Full Frontal

 Some vehicles at the Revs Institute grabbed me differently when I faced them squarely from the front.

My vote for the most beautiful automobile at Revs Institute:  

1937 Delahaye (Type 135MS Special Roadster)

1931 Bentley (4 ½ Liter Supercharged Sports Tourer)

1930 Duesenberg (Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton)

1934 Chrysler (Airflow Imperial CV-8 Coupe)

OK, I lied.  This is from the rear.  1939 Mercedes-Benz (W154 Grand Prix)

1909 Ford (Model T Touring)

1914 Rolls-Royce (Silver Ghost Tourer).

Even More Cars

 Let's see more cars from the Revs Institute in Naples, this time without a lot of explanatory text.  Anyone captivated by specific cars can look them up in the Revs "View The Cars" pages.

This 1954 Osca, built in Italy by the Maserati brothers and driven by Sterling Moss, was a surprise winner at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1954. 

More Cars

Continuing at the Revs Institute.  Let's see some other cars.

1908 Mors (Grand Prix car).  More automobiles began in England a few years before an American company was licensed to make them.  Bad businessmen, their advertising punned about death and they rushed vehicles like this one into races before they were ready.  

Andre Citroen left the company and did far better on his own.

This 1928 Hispano-Suiza (H6C Skiff) was one in a line of very fast, elegant and expensive automobiles.  Racers liked the engine, based on aircraft engines used in World War I, and the ladies liked the styling.

The 1938 Maserati (8CTF Grand Prix) was a very fast car, an attempt to overcome the German carmakers' lead.  It got off the blocks fast but tended to break down.  Later versions of this car won Indy twice and Pikes Peak once.

This 1915 Pierce Arrow (48 B-3 Runabout) was built by a company whose earlier products were bird cages.  Pierce Arrow was the choice of U.S. Presidents from Taft until Hoover chose a Packard.

1924 Miller (122/91 Racing Car).  Harry Miller built great racing cars but he was a terrible businessman.  His Miller racing cars battled Duesenbersg year after year at Indy in the 1920s.

A 1934 LaSalle (Series 350 Convertible Coupe).  Ford built "one size fits all" cars, General Motors built cars to fit different wallets.  LaSalle was below Cadillac and above Oldsmobile with Art Deco features.  It was an artistic triumph, though it declined in the 1930s as tastes moved toward smaller vehicles.

Revs Institute

 Last week I toured this remarkable Naples museum of 112 superb vehicles, most of them exquisite and perfect examples.  Many of the automobiles had won major international races.  A very knowledgeable college friend who has been a docent for 33 years led the tour.

Three beautiful red sports cars sit in the entrance hall, below photographs of some of the men who were luminaries in the early days of the automobile industry.  The three sports cars are a 1965 Ferrari (250 LM Berlinetta GT), a 1964 Porsche (904 Carrera GTS) and a 1964 Alfa Romeo (Guila TZ).

This 1935 MG (PA/PB) is called "Leonidas."  It was owned and raced by Miles Collier.  Collier and his brother Sam introduced the MG brand to America, formed the Automobile Racing Club of America, and introduced endurance racing to a former bomber training facility in the swamps of central Florida known as Sebring. Miles Collier's son, also named Miles Collier, is the collector who assembled this collection.

In the front in white with red features, a 1928 Stutz (BB Black Hawk Boatail Speedster).  In the rear in black and its own red highlights is a 1929 Sunbeam (3-Liter Super Sport Tourer).  

Here is a 1952 Lancia (Aurelia B20 GT Series II), an Italian post-war automobile with numerous technical innovations, styling advances and racing successes.

More automobiles tomorrow.

I am not a car guy.  I know just about nothing about cars beyond steering wheel, brakes and radio.  Information about these vehicles is "borrowed" from plaques beside the cars and a valuable car-by-car description from the Revs Institute website.

Snowy Egrets

 When photographing birds, I like action.  Fishing, taking off, flying, landing.

Sometimes I can't pick a favorite.  Which do you like best?

Dinner

 A friend texted me that an eagle was dining on the golf course.  Of course I hustled over there.

Supplement:  eagles usually eat fish, but this one caught a large black bird, probably a cormorant or a Muscovy duck. Those mostly white feathers are the prey's underfeathers.

Caracara Prairie Preserve

 I went with some friends to one of Collier County's conservation areas in Immokalee.

Much of the preserve is open fields and meadows with scattered palms and palmettos.

Several herds of cows graze in the fields, along with their buddies, cattle egrets.

We saw three deer in several spots as we walked through the preserve.

There had been a recent controlled burn to clear undergrowth and stimulate new growth.

Two friends walked ahead while I puttered behind.

Regrettably, we did not see any of the rare caracara birds, that often live near cattle.

Fort Myers: An Alternative History

 

A massive 1999 tile mural by Barbara Jo Revelle is in a small courtyard, on one wall of the federal courthouse at the west end of First Street.  The mural incorporates old photographs of Black solders in the Civil War who defended the fort for which the city is named from Confederate attacks.

The mural also highlights Seminole Indians who were deported from Florida and relocated to Oklahoma so white farmers could take over their lands.  

Revelle is an artist who is on the faculty of the University of Florida.  She headed the UF photography department when this mural was installed.  A lengthy discussion of the mural and the history it represents is here.  Linked to Monday Murals.

Luminary Hotel

A new hotel opened on Fort Myers' waterfront six months into the pandemic.

When I walked past, it looked very quiet.  

Ford's Garage

 Ford's Garage went into the first floor of an old building on Fort Myers' main street about a decade ago.  Known for burgers and beer, it has been pretty popular since it opened.

Library

The Fort Myers Regional Library opened about seven years ago.  It is a nice looking building on the city's main street.  I like the columns.  They are a more modern form that echoes the columns on older buildings in the neighborhood, like the Sidney and Berne Davis Arts Center.

Arcade

 One destination on First Street in Fort Myers is the Arcade, home of Florida Repertory Theater.

If you look close, you will see a couple more Carmona sculptures in front.

Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center

Here is the art center in Fort Myers that was mentioned in yesterday's post. 

The sculpture I showed yesterday is in the center.  The two big brown cylinders beyond are the Caloosahatchee Manuscripts, brilliant sculptures that are amazing at night.  I encourage you to click on this link to see a post about them from almost exactly two years ago, in that pre-pandemic world.

Gliding in Time

 A sculpture by Juan Miguel Vazquez stands in front of the Sidney and Berne Davis at the east end of Fort Myers' main street.  Vazquez was born in Spain, grew up in Uruguay and now lives in Miami. 

Treasured Wildlife

A mural by Simone Eisenbeiss is being painted on the black wall of the Franklin Shops next to an empty lot on Fort Myers' main street.  It will be wonderful when it is finished.  

The mural illustrates a variety of Florida wildlife that are facing differing levels of stresses and threats, namely, an alligator, a bald eagle, a Florida panther, a sea turtle, a seal, a manatee and a bee. 

Linked to Monday Murals. 

Franklin Shops

 The Franklin Shops occupy a two story building on First Street, Fort Myers' main street.

It has many booths rented by a variety of artists and vendors, most with a colorful, funky vibe.

I liked this Klimt-like door to a women's changing room, next to a print by Daniela Martinez.

Want a hat?

A second floor section offered art and craft items organized under signs reading "You Need Art."

Personally, I am quite conventional, but I have an odd love of funky.