A Few Sea Shells and a Mermaids Lei that got washed off her after a Big Storm, Sunset Beach, FL

A Few Sea Shells and a Mermaids Lei that got washed off her after a Big Storm, Sunset Beach, FL

After a Big storm I love to go walk the beach. Many interesting things wash up after a really good winter storm. All sorts of interesting shells and other stuff are found on the beach. Those Gorgeous Amber Pen Shells with their golden color, especially radiant in the light of Sunset are my absolute favorite post storm shells.  I have even read stories of pieces of old shipwrecks washing up. If only I were so Lucky…

One of my favorite post storm stories is where these interesting plants that almost look like a natural Lei, you know the Type that Hawaiians and Mermaids would wear, wash up on shore. You can see the “J” shaped piece above in the photo. I can imagine some poor Mermaid weathering the storm out in her favorite Coral Reef Home and the currents washing her hair too and fro. The Lei being torn from her neck and washing up on shore…

Great Mermaid Site: http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/mermaids/index.html

Photograph Taken on: 1-04-08 5:36PM  Aperture Mode
Model:Nikon D80  Shutter Speed: 1/15 Second  F-Stop:f11  ISO:100
Focal length: 90mm  Lens: Nikon 18-200mm  VR

Sunset during an X-Class Solar Flare, Sunset Beach, FL

I love a Great Sunset, It’s one of the requirements of being a native Floridian. It also means I follow the weather in space, especially the goings on at our Sun.

Late December 6th, 2006, Sunspot 930 had just exploded Creating a Solar Tsunami and an X6 Class Solar Flare. See a movie of the explosion on the sun at Spaceweather.com:
http://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=08&month=12&year=2006

X-class flares are big, they are major events that can trigger planet-wide radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms. The last time this occurred was July 14th, 2000 and it caused what was “The Bastille Day Event“.

The full effects of this Solar Flare hit earth on December 8th, 2006. I had been watching the skies since sunrise, looking for anything unusual to Photograph. Around Noon in Tampa bay, I noticed Ice halos around the sun. I placed one of those Photo’s at bottom.

So, having Never photographed a sunset during a Major Solar event I headed to Sunset Beach, FL. The Place for awesome sunsets in The Tampa Bay area. The Sun was Blasting so bright even at high apertures it completely blurred the clouds around it. Even to the Naked eye…

Here is a Photograph of the Ice Halo as seen from Pinellas Park, FL

Date Taken: 12-08-06 5:13PM Sunset / Massive X6 class Solar Flare
Model:Nikon D80 Shutter Speed: 1/30 Aperture Priority F-Stop:f11 ISO:100
Focal length: 11mm Lens: Tamron 11-18mm

Bottom Photo Taken:  12-08-06 2:29PM Ice Halo’s Massive X6 class Solar Flare
Model:Nikon D80 Shutter Speed: 1/500 Aperture Priority F-Stop:f11 ISO:100
Focal length: 11mm Lens: Tamron 11-18mm