Do You See What I See ...

I'm always finding shapes in things. Clouds, trees, shadows. "Look! There's the eye, the mouth, the ..."

This morning I walked through the woods around our house and came across this little treasure, an "Alligator" posing as a Cypress Tree ...

I decided to deviate from the norm and add the missing detail. PhotoShop can be so much fun!

Here's the original ...

2nd Annual Mercato Fine Arts Festival

I met up with my aunt Mary yesterday at the Mercato Fine Arts Festival. She was volunteering as a booth sitter for the Naples Art Assoc.

The glass bottles in the window caught my eye
The Mercato offers Retail below, Residential above
... all very upscale, of course, in Naples fashion



I really enjoyed this show. It was a much more relaxed atmosphere and there was more opportunity to talk with the Artists, who were all very gracious in letting me photograph their amazing work ...

Sculptor John Townsend

These whimsical sculptures by Peter Otfinoski would look fabulous in a park!

Fun & Colorful Woodwork by Ellen Phaff
I couldn't resist getting one of her little fish for Ray :)

Driftwood Carving by Frank Miranda ... what a fabulous imagination!

Plexiglass Sculpture by Lucy Phelps
The color  in her work changes depending on the angle of view. Truly stunning.

Plexiglass Sculpture by Lucy Phelps
My favorite pic of the day

Resting My Eyes

A Visual Ode to Those Who Love To Read

"Resting My Eyes"

Another of my loves is reading, which I attribute to my Grampy, who was an avid reader. These are actually Margaret's glasses (Billy's m-i-l), but the photo reminds me of him. It's little things like this, that keep love alive.

I'll never forget Ms. Hamilton, my 9th grade English teacher, presenting my class with The Old Man and the Sea. She asked if any of us had heard of it and I raised my hand, saying that I'd read it. Astonished, she told me that I couldn't have, "It's on the college reading list!"

I proudly declared that my Grampy had given it to me to read when I was eight or nine. After testing me with a few questions (that I was able to answer), she informed me I'd be reading it again. I had her all four years of high school and still remember her as one of my favorite teachers.

I think I just inspired myself to read it again, for old times sake.

Chillin' with Billy ...

We tagged along with Tugboat this afternoon, who had a date with his girlfriend, the lovely Miss Felda.

While there, we got a chance to check out Billy's garden. Cabbage, Tomatoes, Green Onions, Watermelon ... I'm certain I've left something out; I was a bit distracted by the monster Cabbage! I don't eat it, mind you, but I can certainly appreciate it's huge, lush beauty and, more so, the fact that Billy has a green-thumb. She also has mad cooking skills & treated us to a "practice" batch of Corn Beef & Potatoes. Alright, so it was Cabbage (just seeing if you're paying attention :)

Fresh!
Billy's Farmville

Home Grown
Billy's Farmville

Cabbage!
Billy's Farmville



Eeny, Meeny, Miny ... Mo!

 

"Woo-Hoo! It's Thursday!"
Miss Felda & Tugboat having a little Pre-Friday Celebration



A Walk In The Park (Naples National Art Festival)

32nd Annual Naples National Art Festival
hosted by The Von Liebig Art Center

I met up with my Aunt Mary (Ree) this past Sunday at Cambier Park for the Art Festival. There were well over two hundred artists and I couldn't even begin to guess how many visitors. The Von Liebig certainly knows how to put on a well organized show.

There were plenty of items to "Ooh" and "Aah" over and here are just a few of the things that caught my eye ...

These wire sculpture/mobiles (by Michael Gard) were absolutely beautiful! They're hand-woven with wire, in a multi-step process and range in size from 12" to life size. I could definitely see one of these hanging from our porch (Lotto dreams!) ...




Wind Vane Sculpture by Andrew Carson

And amongst much of the expected forms of artistry on display, was the completely unexpected ... these amazingly life-like wax sculptures. The little girl's body language and expression says it all


"Scepticism"

The Security Officer

Pinky, Ree & Butler Bob

My only regret was that I didn't better document my pics (to give credit where credit was due)! My sincere apologies to the fine artists. Only one thing to do, remember the lesson for the next adventure ...