Surf's Up!

I was walking along the pier on Deerfield Beach, and saw these "surfer dudes". 

Unfortunately, I was positioned behind these guys so I couldn't get their faces, but they were really having fun out there.

And, yes, they were H-O-T!  ha ha

They were fun to photograph, I will go back another time and get in a better position.  They were definitely fun to watch.

Sunrise at the Fishing Pier

I got up early to shoot the fishing pier in Deerfield Beach, FL. 

As it turned out, the skies were overcast and the sun never peaked through. 

But it was a nice morning to be down by the beach, and a nice way to start the day.

An Evening in Bangkok

While working on the photo book from my Vietnam trip, I realized that the traditional Thai dance performances on our last night in Bangkok would make a nice little book.  Here it is:

An Evening in Bangkok by Nancy S. Wilkins

Make Your Own Book

I Love Owls

I made a cute little owl book.  Preview it here:

I Love Owls Photography by Nancy S.Wilkins

Make Your Own Book

Burrowing Owls - the chicks

I've been to Brian Piccolo Park (Hollywood, FL) before to photograph the Burrowing Owls, but had not seen the chicks before.  The adults have the yellow eyes, the chicks have dark eyes.  They are soooo adorable!

This is one of my favorite pictures of the chicks.  Their eyes are beautiful. 

This is another favorite.  It reminds me of a little crying kid that dropped his lolipop.

And, of course, it's nap time.  I caught this one yawning.  So cute!  A great afternoon spent at the park.

Burrowing Owls

I love the little Burrowing Owls!  Brian Piccolo Park (Hollywood, FL) is home to some of these cute little creatures.  I had a fun afternoon there, photographing them.

Burrowing Owls (Athene Cunicularia) are small owls that make their homes in South Florida prairies.  Unlike most other birds, they burrow themselves into the ground where they lay their eggs and form a large family community. 

They are very charismatic, photogenic, and active this time of year, and both adults and chicks can be seen exiting and entering nests, standing guard, and hunting for prey throughout the day.   

Osprey on Blue Cypress Lake

This is the dock at Middleton's Fish Camp (Vero Beach, FL) at sunrise.  We rent pontoon boats and drift among the Cypress trees, photographing the Ospreys.

I discovered this place last year with my photography group and I had to come back again this year.  What an amazing place.  Blue Cypress Lake is home thousands of Osprey and it is such a great time to photograph them. 

I love the eyes of the Osprey.  The adults eyes are yellow, the chicks are orange.

The chicks stole my heart a long time ago.  The Osprey is probably my favorite bird.  The chicks are beautiful and charismatic.

I love to go to Middleton's Fish Camp, and look forward to going again next year.

Caracara

This is a Caracara.  We ran across them when we were up in Vero Beach the night before our Osprey outing.

We shot them (with our cameras) just before sundown.  I think I've seen them before, but these are my first photographs.

Vietnam Cruise: Bangkok, Local Performances

The evening in Bangkok was the perfect ending to our day and our entire cruise.

We started with drinks with friends at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, then took a little boat to cross the river over to the Peninsula hotel for dinner and a performance which showcased the traditional Thailand dances.

Many different styles and costumes, which we enjoyed all throughout dinner. 

At the end, they all came back on stage for an encore.  Such an amazing way to end the day, the cruise, the entire trip.  We had an early flight home the next day but my head was filled with the sights, sounds, and flavors of Bangkok all the way home.

Vietnam Cruise: Bangkok

The absolute highlight of the trip turned out to be the day in Bangkok when we got off the ship.  We had a guide and tried to get as much in as we could with the limited time that we had.

The Grand Palace was so amazing, I could have photographed that place for days!  I just couldn't click fast enough, it was so much fun. 

We also got to see the Reclining Buddha.  Again - amazing!  Such a thrill to photograph this place.  I would love to come back when I could have more time.

Many more pictures are posted on my Flickr site, you are welcome to visit there.  Hard to choose just a few to represent this day.  We started at the Grand Palace, took a little river cruise, saw the Reclining Buddha, visited the flower market - and had an absolutely amazing day.  Bangkok truly goes down as one of my favorite places.  We then had to get ready for our evening, dinner and a show.

Vietnam Cruise: Cambodia

Cambodia was one of those places that you are glad you got to see it but the only reason I would want to go back would be to see Angor Wat, which we were not able to get to from the port on this cruise.  But we did go to one interesting place - Wat Kroung - which was great fun to photograph. 

From here we went to another market, but the begging was more aggressive and the people were worse off, so it was not an enjoyable experience.  Interesting to see this country and a lot of history is here, but they are still underdeveloped and it shows.