X-Mas

Our Home (no, it's not on fire!!!)

"Old Soul"

This tree in the graveyard in Key West (where we had taken a trip last year) sat in the midst of, and appeared to be protecting with its outspread limbs, a group of about 7 very small gaves.

Rather noble of it, we thought.

A photo 18 years in the making...

"Cut Short"

"Mermaid-Girl"

Quite the swimmer, she is.

Happy Halloween

or Samhain, whatever your preference...

"Beach of the Living Dead"

ChooChoo!

A rail bridge to the Keys.

"By Land or by Sea?"

Under-Sea World

At Misty's (she'd be "The Wife") suggestion, I pushed through the crowds and crouched down to get The Girls awe-ing over the dolphins. Turned out pretty good, I think- Thanks, wife!

This was, of course, earlier this summer at Sea World.

After Wilma

as can be seen at Ernie(notBert) , the boat's name is Windmachine... how ironic.

I must ask!

What is the deal with the "caller ID". I get calls rather often here at work, especially right at or after shift change from people who want to know who called them from here. I just got one a few minutes ago.

him: "This is _____, who called me from there?"
me: "This is a business."
him: "So is this. I just walked in the door."
me: "Okay."
him: "Someone called me from there."
me: "Okay."
him: "I wanted to know who called."
me: "Did you get a message?"
him: "No, I just walked in the door."
me: "Then I don't know who called you."
him: "Alright, then..."
me: "Bye."

Is it just me, or what? To me, it's common sense that someone who really wants a call back will leave a message, or lacking an answering machine or service (but still having caller ID?) will call back.

another "leaving the shop" image

"Rollers"

an ancient exercise

Taken on a field trip with my photography class just over 10 years ago... in Kimmswick, a run-down town south of St.Louis. Definitely a fixer-uper. I really enjoy the palm trees now that I have 4 of them at my own house.

"Kimmswick DayDreamer"

Again, with the abstract!

...SHINY!

The frog says: "Rivet."

After the Rain...

Well, I see that Ernie(notBert) has beat me to it, but here you go anyway!


These (look closely) appeared as my family and I were returning home from Sunday's adventures.

I call it:

"Umbrella in the Sand"

Step right up and take a guess!!!

I have been enjoying more abstract photography lately.

This one is my current desktop wallpaper. I call it "Stuff all in a Row at Night as I Leave the Shop that Just Happens to Catch my Eye".

What in the world can that be?

answers shall be forthcoming!

finally! Key West

Yes, finally, in just a few shots... KEY WEST

If you click on the above picture you'll see why maybe even I could afford to live in Key West.

The view from 7 Mile Bridge.

The coconut palm beneath which I spent a happy hour or two.

Can you see Cuba? All the signs say it's only 90 miles out that way.

a break from the vacation photos

Sunday night, we went to South Lido for a picnic on the beach. Katrina's waves they were a'rollin' in.

As I ate my chicken teriyaki (it was a take-out Chinese picnic) I was being eyed by this fellow.

He was close enough for most of dinner that I could have grabbed his beak.


He really seemed to want a taste of his long lost cousin.

Coral Castle

After our treacherous journey through Alligator Alley, we stopped in Homestead, FL- just south of Miami- to check out the Coral Castle.

The sundial below was actually accurate. 10:20 if memory serves, but I have unfortunately forgotten how to read the thing. Pretty amazing stuff for one little man to do with no help from modern technology- or at least that's what they want us to think! I believe I may have found evidence of an alien presence!

This door, aside from asking that you please ring the bell, is a map! It probably was useful to Ed's (Ed Leedskalnin was the builder's name) alien assistants once work was complete and they wanted to return home. The photograph below is what I believe to be the last remaining descendant of the aliens who helped Ed to build the place. I will not release it's exact location on this blogsite for fear that the scientific community would destroy this naturally peaceful creature.
This telescope was very nice! It had no lense. The eyepiece was a little lower than eye level (need I point out that aliens tend to be a little on the short side?) and was bored into a stone about 40 feet from the obelisk which held the other end of the telescope- so it was lensless and tubeless, how much more advanced can you get? I told you-- ALIENS!
We haven't quite made it to Key West yet, but we will soon!

Alligator Alley

In August, 2004 we took a trip to Key West. That is where the "somber" photo came from. The weekend after we were there was the first hurricane of the year and the island was evacuated. The journey down still would have been worth it had we been a week later. The pictures in this post are from our trip down. There will be more to come, I assure you. You do like to see other people's vacation photos don't you???






And last, but not least, a mere 3 yards from our wary footsteps, was this happy feller. He seemed rather interested and came pretty much straight for us. As you can see, we lived to tell the tale, but did not leave before getting one of my favorite photos from that trip.

PhotoFriday - Somber

Our trip to Key West included us taking a photographic walk through a local cemetery. I came to find a large number of small graves from the late '50s in one out of the way section. Included in this group was this handmade marker for a child who apparently was born and died on the same day. I did not mess with the site and so, some of the stone remains illegible.
(click the picture to enlarge it so you can read it)

PhotoFriday- attractive

my first try at it

leaving St. Louis

traveling back from my uncle's funeral last weekend

(yes, it's a Toyota, but it's not mine and it was bought used)

Another Native

he knows all the locals' spots

Some native flora and fauna

Jasmine grows like a weed here and the lizards are all about. Early spring, 2005

an introduction to where I live and how I see it:

Siesta Key Beach, 7-10-2005