View allAll Photos Tagged BaskInTheSun
Common Lizard / zootoca vivipara. Strumpshaw Fen, Norfolk. 08/06/17.
One of a thriving colony of Common Lizards living beneath the boardwalk at Strumpshaw Fen. Nice to be able to get down to its level and watch it closely. Its prehistoric-looking eyes pivoted in all directions as it waited for insects to land. When any did, it darted forward rapidly to snatch them up in its mouth.
BEST VIEWED LARGE.
This shot was taken on Christmas of 2014, when the original windbreak was still standing at Ames Park. As you can see, it was already suffering damage to the ornamentation, and apparently, after the hurricanes of 2016 and 2017, they decided to remove it. When I went to the park this year for either Mother's Day or my mother's birthday, it was gone!
Returning to Ames Park this Christmas was a happy experience. The waterlilies seemed to be returning to the ponds, and the windbreak was back in place, the old one having served as a replica for the new. The new one is boxier than this one that has been worn with time and weather, but should stand for decades to come. I will post the new one next.
Ames Park was owned by a family back in the early to mid 1900's. The Ames family had created a wonderful garden retreat, with seawalls and this windbreak, which would have allowed family and visitors alike to enjoy a little sun on the more blustery days in the Fall and Winter months. Eventually, the land was left to the City of Ormond Beach, and has been one of the nicer parks in the north end of the Daytona Beach area. With gardens, ponds and river views, it is one of my favorite places.
The purpose of this coquina structure labeled, "Bask in the Sun", was to break the wind so people could do just that- sunbathe. For northerners vacationing in sunny central Florida, there is often sufficient hear from the sun to be warm enough to sunbather, but the wind coming off the ocean and river can make it seem ten to fifteen degrees colder than it is. This little barrier between people and the north wind probably provided nice suntans for friends of the Ames family who used to live on this property.
Ames Park was donated to the City of Ormond Beach, having first been the residence and grounds of the Ames family. The home is now used by the City Attorney, and the grounds are a lovely public park, one of the prettiest in the Daytona Beach area. I visit it several times a year, as this is where I scattered my mother's ashes over the river. I chose it because we couldn't afford a cemetery, and this was a beautiful, well-maintained place, with benches to sit and reflect during those times I go to pay my respects. I love the history of the place, as well as its beauty.
Sometimes the unexpected happens. When I looked at this scene on my camera's screen, it didn't look anything this dramatic, but when I saw how even the original, unedited pic looked, I was happily surprised! This was one of those aaaahhh moments that seems to happen so seldom.
The Ames family, who once owned the property that is now Ames Park, in Ormond Beach, Florida, erected this wind breaker so that they and their friends could get some sun during the cooler months of the year here in Central Florida. The wind next to the Halifax River can be brutal sometimes, but the sun's rays are warm and piercing. The camera captured exactly what it should have this go round, with the brilliant sun rays aimed right at the wind breaker which says, "Bask in the Sun". I added a bit of bokeh for effect, and did a little detail work on the concrete. An HDR-like filter and Orton-like filter were also used, and to remove some of the purple tones from the concrete, I used a black and white filter and then added back areas where I wanted the color to remain the same.
There is something so angelic about some of the shots I took that day with my nephew, Alaric. I captured a couple of light shots like this and it was almost surreal. Well, what could be more magical than Christmas Day, anyway? The birth of our Savior remembered, and reminders of the glory of God everywhere, this seemed the perfect place to experience the Christmas spirit.
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Bask in the sun by the pool until you can't resist any longer—dive in to cool off!
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