Downtown Pensacola; Tuesday Night

Dinner at V. Paul’s Italian restaurant. It was a delightful dining experience. I had an Absolut Cucumber Martini, the best Martini I’ve ever had, Vicki had the Limoncello Thyme Martini, which she declared “delicious.” For the entre’ I had Linguini Alle Vongole with mussels, pretty good but not spectacular; Vicki had Spaghetti & Meatballs. She said it was good, but gave her leftovers to the homeless guy sitting on the sidewalk. We shared a bottle of Reisling with dinner, which made everything blend very nicely.

The restaurant’s soft light, quiet atmosphere and marvelous service made the evening one to remember. Prices were reasonable/moderate. We will be back.

Winter Reprieve

GULF SHORES, AL; March 6, 2020 – It was 68° F, there was no ice on the water, but it felt as if there could have been. Young folks were down at the edge of the shoreline, a few wading, some playing volleyball, many just lying in the sun, determined to get a tan before the end of their vacations. But elderly folks sheltered themselves from the northerly wind behind a public building, soaking up the sun’s warmth, glad for the reprieve of shoveling snow back home.

Gallery Night, Downtown Pensacola, FL

Click on Photo to see a larger Image.

Every third Friday of the month, Pensacola, Florida hosts Gallery Night. Downtown streets are closed to vehicular traffic at 5 p.m. when residents and visitors are invited for free events, such as an art fair, and live music on the streets. Many restaurants offer sidewalk cafe’s in the shade of Live Oak and Sycamore trees.

I went to see the 26th annual Power of Photography show (a spectacular photography exhibit) and was pleasantly surprised to see all the activity going on in town. Vendors along Government Street offer for sale very nice arts & crafts, there is free music everywhere, and many businesses offer special prices on drinks. The official party ends at 9 p.m., but most bars and restaurants stay open much later in the evening.

The photo was taken outside Carmen’s restaurant on South Palafox Street shortly after the festivities began. I rendered it in brown tones because it just felt like an old-time community event.

Overweight Casual

Click on the photo to see a larger image.

Fountain Summer Hours

People waiting for the annual 2018 Cruz-In parade of antique and vintage vehicles through Montague, Michigan.

Her Bike

Story

It began to rain.

She parked her bike…

…and knocked on the door.

Long Since Abandoned

An Incongruous Object in a Space of Hard Lines & Sharp Angles

Social Comment

Even old people do it. Texting! Seated so close to each other, you would think they could just talk.

Morning Juxtapositions in the RV Park

Photo captured with a new cell phone and processed in Photoshop CS5.

Trailer Park Fog

Trailer Park Fog and a Supermoon yesterday morning.

Now Hiring

Now hiring at the El Dorado Restaurant in Alamo, TX.

Yin Yang of Gecko’s Pending Universe

Through the Window

Through the trailer window in a less than colorful, vernacular vision.

Nuevo Progreso

A sunny Saturday in Nuevo Progreso, Tamaulipas, Mexico just across the border from Progreso, Texas. It’s a tourist town catering to Winter Texans who come south to escape the cold winter in the north. Primary businesses are pharmacies and dentist offices. Prescription medicines and dental work are less than half the cost for the same products and services in the U.S.

However, street vendors sell food and trinkets throughout the town. Many of the salespeople are very young children. Although they appear impoverished, popular legend has it that these children and their parents go home at night to beautiful homes in various communities in Texas and  upscale neighborhoods in Reynosa, Mexico.

(Click on each of the photos to see a larger image.)

Little boy sells chewing gum to patrons in an outdoor restaurant.

 

Little boy sells backscratchers to patrons in an outdoor restaurant.

 

Little girl sells trinkets to patrons in an outdoor restaurant.

 

Troubadours perform in a bakery/cafe.

 

Man sells hooked rugs from a stall on the main street.

 

Man sells knit hats from a stall on the main street.

 

Waiter prepares flaming Bananas Foster table-side at Angel’s Restaurant.

 

Woman prepares nopales (prickly pear cactus leaves) for sale from her stall on the main street.

Taqueria food cart on the main street.

 

Happy New Year

Now, who’s gonna clean up this mess?

 

Yard Sale in the RV Park

Boxes

…Little boxes all the same
There’s a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they’re all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same…

“Malvina Reynolds, 1962”

Pentwater, Michigan

A Few Photos from the Week

Click on individual photos to see larger images.

Seagulls stake out their space on the Lake Michigan beach at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park near Muskegon, Michigan.

Birch tree reaches for the sunlight in the dense forest at the P.J. Hoffmaster State Park near Muskegon, Michigan

Ancient wood timbers and steel I-beams support an old railway bridge over the White River at Montague, Michigan

A field of wildflowers on a cloudy day in Montague, Michigan

An elderly couple enjoys an intimate lunch at Ferguson Park in Okemos, Michigan.

Hagrid’s place on the Red Cedar River

Unsigned package delivery in Okemos, Michigan.