Moving Pictures

Do you ever just want to go out and get a nice plate of Antelope and don't know where to go? Well I found this great place called Clark's Fish Camp on The Travel Channel and decided to check it out.  Even though I had seen it on TV, it is way more impressive in person. A little out of the way unless you actually plan to make it a destination on your vacation - which I did.  I know for a fact I've never seen as many big game critters all in one place. Not taxidermy-ed any way. Of course where was my camera - in the car. Another case of cell phone being the best camera I had with me.   But I didn't come here for the very quiet and fresh smelling zoo animals. I came to add one more notch to the strange things I will eat. Octopus, Rattle Snake, Alligator, Ostrich, and kangaroo to name a few.  Of course to my dismay and bad timing, they were fresh out of Antelope. I settled for Yak. Delicious! Then since I was there - Camel. Both had a beef lik...

I have only a few outstanding memories of my childhood. As I have gotten older,,, much older,, I have made it a point to visit those moments and places with new eyes.  When I was 16 or so, Dad took my three younger sisters and I on a trip from Philadelphia to Disney. In the summer, packed into a car with no AC, to Florida. There is a lot I've tried to forget about that trip including my first, third degree sun burn. There was one memorable moment I've wanted to relive a long time. A stop over in Savannah and dinner at The Pirates House .  I can't really explain why this place is so vivid to me. Maybe it was the first time I was on a real road trip. The first and best seafood platter I ever ate in my life. The town of Savannah. The riverfront. I don't know. I've had that same feeling about several places from my youth. This was the most vivid and the last one on the list I wanted to revisit.  I tried to stop by two times in the past but could no...

Many years ago I took my daughter to Savannah . As much as I wanted to explore the city end to end, she did not. We took the sight seeing trolley then we pushed on to St Augustine   back then. We still had a remarkable vacation but for many years I have dreamed of revisiting and really experiencing the food, the architecture, and the people of this town. Most of you who know me, know I put a lot of effort into planning my trips. Not this one. It was done last minute and on the fly with a few days open. I had a certain number of goals and they were all met. If I had researched a little more I would have added a few of the many museums I stumbled upon. Maybe a third chance is in the future. So why you may ask are there so few people in such a vibrant city? Well one of the additional and unexpected goals was to test myself against the elements. I have long dreamed of moving back up north again. But after 35 years in the tropics, I may not be able to. The verdict on this ...

I like to travel - a lot - and most of the time a simple hotel will do. My goal is usually to sleep when I can no longer explore. Every once in a while, I like to make the resting place the destination. Gainesville is a primarily a college town and my visit was planned around the Hoggestowne Medieval Faire . Since my traveling companion has slightly more than a passing interest in these events, I decided a quaint B&B in the town she went to college would be the perfect days end destination. Gainesville is positively brimming over with B&B's but the Sweetwater Branch Inn caught my interest. There was a larger selection of rooms across several buildings for one. Two, it was located exactly where I needed to be for a special surprise. Three, I found the perfect room at a price I could afford. Accessing the parking lot was a bit tricky. I suffer severe parking anxiety so that is probably all me. From the moment we met the person at check in, all fear was gone. Not only...

To make a great vacation adventure even greater, I decided to wrap two festivals around it. The first being the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire in Gainesville Fl. Barely Balanced I was really hoping my daughter would choose to go to college in Gainesville. This would have been an annual event for me. Instead I had to go many miles out of the way. So of course I had to make the best day possible out of it. Which I did. The first act I ever saw at a Ren Fest nearly 20 years ago was Barely Balanced . A fire breathing, juggling, acrobatic act. It was great to see them and how far their show has come. It was even better that they walked right up to me to say hi. Considering the hundreds of thousands of folks they have entertained over the years it's hard to believe they remember a fan who only can catch up to them every few years. Topsy Turvy I have followed their career across the country online, and different faire locations in Florida and Georgia in person. Basically if the...

Never say Never. I had already been to 4 Comic Cons. I had no intention of visiting this show but right before it opened I saw how many of my friends where going. Some were participating, some where doing photography, and some were working the event. It astounds me at times the number of people I have met in the past year. Also how many of them cross over from the various events I attend. My goal was to find and shoot a photo of everyone I knew. [click here] to see how I did. Half my photos are people I know either very well or at least from other shows. A few I've communicated with and finally met in person. Some I just met at this show but as I'm very late in writing this, I've already seen and spoken to at later shows. I don't really take my photography too serious. I think of it more as a family album. A collection of faces and costumes that will later remind my of great conversations and friendships, old, new, or future.