A couple years ago I had the pleasure of being in Panama City Beach over the July 4th holidays. I was able to catch a couple firework displays. One at Pier Park beach and then one at the Grand Lagoon. I was able to get a good place on the public dock at the end of Dolphin Drive. Don’t forget to check out some of the other Fireworks I’ve captured over the years.
I try hard to find new places to go for July 4th. Last summer, I found myself in Florida at the Pier in front of Pier Park in Panama City Beach. I thought it was a pretty cool experience. There was a huge crowd, but it did not look that big since everyone was spread out on the beach.
I spent a little bit of time walking around the St. Andrews Marina in Florida and was fascinated by the Governor Stone. It is hard to believe something built in 1877 is still operational and sea worthy today.
One of my favorite places in Panama City Beach are the jetties along the pass at St. Andrews State Park. It is always fun to go watch the boats coming and going. My favorite are not the small ones, but the large transport ships. It amazes me to see them navigate such a small area. It is hard to believe that the water is deep enough for most of them.
One afternoon while we were visiting St. Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach, I decided to take a stroll from the ocean to the northern point of the park along the beach for the bay. I found many interesting things, but was fascinated with this piece of driftwood. I found several logs, but nothing other than this that was man made, or processed. I know that the ocean holds many mysteries and transports things you would never believe, but I was impressed that this beach was so clear of garbage.
I decided to take the kids on a hike around Gator Lake in St. Andrews State Park. We got about a quarter of the way around the lake when the trail was completely covered in water and there was no other way to go. This was at the end. I kept expecting an alligator to surge up out of the water and chase us away. It is hard to explain how the water was clear, yet dirty.
After swimming at the beach at St. Andrews State Park, we decided to take a walk around some of the trails. I thought this was going to be a nice little walk through a small swampy area, but it just ended up being about 100 yards long. So, my daughter and I decided to take some photos. The water was shallow and relatively clear. I was hoping to see an alligator or two, but that never happened.
Winter is upon us and I am now thinking of vacation. Last year at the beach was good and I’m thinking the beach may be a good destination again. However, the decision will hinge upon what the kids want to do. We went walking on the beach one night and made it to the county pier. There is a stream, if you can call it that, that runs into the ocean by the pier. It made for some interesting night time shots.
This little pond is located at the end of S. Thomas Drive where it intersects Front Beach Road. It is a rather busy area, but this little pond seems to be neglected. I took a few minutes to walk out to the little building. I would not recommend that, it was not very stable. I got a few shots of Pompanos, the restaurant sitting along the edge of the pond.
I had just gotten out of the car at Eden Gardens State Park and found these trees. In the background was the fountain. I worked my way around until I could find a way to get both the fountain and trees. If only I could have found a third “V” to include.
