Doorway Wednesday: Carefree

This doorway along an alley near Central Ave. caught my attention because of the name: "Carefree Design Center". It sounded so inviting...just a carefree place to create whatever you want to create. Well, as it turns out, behind this door beautiful walk-in closets (and other storage spaces) are designed and manufactured.  Check out their website.  Very interesting!  I never know what I'll find when I'm out wandering around.

Five Points at Night

When I posted this photo of Selby Five Points Park last week, a few SDP followers were kind enough to request a nighttime view with the tree lights aglow. Alors...voila! The lights alternate colors every few minutes and last night I caught them midstream between red and orange. Pretty cool!  By the way, this isn't just for Christmas. The trees are lit year round.

Downward Trend

Gas prices have dropped 12-cents here over the past month, with a nickel of that in one day just before Thanksgiving. Any chance we'll see $2.99 by New Year's Day? To see an archive of my monthly gasoline reports, click here.

Happy Thanksgiving

It's officially Thanksgiving when Pilgrim Manatee arrives on DeSoto Road! I hope you're enjoying a relaxing day and pause a moment to reflect upon all your blessings. I've already logged a 5K walk this morning --- gosh, I'm so thankful just to be able to do that! There's so much to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving. May your day be filled with family, friends, food (preferably turkey...NOT manatee), football, parades --- and a nap. Happy Thanksgiving!

Teddy Bear Run

Not an image you expect to see on the road, is it? This biker (and his fuzzy friends) was part of the 14th annual Teddy Bear Run yesterday morning. Hundreds of motorcyclists roared down the road, complete with a police escort, as they delivered stuffed animals for a charity event benefiting children with cancer. There's something about a burly biker with a cuddly Pooh bear that makes me smile. And, knowing it's all to help sick kids...makes it even better. What a special delivery.  To see more of my pics from the event click here.

Full House

Recently, I was shooting a construction site near downtown when I heard really loud chirping emanating from a tree in a busy parking lot. So many house sparrows were tucked inside, hiding on the branches, the tree was actually shaking! It took awhile, but I managed to get this shot (above)...of what I believe to be a female house sparrow. And also this photo...

...which I believe is a male house sparrow. (Apparently, he was going out on a limb to see what I was doing.) I was staring at that tree for probably 20-25 minutes in a fast food parking lot, and believe it or not, not a single person inquired what I was looking at. They all just walked and drove by, oblivious to   nature's abundance in that tree. 

Lights at Five

5 o'clock....and Five Points Park in downtown, that is. It's almost been a year since the park was renovated and colorful decorative lights strung through the trees. It looks great year-round and is especially inviting this time of year --- even before the sun goes down.