With Christmas behind and the New Year ahead, I wanted to spend a day without work, household chores, phones, e-mail, or TV. My photographic roots are in studying the natural world and capturing it's beauty. It's still the best way I know to appreciate life.

Yesterday was spent relaxing in a canoe on the Hillsboro River. Enjoying the weather and wildlife in Florida, in the winter, is always a treat. This Little Blue Heron is about to catch an afternoon snack. The toes on this bird are amazing.

This river is a gem just on the outskirts of Tampa. The narrow slow moving current allows for an easy paddle while observing the wildlife. On this day, we were treated to sightings of Osprey, Bald Eagles, Limpkins, LIttle Blue Herons, Tri Colored Herons, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Night Herons, Kingfishers, White Ibis (pictured), Alligators, and several species of Basking Turtles.

The floodplain forest is covered with ferns, Bog Lillies, Pickrel Weed, all under the canopy of Oaks, Palms, Cypress, Dahoon Holly, just to name a few. It's an incredibly lush landscape.

The wildlife is somewhat habituated to humans on the river. If you're quiet, you can pass closely without disturbing their activities. The Great Blue Heron pictured on the left barely gave us a glance as we slowly glided by. The basking alligator opened an eye briefly before nodding off again in the warmth of the mid-day sun.