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Serendipity

Serendipity means "happy surprise" or "pleasant accident".  One recent morning I was walking downstairs and there watching TV at an ungodly early morning was Brendan.  He had gotten off work and walked over to avoid a longer walk home.  I guess he was just tired.  I said I'd be glad to spring for breakfast and take him home so I grabbed my camera just in case there was that elusive beautiful red sunrise I missed a while ago.   



After I dropped him off at his place which is very close to the Park, yeah, that one, Vinoy, I drove the 3 blocks to wait for sunrise.    Well, as long as I was there, I might as well take another shot or several of the skyline.  You fine folks have seen a lot of these skyline pics, but you have to remember, I'm from Seaton with a population of 230.  I am forever amazed at the sight and how the hell I got down here.


This is a picture looking across the Bay.  It is approximately 15 miles across from the park to Apollo Beach which is straight across and a bit to the north.  You can't see it from this picture but there is a big power plant over there.   




Then I snapped this of the ever growing light of a new day.  You can see the cloud cover, but I was still hopeful for a dazzling color show.  I guess the most interesting thing here is the power plant to the left of center.  That is the Big Bend Power Station.  You can see the smoke coming out of the towers.  Of note, too, is that the power plant is home to local manatee in the winter. The plant dumps warm water nearby and they have a viewing area and platform you can see all of them enjoying warmer waters.  Hint:  there just might be a future entry on the manatees at the plant.



I then decided to see if I could get a picture of me just to kill some time, and see if I could get it properly focused.  That unsmiling apparition on the park bench is just an experimental prototype.  I could smile, I suppose, but then it might scare some of the early joggers.



While turning the camera and tripod back toward more spectacular things to shoot I heard behind me on the bench a strange whistle.  It was like a cross between a whippoorwill and a hawk and while I was turning back around I imagined some homeless crank had taken the bench and was practicing his birding.  




I was surprised to see Brendan sitting there and what a lovely serendipitous surprise.  Apparently he was too wound up and he said he often walks the park to "ponder".  It is not a favorable picture of either of us, but then, how favorable do you get at 5:30 AM.  Anyway, his being there and my being there right at this spot and time in a city of 300,000 people more or less is what is called serendipity.  And that is a wonderful way to start a day.


This is the make or break part of a sunrise.  Either the sun will reflect its early morning refraction onto clouds above, or everything will be hidden by a curtain of clouds.  


It doesn't look like I will get much of a sunrise this morning.  Too many clouds.



Nope, isn't going to work out this morning.  As the light becomes brighter it is evident that the best thing I got this morning was an unexpected visit from Brendan, and breakfast.  




One last shot of downtown and I will now head for the cold embrace of Shawshank.  I find these early morning visits to the park quite relaxing and visually stunning.  Sometimes, at least this once, I had a serendipitous experience.  

Thanks for joining me and Brendan this morning.


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