Mel's Diner

 Mel's Diner is a handsome classical diner along US Route 41 in Bonita Springs.

I like it best at night after everyone has gone home.

This view is from the right side, near the rear.

And this is from halfway down the right side.

A couple of weeks ago a vehicle plowed through the building on the front left side, pushing in two windows, a wall, and shifting booths and tables.  It looks like there has been enough repair for the building to be used again, though the cosmetic work remains undone.

Vote!

 

This is a consequential election.  Don't fail to vote!

Naples Botanical Garden

 

A simple but colorful plot at Naples Botanical Garden.

Day of the Dead

Yesterday and today Naples Botanical Garden is hosting events celebrating "Day of the Dead" or "Día de Muertos," a Mexican holiday.  According to some cultures, on these days loved ones emerge from the afterlife to visit and reunite with their families on Earth. 

Alma (on the left) and her family celebrated many loved ones who are no longer physically present on Earth, but whose memories comfort the family members. 

Another family honored their departed just a bit further down the wall.

I don't have any Mexican or other Latin heritage, but on days like this, I wish I did.

Sofia was also at the Naples Botanical Garden, dressed for these special holidays.

The monthly theme for City Daily Photo participants on November 1 is "Happy."  Really?  On a day wrapped by Halloween on one side and Day of the Dead on the other?

I knew my odd habit of photographing license plates that amuse me would pay off sometime.

Click here to see other photographers' interpretations of "happy."

Halloween

 

Well, today is Halloween, but I haven't been out scouting for appropriate Halloween scenes to photograph.  Six years ago I was in Savannah on Halloween and saw four dinosaurs walking past. 

Ritz Carlton Beach Resort

 Ritz Carlton has two major properties in Naples.  Ritz Carlton Tiburon is a glamorous golf community that hosts both PGA Champions tournaments (for professional men 50 years and older) and the LPGA. 

 

This is the other one, the original Ritz Carlton, a beach resort that is a short distance from Gulf of Mexico beaches.  The beach resort just recently re-opened after a multi-year renovation that began in 2021.  

The renovation was originally planned to be completed in 2022, but the hotel took a direct hit from Hurricane Ian and remained closed much longer.

The Inn on Pelican Bay

 The Inn on Pelican Bay is at the southern edge of Pelican Bay, a 2,330 acre Naples community with about 6,500 residences.  Pelican Bay was developed in the early 1970s in a joint venture between Westinghouse and the Barron Collier companies.

 The Inn opened in 1993.  It is a 100 room, six story boutique hotel that is ranked by several ranking firms as the #1 hotel in Naples and the #1 hotel in Florida.  It is a short walk to the beaches.  Waterside Shops -- a high end shopping center -- is across the street.  Pickleball courts are next door.