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A trip to the Florida Keys started with a skinny waterspout on August 10, 2001. Image from video.	Cheryl Chang, Jim Leonard and I saw the little spout from the Seven Mile Bridge. It dissipated fairly quickly. Image from video.	Afterward, we had a gorgeous view of a struggling storm over an island in the turquoise water. Image from slide.

During a stop at No Name Key, Jim got friendly with the natives: Key deer. We didn't feed them, but it was obvious they were used to tourists giving them snacks (which is prohibited). Image from slide.	The deer takes a break from grazing and eyes me and my camera suspiciously. Image from slide.

Even if the storms don't cooperate in the Keys, you can usually count on a swell sunset. Image from slide.	Sunset, August 10, part 2. Image from slide.

Cheryl, Jim, Mike Theiss and I headed to Blimp Road on August 11, where the reconnaissance blimps are launched, to watch the storms build. Image from slide.	The clouds didn't want to produce spouts, but Jim and Cheryl cooled off while we waited in vain for action. Image from slide.

A subtle Islamorada sunset that evening washed the sky and water in pastel colors. In the distance is a storm that most likely formed over the Everglades in south Florida. Images from slides.

Links to 2001 chase reports:

• February 14-March 31: Fog, a few storms and blue-sky distractions in drought-stricken Florida
• May 6-8: Roiling severe storms in Oklahoma and a mothership in Kansas
• May 9-11: Pretty storms in Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri
• May 16-19: Lightning and downpours during a Kansas chase and an outflow boundary from heck in Texas
• May 20: A too-close encounter with a tornadic supercell in Oklahoma
• May 23-27: Dust devils, Texas storms and a dust-bowl-style gust front in Kansas
• May 28: Beautiful storms in Colorado and a tornado at dusk
• May 29: A monster, rotating, layer-cake supercell in the Texas panhandle
• May 30: A gorgeous storm from New Mexico that produced hail from hell
• May 31-June 1: A look at Texas tornado damage and pretty rotating storms in Kansas
• June 3-24: Severe storms and fantastic lightning in Florida
• July 3-August 4: Shelf clouds sweep over the water in east-central Florida
• August 10-11: The Florida Keys offer a skinny waterspout and shimmering sunsets
• August 17-23: Florida again proves itself king of the shelf clouds, lightning and sunsets
• August 31-September 24: A layered gust front, lightning and the remnants of Tropical Storm Gabrielle