Tuesday Walk

It was beautiful at Howard Park this morning.  I got out of the car, swatted a few skeeters and headed up the trail toward the causeway.

There were a lot of clouds on the horizon so it kept the sun from heating the air and pavement too quickly.  My Camry's outside temperature read 79.  I was hoping it would be cooler as I approached the causeway.

The clouds reflected on still water close to me.  I could see ripples beyond the reflection and I hoped that meant I would find a breeze once I cleared the big mangroves that line the east end of the causeway.

It was cooler beyond the mangroves and a nice breeze was blowing.  So I stopped at the first bridge to talk to the lonely cormorant who was calling to everyone who walked by.  He sounded as thought he had something caught in his throat.

While I was talking to him, a couple of birds flew in to walk around on the rocks below.  I still have to get my bird book out to identify them.  I know I have seen them before but I've forgotten what they are.  It is hard to tell them from the rocks on which they are perched. You'll have to click to "biggify."

I glanced back toward the west and realized that a rainbow was forming in the clouds along the horizon.  The colors were so delicate, that the cell phone camera barely registers them.  But it was very lovely.

I kept walking and taking pictures.

This was when I wished I had brought my good camera.  At this point, I saw Trish and Dolores headed my way so I closed my phone and joined them for the rest of my walk.

Those clouds are harbingers of storms to come later today when the Gluf and Atlantic sea breezes clash over the Tampa Bay area and folks all along the central Florida west coast will be treated to an afternoon and/or evening thunder and lightning show.