Misty Morning

The fairway of the sixteenth hole on a morning that began with heavy fog.

Half an hour earlier, the tree was not visible.  Half and hour later, the skies were blue.

Weekend Reflections.

The February theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Entry."

Immokalee

Immokalee is a farm community east of Fort Myers and Naples.
Major crops are cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes and citrus. 

Immokalee produces about 90 percent of the USA's tomatoes during winter months.

Immokalee is heavily Hispanic (71 percent) and African American (18 percent).  

Many residents are migrant agricultural workers.

The February theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Entry."

Baker Museum

The Baker Museum is the art museum in "Artis - Naples," the new name of

the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts.  (Don't get me started about the name change . . . )

The statue in front is by Hanneke Beaumont, whose work is

on exhibition at the museum for three more weeks.
The gates are by metal sculptor, Albert Paley.

The February theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Entry."

Walter

Walter is a sculptor and artist.  He was born in Vienna, lived in New York
for many years, and now lives in Naples.

Most of Walter's artworks are minimalist abstract sculpture and drawings.

The February theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Entry."

Alligators

Alligators can run short distances at a speed of 30 miles an hour.  If we could run a

four-minute mile, that would be 15 miles an hour.

They win.  Easily.

The February theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Entry."

Chalk Art

A service club raised money for charity yesterday by sponsoring a chalk art festival 

on the main shopping street of Olde Naples.

Many of the chalk artists were students, usually girls.

These girls are from Barron Collier High School, one of Naples' high schools.

Some of the artists were professional muralists.

Local schools, churches, nonprofits, businesses and stores sponsored many 

of the murals.  This was being done for a jeweler in support of

Sunshine Kids, an organization for childhood cancer patients.

I could do that if I wanted.

Tickets sold to festival visitors could be put in the artists' bowls, to vote for favorites.  

My votes in the professional category went to Jane Portaluppi Durand, 

an artist who was reproducing part of a 19th century painting.

Roadside Memorials

Roadside memorials convey a more personal and intense

feeling of loss than fancy gravestones.

The February theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Entry."

Debra

Debra was a fitness instructor in Indiana.  She moved to Florida four months

ago so she won't be cold in the winter any more.

Debra works at a garden center.  She posed in front of a
colorful wall of bougainvillea.

The February theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Entry."

Susan

Susan left a career in pharmaceuticals thirteen years ago

to come to Naples from Pennsylvania.

These days, when Susan is not reading thrillers, she sells real estate.

Bernard and Claude

Bernard and Claude are from Quebec.

If you are from Canada, I suppose 60 degrees Fahrenheit 

(16 degrees Celsius) feels balmy, even if Floridians are shivering.

Zoe

Zoe is a vivacious woman from Pennsylvania.  She is a painter, jewelry maker, muralist
and instructor, and dives into whatever other artistic endeavor attracts her.

Zoe exhibited at a recent show of wildlife art that was held at a

state park along the beach in Naples.

JoAnne is Eighty!

               JoAnne:  "It is my birthday."
               Jack:        "Congratulations!  Sixty?"
               JoAnne:  "No, I'm eighty!"
               Jack:        "Wonderful.  Have a great day."
               JoAnne:  "I have a great day every day."

J. D.

J. D. was the captain of the airboat we rode around Lake Trafford.
He claims that he has been around Lake Trafford 8,000 times.

Great Blue Heron

I see great blue herons often, but most won't pose for a close-up.

Roseate Spoonbill

This handsome fellow was feeding in the reeds
at the edge of Lake Trafford.

For more photos with reflections, visit Weekend Reflections.

Sandhill Crane

Sandhill cranes aren't seen very often down here.

This was one of a pair strolling on a lawn next to Lake Trafford,
about an hour east of Naples.

Kim and James

Kim and James are English.  A friend's mother owns Brambles, a tea room in Olde Naples.

They are driving down the Florida coast.  Then they will go to Puerto Rico and other 

Caribbean islands, where they will sign on to crew a sailboat around the world.  

The plan is to sail for the next two years, while they are young and before they have children.

Myra Janco Daniels

Myra Daniels is a legend in southwest Florida.  She ran a successful

Chicago advertising agency with her husband, Draper Daniels -- the

inspiration for Mad Men's Don Draper.  They retired to nearby

Marco Island in 1979.  (You do the math to calculate how old Myra is.)

Draper died five years later, and Myra missed the cultural life of a big city.  So, she got to work. 

In 1989 Myra founded the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts.  Twenty-five years later, 

"the Phil" is a $100 million nonprofit organization with a fine symphony orchestra,
an art museum, a blackbox theater and other arts facilities.
Myra retired a second time last year.

Greetings from FLORIDA, The Land of Sunshine

OK.  I get the Florida pillow.

But check out the green pillow on the left.

Really?

Weeping Willow

Naples has numerous used furniture stores.

I was going to buy this, except that I wanted

a pair and they only had one.

Sylvia and Henry

Sylvia and Henry are from Ottawa but they have a place in southwest Florida 

and the family lives here for much of the winter.

Henry is a handful.  Only 14 months old, he has been walking since he was 9-1/2 months old.  "Walking" is an understatement.  Henry has a fast motor and is on the go whenever 

Sylvia is not holding him.  Sylvia has an impressive ability to carry on 

an uninterrupted conversation while continually 

intercepting Henry's escape attempts.

Bang

Bang was born in the Philippines and moved to Dubai when she was young.  Dubai became too expensive, so she decided to move to the USA twelve years ago.  She had family in Iowa
and Florida; she visited Iowa in November when it was gray and cold.
That convinced her to move to Naples instead.

Reflected in Bang's sunglasses are Jen, whom you saw yesterday,

and me.  I had to take a second photograph to hide my face.

Visit Weekend Reflections to see more photographs with reflections.

Jen

Jen went through a tough time when she was in her 20s.  Faith is important in her family,
and her family prayed for her to succeed in her struggles with addiction.

When she had a daughter three years ago, Jen turned her life around.  The tattoo of the Virgin
and child, a beating heart, and her daughter's name remind Jen of her family's
 support and the journey she has taken.

Jen thought she looked awful without makeup and was at first reluctant to be photographed.
I think she looks awfully good.  What do you think?

Bob

Bob is an English folksinger

who spends his winters in southwest Florida.

His wife and he spend most of their time playing golf,

walking and biking, though he has scheduled a concert for later in January.

Pastel

Taste is a personal thing, don't you think?

Somewhere in Aqualane Shores in Naples.

Sleep Cheap

Sleep?  With a coral snake weaving through the wall boards?  There is NO way . . .

This is linked to Monday Mural.

This is part of the property of Everglades Wonder Gardens; an
unused building is now occupied by a mattress company.

The Real Macaw

The Real Macaw is a restaurant and bar on Bayshore Drive in Naples.

When I drove past, it looked a bit shabby, but the website suggests that it might be interesting.

Courtney

Courtney trained as a nurse but learned that the policies and working

conditions in a hospital are not for her.  While she builds her practice as a

home health care aide, she is working as a waitress.

Can you always pick your favorite photo right away?  I can't.

Clubhouse

It is quiet in the morning before the hordes

of golfers gather for the day.

(An iPhone photo.)

Weekend Reflections.

Runners Up

Yesterday's post was "photo of the year."  

Here are some other 2013 photos that I almost picked.

I loved this photo, and it got more comments than any other, but I didn't pick it for "photo of the year" because nature created it, not me.  The sunset was spectacular.  I just happened to be in a good location with my camera, tripod and shutter release.

This was my favorite fall foliage photo.  I liked the sun flare.  Viewers didn't say much about it.

This was a very popular photograph, but it was taken somewhere in the Carolinas while I was driving between Hartford and Naples for the season.  I thought the "photo of the year" for a blog like this should be in Florida or Connecticut, not an "out of the jurisdiction" photo.

This recent "out of the jurisdiction" South Africa photo amazed me.  I couldn't believe that I managed to line up the transmission towers so perfectly while speeding on a highway and shooting out of the passenger window.

And this is my personal favorite for 2013.  Like the last two, it is an "out of the jurisdiction" photograph.  I thought the stonework in the floor of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice was dazzling, and I liked the subtle way that other visitors were present through their shadows.

Photo of the Year

The monthly theme in April for City Daily Photo bloggers was "pedestrians crossing."  I went to a shopping center, found a bench near a busy crosswalk, and waited as inconspicuously as I could.

One hour and fifty lousy shots later, I was about to give up.  Then, I saw these two young girls walking in my direction.   I had forgotten how conformist teenagers are, dressing alike, buying the same stuff, striding in perfect rhythm with each other.  I waited until I had them positioned in the crosswalk, took a couple of discreet shots, checked that the photos were OK, then got up and left.  Mission accomplished.

Click here to see other bloggers' picks as "photo of the year."

Happy New Year!