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Cortez Fishing Village

4/19/2019

Cortez is a living remnant of Old Florida. It is a small working fishing village located on a peninsula in Sarasota Bay. The population of this unincorporated community is 4,377. Cortez Road (State Highway 684) connects Bradenton with Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria Island. Cortez is not a trendy place, but a living community of weathered old houses and fish companies, fish nets, crab traps, floats and all kinds of boats, old and new.

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We have been to the Cortez several times and enjoy capturing sunsets and watching the fishing boats prep for the next day. The village maintains a commercial fishing activity, but families vacationing nearby in Bradenton are attracted has to Cortez for great dining of fresh seafood. My photo shoots in Cortez have be limited since I 'thought' the area we visited was the village. I have come to learn, there is an Old Florida village in Cortez a little ways away from the area I captured. Next time (lol). Beyond Cortez, it is just a short drive to Anna Marie Island to capture scenes and people activity around the dock.

Photo Ops:

Fishing boats
Village of Cortez Marker
Low-light photos of restaurants and bait shops

Place(s) to dine: Tide Tables

Wiki ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortez,_Florida
One of the Last Fishing Villages ... authenticflorida.com/cortez-a-real-florida-fishing-village/
Cortez Village ... www.bradentongulfislands.com/places/133/cortez-historic-fishing-village

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Lake Wales - Bok Tower & gardens

4/11/2019

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Lake Wales is a city in Polk County, Florida, west of Lake Kissimmee and east of Tampa. Lake Wales is surrounded by parks, gardens and wildlife preserves including Bok Tower Gardens or Bok Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Singing Tower is a 250-acre bird sanctuary and a contemplative garden. While exploring the gardens, the visitors can learn about the history of Edward W. Bok and his Singing Tower and tour the historic Pinewood Estate mansion, which offers a glimpse of the luxurious lifestyle of the 1930s. (Vacation Ideas)

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My photo buddy Eddie and I decided to visit Bok Tower and Gardens to capture the tower, explore the gardens and primarily to challenge ourselves to photographing subjects with different camera settings - to create blurred backgrounds by controlling depth of field control (by changing the aperture settings).

The gardens were beautiful and the tower was eye-catching. I was (most) pleased with being able to capture the tower with the water in the foreground since it duplicated the photo on Wikipedia (haha).

Photo Ops:

The Bok Tower - entrance, verticals, the tower with foreground water, etc.
Gardens - flowers, trees, etc
Other structures and buildings on the grounds

Resources:
Wiki ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bok_Tower_Gardens
History ... Bok Tower History

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Anna Maria Island

4/1/2019

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Anna Maria Island, is a barrier island on the coast of Manatee County, Florida, in the United States. It is bounded on the west by the Gulf of Mexico, on the south by Longboat Pass (which separates it from Longboat Key), on the east by Anna Maria Sound, and on the north by Tampa Bay. Anna Maria Island is approximately 7 miles (11 km) long north to south. Source: Wiki

See also Anna Maria Island: A charming Old Florida beach town; now you can skip the traffic ...
Florida Rambler - Gateway to the Authentic Florida

See also Anna Maria, Florida: Beach Town at the end of the road
Florida Backroads Travel - Off the Beaten Path Places

Personal Note:
Lots more to explore in and around the island. See links above and see Visit Florida

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