbor! I live just over the Skyway Bridge in St. Pete (also a great beach destination!). I have only been to Sarasota once, but plan to visit again soon. Do you ever venture out the Tampa way?

Gorgeous pics, Shane!! The water is so clear and gorgeous... you're so lucky!! :) I just noticed you were on Siesta Key for my 28th birthday... I'm glad y'all picked such a gorgeous place to celebrate for me! :woohoo::laugh:

I went to Florida for the first time in June (Miami) and you're making me miss it :(

I lived in Bradenton for a year or two and spent a lot of time in Sarasota. Beautiful area- thanks for sharing the photos!

Absolutely breathtaking photos Shane! You take great pics! I wanna see more.

Thanks everyone! Viv I have more, I just need to sort through them all. Louie I love your new pic.

As much as I can, I try to make it up there. I love the Bay area. One of the benefits of living here vs. vacationing is there's time to do so many more things and places to visit so that's what I've done since being here.

thanks for sharing i love the photos. how do you like living there?

Cool pictures fab.

I've been here a year now this winter and I like living here. Florida is Florida and there's no other state I'd rather be really. I know if I ever want to move back "home" I can. The people I've encountered here have been so outgoing and nice. Ones who live here and others just vacationing. I've been here a year and all I see mostly are young families and people in their 20's 30's and 40's out and about so where people get it's a lot of older people, I've rarely seen any. And the few I have have been nice and everyones just enjoying the beauty here we all do. It's also nice knowing you live in a place so many have been to and can relate. I like that.

Where you live is very beautiful but I'm still a little bit freaked out by the bobcat in the neighbor's driveway. I love to take walks at night, but with creatures like that roaming around I'd find myself a prisoner of my house.

lol!!!!!!!!

I'm not afraid at all to step outside here at night where I live. Plenty of neighbors and well lit really, it's just across the street here there aren't any homes yet on a few lots and all it is is Florida palms and scrub. You will rarely see a bobcat and when you do, they will dart into some bushes or shy away from you. Some people even make pets out of them, but it's not advised. It's even more rare to spot a FL panther. Even with my contacts in, I can't see that well in dim light and the next day I realized what I thought was a stout wild cat 3 houses down, was actually just a Verizon utility box at the end of their drive. :lol: and you shouldn't be scared of Florida Viv, I've been here a year and the most you encounter here are lizards and critters so come on down. :thumbsup:

See Viv, people post vids of the bobcats down here. Usually they'll just run if they see you. I've taken a million walks morning, noon, and night down here and I've only twice spotted a bobcat in broad daylight and both times they darted into some bushes when they saw me.

Amazing photos. Thank you for posting them!

Absolutely beautiful- I am jealous!!

Thank you Shane for the video. You have put my mind at ease.

Manasota Key Beach in Englewood, FL.

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Gilligan's Bar and Grill in Sarasota. Fun little place with pounding music.

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You need to stay away from that sticky green.:laugh:

If you're talking about what I think you are, then ew. And if it's green they have problems. :shocked:

Driving over the Ringling Bridge and Sarasota Bay to Lido Key

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Shane, as I'm up here in the Northeast freezing to death and dreading winter it is so hard for me to look at these pics and concieve there is still somewhere in the USA enjoying summer weather. I'm so glad for you. I totally love these photos. They truly do warm my heart.

Thanks Viv. I'm still going through them all but those are some recent ones from the past week. My sister and her bf brought his little sister and daughter down and they did not want to go back to Ohio. It's 72 degrees at 8 o'clock and I'm still running the AC during the day. I think a cold front is moving in over the state though sometime this week and will put us in the 40's overnight but down here it usually warms up again by noon during the winter. And to a lot of full time residents, daytime temps in the 70's feel comfortable after such a long hot humid summer. Me, I love Florida either way really.

Sarasota a few days ago

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After an early cold snap the past few nights, we finally warmed back up to seasonal temps in the 70's today and I went for a nice walk and decided to snap some pics on my cell. It was nice to put on shorts and a tee shirt again and leave the jacket at home.

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I love this Spanish moss tree I pass as I walk down the road

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This is the Florida jungle I'm always talking about. It makes me wonder what the interior of the state looked like hundreds of years ago before man came in and developed it all.

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Bridge over the canal right around the corner from my house

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I just love this house around the corner from me. It has been empty since I moved here and is immaculate inside with interior columns as soon as you step inside the door and a huge open kitchen with cherry wood cabinets and a pool out back. I love how they paint homes here in golds and deep oranges, and others in the bold beachy Florida colors because you can get away with it down here.

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Very nice, hmmm need to consider relocating to Florida! Love the fact that I can actually do that, no ties or children etc.!!

Went to the beach the other day and stayed until sunset and caught the first one of 2011 Jan 1st and it's been so nice down here this week.

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