Best of 2015

Reviewed my photo's from this past year and these are the ones that I liked best.  I didn't include the ones in the most recent posts. In no particular order

 

RIP Sue Rooney

This past summer I lost my Aunt Sue, the youngest of my dad's three sisters.  Each of dad's sisters has died of cancer, each too young.  On top of that my mom's only brother, as well as her best friend Penny Hill, no relation, but that's a long story have also died of cancer.

When we visited my parents in Florida this past holiday season, The city of Tarpon Springs has a memorial event on Christmas eve.  The town's lagoon is filled with luminaria, to mark the passing of loved ones.  This years felt very somber to me.  My uncle, Sue's husband was there and given how quickly she died, he is still having a hard time dealing with life without his love.  A few days later he showed us the sculptures that Sue has been working on over the past 8 years.  To her and everyone's amazement she had some real talent when it came to sculpting.   I post this in loving memory of Susan Hill Rooney, Lucy Hill Coon, Joanne Hill Monahan, Penny Hill and Bill Park.

 The scene over Tarpon Springs Bayou with all the luminaria lighting up the sky along with the full moon. 
 

  Hundreds of people came out to participate in this beautiful event.

 Below are some of my aunt's sculptures.

 Sue worked with alabaster and I can't imagine how many hours it took to complete this.

 Up close to another piece she made.

 This piece is so thin that the light shines through.

  
 Her piece that won best in show that she reluctantly submitted. And no the picture doesn't do it justice.  Below is what the judges had to say.

 
 This last one is the piece that she was working on when she died.  It is of a dolphin swimming over bubbles.  She asked my uncle to complete it.  He is getting ready to finish what she started.  I can't wait to see it when it's done.  RIP Sue, you are missed.  

The Eyes Have it.

Living north of the 40th latitude line birds are spooky the vast majority of the time, but for some reason the same can't be said of many birds in Florida.  Every time I get to visit my parents in warm sunny Florida, I'm amazed at how close one can get to a wide variety of birds.  This year was no different and I got a nice collection of shots and what surprised me most was the variety of eye colors.
 

 Double Crested Cormorant

 American Oystercather

 Brown Pelican

 White Ibis aka  Chokoloskee chicken

 Anhinga aka Snake Bird

 Common Grackle

 Great Blue Heron

 Osprey

 Yellow Crowned Night Heron

 Common Merganser

 Little Blue Heron

 Horned Grebe in winter plumage

 Kestrel

Common Loon in winter plumage 

Below are some birds with dark eyes

Marbled Godwit

 Marbled Godwits

 Immature Laughing Gull

Long Billed Dowitcher

 Willet