Thursday, February 28, 2019

Green Wall at Longwood Gardens


The monthly theme for City Daily Photo bloggers on March 1 is "green."
That called to mind the plant walls I saw in 2014 in Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania..
I hope to see lots of interesting green photos tomorrow.



Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Tattoos


Kit is a quiet young woman, who likes writing and drawing and is drawn to Japanese culture.
She shaves one side of her head and dies the other side purple.  And, she has begun
a collection of tattoos on her forearms, with a Japanese bunny on one side 
and characters from a Japanese story on the other.


Sabrina is camera shy, but she let me photograph her heavily tattooed arms.  She is German and has lived in Fort Myers for two years, though she previously visited Cape Coral regularly for 26 years.


People usually tell me there is a story behind each tattoo.  This artist just liked the designs.
Don David, a glass and silver artist, at the Naples National Art Fair.

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Nice Eyes


The figure at Grandma Dot's on Sanibel Island has nice eyes.
It is my story and Im sticking to it.

Monday, February 25, 2019

Benson's Grocery


A colorful mural about Bonita Springs and Southwest Florida on Benson's Grocery.


Sunday, February 24, 2019

Coyote


A coyote in the Naples Zoo.  The hints of a diamond pattern are from
shooting through a chain link fence.

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Cheetah


It is not easy photographing zoo animals in caged enclosures.  
I thought the Naples Zoo's cheetah came out pretty well.

Friday, February 22, 2019

Washed Ashore


The Naples Zoo is exhibiting huge fish and other marine life made from plastic rescued from the sea.
Washed Ashore builds and exhibits aesthetically powerful art to educate a global audience about plastic pollution in oceans and waterways and spark positive changes in consumer habits.


Thursday, February 21, 2019

Tennis


The club tennis pros around here have a league, the Naples Pro League, which held matches in my community.  Our pro and his partner won the match that I watched. 

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Koi


The Butterfly Estates had koi, too.

Monday, February 18, 2019

Butterfly Murals


This colorful mural was beside the glasshouse-like buildings of the Butterfly Estates.


Others lined a fence.

Like murals?  See more in Monday Mural.

Sunday, February 17, 2019

The Butterfly Estates

I recently visited The Butterfly Estates in Fort Myers, a nonprofit devoted to preserving butterflies native to Florida.  A volunteer released day-old butterflies.


A monarch being released.


The underside of a giant swallowtail.


The back of a giant swallowtail.



A zebra longwing, the most common butterfly in southwest Florida.


And, a monarch hovering beside milkweed, a monarch's only host plant.

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Middle School Perimeter Fence


It is sad that a middle school needs to have complete perimeter fencing in the middle of
what should be an extremely safe neighborhood and community.

Friday, February 15, 2019

Rainy Day


On a rainy day, brunch with friends at Jane's Cafe is called for, even if we have to sit inside.

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Happy Valentine's Day




If it is Valentine's Day, it must be time to visit Norman Love again.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Erica


Both of Erica's arms are covered by tattoos.  The tattoo on her left shoulder is a dancer because she is a dancer.  The one on her right forearm is based on the Wizard of Oz.  A third is a timepiece. And . . .

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

A Man in a Straw Hat

The cars at Cars on Fifth were polished within an inch of their lives.







I couldn't resist the temptation to look for reflections.

Monday, February 11, 2019

Cars on Fifth

On Saturday, Naples' main street was closed.  Hundreds of exquisite and expensive cars rolled in.
It was the sixteenth annual "Cars on Fifth."  It has become so popular that the previously free event now charged $20 per person.  Despite that, it was mobbed!







I can't imagine the event can be continued.  Hundreds of expensive cars at risk of being scratched or worse.  Too crowded to admire specific cars without interference.
Time to move it to a stadium or other larger venue.

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Bonita Springs National Art Festival

Another outdoor art festival is being held this weekend.  This one is billed as one of the best, 
though that seemed overblown to me. 






 Instead of focusing on individual artists as I usually do,
I decided to focus more on the over-all ambience.


OK.  Maybe one artist.  Do you blame me?


OK.  Two.   Billie Barthelmy, hiding in the corner. 

Saturday, February 9, 2019

Muspa


The Muspa were a small group of indigenous people who coexisted with the larger Calusa tribe in the centuries leading to the arrival of Europeans.  Muspa lived in what is now Marco Island.  Like the Calusa, they subsisted on fishing and clamming and they made solid ground from shells.
Like the Calusa, the Muspa favored body painting and using shells in weapons.

Friday, February 8, 2019

Calusa Warrior


Much of the land occupied by the Calusa in southwest Florida was shell mounds.
Warriors fashioned weapons from wood and shells.
Body paint was important; Calusa means "fierce people."

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Shaman


The Marco Island Historical Museum has a wonderful display about the Calusa people who inhabited this area before Europeans arrived.  The Calusa were spiritual people, and their spiritual leader 
was the shaman, who made a daily offering to their gods.