I can’t resist photos of clouds. I truly enjoy this image. The setting sun’s rays illuminate the clouds into a beautiful pattern. I got the shot Aug. 6, 2017, near our home in Naples, Fla., as I went to Publix on an errand.
Allison got this wonderful shot of drops of moisture on orchids on our patio on a wet Saturday morning here in Naples, Fla. She’s got a great eye as a photographer and took them when I pointed out the drops on July 29, 2017.
Allison got this wonderful shot of drops of moisture on orchids on our patio on a wet Saturday morning here in Naples, Fla. She’s got a great eye as a photographer and took them when I pointed out the drops on July 29, 2017.
Tropical Storm Emily hit west-central Florida on July 31, 2017, and it also dumped a lot of rain on Southwest Florida. Here’s a shot showing our full-to-the-brim pool from several inches of rain during the day I got this shot at our patio in Naples.
It’s not an uncommon sight, but I always take a photo of the full moon setting in the morning sky over our home in Naples, Fla. I got this shot Aug. 9, 2017.
Clouds were moving in Aug. 7, 2017, near our home in Naples, Fla., when I got this shot in the late afternoon. It’s summer rainy – and hurricane – season for us.
Tropical Storm Emily hit west-central Florida on July 31, 2017, and it also dumped a lot of rain on Southwest Florida. Here is a shot showing a nice sun blazing through the late afternoon clouds. I got this shot from our patio in Naples.
I realize that people in the desert Southwest won’t be impressed, but when someone here in Southwest Florida sees the temperature hit 100 then it’s HOT. I got this screen-grab of my iPhone as I checked our pool on July 25, 2017, here in Naples. We just got this new control system for the pool and spa and can see the temperature, etc., at a glance.
I enjoy by Saturday mornings doing errands. It becomes an especially nice morning when I see a beautiful rainbow. I got the photo of this one on July 22, 2017, near our home in Naples, Fla.
Here’s a shot I took at the courtyard of the Headquarters branch of the Collier County Public Library. The storm clouds in the distance make a nice contrast here in Naples, Fla. The photo was taken July 17, 2017.
Our pool repair/renovation project is just about complete. It’s taken nearly four months, but the crack has been repaired, the pool resurfaced and retiled, patio paver stones reset, the spa repaired and we’re about to have the heater and control system replaced. Whew! A lot of work – and money. I got this shot on the beautiful Sunday afternoon of July 16, 2017, here in Naples, Fla.
Usually I kick off a weekend with a photo of a beautiful sunrise here in Southwest Florida. But for this Saturday morning, I’m posting that wonderful thing I enjoy each Friday when I get home in Naples: A nice cup of hot tea with lemon. It’s a black tea from the Anhui province of China and is called Keemun (Qihong).
I’m mining for “blog fodder” – that is, photos I can post to my blog simply because I want to post a photo to my blog here in Naples, Fla. Here’s my Montblanc Traveler fountain pen. It’s been to China, Canada, ports in the Caribbean and dozens of times to Walt Disney World.
The “evil” tree in our front yard in Naples, Fla., continues to grow. Here’s one of the spikes that have begun growing out of what was once an innocent palm.
Here’s another household view here at home in Naples, Fla. It’s a shelf that has some books, two mugs commemorating the past hosts of the big late-night TV shows and a couple of golf balls – one with Mickey Mouse and the other with the “Monk” logo from TV. Of course, in the center is my mug from our lone Disney cruise in 2001. I got this shot out of boredom on July 26, 2017.
Yesterday I posted a neat sunrise photo taken facing east from our house in Naples, Fla. Today’s post is the June 28, 2017, band of rain moving in from the east. The cloud is especially nice! It almost looks Photoshopped because the homes are in direct sunlight and therefore bright, while the clouds are dark. All I did was crop both photos.
Yesterday I posted a neat sunrise photo taken facing east from our house in Naples, Fla. Today’s post is the June 28, 2017, band of rain moving in from the east. The cloud is especially nice! It almost looks Photoshopped because the homes are in direct sunlight and therefore bright, while the clouds are dark. All I did was crop both photos.
Here’s a little surprise I found under the gas grill on our patio here in Naples, Fla. It’s a Florida softshell turtle! We’ve been having some pool repairs and renovation and it must have slipped in when a screen door was left open. I took this photo with my iPhone on June 25, 2017.
Here’s a little surprise I found under the gas grill on our patio here in Naples, Fla. It’s a Florida softshell turtle! We’ve been having some pool repairs and renovation and it must have slipped in when a screen door was left open. I took this photo with my iPhone on June 25, 2017.
What’s Southwest Florida without a beautiful sunrise? Who knows! Here’s what it looked like June 27, 2017, as I headed out to work at our home here in Naples.
We’re coming out of a very serious rainy stretch here in Southwest Florida. Now, we’re looking to get back to nice sunshine, clouds and, yes, some showers to keep things cool(ish). I got this shot of this beautiful cloud in North Naples, Fla., on June 16, 2017.
If you know anything about this blog, I like to post photos of contrails. I was lucky to see two on May 31, 2017, while running a lunchtime errand here in Naples, Fla. My favorite shot was by accident. I couldn’t see much of the frame of the photo because of glare on my iPhone, but I managed to get the contrail going into the sun as well as a great reflection on a building’s reflective glass.
If you know anything about this blog, I like to post photos of contrails. I was lucky to see two on May 31, 2017, while running a lunchtime errand here in Naples, Fla. This one is just a run of the mill contrail.
It’s that time again – time to prune our special hibiscus. Here is a before-and-after look at the pruning of the tree, which was given to us by my cousin and his wife after the death of my mother in 2004. We planted it at our home and it continues to bloom after more than a decade. Still, it sometimes needs a good pruning. Like on May 28, 2017, when I got this “before” shot while doing some yardwork at our home in Naples, Fla.
Weekends definitely are the best frame for a beautiful sunrise. I got this shot of the wonderful sunrise on June 17, 2017, as I headed out from our home in Naples, Fla., for my usual Saturday morning errands.
It’s that time again – time to prune our special hibiscus. Here is a before-and-after look at the pruning of the tree, which was given to us by my cousin and his wife after the death of my mother in 2004. We planted it at our home and it continues to bloom after more than a decade. Still, it sometimes needs a good pruning. Like on May 28, 2017, when I got this “after” shot while doing some yardwork at our home in Naples, Fla.
It was nice to have my Rolex Submariner back after a day at the repair shop (the bezel spring needed work). Here it is back where it belongs – on my wrist here in Naples, Fla. I got the shot on May 31, 2017, after picking it up at Bigham Jewelers.
Here’s another example of an idiot driver here in Naples, Fla. Yes, I know it was early in the morning of May 23, 2017, and there wasn’t a demand for parking spaces outside Publix, but this idiot shows just how entitled he or she is in life. I Photoshopped the license plate numbers out just as a courtesy. Of course, I’ll comment on how liberal that people from New Hampshire are and should be better attuned to not being selfish while parking. Good job. You’re an idiot.
We need rain here in Southwest Florida and we got some on May 16, 2017. However, while rain flowed from the gutters where I work in central Naples, we didn’t get a drop by 7 p.m. at our home in North Naples. Sigh.
Here’s a beautiful bloom on one of our hibiscus plants outside our pool area. The yellow color signifies that it is a Fort Myers variety of hibiscus, which is a city just to the north of us here in Naples in Southwest Florida.
It was a wonderful sunset to enjoy while grilling on our patio on May 11, 2017, here in Naples, Fla. Even with the little bit of lens flare in my iPhone – check out the green spot near the water line at the spa.
I’m posting another shot of a bloom on the most special plant in our yard – the hibiscus given to us after the death of my mother more than a decade ago. Despite many prunings and some back to next to nothing, it continues to give joy through each bloom. I took this photo May 5, 2017, at our home here in Naples, Fla., where the hibiscus has had its home since 2004.
I ran some errands yesterday evening (May 3, 2017) here in Naples, Fla., and got a glimpse of some red in the sky, but a much better view of a thunderstorm headed our way.
I’m posting a photo of shadows at Walt Disney World today, April 2, 2017, on my blog and so I thought I’d post this photo I got yesterday, April 1, 2017, as I made a return at the library here in Naples, Fla. An equally neat shadow as the other.
We’re in brushfire season here in Southwest Florida and here’s the smoke cloud from eastern Collier County. I got the shot while driving home from work on April 21, 2017, and was in North Naples while stopped at a traffic signal.
Geeze. A lake. In Florida. And an alligator warning. Really? Here is why our society has become stupid. You shouldn’t need a reminder that there’s wildlife. It’s where we are because of litigation. Guess what? A body of water bigger than a puddle? It has creatures in it – and, if big enough, definitely an alligator or two. I’d say it as a water moccasin in there, too. I got this photo in Lake Park neighborhood of Naples, Fla., on April 5, 2017.
It has been a very dry several months here in Southwest Florida and now there’s a big brushfire east of Naples. We need some rain and here’s a shot I got March 8, 2017, of some rain clouds over North Naples at the Headquarters Library branch.
Here’s a nice sunrise in my rear-view mirror as I drove to a rare Saturday morning at work here in Naples, Fla., on March 18, 2017.
Here’s the next step in our pool repair and renovation: the tile demo(lition). Hopefully, the pool will be restored with new tile by Easter weekend. I got this shot April 4, 2017, at our home here in Naples, Fla.
Here’s the next photo in a series showing our pool repair and renovation. I got this shot April 6, 2017, at our home here in Naples, Fla.
Here’s the latest step in our pool repair and renovation: the repair of the crack in the shell of the pool. Hopefully, the pool will be restored with new tile by Easter weekend. I got this shot April 5, 2017, at our home here in Naples, Fla.
Well, the pool repair company took last week off from our project, but they’re supposed to be back on track today (April 17, 2017). Here’s a shot from April 15, showing that the tile work is complete. Next comes final prep and then plastering.
OK, the pool repair and new plastering finished and was being filled late in the afternoon of April 18, 2017, when I took this photo. It’s a beautiful job at our home here in Naples, Fla., and I can’t wait to get back into it.
Here’s the Rube Goldberg-eque device the pool repair people used to fill it back up. Of course, the water pushes up the ball, which in turn cuts off the water when there’s enough water in the pool. I got this shot April 18, 2017, at our home in Naples, Fla.
Happiness is full pool! After the repairs were completed and new tile installed, here’s our full pool on April 19, 2017, at our home in Naples, Fla. We won’t be able to swim in it for 10 days, but a full pool makes for a happy pool!
OK, here’s the finished product! Our pool repair/re-tile project is complete; we’re swimming again; and it’s all wonderful here in Naples, Fla.
So, here’s another photo of our pool at our home here in Naples, Fla. The repair and renovation is complete and we’re back to swimming after having it taken away for a month.
We were in the cycle of a beautiful nearly full moon while it was still sunny out on April 7, 2017, here in Naples, Fla., when I got this shot. We were out to dinner in North Naples. Hint if you can’t see it immediately: the moon is just to the right of the lamp post.
Our pool repair project is in full swing here in Naples, Fla. Here’s what the pool looks like drained. Next comes the new tile; then a new surface. I’ll post the before-during-after photos in about 10 days when it is finished. I got this shot April 3, 2017.
I’ve posted this photo on both my personal and my office’s Facebook pages. I like this drop-top Caddy. Naples, Fla., has cool cars, but this is one example of the coolest being old and American. Nothing like the fins on this baby! I got the shot Feb. 21, 2017, after I arrived at work.
Yesterday on March 9, 2017, I posted a neat shot of rain clouds over the Headquarters branch library here in Naples, Fla., that I photographed the day before (March 8). I was returning the movie the that I picked up at the library the next morning (March 9) and photographed this contrail visible from the library’s parking lot.
I don’t make public political comments and here’s a visual reminder why … I rented from Redbox on March 19, 2017, here in Naples, Fla., and you can see the political sticker that had been put the case by an earlier renter. I’m sure Redbox isn’t doing it and now someone’s found a way to circulate a message in a very odd manner. Still, it’s a reminder of how vile and disgusting all sides of today’s political landscape are behaving. Really, this kind of crap on a Redbox container?
A most wonderful time of the year: We’re about to get daylight saving time back. On March 12, 2017, we will get DST back. So, a sunset like the one you see here taken Feb. 27, 2017, at about 6 p.m., will be giving off its light at 7 p.m.! HOORAY!
Here’s a look back with a photo Debbie took in April 2004 when President George W. Bush visited Naples, Fla. He was speaking here at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Preserve. Also in the frame is then-Florida governor and Bush brother Jeb.
We grow a special pineapple at our home in Naples, Fla. It’s called a micro-pineapple. It’s a real pineapple, but smaller. I got this shot outside out patio on Feb. 19, 2017.
Two photos of contrails in a week on my blog! Here’s the second. I got it near our home in Naples, Fla., on Feb. 17, 2017. The spot of color (center; near the top) is from my iPhone’s camera lens — and not a large bright object in the sky (for you UFO watchers).
Naples in Southwest Florida is known for drivers who leave a turn signal on for miles and miles. Here’s one, but it’s a Ferrari – and you’d probably not put that type of car in the class of drivers so clueless that they leave a turn signal on. Here’s one in Naples on Feb. 17, 2017. Look close, you’ll see the left signal lighted. Enzo Ferrari – the il Commendatore – would frown. I guess an optimist would say at least he’s signaling a turn he’ll eventually make but maybe not today.
Ah, a fleeting moment … and I didn’t get a good photo of this contrail. I spotted it but wasn’t in a good position to properly frame it to best accentuate the sun behind. In any case, even an OK photo of a contrail is cool in my book. I got this shot at our home in Naples, Fla., on Feb. 16, 2017.
I realize that just about everyone everywhere can see an example of an idiot behind the wheel. It’s universal. However, I will post this photo that I’ll call “Naples Idiot Parking: Part II.” I took it Feb. 10, 2017, at the parking lot at my office in Naples, Fla. What sets this idiot driver apart is that he or she wasn’t protecting the doors from dings on a Ferrari or Maserati or even the very common Mercedes in this affluent community. It’s an idiot driver who just didn’t care how he or she parked and then walked away and would come back at their leisure.
I just can’t resist “red sky at morning” photos. Here’s a beautiful sunrise I got while driving out of our Naples, Fla., neighborhood on the way to work on Jan. 30, 2017.
We had a great breakfast (in exchange for a donation to the Boy Scouts) at the almost-open Metro Diner here in Naples on Jan. 28, 2016. Metro Diner is Allison’s favorite brunch spot in Gainesville, where’s she’s come to appreciate brunch as a student at the University of Florida, and the franchise is about to open here. Metro Diner had two days of free meals as training for staff this weekend (just a donation to a local charity – the second day was for the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens) and we were there! Here’s my order: Belgian waffle, side of Canadian bacon – you can’t see the country sausage side – and the homefries with “the works” including jalapenos.
The full moon over the past couple of nights has been beautiful, but the clouds made this view of the rising full moon on Jan. 11, 2017. I got the shot outside our home in Naples, Fla., just after 8 p.m.
Today I’m showing you how an idiot packs a box. At the office in Naples, Fla., where I work, an order came in of a small pack of stickers for files. It is the shape in size of a deck of cards, but only about five cards deep (instead of 52). It would have fit in an envelope and a “Forever” stamp would have brought it to us for 49 cents. Nope. It came in this box. Idiot. I got the photo on Feb. 9, 2017.
If you’ve see this blog over time, you’ll know I like taking photos of contrails. Here is one I photographed with my iPhone on Jan. 18, 2016, while walking into the Collier County Public Library in North Naples, Fla.
If you’ve see this blog over time, you’ll know I like taking photos of contrails. Here is a close-up of one I photographed with my iPhone on Jan. 18, 2016, while walking into the Collier County Public Library in North Naples, Fla.
Even a Ferrari needs a tow now and then. I got this shot of a Ferrari 308 GTB quattrovalvole on the bed of a tow truck in Naples, Fla., on Feb. 9, 2017. I realize the vehicle went out of production 32 years ago, but it’s still different to see a Ferrari being towed and not transported or, more perfectly, driven. Well, I guess I might have caught this one being transported, but I didn’t get that feeling.
Here’s a view of the current big bright moon (I don’t know all the astral specifications) that’s making the evening and, in this case, early morning sky something special. I got this shot just before 7 a.m. on Feb. 11, 2017, in Naples, Fla.
Ah, it’s nice to be home and see a little sun peeking in through the kitchen window shutters. We’re well on our way back to daylight savings time and brighter evenings. I got this show on Jan. 11, 2017, at our home in Naples, Fla.
I like to make jokes about “cold” here at our home in Naples, Fla. What our northern (or even southern Georgia) family and friends experience is real winter. However, it dipped down to near 40 in coastal Collier County early Sunday morning (you can see the 41 degrees on our SUV’s dash from 7 a.m. yesterday) and that’s really cold for us. Weather.com reported that with some brisk winds, the “feels like” temperature was 35.
I don’t usually post photos of food (outside of when I make chili), but I wanted to post this one: the fried green tomatoes that is the centerpiece of The Bay House’s “South of Broad” salad (with goat cheese and pepper jelly). We were checking out the restaurant for the first time Jan. 21, 2017, near our home in Naples, Fla.
Our son tends to leave things out on the counter after one of his nighttime snack-fests. However, this one was puzzling: Where did he find a dish of hardened chocolate with a fork accent? One of life’s mysteries here 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.
During Southwest Florida’s recent cold snap (all the way down to the mid-40s), I brought out my favorite sweatshirt — it’s actually my late mother’s favorite (she always wore it while visiting, but always left it behind so she’d have it on her next visit) and we always think of her when it comes out. It’s a U.S. Open commemorative from the ’94 Open at #Oakmont (Ernie Els at 24 won his first of four major titles). I wore overnight from Dec. 30, 2016, through New Year’s Eve.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! We didn’t make it to Manhattan for the ball drop (again)! Although Debbie and Allison were in New York earlier this month. In any case, here’s wishing anyone who reads this a very happy 2017 from our family here in Naples in Southwest Florida.
Here’s a neat red-sky-at-morning photo with the setting (almost) full moon here in Naples, Fla., on Jan. 17, 2017.
Here are the main ingredients of my sun-dried tomato and basil pesto (basil, walnuts, parmesan cheese, garlic and extra virgin olive oil). I made another batch on Feb. 15, 2016, and took this shot at our home in Naples, Fla. We got the recipe nearly two decades ago while taking some classes at the Disney Institute. The Institute has evolved as a training center and was closed in 2003 for expansion of a Disney Vacation Club property and it had already lost space when a part of it was used to construct Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.
Well, it’s a rarity here in Southwest Florida for the month of January, but we awoke yesterday (Jan. 29, 2017) to rain and a chilly temperature – only 50, but, hey, it’s Southwest Florida. We haven’t had any rain in weeks (our pool gets thirsty) and you can see the wet patio here and, if you look closely by clicking the photo twice, there are rain drops in the pool at our home in Naples.
Well, it’s a rarity here in Southwest Florida for the month of January, but we awoke yesterday (Jan. 29, 2017) to rain and a chilly temperature – only 50, but, hey, it’s Southwest Florida. We haven’t had any rain in weeks (our pool gets thirsty). This shot shows rain on the patio screen.
It’s difficult to see in this photo I got with my iPhone, but as I came home from work just after 6 p.m. on Feb. 15, 2017, in Naples, Fla., there was a nice glow from a setting sun behind me (in this photo) that was hitting the cloud-cover overhead.
OK, I’m reaching for a blog entry today. So, here’s my Red Dragon sushi from dinner last night (March 11, 2017) at Noodles Italian Café and Sushi Bar.
Now that Daylight Saving Time is here, you’ll see a little darker mornings. Here’s a shot from March 12, 2017, just before 7 a.m. — the day DST took effect for 2017. It shows a setting full moon. It’s not a good photo since I snapped it too quickly with my iPhone, but see how dark it can be close to 7 a.m.? I got the shot at a parking lot near our home in Naples, Fla., while running early errands.
I know it’s not a polar blast, but we had a bit of a chill here in Naples, Fla., yesterday morning (March 16, 2017). It actually hit 45 degrees – at least at the moment I got this shot with my iPhone, according to my car’s computer.
High winds in 2005 left this flag torn neatly in half. I got this shot in Bonita Springs, Fla., just north of our home in Naples.
What’s this? It’s my phone at the office. However, it looks as if someone’s trying to send me Morse code … dot dash dot? No, just two people on the first three phone lines. I got the shot here in Naples, Fla., on March 29, 2017.
Here’s the latest example of my non-intentional micro-farming: three chili peppers I grew here at home in Naples, Fla. I believe these are overripe Serrano peppers, although they could be dwarf Jalapeño peppers. Still, they went into my latest batch of three-chile chili on April 2, 2017.
We’re speeding to summer here in Southwest Florida and here’s a nice sunrise that reinforces the tropical roots of the region. I got it April 8, 2017, near our home in Naples, Fla.
Happy Easter 2017! Today, April 16, 2017, I’m posting this photo from Easter 2004. It’s the egg “hunt” scene at the NCH Healthcare System’s annual holiday party. At first glance you wouldn’t believe how popular the event was with youngsters, since the eggs are so easy to “find.” However, everyone loved it!
Happy Easter 2017! Today, April 16, 2017, I’m posting this photo from Easter 2004. It’s the egg “hunt” scene at the NCH Healthcare System’s annual holiday party. At first glance you wouldn’t believe how popular the event was with youngsters, since the eggs are so easy to “find.” However, this photo shows a gaggle of youngsters grabbing them up!
At the car wash … Part II. Here’s another shot of the Sam’s Club car wash here in Naples, Fla. I got it the night of April 20, 2017, after filling the gas tank.
We’ve renovated our pool in the repair process and now have blue tile. So, it’s come to this: I’m looking for color-coordinated containers for our patio. Here’s one from a selection at a supermarket near our home in Naples, Fla. I got the shot – if you really must know – on April 26, 2017.
What’s this? Rain? You bet! It’s something we haven’t see much of here in Southwest Florida this year. I got this shot at my office in Naples, Fla., on April 28, 2017.
It’s not my best sunset photo by far, but it was a pretty sunset on April 30, 2017, as I drove home in Naples, Fla.
The North Collier Fire Control & Rescue District was helping at this crash scene in North Naples, Fla., on the evening of April 29, 2017. We were coming back from dinner when we came across the crash scene.
I don’t know if it’s how our yard crew trims our gardenia bushes, but we only have a small crop this spring. Here’s a shot showing the most we have on two bushes. Not like in the past. I got this shot April 30, 2017, at our home in Naples, Fla.
I used to take real underwater photos while scuba diving – with a Nikonos (remember those?). However, I also used to take photos with a waterproof camera in the pool. Here’s one of those shots from July 2004. Our son got the shot as I did a cannonball into the pool at our development here in Naples, Fla. Now, we have our own pool for cannonballs.
I had some quiet time this past weekend on our patio and just-refurbished pool area. Here’s the feature from Saturday, May 13, 2017: “Pillow Talk” with Rock Hudson and Doris day – click here for my review. You can see the reflection of our pool here in Naples, Fla., on the TV screen.
Here’s the latest example of the miniature version of whatever I try to grow here at our home in Naples, Fla. Obviously, it’s a pineapple. Just a little bit smaller. I got the shot May 13, 2017, after Debbie brought in the crop.
It’s a boring view, but here’s what I could see if I looked down the chair at my visit to the dentist on May 16, 2017. Of course, I didn’t take a photo with my iPhone of the TV above the chair here in Naples, Fla.
We’ve been getting a tad more rain here in Southwest Florida, but not enough. I got this shot of a cloud moving in on May 18, 2017, as I went out to run a late errand from our home in Naples. We need more than a few clouds!
I work for a dentist and here’s the office’s “treasure box” that youngsters get to pick a prize from after a visit. Actually, I still think there’s cool stuff in there! I got this shot at the office here in Naples, Fla., on May 18, 2017.
I’ve been posting as my daily movie recommendation several war films as we reach Memorial Day 2017 – and that’s today, May 29. I don’t just recommend war films, I watch them, too, on the Memorial Day weekend. Here’s a shot of my DVD of “Battle of the Bulge” as it waits its turn to be viewed on our patio on May 28, 2017.
Not only was there a morning deluge of rain during my early Saturday errands, but one of my neighbors needed help from the emergency squads. I got this shot near our home in Naples, Fla., on June 10, 2017.
It’s a poor shot of a #rainbow, but I took it. I got this photo of this rainbow on May 31, 2017, near our home in Naples, Fla.
OK, I take my tchotchkes from Walt Disney World very seriously. I use one of their pens – I get them whenever we stay at a resort – at my office here in Naples, Fla. Here’s my current pen on my keyboard on June 8, 2017.
OK, so I posted a much more artistic photo of water coming out of the gutter at the office building where I work in Naples, Fla. However, we’ve been deluged by rain over the past week and will keep getting more in the coming days. Here’s a shot of the runoff as seen through our front window. I got the photo with my iPhone on June 14, 2017.
I got this visual clue that we need to replace a panel in our patio screen enclosure. I got this shot June 18, 2017, as I watched the U.S. Open golf championship at our home in Naples, Fla.
We’re close to having the pool repair/renovation finished. Now, I can turn my attention back to making sure all our plants are healthy. Here’s blooms from the small Desert Rose in a container on the patio at our home in Naples, Fla. I took the photo June 17, 2017.
Five years ago, I wouldn’t have believed this possible: That we would be watching the NHL awards/expansion draft show on our big-screen TV. Well, we were last night – June 21, 2017. Allison is a big NHL fan whose favorite team is the Florida Panthers. So, NHL, we watched.
Back before we had our own pool built at home, our neighborhood pool (call it the community’s “master pool”) was where we had aquatic fun. Stephen got this shot of me with one of those disposable cameras in a plastic housing. Simple, cheap and effective. Although not Nikonos quality, here’s a shot of me jumping into the pool in July 2004.
Rabbits are scrambling through our neighborhood in Naples, Fla., these days – and I saw two in our front yard as I arrived home from work on June 23, 2017. I got this photo earlier that day as I left for work and this bunny didn’t show much fear.
We’re getting close to the end of a three-month saga of repairing and renovating our pool. All the construction is complete and a few details remain. I got this shot June 24, 2017.
Although technically a sunset photo, there’s not much to see. I took this shot at 8:30 p.m. on June 29, 2017, to show a spot of color seen looking west from our patio here in Naples, Fla. If we could see this beautiful color, the sunset at the beach must have been spectacular.
Ah, Naples in the summer. It’s raining (as you can see on the windshield) and I’m stopped at a traffic signal that’s green. It’s because the driver at the head of the left-turn line can’t turn because of red-light runners are still in the intersection even though our lane has a green turn signal – the red, which appears somewhat yellow here, is for the other lanes. I got this shot June 30, 2017.
Here’s the sky above as I was reading beside our pool on July 1, 2017, at our home here in Naples, Fla.
Here’s another storm front moving in over our neighborhood in Naples, Fla. I got this shot in the late afternoon of July 2, 2017.
We’re going the safe route today – the Fourth of July in this year of 2017. Instead of our usual assortment of mortars, skyrockets and other pyrotechnic devices for our self-style show tonight here in Naples, Fla., we’ve gotten this milquetoast box of “safe * family * fun” fountains. I took this photo on July 3, 2017. We’re just being a bit lazy this year. Besides, we still have Black Cat firecrackers and bottle rockets!
Our larger Desert Rose is blooming again on our patio here in Naples, Fla. I got this shot on July 2, 2017, as the morning’s first rays of sun hit some of the blooms.
With the rain coming now every afternoon, it’s easy to get a nice shot of storm clouds and rain in the distance – even as you wait at a traffic signal. I got this one with my iPhone on July 5, 2017, here in Naples, Fla., as I returned home from work.
If you’re old enough, you’ll remember the license plate game? While traveling on the highway – most often for a “family vacation” – people in the car try to spy license plates from different states … and the further away the better (ever see one from Hawaii, you non-Hawaiian?). So, I’m starting to post a few example on my blog. Today? It’s a Utah tag on a Mazda in North Naples, Fla., on July 6, 2017. Quite a ways from home; or just found a new one for the driver. I removed the number to provide a bit of privacy.
Into every sunny Southwest Florida day must come some clouds, right? Well, at least these clouds over our home on July 9, 2017, here in Naples were literal and not metaphorical.
Look close: Rain drops falling from leaves on trees make circles in this storm water retention area near our office in Naples, Fla. I got the shot July 10, 2017, after a powerful rainstorm washed through.
Here’s an improved view: Sunlight at just before 6 p.m. here in Southwest Florida. We’ve had a ton of rain in recent weeks after months of drought. Still, that bright sun is nice to see. I got this shot July 13, 2017, at our house in Naples.
Here’s my latest in a series of photos of storm clouds rolling across Southwest Florida. I got this shot on July 15, 2017, outside our home in Naples.
I enjoy photographing the Spanish mission-type architecture of the Headquarters branch of the Collier County Public Library. It’s especially neat in the late-afternoon sun as the rays provide wonderful contrast to everything else. I took the photo in Naples, Fla., on July 17, 2017.
Here is a view from July 19, 2017, that shows the 1/35-scale model of a Russian T-34 tank being guarded by one of our family room’s “guardian lions.” I built the tank a number of years ago. As for the lions, we saw quite a few of the real thing at the Summer Palace at Beijing in China during our visit in 2007. According to Wiki: In English and several Western languages, the guardian lions are often referred in a multitude of name such as: “Fu Dogs,” “Foo Dogs,” “Fu Lions,” “Fo Lions” and “Lion Dogs.”
Here’s one of my two tea canisters at our home in Naples, Fla. I’m about to receive my latest ship of Chinese black tea from Holy Mountain Trading Company. I’ve been a customer for decades and they are the best tea vendors you could ever find.
It’s a Florida thing! Note the rain coming from the gutter despite the bright sunlight on the offices at our building’s complex here in Naples. I got this shot July 21, 2017.
I don’t know if these light clouds can be considered part of the “red sky at morning” adage, but they sure looked nice on July 22, 2017, as I left our home for errands just after sunrise. If not a “red sky” morning, then it was a “pink sky.”
In my expanding look at some things around our house to post on my blog, I’ve targeted these French presses for making coffee. I drink tea, but everyone else likes coffee and they’ve put the Keurig aside in favor of making coffee the best way. I got this shot in our kitchen on July 27, 2017.
Continuing my photos of things at our home here in Naples, Fla., I present you an image of two of our many remote controls. One is an Xfinity controller and the other a Sony for our sound system to the family room TV. I got this shot July 28, 2017.
Clouds are endless in the sky and so, too, are they endless subjects of blog postings. Here’s a look at one as seen from the front door of our home in Naples, Fla., on July 29, 2017.
It was a wet morning yesterday (Saturday, July 29, 2017) as I bought gas at the Sam’s Club near our home in Naples, Fla. Still, the clouds offer an interesting backdrop to the steeple of the nearby church.
Look closely. What’s different about the screen panels? I took this photo on our patio here in Naples, Fla., after a rain storm on July 29, 2017. Give up? The center one retains moisture, while the ones to each side do not. The middle one is brand new and, for some reason, new screens retain moisture.
Our pool repair/renovation project is complete. It included repairing a crack, a new interior and new tile (as well as a new control system and a new heater). So, here’s what it looks like at night. I got this shot Aug. 3, 2017, here in Naples, Fla.
Ah, the photographic boredom of presenting household items as blog fodder. Today I’m showing you my desk set of two chess pieces (a rook and a knight, for those who don’t recognize them) from our home in Naples, Fla. And look on the rook: My MagicBand used at Walt Disney World. I took this shot Aug. 3, 2017.
Here’s what I call the definition of polite but pathetic: Someone decided to drink a small bottle of wine, but was nice enough not to get caught with the empty in his or her pocket and so replaced it in the container and left it on the clearance shelf. Of course, some other pathetic person stole one outright, since they were not polite enough – or didn’t drink it in the store – to put it back. I got this shot Aug. 5, 2017, while at a Target store in North Naples, Fla.
Today I’m posting another photo I took Aug. 5, 2017, at the Collier County Public Library’s Headquarters branch near our home in Naples, Fla. It shows a nice overhead trellis, but no blooms on this day.
