Thursday, January 31, 2019

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Rae


Chicago native Rae is a fitness instructor and barista.  She also dances with the Florida Everbabes, the cheerleaders for the Florida Everblades hockey team.  On occasion Rae
sings the national anthem before Everblades games.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Kindness


A Naples man is often seen around town with his "Kindness" bus.
In these troubled times, it is a good message.


Monday, January 28, 2019

David


David is an avid rider. I asked him about his Pyrenees bicycle shirt and David confirmed that he had climbed the Pyrenees on his bicycle with six other riders.  He has gone on nine bicycle tours with Backroads (with whom I have done seven bike or hiking tours), another 13 with VBT 
(Vermont Bicycle Tours) and numerous other bicycle trips.

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Italian Cultural Society of Naples


Some pretty nice cars, like Ferraris, an Aston Martins and a Fiat, welcomed guests
for the luncheon and lecture at Audubon Country Club.

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Potpourri

Time for another assortment of photos that didn't get their own day.


A turtle resting on a fountain ring that is also resting.


A juvenile little blue heron.  It won't turn blue until it is a year old.


An ecumenical gathering.


A roseate spoonbill.


No, I don't know what was going on.

Friday, January 25, 2019

More from the Open Studios




I always like visiting Tammra Sigler.  It won't be boring.  She is colorful and fun, as is her work.


Dennis Holt retired from bond trading and now indulges his passions for adventure travel and nature photography.  He keeps a studio mainly to process, display and store his photographs.


Andrea Beloff describes herself as a fierce Christian.  Religious figures and symbolism feature strongly in her work, especially her angels series.  She has also created colorful paper collages.
Today she is exploring abstract painting with a palette knife


Elizabeth Williams was a musician and a successful graphic artist before turning to painting full-time.
Her works are colorful and rhythmic.


Eric and Jessica Crabtree share a studio, ART 41.  They share a muted palette.
Much of their work is commissioned.

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Open Studios at the Naples Art District


Randy Coleman was a lawyer and telecommunications lobbyist.  Fifteen years ago he started taking art classes at Washington's Corcoran College of Art.  He gravitated toward abstract geometric forms.  Two years later he retired and started painting full-time.  His Naples studio opened three years ago.


Susan Shipman has created art nearly as long as she has breathed.  Her non-exclusive list of things she likes to paint is "trees, designs in nature, music, flowers, the sun, the moon, light and darkness, color, roots, pathways, gates, clouds, blessings, rhythms, energy, mysteries, things seen and unseen."


Deborah Martin is passionate about the natural life in Southwest Florida's waters.  She combines her precise drawings with overpainting in an ancient technique and medium -- encaustic wax -- 
to celebrate marine animals and underwater scenes.


Chicago native Shirley Kelley paints abstracts both in her Naples studio and in her Montana cabin.
I visited her studio four years ago, too, and featured her here.

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

A Couple from Akron

Friends in Ohio introduced Beverly and Jack for a blind date.  Beverly spent the dinner talking with the wife and Jack talked with the husband.  To this day, Beverly doesn't know why they went out a second time.  But, they did and now have been married for 29 years.


Beverly worked for a Belgian company that sold wire to the many tire companies that used to be in Akron, including Goodyear, B.F. Goodrich, General Tire and Firestone.  Today Beverly is retired.  She plays golf, plays a social game with tiles, reads and walks.


Jack headed technical teams at Goodyear.  Much of his time was spent in Akron, though he lived and worked a long time in Luxemburg.  Jack is a golfer.  He also likes to read.

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Martin Luther King Jr. Parade

 











Yesterday I attended the Martin Luther King, Jr., parade on Fifth Avenue South in Naples.

Monday, January 21, 2019

Billy from Philly met Peggy Sue


Bill has played baseball for most of his life.  These days he plays in the outfield in a senior men's baseball league.  His wife Peggy Sue keeps score.  They knew each other in high school but went in different directions and married different people.  In 2010 Bill read her mother's obituary and called Peggy Sue to offer his sympathy.  They talked, moved in together, and were married last year.

Sunday, January 20, 2019

Little Blue Heron


This beauty prowled for food in a creek not far from my home.  It was one of those times when I was happy with my shots and could have picked any one of about twenty blindfolded.

Saturday, January 19, 2019

Mercato


Mercato is a popular high end shopping center with stores and restaurants 
on the first floor and residences above.

Friday, January 18, 2019

Thursday, January 17, 2019

License Plates

Interesting license plates have always caught my eye.  Now they catch my lens, too.


If you say so.


Yes, sir, I am impressed.  A Medal of Honor winner.  Thank you for your service.



Julie, meet David.  David, meet Julie.


I know several guys who would disagree.


Here's looking at you.


A driver with a lot of relationships.

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Hertz Arena

Hertz, the big global car rental company headquartered in nearby Estero, has bought the naming rights to the local arena used for rock concerts and sporting events.




They originally proposed painting the entire facade Hertz' distinctive cadmium yellow color.
That didn't pass muster.  In a compromise with civic leaders, Hertz is painting
segments yellow but the majority will be shades of gray.