Archive for
Watermark Grille, Naples
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We ate our Christmas dinner meal with Guy at the Watermark Grille. Great! So good that we went back a second time to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Again great service, wait staff with style and panache as well as good food. Unable to comment before we headed into the Everglades so here goes. The Malo brothers, all four of them, of Albanian heritage own and run the Watermark Grille. They and their staff have this dining experience thing figured out. Their restaurant and culinary experience shows throughout. The building is an eye catcher in and out. The bar is unique and the drinks served are worth the price. The meals are exceptional. All ingredients were fresh, and nothing, including the vegetables was over done. The wait staff is knowledgeable and confident in their presentation. Great dining experience!
Cell Phone Access ~ The Definition of Wilderness
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So, we are back out of Everglades NP. Away from the ‘River of Grass’. Back to the walled developments and suburban grandiosity of southern Florida. Flamingo and Everglades NP are the furthest southeast we will go on this trip. Great image opportunities: hawks and spoonbills! Great star viewing!
The Everglades is a wilderness on life support. Water, not enough of it to support man’s endeavors in south Florida and keep the Everglades vibrant and alive.
Wilderness has been redefined for me. If you are far enough out that you do not have cell phone service, bang – wilderness. If you go hiking at dusk in an area you are not familiar with without your cell phone and get turned around and lost, bang – wilderness. Everglades NP from the entry station out to Flamingo is the wilderness for Verizon users but not AT&T users.
More blog entries and images to follow now that we are once again wired.
Florida Gopher Tortoise
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We passed the sign daily while in Koreshan SHS, on a reasonably straight stretch of sandy scrub pine and palm lined road. ‘Wildlife Crossing’ highlight by a drawing of a turtle or more correctly the Florida Gopher Tortoise. Leaving the other day, late in the afternoon there appeared to be a leather-like army helmet by the side of the road only it had four legs and was moving. Stopped the camper for a look. The tortoise was not deterred by my presence. It had the look and presentation of an aged being. Way smaller than the Galapagos tortoise. Maybe it was about the size of half a soccer ball, with a slightly flattened top. After a little search on the internet I realized I was in the presence of an aged being.
Rick’s Cars! ~ There Is a Story Here
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Sunday past, an overcast day and nothing in the image pipeline conspired ti get us to break camp and go out for breakfast. Breakfast is the best meal of the day and the best meal eaten out in my book. We judge breakfast places by the number of cars outside and then by the home fries once we are inside. The strip up Rt 41 wasn’t offering much until a Perkins came into sight. Good meal! Crowded place; the Sunday morning breakfast crowd. They look the same where ever – Bea’s in Conway, Perkins in Estero. A what to do in Naples booklet delivered us to Rick’s Muscle Car City further up the road on Rt 41 in Punta Gorda. There is a complete sensual experience here. $12.50 (less with the ever present coupons) is not an unreasonable price of admission; we spent the afternoon. I and my camera could have spent the entire day.
Born in the early 50’s I was immediately transported back in my youth and back in time. All the vehicles that I had pined for were there in perfect order and presentation. Music from that era further enhanced the sensation. The factory accurate colors also had an astounding impact. Corvettes abounded but further back the ’55s through ’57s captured me. Lots and lots of cars, enough to fill up a WalMart and they are all in pristine condition.
Debbie and her birth year 1953 Chevy BelAir. No ’51s available for me.
Everything my 16 year-old heart desired and then some. Rick ,the owner-collector, interrupted my reverie and image taking to introduce himself. Nice guy; feels like there is a story there. Could not get to it as the showroom was closed on Mondays. Will try tomorrow; more to tell?
More in the Rick’s Cars Gallery.
Thank you Rick Treworgy; pieces of the past, pieces of my past.
Love those late ’50s Chevy colors!
Happy New Years
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While we walked this AM (New Year’s Day) Debbie asked me if I was making any New Year’s resolutions? She is not a resolution maker so the question surprised me. I was not thinking that there was much I needed to resolve, so nothing leaped to mind. I do want to find a consistent outlet for my photography. Web site display and viewing on my laptop is not fulfilling that need. The print, as the end result of the digital capture, process and print process, is the end result I am looking for. So there is that. Debbie mentioned she thought I might have the remaining surgery on my back done. There is that as well. ~ Moving on: Flamingo campground Everglades NP, down Everglades City/Homestead way, the southern tip of the mainland on Florida Bay. No electricity at the sites in Flamingo; (this unnerves Debbie) will have to go with a full tank of propane. The Smart Car will not be repaired and available until Friday the end of this week at the earliest. We are making plans to be in the Everglades Wednesday through Sunday and pick the car up on Monday. Hoping for images of Flamingos and Roseate Spoonbills.
More ‘Ding’ Darling!
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Hunting & feeding sequences. Those ice hockey photography skills do transfer!
Challenging the camera lens!
Flight Path ~ Makes One Jealous ~ Oh To Fly!
I might even trade looking like a Brown Pelican for the ability to fly!
