An old-time traditional business ends.
For those of you interested in such things,
The Big Watermelon tent has been a landmark coming into Tallahassee, FL on Highway 19 for a lot of years.
Usually, one to three old guys sitting in the folding chairs watching the world go by.
I do not remember seeing actual watermelons.
October 14, 2020
September 23, 2020
In the midst of the Pandemic, new neighbors moved in.
A Flock of Ducks,
A Raft of Ducks,
A Team of Ducks,
A Paddling of Ducks
It started as just a couple of Ducks checkin' out the neighborhood,
but quickly grew to six
And gradually, as the word spread, six became many
Until we are inundated with Ducks
(24 counted the other day)
They are all relatively well- behaved, excepting the occasional
Duck Squabble, and periodic
Quack-a-thon.
Mostly they just walk around,
hiding under a tree in the mid-day sun,
and disappearing into the Preserve at night.
Surprisingly, they spend very little time in the pond.
One thing we have learned about ducks,
they don't have the sense to hide in a thunderstorm,
Basically ignoring the wisdom,
Ducks in the Rain
September, 2020
Between "the Covid" and surgery, the only Hither and Yon posting I can give you is around the house...
Drainboard Jenga
(yes, it really is how our drainboard looked... well, maybe a couple of things strategically placed))
Ever looked at the very small instructions that occasionally come inserted in deliveries?
We know that very little is actually made here anymore, most of it comes from over there. So bad grammar and poor syntax have become staples (fire killer?).
But really, no English SpellCheck?
ethaonl
wihout
tecommended
Another example, this one is a small cardboard insert.
The grammar and text aren't bad,
but think about it:
A family business that has to print in both Chinese and English? That's a fairly far reach!
Or is it just me that finds it strange?
Two Instacart grocery deliveries, each with a pound of butter for Ruth's baking.
The end of an era in two weeks.
Not a clue what this is. It appeared one day on a counter. Very small, the wood grain is the fine grain of our dining room table. Not sure what it is made of... some kind of smooth fiber, maybe very thin plastic.
I have been looking at it for a couple of months now, occasionally moving it around, and have no idea what it is, where it came from or how it got here.
One of the mysteries of life.
4th of July was very strange this year.
All the big fireworks shows, that we watched from the house, were cancelled. There were almost no family fireworks going off around us. Even the booms that accompanied the evening were subdued.
Two really bad pictures sum up the evening...
Someone set off a single aerial a long way from us.
The moon and clouds were the most dramatic display of the evening.
July, 2020
The Story of our Small Effort to help local business and our community.
I am fortunate enough to work in an Essential business that has stayed open throughout the Pandemic while we sheltered in place. Unfortunately, COVID-19 decided to come to town after a lot of our years have passed, so Ruth and I are considered in a high-risk group. Over the last month, we have journeyed from our residence only to take walks and go to our cluster mailbox (those of you who know Ruth may be asking yourselves, "How is Bill still alive?" That is a story for another time).
The result is a lot of waiting for the end of the rainbow.
Watching the news, seeing all the support for first responders, and the plight of local small businesses is a helpless feeling because we can't be "out there." More than a few years ago, I apprenticed and worked in restaurants and catering. The low margins and the resulting depressed wages exist to this day. It is terribly hard to go without work when you are living week-to-week or even day-to-day. Anyway, here we are sitting in relative comfort, unable to go out and help while both our communities and small businesses suffer—a bit of a guilt trip.
Ruth and I needed to do something. We talked about a favorite local restaurant that is trying to survive doing carry-out when their strength, along with great food, is the ambiance of the restaurant. We also talked about first-responders working long hours under challenging conditions who also have to find ways to eat.
It wasn't a big leap to combine the two.
We reached out to Giuseppe, the owner of Casa Cosenza in Oldsmar, and talked to him about giving them a pile... a small pile... of money to use to feed first responders. He and his wife were all over it. They contacted a local hospital to organize a food delivery for 40 / 50 first responders.
There is a commentary to the story: we need to be always mindful that these are unprecedented times, changing the world as we know it; making life hard for millions of men, women, and families. As always occurs in times of adversity, along with the loss and hardship, some step up, often at risk and sacrifice to themselves, to help and render aid. It is too easy to listen to the Talking Heads and just sit around, bemoaning our fate. If everyone who can moves away from their arbitrarily- designated comfort zone and reaches out however they can, we will all be improved for it and in a better place when the New Normal finally defines itself. Do something.
Birds at Sunrise
January, 2020
Preamble:
Saturday January 18 was the first time I picked up my big camera since surgery back in the middle of December. Friends and wife talked me into a side trip to Cedar Key, FL from where we were staying in Cross City. After an excellent seafood lunch, we did about a two mile walkabout. Totally exhausting and probably a bit much, but so worth it to strap on a camera bag and walk. A huge step back to normalcy. Thank you, Ruth, Kimberly and Wayne.
First stop: outside the Cedar Key Arts Center
Starting life in 1881 as the Woolridge Building, this old building retired from last being the L&M Saloon. It has been used as the post office, a drug store, a hardware store, a bar and a barber shop. Since its retirement, it has become a drop-off for strange little objects and somewhat of an art presentation in its old age.
Just down the street:
Cedar Key is a popular out-of-the-way tourist destination, but it is also a very popular pelican destination. Without counting, my bet is more pelicans than people.
January 18, 2020
On December 17, I did a model upgrade, trading an old worn hip for a brand-new titanium model. It was more than worth it; however, the recovery has been a challenge.
Here are some things I learned:
A storm passing by during a Caribbean cruise.
Three interpretations:
1. Original Image, with a little work:
2. Interpreted as an oil painting
3. Interpreted as a classical painting
November, 2019
I do not fly as much as I used to, in fact I only did three round-trips this year and one was to Europe. Despite the discomforts of air travel today, there are moments worth remembering. So, from a flight home from St. Louis, with the help of my DX0 and Perfectly Clear V3, an interpretation of Airplane Clouds:
October, 2019
September 8-9, 2019
November 7, 2019
Ruth and I made a fantastic trip to the Mediterranean in August. We went to some amazing places, met some great people, made some good friends, ate some excellent food, and drank (a lot of) really good wine.
Go to our Trip Story Page to see the trip, the story, and the images. The page is a section of my Galleries, so the image copies are much better quality then I can post on this website.
The Florida Keys
Orlando
The Caribbean... the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Grand Turks, and at sea
April- May, 2019
Storm clouds on the road
Storm moving over Miami
Urban Sunrise
July, 2019
Key West
The Bahamas
The Grand Turks
Tallahassee, FL
A Rural Gated Community, with communal mailbox
May- June, 2019
On the bus...
May, 2019
Lensball, assisted by a shot-glass repurposed from what it is normally used for in Key West.
April 2, 2019