Our Christmas holiday tradition continued this year of 2016: Our family had Christmas Eve dinner at Da Ru Ma Japanese Steakhouse here in Naples, Fla. My best photo was one where the flame looked like a seahorse and here is one of two shots from this year’s dinner.
Our Christmas holiday tradition continued this year of 2016: Our family had Christmas Eve dinner at Da Ru Ma Japanese Steakhouse here in Naples, Fla. My best photo was one where the flame looked like a seahorse and here is one of two shots from this year’s dinner. It is the flaming onion “volcano.”
There’s no question I like looking at contrails. I like taking a photo of them, too. So, here’s yet another photo of a contrail that I’m posting on my blog. I got it driving to work in Naples, Fla., on the morning of Dec. 26, 2016.
I guess you could call this “urban camouflage.” This heron is blending in with its surroundings at a Naples, Fla., parking lot on Dec. 23, 2016, in a photo sent to me by a friend.
It’s Christmas Eve 2016! Here in Southwest Florida, I got this shot as I did some last-minute Christmas shopping yesterday evening (Dec. 23, 2016) at the Waterside Shops in our hometown of Naples. It was a wonderful 76 degrees when I got the photo.
No the big white spot of light above and to the left of the red traffic signals is not man-made. It is the still almost-full moon so beautiful in the sky right now. I got this shot as we drove home in Naples, Fla., on Dec. 17, 2016.
While the rest of the country is in the grip of winter’s wrath (well, it’s cold most places), it’s sunny and warm here in Southwest Florida. I had to jump in our pool for some minor maintenance on Dec. 18, 2016, and here’s what our patio looked like at the time. The water was a brisk 73 for the quick dip at our home in Naples.
OK, so I can’t get enough photos of sunsets here in Naples, Fla. I got this one shortly before 6 p.m. on Nov. 5, 2016, at the Collier County Headquarters public library.
I post to Facebook for the company I work for here in Naples, Fla., and here’s one I recently posted: I used the setting sun’s reflection on a display on our front counter where we greet patients. I used the shadows and reflection to try to make an interesting photo.
Debbie got this shot of the drainage ditch cleaning machine on Nov. 22, 2016, at the back of our home in Naples, Fla. The machine makes its slow trek along the storm water drainage ditch every couple of years.
Debbie got this shot of the drainage ditch cleaning machine on Nov. 22, 2016, at the back of our home in Naples, Fla. The machine makes its slow trek along the storm water drainage ditch every couple of years.
Here’s an example of the point of focus with a camera. Yesterday I posted two photos of this drainage ditch cleaning machine. Debbie got photos of the machine on her iPhone. Today’s photo has a field of focus that caught on the screen of our pool cage. Interesting photo! The photos were taken Nov. 22, 2016, at the back of our home in Naples, Fla. The machine makes its slow trek along the storm water drainage ditch every couple of years.
You know it’s late November in Southwest Florida when you have a balmy afternoon that looks later than it is because of standard time and decorations for the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Here’s a shot of our patio area on Nov. 20, 2016, in Naples, Fla.
We had the super moon last night (Nov. 13, 2016) and here are two photos of it. I’m not as good a nighttime photographer as Allison, so you’ll have to be satisfied with this one I got as the moon rose in the east from our home in Naples, Fla., at about 6:15 p.m. This one shows detail (not very well) of the surface of the moon.
We had the super moon last night (Nov. 13, 2016) and here are two photos of it. I’m not as good a nighttime photographer as Allison, so you’ll have to be satisfied with this one. I got it as the moon rose in the east from our home in Naples, Fla., at about 6:15 p.m. This brighter moon has a little lens flare and you can see some clouds.
I don’t know what’s going on with this palm tree in our front yard in Naples, Fla., but it almost looks like it is developing into an evil tree (or maybe just growing some defenses). I got the shot on Nov. 12, 2016.
Look close. No, Collier County isn’t spraying fog against mosquitoes in this photo I got while driving to work in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 14, 2016. I saw this cloud of smoke in the distance and first thought there was a car fire or something on the road ahead. Then I saw this trail of smoke along the highway – and the car that was spewing it. It was just some schmuck driving along with his car billowing smoke. A half-mile back, a police cruiser with its lights on was following somewhat slowly in the thickest part of the smoke in an attempt to prevent other drivers from barreling along blindly. I wonder if that “smokey” ever caught up with the smoking car …
As I write this on Nov. 8, 2016, I do not know who won the presidential election. However, I did my civic duty and voted. Here’s my sticker from our polling place in North Naples, Fla. This photo is being posted on my blog on Nov. 9, 2016, but I’m not going to update with the winner – after all, everyone will ultimately know who won the election.
Oooh. Almost forgot to post this nice photo of orchids in bloom on our patio in Naples, Fla. I got the photo on Oct.30, 2016.
A quick evening errand to Publix near our home in Naples, Fla., allowed me to enjoy this sighting of the moon in the store’s parking lot on Nov. 3, 2016.
We got our commemorative bobbleheads honoring NHL star Jaromir Jagr of our Florida Panthers. They were handed out to each ticket holder before the Oct. 15, 2016, game against the Detroit Red Wings. The Panthers won by a score of 4-1. The game was on home ice for the Panthers at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla. Mine now rests next to the “Mr. Monk” of TV fame bobblehead in our family room.
OK, I’m a sucker for sunrises, visible moons and contrails. So, today’s photo has all three! I got this shot with my iPhone as I walked into work on Oct. 25, 2016, in Naples, Fla.
I got a smile on my face on the evening of Oct. 12, 2016, when I saw that our favorite Publix (the Strand near our home in Naples, Fla.) got a brand-new fleet of shopping carts. No more white handles! Funny how such a small thing can evoke a smile.
We went to our kids’ high school alma mater on Oct. 7, 2016, as our daughter was home and wanted to visit. We watched the performance of the Barron Collier High School Marching Cougars. However, while the band was great, the sky at dusk was spectacular to the south of the stadium in North Naples, Fla. It was the evening after Hurricane Matthew passed on Florida’s east coast and we had it easy compared to some communities.
I would have thought it obvious, but … here’s a sign at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Naples, Fla. Look closely at the middle panel. It is backwards. I know mistakes can happen, but really. It’s an obvious example of someone doing a job and doesn’t care at all about that job.
I have been waiting to take a photo of a bush to grow larger up through the post for this speed limit sign in our Naples, Fla., neighborhood and decided it was big enough on Sept. 4, 2016, to stop and get a shot with my iPhone. The back side shot isn’t great because of the position of the sun, but it does show how the plant grew up through the ventilated post (without the vent holes, it wouldn’t have made it, I believe).
I have been waiting to take a photo of a bush to grow larger up through the post for this speed limit sign in our Naples, Fla., neighborhood and decided it was big enough on Sept. 4, 2016, to stop and get a shot with my iPhone. The back side shot isn’t great because of the position of the sun, but it does show how the plant grew up through the ventilated post (without the vent holes, it wouldn’t have made it, I believe).
OK, I’m a sucker for photos of sunrises and sunsets. I got this shot last night (Sept. 16, 2016) as I drove to Publix on a rare early evening errand here in Naples, Fla. The side-view mirror always makes a sunset shot look nice!
As Beavis and Butt-Head would say … Fire! Fire! Fire! Here’s the flaming baton routine at a high school football game. We went to our kids’ alma mater on Oct. 7, 2016, in North Naples, Fla. Both our children were in the Barron Collier High School Marching Cougars band and our daughter was home for a visit from the University of Florida and wanted to catch a game.
So, what’s this? No, it’s not some new high-tech gizmo. Yes, it has a keypad. Give up? It’s a venerable calculator at my office in Naples, Fla. Yes, we do use them on occasion at the office!
Well, I know there is Halloween stuff at stores other than Party City, but when the Christmas stuff goes up in September, you know that retail America doesn’t care about Halloween and Thanksgiving any more. Here’s the first display of Christmas accoutrements going onto shelves at the Walmart near our home in Naples, Fla., on Sept. 25, 2016.
What’s this? I’m doing some “Bored Again” photos that I take at the office in Naples, Fla., where I work. Here’s one … it’s a bottle of hand sanitizer, of course.
I’ve heard of storm chasers, but here’s a storm chasing me! I got this shot of my side-view mirror while stopped at a traffic signal in Naples, Fla., on my way home from work on Sept. 5, 2016. The storm chased me home and then in less than an hour dumped an inch of rain into our pool.
Recently, I was chased home by a storm. Now, I’ve run headlong into one. Here’s a photo I took as I made my way home into the teeth of an impressive thunderstorm here in Naples, Fla. I got this shot on Sept. 6, 2016.
I should have posted this yesterday on my blog. It’s my voting sticker that I received after casting my ballot in Naples, Fla., on Aug. 30, 2016, in the primary election. My poll is at Veterans Park in North Naples. It was a rainy afternoon when I got to the polling place. While the big circus of the presidential election still has to run its course into November. Still, every vote counts in every election – especially those at the local level.
Here’s the only political t-shirt worth wearing this year: Smails-Spaulding ’16. If you have to ask, you most likely won’t understand. If you’re interested, you can get one on amazon.com …
A co-worker got this wonderful shot of a rainbow in Estero, Fla., on Sept. 24, 2016. I haven’t managed to get this neat of a shot of a rainbow and thought I’d post this one on my blog!
You’ll know if one of the doctor’s children has been at the office when you find something like this: an inflated examination glove. I got this shot on Aug. 26, 2016, at the office in Naples, Fla.
I might file these under “bored again” for my Twitter feed, but really, can this be boring. Here’s the wonderful sunrise that greeted me Aug. 26, 2016, as I headed out to work in Naples, Fla.
I call my sunset and sunrise shots “bored again” for my Twitter feed, but they’re really not boring – as you can see by this sunset as seen from the patio of our home in Naples, Fla., on Aug. 23, 2016.
My farming skills are improving. Here is a shot of a jalapeño pepper that I’m growing on our patio at our home in Naples, Fla. Actually, this jalapeño is of normal size. In the past, I have unintentionally grown dwarf varieties of peppers and tomatoes. I got this shot on July 31, 2016, and the pepper is headed to my next batch of chili.
We had a sensational sunset in Naples, Fla., on Aug. 16, 2016. I got this shot facing east from our home in North Naples (and I can only imagine what the sunset at the beach was like).
Here’s the second shot of the colorful sunset we had in Naples, Fla., on Aug. 15, 2016. This is Allison’s shot and she’s using reflection off the car as a color technique.
Bored again … *yawn* … another beautiful sunrise as seen from our home in Naples, Fla., on Aug. 10, 2016.
I got a really tasty treat when I got home from work on July 26, 2016, in Naples, Fla. Allison had made special chocolate chip cookies – each has an Oreo in the middle!
Bored again … here’s a pen that’s been decorated in a craft project by a member of my boss’ family. It resides in the pen holder at the front counter of our dental practice in Naples, Fla.
Unlike “Brick Tamland” in “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” I don’t have a trident. I have a brush for my pool at our home in Naples, Fla. Here it is. I used it July 16, 2016, while watching The Open.
Bored again … here’s a shot of a bloom on our pink hibiscus tree on the patio of our home in Naples, Fla. I got the shot July 31, 2016.
Following my three Achilles tendon surgeries, 14 months in a boot and physical therapy, I finally played a round of golf on July 9, 2016. It was at ArrowHead Golf Club near our home in Naples, Fla. The last round I had played was in May 2014 before my Achilles tendon ruptured. It’s been a long time, but, as you can see, it was a glorious day for a round of golf.
Well, the sun made a nice shot with these clouds headed over our house in Naples, Fla., on July 24, 2016. However, the sunlight was short-lived as it rained much of the rest of the afternoon. Still, a gorgeous start to the afternoon!
When there is a light rain, our pool screen enclosure creates pretty much a mist. Here’s a shot of water droplets on our Desert Rose plant. I got the shot after a brief shower at our home in Naples, Fla., on July 10, 2016.
Recently our neighbor here in North Naples, Fla., had her palm trees trimmed. Well, not all, since she had this one cut down completely. I’ll never understand why someone has a completely healthy and flourishing palm tree cut down. I guess it’s either that it protruded so high that it interrupted the symmetry of the foliage of her backyard or that she’s in fear of it toppling onto her pool screen during a hurricane. Here’s the second of two photos I snapped on June 19, 2016.
Recently our neighbor here in North Naples, Fla., had her palm trees trimmed. Well, not all, since she had this one cut down completely. I’ll never understand why someone has a completely healthy and flourishing palm tree cut down. I guess it’s either that it protruded so high that it interrupted the symmetry of the foliage of her backyard or that she’s in fear of it toppling onto her pool screen during a hurricane. Here’s one of two photo I snapped on June 19, 2016.
It appears this rainbow has landed in the top of this palm tree near our home in Naples, Fla. I got the shot coming home at about 8:09 p.m. on June 26, 2016. Look close and you’ll see that the setting sun’s rays has nicely illuminated the palm tree (the angle of the sunset after a thunderstorm did some nice illumination on trees in the neighborhood).
Happy Independence Day, folks! It’s the Fourth of July and we’re celebrating the independence of the United States. I got this shot June 26, 2016, at a fireworks store in south Fort Myers, Fla. It’s a BOGO! You get two for $399.99 or one for $200. Is that truly a BOGO? It doesn’t matter … everyone who shopped there is having a blast today!
I have to say this cardinal got the best of me on June 18, 2016, at our home in Naples, Fla. It kept landing on the bird feeder outside our patio, but I couldn’t get close enough for a good photo with my iPhone. This shot is the best I could do (and I didn’t have the gumption to go get my Nikon DSLR). Birds have to be quick to get the bird seed before the squirrels empty the feeder.
Here’s a colorful accent to a walkway at the Collier County Public Library’s Headquarters branch in North Naples, Fla. I got this shot on my iPhone on June 18, 2016, while picking up a movie (yes, a movie).
It’s always neat to see a setting full moon after sunrise. I got this shot over the roof of our house in Naples, Fla., on May 24, 2016, as the morning rays of the sun hit our roof and the moon is visible above our neighbor’s backyard tree.
These are some special leaves sprouting on a very special hibiscus plant at our home in Naples, Fla. The plant (actually a hibiscus “tree”) was given to us more than 12 years ago after the death of my mother. My cousin and his wife gave it to us after the funeral and we planted it at our home and it has been blooming ever since. However, there are times when I have to prune it back (butcher it?) and then the new leaves shows that it is still alive and ready for another round – just like Mom.
After a quick, early-evening run to Publix on June 2, 2016, I was greeted by this beautiful sunset on my way home in Naples, Fla.
I got this shot of a dark blue cloudy sky just before sunrise on May 18, 2016, at our home in Naples, Fla. I didn’t have my Nikon handy, so I had to use my iPhone – however, it did a yeoman’s job of capturing the wonderful color and a spot of light peeking through the cloud cover.
Before the Saturday afternoon clouds at our home in North Naples, Fla., there was this beautiful sun-drenched scene of our patio and pool area. I’ve posted a number of photos with this view and it never gets old to experience or photograph it. I got the shot on June 25, 2016.
You know the wildlife has gone urban when one forages next to my car. You know it’s Naples, Fla., because of the Porsche making a turn and a Mercedes going through the intersection. I got this shot going home from the office on May 11, 2016.
Here’s a close-up shot of the bird I got while driving home. I got this shot on May 11, 2016.
OK, so this one didn’t come off as planned. I wanted to get a shot of the morning sun shining through the sprinkler spray. It’s pretty difficult when you’re driving past and using an iPhone. I got this shot on May 22, 2016, near our home in Naples, Fla.
Ah, another wonderful Saturday morning in Naples, Fla., as I head off to Publix. I got this image on June 4, 2016.
Can you spot the store-bought and the homegrown pineapples? Although it’s small, the small pineapple grown outside the patio of our home in Naples, Fla., will taste better than the bigger one. I got this shot on May 19, 2016.
Here’s another wonderful sunset at our home in Naples, Fla. I cannot write much more about how beautiful our evenings are throughout most of the year. I got this one on my iPhone on May 12, 2016.
If you look close, you’ll see streetlights on, even though it’s still daylight. I got this shot on my way home from work on June 10, 2016, in Naples, Fla.
I like the lizards on our patio. Here’s a shot of one I got at our home on June 1, 2016, in Naples, Fla.
The sun peeking through a cloudy sky on June 10, 2016, made the sunrise portend better weather than we’d had for the past couple of days in Naples, Fla.
Here’s a neat idea for a graduation gift: a cork globe. You can give one with Dr. Seuss’ book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” and be envious how your graduate (like our son) will be traveling in their life.
It’s always a wonderful end-of-the-day when you can have tea at your pool after work. I’m not sure who invented afternoon tea, but author James Clavell has a character call the person who invented it a genius. I’d agree and I enjoyed my tea at our home in Naples, Fla., on this beautiful, sunny late afternoon of June 2, 2016.
Here was the scene May 1, 2016, at the late afternoon graduation ceremony for the class of 2016 at Florida Gulf Coast University. Our son was among the graduates (he got a degree in Computer Science). It was held on campus in Estero, Fla., and was the third ceremony for FGCU that day – with more than 1,500 earning degrees.
The desert rose is in bloom again on the patio of our home in Naples, Fla. I got this shot on April 23, 2016.
OK, I’ll go back-to-back with the “dark clouds on the horizon” photos with this shot I got driving home from work in Naples, Fla., on May 16, 2016.
Here is a shot of a hawk (a red-shouldered hawk, I believe) I got on April 23, 2016, in a palm tree in our backyard in Naples, Fla. It is a close-up of the hawk in the tree.
Here is a shot of a hawk (a red-shouldered hawk, I believe) I got on April 23, 2016, in a palm tree in our backyard in Naples, Fla. You can easily see in this one how the hawk is mostly disguised set against the tree.
Well, I photograph sunsets (like the one I posted the other day) … but I also photograph sunrises. A bunch of ‘em. I got this beautiful sunrise with the Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church in the frame at left on May 14, 2016.
Here we go again … the gardenias are in bloom across Southwest Florida. Here’s one of our two gardenia bushes as the sun began to set on April 28, 2016, at our house in Naples, Fla.
Another wonderful sunrise greeted me as I went to work on April 27, 2016, in Naples, Fla.
Look closely at these two photos. They show the contrail of an aircraft (or rocket?). I got the photos at our home in Naples, Fla., on April 21, 2016. It appears that the contrail is going straight up. Enlarging the photo appears to show that the aircraft (or rocket) had twin engines. This one sets the scene at our house. The contrail was off to the north-northeast or NE from Naples.
Look closely at these two photos. They show the contrail of an aircraft (or rocket?). I got the photos at our home in Naples, Fla., on April 21, 2016. It appears that the contrail is going straight up. Enlarging the photo appears to show that the aircraft (or rocket) had twin engines. This photo is the best telephoto shot I could get with my iPhone. The contrail was off to the north-northeast or NE from Naples.
It looks as if it’s time for Southwest Florida to begin getting its signature afternoon showers again as summer fast approaches. Here’s a shot of dark clouds on the horizon as I drove home from work on May 16, 2016, in Naples, Fla.
OK, It’s a sunrise. Yes, it’s beautiful (like all the others I shoot). So, enjoy! I got this shot on April 17, 2016, near our home in Naples, Fla.
Here’s another of my sunset shots near our home in Naples, Fla. I tried to get a Tabebuia tree’s blooms highlighted by the setting sun’s rays, but it didn’t work out. I did get a night blast of light through the tree’s branches – and I was shooting with an iPhone and not my Nikon (too bad). I got the shot April 9, 2016.
My favorite tree is the Tabebuia and right now it is in bloom. Here is one of a group of three photos I got on the morning of April 9, 2016, at the Collier County Public Library’s Headquarters branch. In this one, the blooms are highlighted by the sun’s rays near the library’s east entrance. It’s wonderful to live in Naples, Fla.
My favorite tree is the Tabebuia and right now it is in bloom. Here is one of a group of three photos I got on the morning of April 9, 2016, at the Collier County Public Library’s Headquarters branch. In this one, the sun’s peeking through the tree near the library’s east entrance. It’s wonderful to live in Naples, Fla.
My favorite tree is the Tabebuia and right now it is in bloom. Here is one of a group of three photos I got on the morning of April 9, 2016, at the Collier County Public Library’s Headquarters branch. In this one, fallen blooms near the library’s east entrance. It’s wonderful to live in Naples, Fla.
We’ve had some rain in the past couple of days here in Southwest Florida. Here’s a shot with my iPhone as I left our house in Naples, Fla., on the evening of May 5, 2016, on my way to Publix. The sun’s gonna come out tomorrow … or so the song goes!
OK, yesterday I had a sunrise. Well, here’s the sunset as I got in some quality patio time (and a jump in the pool) on April 5, 2016, at our home in Naples, Fla.
Here’s another neat sunrise in Naples, Fla. I got this shot as I headed to work on April 7, 2016.
Well, I continue to do better and better with my recovery from three surgeries on my right Achilles tendon. On April 10, 2016, I walked (not pushed in a wheelchair) through a visit to for the first time in 20 months. Now, here’s a shot from April 17, 2016, when I went and hit golf balls (at the Golf Coast Driving Range in Estero, Fla.). I only took my TaylorMade hybrid and my 7-iron and pitching wedge (Nike forged blades) for the short practice.
The setting sun’s rays create a dramatic shadow (OK, I’m taking dramatic license here) on our patio in Naples, Fla., on April 4, 2016. My back is to the sun so I can more easily read my Kindle.
The sky was ominous again when I went to work on Monday, April 4, 2016. But even though these clouds blotted a sunrise, the day cleared up perfectly and was bright and sunny in Naples, Fla.
It turned out to be a beautiful day at our home in Naples, Fla., but yesterday (April 16, 2016) began with these early morning clouds and was bookended with blustery, windy weather in the evening.
Here’s a “diffuser” at the office here in Naples, Fla. It was brought in by a co-worker and now does it thing each day – which is to do aroma therapy. OK, I go with the flow … and it does turn blue once in awhile.
You’ll have to bear with me about this photo. See the round spot on the ceiling above and to the back right of the fan? It is a reflection off the crystal of my watch. What I was trying to do is show how you can see the spot on both the ceiling AND the fan blades at the same time. Unfortunately, I’m not a good enough photographer to show the spot on the blur of the fan blades as well as the ceiling. I first tried photographing it with my Nikon DSLR and this one was with my iPhone. Oh, well. Anyway, it’s a photo from our home in Naples, Fla., on April 9, 2016, for my blog.
Well, even stripes on a speed hump in the road can add a visual touch to a beautiful late afternoon in Naples, Fla. I got this shot on my way home from the office on April 18, 2016.
Here’s a photo that tells a sad story. We were having work done on our pool’s filter system. The pool company employee broke the handle on one of the valves. Did they fix it? No. Did they tell me it was broken? No. Did the employee just walk away, leave the broken handle on the ground and wait until I found it and called the company? Yes. Ultimately, they repaired the handle for no charge. Sorry tale to tell about our former pool company in Naples, Fla. Oh, this just happened early in April 2016.
I get most of my sunrise photos on the weekend – I typically go to Publix near our home in Naples, Fla. I got this shot as I was headed north across a street to get to the supermarket on April 23, 2016. The dew that covered our Honda CR-V’s windows is now just a bunch of drops of water.
The word “adult” obviously doesn’t have its old connotation when it is about color books at Walmart. I got this shot April 30, 2016, while I did a morning trek to the store.
One of the few dishes I can make is farfalle pasta with sun-dried tomato pesto. Here’s a shot of some I made on April 26, 2016, at our home in Naples, Fla. We got the recipe during a neat getaway at the Disney Institute back in the day.
The sun was just about set (look far right on the horizon) while these dark clouds dominated the sky west of our home in Naples, Fla., on May 3, 2016.
The setting sun’s rays gave a wonderful warm color to these clouds in Naples, Fla., on April 27, 2016. I got the shot with my iPhone at our home.
I call a photo like this “blog fodder.” I needed a photo to fill out my posting of three items today. So, here’s the plantation shutter from one of the windows in our family room in our home in Naples, Fla. I shot this photo on May 9, 2016.
OK, I have little toys left by my boss’ children at our Naples, Fla., office. I call them my “desk buddies.” The hippo is the latest addition. I got this shot with my iPhone on May 11, 2016.
I didn’t have my Nikon DSLR so I couldn’t get this entire cloud in the frame of this photo. I was using what I had at the moment (my iPhone) to grab a shot of a neat-looking cloud over my neighbor’s house in Naples, Fla., on May 22, 2016.
Here’s my new Twinings travel cup for my tea. Allison got it for me while we were at Walt Disney World. Twinings is the official tea of the United Kingdom Pavilion at EPCOT. I got this shot at the office on May 26, 2016.
I was puttering about on our patio when I noticed this neat cloud. It looked even better in person, but I did snag a shot of it. The view is looking southeast from our home in Naples, Fla., and I got the shot on May 29, 2016.
OK, so it’s not the greatest sunset to photograph. In any case, it wasn’t bad to see this as I went to Publix on June 15, 2016, near our home in Naples, Fla.
I thought I’d get this shot of the bunch of blooming orchids on our patio at our home in Naples, Fla. After all, it will be some time before I’ll have this many blooms again. I got the photo on my iPhone on June 18, 2016.
Clouds showed to be a bit threatening just after sunrise at our home in North Naples, Fla., on June 17, 2016, but it wasn’t to be … we got very little rain (although we could use it). I got this shot on my iPhone and I headed out to work.
Well, the afternoon storms have started again in Southwest Florida. We’ve had a crazy weather year (January was awful by SW Florida standards) and that probably means a bad hurricane season for us. However, here’s a shot of clouds out over eastern Collier County that I got while driving home from work in Naples, Fla., on June 23, 2016.
This cloud looked somewhat like an explosion had gone off in the distance as I drove home from work in Naples, Fla., on June 29, 2016. Since I could only snap without looking with my iPhone, the photo doesn’t do justice to the beauty of the cloud.
Well, afternoon rain clouds and thunderstorms are pretty passé in Southwest Florida, but I thought I’d post this one of a thunderstorm dumping rain in the distance as I drove home from work in Naples, Fla., on June 28, 2016.
Gardenias are again in bloom at our home in Naples, Fla. I got this shot of a bloom on June 30, 2016, with my iPhone.
It’s a stupid photo of a bunny in the mulch of our front yard in North Naples, Fla., but I need something to post today. I got the shot June 8, 2016, as I left for work and can use it now since I don’t have another to post this morning.
Here’s a wonderfully shaped storm cloud in the distance as I drove home in Naples, Fla., on July 8, 2016. To be exact, I was driving west on Orange Blossom Drive and approaching Airport-Pulling Road just before 5 p.m.
This isn’t an exciting photo, but the storm clouds in the distance offer a dark counterpart to the sunlight my car was in stopped at an intersection Naples, Fla., as I drove home from work on July 11, 2016. Oh, the drops of water on my windshield are from the windshield washer nozzles and not rain.
Bad parking? No, someone left an open folding chair in our garage in Naples, Fla., on July 8, 2016, and I had to get out and move it to park. Sigh. When will everyone put their stuff away when they are done with it?
For whatever reason, I didn’t post this photo last month when I got it on June 3, 2016. There were a really nice bloom of clouds over my neighbor’s house here in Naples, Fla.
Here’s a shot of a rose bloom I stuck in the soil of this potted Desert Rose on our patio. The rose bloom was a bit past its prime but would look good for a day or so. I got the shot July 10, 2016, at our home in Naples, Fla.
Getting pretty basic here: a storm cloud I saw on my way home from work in Naples, Fla., on July 14, 2016.
Well, let me get pretty basic again for today’s post: an interesting cloud I saw on my way home from work in Naples, Fla., on July 14, 2016.
I got this shot on July 22, 2015, as I went to work in Naples, Fla. It is one of two photos I got showing one with a storm cloud and the other (this one) with the rising sun illuminating a cloud in the other direction.
I got this shot on July 22, 2015, as I went to work in Naples, Fla. It is one of two photos I got showing one with a storm cloud (this one) and the other with the rising sun illuminating a cloud in the other direction.
OK, I’ve shot full moons before (both photos and out car windows in my much younger days) and here’s another I got after sunrise on July 21, 2016, at our home Naples, Fla. The full moon is setting over the roof of our house.
Bored again (I should have this as a tag). Here’s a shot of my neighbor’s ficus hedge here in Naples, Fla. I got the shot July 25, 2016 (as if it matters).
I’m starting to call some of my photos “bored again.” It’s because I need photos as fodder for this blog that I feed daily (otherwise known as “blogfodder”). So, today’s blogfodder is this photo of a beautiful cloud as I went into the Collier County Headquarters Library on July 26, 2016.
There was a dark cloud literally over my car as I drove home from work on July 28, 2016, in Naples, Fla.
My new theme for blog photos (my “blogfodder” if you will) is this: a beautiful sunrise I saw outside out home in Naples, Fla., on July 27, 2016.
You have to look close, but you can see the moon (going from primary to waning) up in the sky. The brightness of the sunrise washed out the color of the beautiful reflection on the clouds, but the image clearly shows the moon above our neighbors’ homes in Naples, Fla., on July 30, 2016.
When you absolutely must have a blog entry, never discount a cloud photo. I got this one during the initially beautiful afternoon of July 24, 2016, at our home in Naples, Fla.
Is this a rain-orb? Looking up from our patio at our Naples, Fla., home on July 31, 2016, I saw this curve of color from the brightly shining sun through the clouds.
On some of my tweets, I’m using the hastag #boredagain … and here’s one of my “bored again” shots: a photo of weeds in the container with our Desert Rose tree on the patio of our home in Naples, Fla. I got the shot July 31, 2016, before cleaning out the weeds so the container would look nice.
Here’s a close-up of bamboo growing on the patio of our home in Naples, Fla. I took the photo on July 31, 2016.
“Bored again” … here is a croton in a container on our patio. I got the shot out of sheer boredom on July 31, 2016, at our home in Naples, Fla.
Bored again … here’s a shot at dawn as I headed off Aug. 7, 2016, to Walmart and Publix. It’s a typical weekend morning for me in Naples, Fla., to make that run.
Well, I’m bored again. Here’s another shot of the sunrise in Naples, Fla., on Aug. 7, 2016. It’s a view out the passenger side window of my car as I drove to some early morning errands.
It was a rainy day Friday, Aug. 12, 2016, in Naples, Fla. Here’s a flood coming out of the roof gutter from the office building where I work. A few minutes later … bright sunshine. A few after that … rain in the sun. A few after that … well, you get the picture (or at least I got it here).
Here’s another look at two of my “desk buddies” at work in Naples, Fla., on Aug. 11, 2016. You’ve got the creatively named “The Frog” and “The Hippo.”
Heavy afternoon rains are in season with a passion right now in Southwest Florida. I got this shot of a dark cloud bringing an earlier dusk to our neighborhood in Naples, Fla., on Aug. 10, 2016.
It was a mostly overcast Sunday of Aug. 14, 2016, as I sat on the patio of our home in Naples, Fla.
I’m bored enough to post this photo of two of my “desk buddies” (creatively named “The Duck” and “The Frog”) with their motorcycles. I was at the office in Naples, Fla., on Aug. 12, 2016, when I got this shot.
Now we have four blooms on one of the bromeliads on the patio of our home in Naples, Fla.
Bored again … well, here’s another “desk buddy” shot from my office in Naples, Fla. Of course, its name is “The Car” and I got the photo on Aug. 16, 2016.
Today’s photo could be labeled under my “Disney photo” category, but I’ll keep it in my “Naples” family. I got this pen while we were at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside from Aug. 17-20, 2016, before taking Allison back to the University of Florida for fall classes. Now, the pen is the one I use at the office! I took this shot on my iPhone on Aug. 22, 2016, as it rested on the keyboard of my computer.
Our late-August rains are even heavier right now with a tropical system to the west of our home in Naples, Fla., out in the Gulf of Mexico. You can see how high the pool water gets after a couple of showers. I got this shot on Aug. 29, 2016, before draining off the excess water. While this current storm is causing some rain here, there’s another just off Africa today that could threaten us worse by the end of next week. Stay tuned …
Here’s another photo showing what you get when one of the doctor’s children has been at the office. Last time it was an inflated examination glove, this time it’s this conglomeration of a plastic transformer, toy vehicles and a pair of ear buds. I got this shot on Aug. 30, 2016, at the office where I work in Naples, Fla.
Really bored again … now I’m posting photos of the pen holder at my office in Naples, Fla. I got this wonderful shot on Aug. 16, 2016.
How humid is it in Southwest Florida in September? Here’s a shot I got on Sept. 17, 2016, looking out the glass sliders to our patio at our home in Naples, Fla. It was right after a hot afternoon, a quick shower and then some more sun. With the air conditioning inside, it caused this condensation on the glass.
This might be better suited to my Disney photos category, but here’s our son’s car at home in Naples, Fla., with his Annual Passholder magnet on the back. All of our family members have passes.
Here’s a perfect example of where your eye is better to appreciate a sunrise over the ability of an iPhone camera to capture the scene. I got this shot of a sunrise at our home in Naples, Fla., on Sept. 22, 2016. The rays were more than just a bit more visually exciting in person than you see here.
How quickly the weather can change. I was standing in bright sunlight on the patio of our home in Naples, Fla., when I got this photo of a storm moving in on Sept. 24, 2016. The other photo was taken a little while later as the storm dumped rain on us.
How quickly the weather can change. I was standing in bright sunlight on the patio of our home in Naples, Fla., when I got a photo of a storm moving in on Sept. 24, 2016. This photo was taken a little while later as the storm dumped rain on us.
Well, here’s another of by “blog fodder” sunrise photos. As the sun rose to my left (east) on Sept. 28, 2016, it illuminated the clouds ahead in Naples, Fla.
OK, here is a storm cloud not associated with the hurricane threatening the east coast of Florida today. I got the shot while stopped at a red light in North Naples, Fla., on Oct. 5, 2016.
We went to our kids’ high school alma mater on Oct. 7, 2016, for a football game in North Naples, Fla., and this photo shows the headgear of the drum majors of the Barron Collier High School Marching Cougars as the band prepared for the game.
Although Hurricane Matthew is long gone from the other coast of Florida, we’re still getting some late afternoon showers here in Naples. I got this shot coming home from work on Oct. 12, 2016.
This wonderful sunset greeted me as I drove to our home in Naples, Fla., from an errand on the evening of Oct. 17, 2016.
Yawn. Another morning. Another beautiful sky here in Naples, Fla. OK, I got it Nov. 12, 2016, outside our home. I waited until now … because I didn’t have anything else to post.
Now you know I’m really bored. I got this shot of my phone at the office in Naples, Fla., after a call came in from “Not In Use.” I thought it was funny that a “not in use” phone called mine and posted it on the company Facebook page. It immediately got three times the reach of the previous story I posted (and it was actually about something).
Bored again … it’s Friday, Nov. 18, 2016, and here’s what the start of the week looked like (as I stretch to find blog fodder for today). This is the sunrise on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016, as I went to work in Naples, Fla.
It’s not a chameleon, but this rabbit instinctively knows to stay to covering that’s similar to its own color. I got this wide-angle shot of a bunny in our front yard at our home in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 18, 2016.
It’s not a chameleon, but this rabbit instinctively knows to stay to covering that’s similar to its own color. I got this shot of a bunny in our front yard at our home in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 18, 2016.
Bored again … reaches a new low with another photo from my desk at work here in Naples, Fla. A plastic holder for paper clips. I got this magnificent shot on Nov. 18, 2
Here’s a new low for me with blog fodder I call “BoredAgain” and hashtag it in Twitter. I tried to get a photo of the steam coming out of my car on Nov. 21, 2016. It was the first really chilly morning at our home in Naples, Fla. (it got down to 51 degrees) and you could see the exhaust.
Here’s what passes for the first “blast” of winter here in Southwest Florida was 50 degrees on my car’s outside thermometer readout. I didn’t manage to get a temperature in the 40s, but here’s a shot at 50 degrees as I left for work in Naples on Nov. 22, 2016.
OK, it’s in the ho-hum, this is blog fodder category, but here’s another beautiful sunrise at our home in Naples, Fla. I got this shot as I left to run early errands on Nov. 26, 2016.
It’s been a great week for red skies at evening time here in Naples, Fla. I got this one on the evening of Dec. 1, 2016, and couldn’t help but know that this “red sky at night” was a sailor’s delight!
What’s this? Rain? In Southwest Florida this late fall? It’s been dry here in Naples but we actually had to turn on the windshield wipers on Nov. 6, 2016, in this light rain. Still, we’ll take it! This scene looks more like a late winter evening up north, but it was at about 5:30 p.m.
Getting a new sofa and loveseat for our family room in Naples, Fla., is almost as satisfying as when we got a new dishwasher. Almost, but not quite! Here’s our new sofa on Dec. 7, 2016.
Here’s a shot of some nice contrails in the sky over Naples, Fla., on the very late afternoon of Dec. 20, 2016.
I recently posted another photo from Walt Disney World showing the ubiquitous heron and today I’ve got another from the Naples, Fla., area of one foraging along a busy highway. Obviously these birds have adapted to an urban environment and find pickings, however slim, along roadways. I got this one Dec. 12, 2016, as I drove home from work and this heron was finding morsels in the media.
I’m convinced our small portion of North Naples, Fla., gets less rainfall than other areas of Naples. I saw these clouds as I drove home from work on Dec. 27, 2016, and hoped for a little rain. No such luck!
With the poinsettias getting a little droopy, you can see it’s getting to be past holiday time. I got this shot on our patio on Dec. 29, 2016, as night had closed in at our home in Naples, Fla.
It might have gotten cold overnight for us here in Southwest Florida on this morning of Dec. 31, 2016, so I guess this wonderful red sky at morning on Dec. 30, 2016, was a precursor to the cold snap. I got this shot on my way to work in Naples, Fla.
Off to a bland start for a photo on this second day of January in 2017. Here’s a duck that paid a visit to my office complex’s courtyard on Dec. 30, 2016, here in Naples, Fla.
With some chilly temperatures and rain in the forecast over the coming few days, here’s a shot of some clouds as I left for work the morning of Jan. 4, 2016, here in Naples, Fla.
