The St. Patricks Day Parade Starts

The Naples parade always starts with active and retired police, active and retired military, and active and retired firefighters including floats honoring NYFD firefighters who died on September 11, 2001.

It is a very popular parade.  Everyone is Irish for the day.  

(My DNA test showed that I am 100 percent Irish and Scottish.)

Retired New York state police.

343 flags honoring the 343 New York firefighters who died on September her 11.

Collier County Sheriff and his vehicle.

Before the Parade

 

"I Make Irish People" in Mommy's shamrock.

And . . . clearing the street so the parade can begin.

Dolly's Swamp Buggy

The final Swamp Buggy Races of the season will be held today.

Dolly's Eatery is sponsoring one swamp buggy.  When not racing, it sits outside the restaurant.

Sharon

 Sharon lives in the rural part of Collier County.  She has been here since 1972.

The worst storms down here tend to be hurricanes.  In her fifty years here, Sharon has been lucky.

Sunbather

 Today's images combine my Connecticut and Florida lifestyle.

A sunbather on Naples Beach reminded me of Duane Hanson's "Sunbather," a sculpture in Hartford's Wadsworth Atheneum that I photographed and showed here back in 2012 and show again below.

Pets on Parade - Three

A big promotion for rescue pets.

It's a wrap.  This is the end of the pet parade pics.

Pets on Parade - Two

 

Some fun costumes for the dogs and for the humans.