Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Birds on a truck


How many birds are there on this truck?

Monday, December 29, 2014

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Crispers



Crispers is a soup/salad/sandwich restaurant near the Paddock Mall.  Eight or nine years ago we stopped for lunch but did not have a happy experience...it was crowded, noisy and the food was so-so.  We never went back:

Until the other day, when we decided to try it again.

This time there were only a few people in the restaurant, and it was quite pleasant - clean and attractive. Lois had a flatbread pizza thingy that looked like a piece of cardboard with crushed roadkill. Not at all appetizing and not very tasty, either. I had a Cuban sandwich that was excellent. 

We'll probably try it again, but Lois will order another menu item!

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Intersection...


...on a foggy morning in the Sunshine State.

Friday, December 26, 2014

Bakery - Panera Bread


If perchance you failed to get enough to eat on Christmas day, you might, if you live in Ocala, stop by the bakery at Panera Bread ... or the bakery in your city.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!



This is a neighbor's house all decked out for Christmas. 

Monday, December 22, 2014

Men at Work


The "holidays" may be upon us and Xmas Day lurks around the corner, but life goes on and people go to work, and the malls and stores are full of shoppers.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Playing a Waiting Game


The roads are jammed in all directions with cars and trucks! Every store in town has big "sales," and crowds of people jostle one another to grab the best buys. Christmas music plays ad nauseam over loudspeakers. It's not delightful, it's frightful! The best thing to do is sit down, relax, and wait until it's all over.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Key West Fashions


It sits empty and desolate now, but for many years this was an iconic shop located just a few steps from the entrance to the wildly popular Silver Springs Amusement Park. When Disney came to Florida, bought up thousands of acres, and conned local politicians to get permission to build Disney World in Orlando, parks like Silver Springs almost immediately went into decline. As a result, neighboring businesses which lived off the tourists who visited Silver Springs, also went into decline and gradually many have simply disappeared. The area around Silver Springs is quite different now than when we moved to Ocala ten years ago.

The name, "Key West Fashions," always intrigued me.  It was a shop that sold sportswear and kitschy Florida gifts and clothing, but it had nothing to do with Key West so far as I could tell.  And we are probably 450 miles plus north of Key West!

The building remains a sad reminder of better times. 

Thursday, December 18, 2014

PIcasso's Palette 2


Yesterday, Birdman from up Maine way, posted a photo of a place similar to this.  Maybe it's part of a growing fad.  I've never been here but it appears to be a combination art studio, art instruction, and cafe. On different days they offer different activities and the sign changes to reflect that.  I think it's a rather cool idea and wish them great success.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Monday, December 15, 2014

Christmas Trees For Sale


...and that "Fresh cut..." sign will be up for many weeks.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Battle of the Sunsets


The picture above was taken at the Paddock Mall in early evening.  We thought it was great.


But sometimes you can't beat the evening sky in your own backyard!

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Local Crackpot and the Marion County Panhandlers



Our local crackpot, a frumpy old coot with a head of wooly white hair, stands on this corner frequently, holding signs with anti-Obama screeds.  He's also big on stopping "foreign trade" which he believes will be American's "downfall".  And he loves "the troops."

Sometimes he'll walk along cars stopped for a red light and try to sell small American flags.

He looks to be in his 80s, and lives in a beat-up old trailer some 100 yards north of the intersection where his lot and trailer are plastered with similar signs.

But the signs on the fence, which are just a few feet from where he's standing in the first photo and which I have not seen before, have two new concerns:  "Help the Salvation Army," and "Marion County Panhandlers."

It's the latter I find amusing for often there will be several panhandlers begging for money on this corner.  The police chase them off as they are thought to be a nuisance and a distraction to drivers trying negotiate the heavy traffic.  As I recall, the county commission passed an ordinance which forbids begging here precisely because of the amount of traffic.

But who are the Marion County Panhandlers?  Do the panhandlers in Marion County now have a union?  And if they don't get enough money from the public do they go on strike against the public?  How would that work?  It's all very confusing!

Friday, December 12, 2014

Santa - Going to take a break


Being a mall Santa is a hard job what with kids climbing all over you all day and parents snapping pictures, their flashes blinding your eyes. Every Santa needs an occasional break!

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Follow me...


...from here


...to here


...to here


...to here


...to here


...and finally, to here!

This is the Royal Oaks Golf Course
in the Oak Run Community

A thank you to all who offered advice on how to beat the captcha mess.  Seems every once in awhile Blogger decides to "improve" something and screws it all up.  So all we need to do is pass by the captcha requirement and hit "Publish."

That feels sort of like skipping school only to find out there was no school that day!

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Rainbow - Juliette Falls Golf Course


It appears that Blogger has screwed up the works again.  I've noticed, as have others, that just about every blog has word verification these days.  I thought that odd.  And I knew my blogs did not have word verification.  But, just to be sure, I checked.  Hah!  My blogs, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, now have word verification.

I went to my settings and found that in fact word verification is turned OFF!

We've either gotten hacked or Blogger is responsible.  But I have no idea what to do about it.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Grocery shopping


One of Ocala's less fortunate citizens.

Sunday, December 7, 2014

House in the Intercoastal Waterway - Ormond Beach


The Intercoastal Waterway runs for 3,000 miles along the southern and gulf coasts of the U.S. You can read all about it here.

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Friday, December 5, 2014

Beach Party - Ormond Beach


This one's for Birdman at Port City Daily Photo.  He thought a photo of a beach should include examples of feminine pulchritude.  Hopefully, this will satisfy his desires.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Ormond Beach beach scene


Photo by Lois Anne.

Ormond Beach is an upscale community located about 75 miles due east of Ocala in Central Florida. It's a great place to spend a day or two and we'll be showcasing the city in the days ahead.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Delancey Steet - Deli & Bagels




On the southwest side of Ocala there are numerous retirement communities which contain thousands of people, many of them migrating to this area from New York or elsewhere in the northeast where it's cold and snowy during the winter.

These are people who are used to and very fond of delicatessens which offer a variety of bagels and lox and meats and breads and other such.

Up until recently, we had no delicatessens on the southwest side of Ocala.  That led to a certain amount of grumbling, especially among old-timers in barber shops, in thrift stores, and on golf courses.

Then, all of a sudden, Delancey Street showed up.  Delancey Street was soon followed by Darrell's Diner (with two locations).  Now, not only do we have a diner, but we have several to choose from.  It's heavenly!

Delancey Street is featured in this post and is located in a small shopping center within walking distance of the famed On Top of the World Community.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Some people are hard to train!


No, no! Point the camera the other way! Turn around! The rainbow's behind you!

Monday, December 1, 2014

Waiting at the Dollar Store


It appeared to me that this gentleman was waiting for someone - spouse? or friend? - at the Dollar Store. He probably waited a long time. Some people love these "Dollar" stores where everything is supposed to cost $1.00.

Hah, everything doesn't cost one dollar. Many things cost more than one dollar. Some things cost multiple dollars.

I asked a clerk about this. She said:

 Too bad for you
But you can can scream
 And you can holler
If you dare.
We'll still sell at any price
One dollar maybe
Or maybe more.
Truthfully, we just don'e care.

"Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again." — Henri Cartier-Bresson