Two trees

No Dogs on Beach

Snow shoveling not necessary: Beach Park at sunset

SKYWATCH Friday Season 4 Episode 30

One of my favorite scenes: the minarets of the University of Tampa shot from across the Hillsborough River as the sun begins to set.

Visit Skywatch Friday to see the beauty and wonders of the world's most magnificent skies. It's always an amazing show and all brought to you by Skywatchers from all over the planet.

Sunset from Harbour Island Bridge

Sunset from Gandy Bridge

Best of Tampa Sunsets in 2009: Ablaze with Fiery Color

This sunset over Old Tampa Bay was taken from Beach Park on September 30th.

Happy New Year!

Beach grass soaking in the setting sun

The sun sets over Old Tampa Bay and the beach grass can't get enough of the waning rays. The end to a glorious November day in Florida.

Ablaze with Fiery Color

Anyone on Florida's Gulf Coast was treated to an indescribable sunset as the entire sky was lit with every color of the golden-hued palette of flaming oranges, reds and brilliant golden yellows. Not that I am totally unfamiliar with slight adjustments to my digital images with Windows Live Photo Gallery - I haven't used Photoshop in a good long while - but this shot came straight from the little Lumix and was burning a hole in the camera's memory card. After almost 100 individual exposures of the fast disappearing sun, I found myself standing alongside the seawall in the dark, my car still running in the street behind me. I hope you agree that tonight's sunset represented Tampa well.

Sunset over Tampa Bay

The sunset this evening was so attractive that the camera almost left the house on its own. After gray skies and off-and-on rains throughout the day, the air grew dry and still, the water on Tampa Bay grew glassy smooth and the sun began to glide across the earth in all its glory. A scene like like one shot from the Beach Park neighborhood make these homes very desirable. Your boat can be tied up at its own dock just steps from the house and it's about 3 minutes to the deep, open water at the mouth of the bayou. Head south to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and the Gulf of Mexico. Fishing. Skiing. Or just lazy cruising in and out of the many canals. It's faster by boat to your neighbor's dock then taking the car to their driveway. Can't you just imagine having to enjoy this view every day and night. Magnifique.

Fishermen going out as the day cruise ends

Menacing Sky Meets Dancing Shadows

I was losing the light fast as the sun slid down the face of the buildings and cast shadows across the still water. Lights were coming on at The Shops of Harbour Island on the right and the Embassy Suites Hotel Downtown. In the center is the bridge to the island. The night air was humid but not a breath of wind even caused a ripple on the water.

Minarets of the Tampa Bay Hotel

The Henry B. Plant Museum is located within Plant's original Tampa Bay Hotel, now a part of the University of Tampa. Quoting the museum's website, "If you’re railroad magnate Henry Bradley Plant, in the midst of the sand swamps that would be Tampa, you construct the most astonishingly magnificent hotel of its day, then fill it with treasures from around the world. With its splendid Moorish architecture, opulent furnishings, and spectacular tropical gardens, Plant’s Tampa Bay Hotel attracted a host of celebrated guests, from Teddy Roosevelt to Sarah Bernhardt to Babe Ruth. A visit to the Henry B. Plant Museum and the authentically restored rooms of the Tampa Bay Hotel will transport you back to a time of indulgent ten-course meals, waltzing on the veranda and alligator hunting by moonlight.…" And they enjoyed magnificent sunsets as well.

Skywatch Friday #56

Wispy clouds reflect the last burst of sunlight as the sailboats at anchor cast long evening shadows across the water's glassy surface.

Visit Skywatch Friday to see the beauty and wonders of the world's most magnificent skies. It's always an amazing show.

Sunset and moon glow over Hillsborough Bay

Sailboats at anchor as the Tampa sky grows dark