My wife and I have been spending some time in southern Florida over the last several winters. It is a great respite from the cold and windy Midwest. We have been staying in Marco Island in a two-bedroom condo on the beach on the eighteenth floor. One advantage to being that far south (besides the warmth) is the proximity to the Everglades, particularly the Ten Thousand Island Aquatic Reserve. Here you will find an abundance of wildlife, from alligators to various birds. We love going out to the Marsh Trail, about a half mile of a mostly paved trail with small shallow ponds and marshes along both sides at various intervals. An excellent place for bird photography!

The bird activity was minimal on this particular day, and we decided to head back early. When we walked into the condo and looked out the back sliding door, we were stunned to see the spectacular sunset right before our eyes! We scrambled to get our camera gear and tripods out before the sun dropped over the earth and made it just in time. You can see by the camera settings we were still operating in "animal mode"!

The way the calm Gulf of Mexico was picking up the color from the sky was incredible, and the timely place of the sailboat completes the photo.