Apartment Complex

 Driving north on U.S. Route 75 from Naples to Fort Myers, I have been noticing a colorful and attractive new apartment complex.  A week ago I exited the highway in that vicinity and drove up Estero's Three Oaks Parkway to take a look.

I applaud whoever came up with the color scheme for this large apartment complex.   There weren't any signs identifying it, but an internet search identified it as The Centro.   

Buck's Backyard

On Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Fort Myers, there is an excellent mural honoring the famous jazz pianist Duke Ellington by Roland Ruocco.  It is one of many colorful murals by and about Black life in Fort Myers.  The murals are in a park where there was a music venue called Buck's Backyard years ago.

Many of the murals depict Black people dancing and Black musicians performing at Buck's Backyard.

Linked to Monday Murals.

FGCU

 

I visited the Water School at Florida Gulf Coast University last week for some talks about the work being done by FGCU scholars to understand red tide, coral bleaching and other water issues affecting Southwest Florida.  FGCU is less than 30 years old and already has about 16,000 students. 

Journey of Hope

 

Cecilia Lueza's new two-part sculpture of an African American woman's head in front of a yellow sun circle stands in a small park on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Fort Myers.

Valentine's Day

Let's see what love photos I took in the past year (apart from photos of my family, of course).

In June, the New York street artist HEKTAD showed some works at Ridgefield's Colabella Fine Art Gallery.  HEKTAD uses hearts in many of his works, like this excellent Marilyn Monroe painting. 

In Norwalk, Connecticut, I came across two murals by @5ivefingaz about love.  Nice messages.

And in Hartford, Connecticut, I found a brightly colored "Love" mural by  Lisa Marie Thalhammer on the side of Parkville Market.

Happy Valentine's Day, folks.

License Plates

 Four cars with good license plates.

I was driving on the road to Sanibel.  Stopped in front of me was a car with a SANIBEL license plate.

I saw a gorgeous purple Porsche with a PRIMATE plate.  The owner said his wife and he operate a sanctuary for rescued primates.  They have about 120 primates.  It began when a friend's young monkey began to bite and misbehave as it got older, so his wife and he took it and created the sanctuary.

The owner wasn't around, so I couldn't ask if the car with a VTGAL plate belongs to a woman from Vermont or a woman who went to Virginia Tech.

ONE OF 60.  McLaren's "Triple Crown Stripes" Edition 750S supercar from 2024 is limited to 60 vehicles worldwide to celebrate McLaren's 60th anniversary and pay homage to McLaren's unique achievement in capturing the "Triple Crown of Motorsports" through winning the 1974 Indy 500, 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, and 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans races.  At Cars on Fifth last Saturday.

Happy Birthday, Abraham Lincoln

One of our country's finest Presidents deserves his annual post.

A 1947 bust of Abraham Lincoln by Jo Davidson.

New Britain Museum of Art, New Britain, Connecticut.

 

Cars on Fifth - 3

 Of course, big crowds always offer people watching opportunities.

A booth sold hats and shirts with the "Cars on Fifth" logo.

Other logo hats were also available.

Some folks came to the show dressed to show off their love of cars.

She does social media for Fifth Avenue South.

How could I pass up a photo of this car enthusiast?

After they took a selfie, I took their phone, had their daughter join the group, and took a better photo.

Cars on Fifth - 2

 More photos from Saturday's Cars on Fifth event.

Best in Show.

Cars on Fifth - 1

 Cars on Fifth is a big fundraiser for St. Matthews House, which helps the homeless, the food insecure, and those addicted to drugs or alcohol.

Yesterday the car show drew thousands of visitors (at $40 apiece) to admire special automobiles on Fifth Avenue South.  The evening news estimated the draw at almost $2 million for St. Matthews House.

The cars are parked by categories.  Lots of Porsches and Ferraris.  BMWs and Mercedes as far as the eye can see.  Lamborghinis, McLarens, Rolls Royces.  And on and on.

Lots of Corvettes, too.

Gulf Coast Motorworks

I drive past a lot.  The featured cars change all the time.  A few days ago they were all black.  Somehow that made me decide to stop.

In turn, that made me decide to convert the image to black and white.

Today I plan to go to a massive car show in Olde Naples.  It will be outrageously crowded and the cars will be outrageously expensive.  I am not a car guy, but I like looking at gorgeous cars, and sometimes the people watching is good.  Expect at least a few days of images from the show.