Sunset at Cocohatchee River Park

Ahhhh.  Not much more to say.

Weekend Reflections.

It Is Raining Chairs

I saw this installation on a porch down a side street in Old Naples.

Do you think the Naples artist was inspired by the similar

installation, "Bang," at the 2013 Venice Biennale by the Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei?

(I never expected to find an opportunity to show this Biennale photo

from my June 2013 trip to Venice and the Adriatic.)

Street Legal

Three weeks ago I showed an amazing car I found in Naples, a Morgan.

Today I am approaching the other end of the automotive spectrum.

Collier County Public Library

Naples is in Collier County.

There is a city library system and a county library system.

This is the main library for the county.  Lots of people -- like me -- 

have a Naples mailing address but live in unincorporated parts of Collier County.

I asked this man to walk quickly past the stacks to give some life to a photo.

I wanted a blur, but he is a very slow walker.

UPDATE:  I am tall and my DSLR has a swiveling LED screen that lets me hold it high,
low or to the side and still see what I am doing.  Shot from eye height, this would have been a boring view of books and shelves.  But, with the camera held at arms' length above my head, probably
8' to 9' high, I could show the tops of the light fixtures and a view of the room.

Art in the Park

The Naples National Art Festival was held  over the weekend.

Barbara paints realistic watercolors of Florida birds and nature scenes. 

Darren offers large-scaled, brightly colored and super-detailed photographs of Italy.

A happy artist and happy buyer do business.

Jef creates ceramic sculptures of humans, incorporating animal forms into their bodies.
He calls them manimals.  (It is worth clicking on the photo to see the details.)

Oops.  Didn't see the no photography sign 

until back home on the computer.

Egypt

The Naples-museum-that-cannot-be-named-because-photography-is-not-permitted

is showing art by European artists visiting Egypt in the 19th century.

It is a beautiful exhibition.

George Washington

George Washington was born on this day in 1732.

His painting by Gilbert Stuart hangs in the Senate chamber of Hartford's Old State House.

(I couldn't think of any Washington relationships in southwest Florida.)

The Sixteenth Fairway Again

Did I mention how pretty it can be here early in the morning?
Whether in the mist or at sunrise.

Weekend Reflections.

Leoma!!!

Leoma Lovegrove is an ebullient artist from Matlacha,

a fishing village or artist colony -- depending on who you talk to -- north of here.

I ran across her colorfully painted trailer on Tuesday.

Leoma uses big, fast strokes to create a fun and colorful work of art.

Leoma has licensed some of her Florida images to a chain of stores

to use on colorful tee shirts, tote bags, beach towels and more.

The Beatles!

It was twenty FIFTY years ago today last week

Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play

They've been going in and out of style

But they're guaranteed to raise a smile

So may I introduce to you

The act you've known for all these years

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band . . . . .

Tomorrow let me introduce you to the artist.

Hans Und Renate

Hans and Renate are a charming German couple.

They live in Florida for five months in the winter and in Germany for the rest of the time.

Renate's wonderful "Sei Wild" sweater is what first attracted my attention.

I used my high school German to translate it as "Be wild!"

And, I was right.

Hans' business was publishing, a family-run company for many

generations, currently operated by their son. 

Filosophy

Katie sells colorful, handcrafted, artisan jewelry, bags and leather products.

She is primarily a wholesaler of Fair Trade articles made in Thailand.

She also sets up booths in art festivals and farmers markets

so she can hear directly from her customers.

Katie's website is here.

Olde Naples Miscellany

Sometimes I end up with a bunch of photos that don't warrant a post all by themselves.

Goin' fishing, Olde Naples style.

A bench for VP and Malyss.

When I was a kid, the slogan was "I'd walk a mile for a Camel."
Now, the camel rides shotgun.  In a vintage convertible, no less.

Pink.

Another day at the beach.

How much is that cat in the window?

And finally, homeowners with a sense of humor.

Evan

Evan is a photographer, but he doesn't like being on the other side of the camera lens.

I caught him in a weak moment.

Best of Everything

Hey, it is the name of the store.  It's not my fault.

Happy Valentine's Day

(There is that pesky photographer again.)

Please visit Weekend Reflections to see more photos with reflections.

Exercise

While taking a walk in the neighborhood, I decided to do 

a depth-of-field photographic exercise.  I focused sharply on plants
and  gave the backgrounds pleasing bokehs.

How did I do?

A Day at the Beach

Naples Beach with Naples Pier on the horizon.

Even small waves are pretty fearsome at this age.

Laura is a Canadian who spends the winter in Naples.  She was a

Shakespearean scholar until she found she liked working on government policy better

than academia.  Her apartment is an easy walk to the beach.

When have you not seen a sea gull at the beach?

I always try to help my human subjects look their best on this blog.

But, I could not pass up this anonymous -- and very red -- sleeping man.  (I'm sorry.)

Lost.  And not yet found.

Winnie

Winnie was a college soccer and basketball player.

She has taught photography in high school.  These days she is a barista.

Last Friday Winnie dressed up to interview for a new job.  (She got it!)

What a great smile and cute dimples!