Happy Halloween!

Gotta love the Headless Horseman on Halloween! Isn't this a terrific yard display? Can you imagine being a kid and approaching this house trick-or-tricking?! Have a safe and fun Halloween, and remember: Halloween is nothing to lose your head over. ((Boo-ooh-aaaah-aaaah))

Whatcha Doin'?

Seeing this happy, inquisitive face at the gas station made filling up a little less mundane. What a cute fuzzy mug. Looks like he's livin' the good life!

Modelin' in Downtown

I'm used to seeing some interesting vehicles around downtown Sarasota. For example, earlier in the day, I saw a Rolls Royce cruisin' around the City Hall parking lot and a Ferrari zippin' down Second Street. But, it was this little old Ford parked along Main Street, pretty as you please, which grabbed my attention. Someone on Flickr speculated it's a 1928 or '29 Model A.  Very cool.

This tote bag was hanging inside, with little American flags that were so faded and weathered they could have been vintage with the car. I love it! Definitely something out of the norm here.  By the way, for the record, I also encounter a lot of Smart cars, buses and scooters downtown.

Majestic From Afar

At first glance, there really isn't much to see here. Or is there???? See the dark blob sitting atop the pole to the right...???  (Lean in close to your screen.)  And there's an even teensier blob on the pole to the left.  With my long lens and ISO bumped up to 1600 at dusk, I was able to capture this guy....

...a bald eagle!  Two nights ago, I was stunned to see two eagles sitting side by side atop a cell tower next to Fruitville Road, a bustling roadway.  I was thrilled when I returned last night and found them again --- albeit very far away.   As I was contemplating hopping a cattle fence to get a closer view, a rancher pulled up in a truck and gave me what can only be described as a grim stink eye.  Even when I pointed to my camera and excitedly declared 'Shooting the bald eagle!' he gave me one last look before leaving without a word.  I got the hint...and stayed put.  Anyway, I'm very, very excited about the two eagles living so close to an urban area.  And, I can't wait to watch them and capture even better pics.

Sharing

Entitled 'Sharing', this statue depicts two parents sharing a book with a little boy. It was commissioned in 2002 by the Selby Foundation and created by an artist named Bruno Lucchesi. It sits near the Selby Library in downtown, which is rather appropo. I wonder how this piece would look with an iPad or a Kindle instead of a book...

Claws Galore

There are a handful of dates I look forward to every year, including October 15th. That's the start of stone crab claw season. As luck would have it this year, that was the Saturday of my Big, Big Weekend. On the 15th, I was in Spartan Stadium watching the good guys in green defeat the Michigan Wolverines for the fourth consecutive year. So, alas, I missed opening day of stone crab claw season. (Sacrifices...sacrifices.)  I made it to Phillipi Creek Restaurant and Oyster Bar last weekend, though -- and, I wasn't  disappointed. YUM! Sorry about the quality of the photo, which is the result of:  a) warm butter smeared on my phone camera during the feeding frenzy or b) my archaic cell phone preparing to croak. By the way, stone crab claw season lasts until May 15th. (But, they taste best in October!)

This One, Mom!

Marion's son, Griffin, spotted the perfect pumpkin at Whole Foods in downtown Sarasota, and couldn't resist scaling to the top of the stack to pick it out. Then, he found another one, which was even larger. Having captured this photo, and seeing that Griffin was attempting to lift a sizeable orange squash nearly his own weight, SDP staff set aside their camera long enough to help Griffin and his mom hoist Perfect Pumpkin #2 from the 'patch'. For the record...Griffin can pick big pumpkins. Happy carving!