Pangs of nostalgia as familiar features of Long
Island become clear from the air
The Monday morning commute on Route 482 in
Orlando
There are many reminders of the 35th President
of the USA within the boundaries of the Florida Space Centre that bears
his name. This epitaph is seen near to the main entry point
The 'Rocket Garden' at the Kennedy Space Centre
A Florida fountain
The
Saturn I rocket was an early predecessor of the Saturn V which was
eventually to propel Apollo 8 as far as orbit of the Moon.
This particular rocket was a standby version that was never fired ...
hence it is now seen at the Kennedy Space Centre
The
'crawler' vehicles at Cape Canaveral are used to transport fully
flight-ready rockets from the Assembly Building to the Launch Pad - a
distance of c 6 miles. They travel at a maximum of 1 mph when
fully loaded with nearly 3,000 tonnes of rocket and payload
A bird at the Kennedy Space Centre
Another winged resident of Titusville
Some Moon Rock
The Apollo 14
Command Module
Some Florida Bottlebrush
Not some reptile theme park ... a real
alligator in the wild
The familiar NASA logo at the
exit from the Kennedy Space Centre
The coastline at Fort Pierce is popular with
surfers. Temperatures today hit 30C so it really is an
all-year-round sport
Waves hitting the breakwater at the Fort Pierce
Inlet State Recreational Area
3 SUVs parked at the
Recreational Area
A bird
The great majority of the independent diners
which were so popular in the USA during the 50s, 60s and 70s have
largely given way to the ubiquitous fast food chains. Hence
it is rarer nowadays to see a true independent such as Allen's at Fort
Pierce
The US town planners have never
been ones to let aesthetic ugliness get in the way of a good marketing
opportunity. Advertising boards such as this are plentiful in
both urban and rural settings
Florida's largest lake,
Okeechobee, is part of the state's Intracoastal Waterway and irrigation
management system and a lagoon runs north-south alongside the lake
throughout most of its length. This provides good pleasure
boating opportunities and jetties are a regular feature alongside very
attractive properties
A boat on the lagoon
Birds perched on a noticeboard
near Pahokee
Traffic on Route 441 near Loxahatchee.
The darkness ahead is caused by smoke from controlled burning
A neon sign in the Ale House,
Boynton Beach
A typical American shopping
centre at night - the shops are usually open until at least 9 pm
The American 'truck' is a
somewhat more stylish vehicle than most seen in the UK these days
US
citizens are generally a very patriotic group and the Stars and Stripes
can be seen regularly both on public buildings and outside private
houses
A view of the coast at Deerfield
Beach
Deerfield Beach on a very warm
and sunny February morning
A couple sample the Atlantic
water at Deerfield Beach
Can you spot the subject?
A lizard blends-in well to his surroundings in a verge at
Fort Lauderdale
A totem pole in Fort Lauderdale
Look closely and you will see
that the fish is made entirely out of plastic bottles
Southern Florida has an image of
young, fit and trendy people and there are plenty of that stereotype to
be seen on a sunny day
On the other hand ...
Smart and expensive cars abound
such as this one seen in Miami Beach
Miami Beach
A Florida sunset
Miami Beach has a notable art
deco feel to it - even some modern neon signs imitate this
Two
canoeists appear to be setting-out to cross the ocean. On
their
current bearing they would next hit land on the North West African
coast ... a little over 3,000 miles away!
A palm tree at Indian Key
The
coral archipelago of the Florida Keys extends some 120 miles south of
the US mainland and comprises some 1,700 islands. The larger
islands are connected by US Route 1 which runs all the way through to
Key West at the southern end. This involves no less than 42
bridges along the route, one of which extends to 7 miles in length
One of the 1,700 islands off
Indian Key
This
tourist attraction signifies the supposed most southerly point of the
US continent. In fact, just looking behind at the coastline
shows
that this extends further south but this is within an air force base
and so is restricted access
Harley-Davidson
have been making 'quality' motorbilkes for over 100 years.
This
one is seen parked-up in the main street of Key West
There are many novel modes of
transport to be seen in Key West
A stained glass window in St
Paul's Church, Key West
A further stained glass window
in St Paul's, Key West
Florida Silver Saw Palm
trees at Marathon
A slightly erotic wall mural in
Key Largo
Hibiscus in the Florida
Everglades
You don't want to mess with this
fellow!
A Giant Tortoise at the
Everglades Alligator Farm
Close-up it is possible to see
the strength and cutting power of an alligator's jaws
Another Everglades Hibiscus
Vulture-like birds in the wild
Father and son admire a very
placid python
A colourful character at the
Everglades Alligator Farm
A variety of Heron?
Air boats are the main mode of
transport across the Everglades swamps. They can reach speeds
of 40+ mph and are very agile
Typical Florida condominia
American fire hydrants are
almost always 'above ground' and no attempt is made to disguise them
The
Ford Mustang has been in production since 1964 and, following its
launch, became Ford's most successful car since the Model A.
Today they remain stylish and iconic, even if sales are not
what
they once were. This new example could be yours for US$29,950
Denny's
is one of the chains that have largely subsumed the traditional brand
of independent diner. They are not quite as ubiquitous as the
mainstream fast food outlets but there are nonetheless plenty of them
around. As with most such chains, the menu is now much more
regimented and the character has been lost. This said, the
food
quality remains generally good
The
Sunshine Skyway Bridge spans the southern end of Tampa Bay and replaced
its accident-prone predecessor in 1987. It is some 4.1 miles
in
length and cost $244M to build
The city of St
Petersburg, Florida is dwarfed by its Russian namesake (population
0.25M v
5.0M) but is nonetheless a thriving and ostensibly affluent conurbation
across
the bay from Tampa. On the bay side there is a
1//2 mile pier and various characterful buses provide a service from
the
main area of the city for would-be visitors
On-street
parking in virtually all urban areas of the USA is regulated by parking
meters - much more so than in the UK. Here are two typical
examples seen in St Petersburg
Yachts in Tampa Bay
A sea bird enjoying the sun on
St Petersburg's pier
The
pier plays host to regular events and, on this occasion, was the venue
for some form of athletics challenge. Here is one of the
coaches
'inspiring' his victim to do better!
A representative vehicle from
the St Petersburg Fire Department
The marina at St Petersburg
A water fountain in the South
Straub Park
The pier from a distance
Another US flag flutters in
quite a strong breeze
The
Americans treat their retired and deceased service personnel (including
the police and fire service) with a reverence not seen in Britain.
Here is a memorial to members of the St Petersburg Police
Department who have been killed in action. "I never dreamed
it
would be me, And with heavy heart and bended knee, I ask for here and
all the past, Dear God, let my name be the last"
The Northern Trust Bank's highly
polished windows reflect the sunlight and distorted images of adjacent
buildings
The pier from above
Looking north from downtown St
Petersburg
A southerly view down the Tampa
Bay coast
Downtown 'St Pete'
The local baseball team's
pitcher warming-up before the 'big game'
Difficult to describe this
artifact found in the otherwise attractive South Straub Park
A statue outside one of St
Petersburg's museums
The I275 as it passes through
Tampa. Signage is plentiful ... perhaps too much so
Ripley's
"Believe it or not" is a museum of the weird and curious in Orlando.
The experience starts before entering the building which
appears
to have a subsidence problem!
The classic Coca Cola branding
is seen on one of the USA's large trucks as it 'makes a left' at an
intersection in Orlando
Much
is said and written about America's gun culture. In everyday
life
the abundance of fire arm ownership is not noticeable but it is
possible to openly purchase weapons from gun shops in many/most towns
of any size. This somewhat dated, but nonetheless lethal
revolver
was available for hire at a range in the Orlando suburbs
The
Florida Mall in Orlando is the city's largest shopping centre and is
one of the largest single-story malls in the country. It has
retail floorspace of 1,849,000 square feet and boasts 250 separate
outlets. As in any food court, some of the vendors try to
entice
potential customers with small samples of their offerings
Part of Florida Mall's food court
A water feature lit from beneath
gives some interesting effects
One
of the more bizarre sights in the mall is the teeth-whitening area.
The procedure is effected with the use of a laser light and
involves sessions of 30 minutes priced at US$149
An Orlando fountain viewed
through the branches of an orange tree
7
Eleven is a nationwide franchise of 'corner shop' type businesses and
many of them are also attached to a filling station. $3.799 per
US gallon = $4.22 per Imperial gallon = 93 pence per litre
A black swan enjoys the midday sun in Lake Eola Park
Orlando's memorial to those who perished in the Battle of the Bulge during 1944-5
An American White Ibis - plenty of them around Lake Eola
Orlando
is now synonymous with Disney and this amphitheatre, well away from the
main centre of hype at Epcot, also bears that name
The Orlando skyline
A very elaborate fountain graces the centre of Lake Eola
Bird species unknown but the display of plumage for photographic purposes was appreciated!
A turtle basks in the sun
The Lake Eola fountain with another, larger variety of swan
Orlando
has the usual collection of smart office blocks and those with polished
glass windows look particularly good on bright sunny days
Something approaching the traditional stereotype of an old-style American residence
Orlando International Airport is a modern affair, more akin to a hotel lobby than a departure lounge
