Here’s a photo blog of my best nature (and a few fun miscellaneous) shots from Florida. Turns out I may be a little better at still photography than I am at capturing live-action shots or pics with people as the subject. Enjoy!

Sea horses — These cute little critters were pulled straight out of Pine Island Sound by our Captiva Cruises tour guide.

Point House — A classic Florida beach shack built on a private peninsula at the entrance to Safety Harbor. It’s located in North Captiva, which is a bridgeless barrier island in southwest Florida, located west of Pine Island in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sanibel Island Lighthouse — One of the first lighthouses on Florida’s Gulf coast north of Key West and the Dry Tortugas. It’s 98-foot above sea level and was first lit in August 1884.

Carol’s orchid — Found growing alongside Jenny’s mom’s driveway.

Hibiscus — Spotted growing in Carol’s neighbor’s front yard.

Calusa Indian Trail — You can see Brown’s Mound covered in vegetation in the background. (The path to the top is on the other side.)

Gumbo limbo tree — This funky looking tree runs right along the cross-island canal the Calusa built for travel.

Osprey nest — Mama bird keeping watch, while baby birds of prey are cozy inside the nest. Seen near Captiva Pass.

Hmmm, not sure — Maybe some kind of primrose native to southwestern Florida. Pretty, though.

Fish shack — Angler retreats like this dot the intracoastal inland waterway between North Captiva and Pine Island.

Shells galore — Some of my nicest finds from Sanibel, which is considered the best shelling spot in North America, according to Travel & Leisure Magazine. I got my “Sanibel Stoop” on for sure!

Teenagers, Act Now! — Sure, this is not technically a still shot, but it features (a) Houston not photo bombing, which is a rarity, and (b) one of the funniest signs ever, which ends with “… while you still know everything.”

The Mucky Duck’s other sign — Houston tried to take a picture of me below this, but it just didn’t pan out for the usually steady-handed photographer, so I took this still instead. And really, it’s such comedic perfection that it really doesn’t need a human in it anyway.

White Rabbit — Just a glimpse into the kooky weirdness that is on display throughout the Bubble Room. Perhaps it’s symbolic of my having to curb some of my time-management ways in order to appreciate some of what island time is all about.