Moving Pictures

I'm no stranger to making huge financial decisions. This was a difficult one as it was way out of budget. I purchased this house four years ago by emptying my savings and slowly fixing as I went. To take a quick look at the before pictures [ click here] . I could not afford Impact Glass on the patio doors so I went with accordions. I was completely opposed to individual panels as is typical in Florida. A bit inconvenient and far cheaper but my father can no longer put his own up. I plan to be here a while so best to plan for the future. So the big questions - Why Impact Windows, and what was the cost. The first consideration was none of the windows in this house functioned. Cracked glass, leaks sealed with duct tape, some did not open, of those that did, none would stay open without a prop, and out of 12 windows only two had screens. The cost of accordions for the whole house would have been less even if I replaced the windows with regular glass. I would still need to...

Back to the faire that started me on the path of super fandom. The Florida Renaissance Festival . Since I was here last year I've been to Scarborough Texas, The Fairs in Lady of the Lake, Sarasota, Orlando, and Brevard, in Florida. In past years I've done the Fort Myers, and Gainesville faires, and even a trip to Georgia. This will always be my first though and the one I have the most friends.  I arrived on my favorite themed weekend - Time Travelers. I was not sure I was going to make much of an appearance this year but as always - Magic happens. I spent a lot more time talking to some really great people than taking photos. When I got home I realized I mostly took photos of people I knew. There were a few I just met but this is the kind of place were friendships can be made quickly and last a lifetime. Since this is the 25 anniversary of the festival, there was plenty of new shows to see. I tried to capture them but I will have to go back again next weekend and try...

Brevard's Renaissance Fair makes my 4th renaissance fair in 3 months. I had big plans to attend a different show but life intervened. I thought I knew all the shows in Florida and if you are following my blog you know I've recently been on a quest to visit them all. This is one I never heard of and it's only an hour and a half away from home. There is a good reason I've never heard of it. It's only their second year. There is plenty of things I don't post in my blog. The thought of getting away for a few hours and maybe seeing a friend or two was very appealing. I missed the opening by only about 5 minutes but there was no one at the gate so I was not expecting a large show. Well I significantly underestimated with my first impressions. It's huge in relation to the three fairs I recently attended. Just when I thought I was to the outskirts, cross a bridge and there is more. So much more in fact that I missed a considerable amount of the acts. A se...

Today was one of those rare days that I could have easily gotten lost in worries. Not really my style. To fight off the blues in my head I decided to enjoy the blues of the sky and water. I gathered my old camera, oldest lens, 36 year old beach cruiser bike, 56 year old body, and exercised the whole group. Keep things in good shape, they last a long time. I had a vague idea it was a good day to shoot bridges and anything else of interest. The ride was more important than setting goals. After a year and a half of living in my new home town, I will be the first to admit I have done a miserable job of making friends. Maybe because I do things on the weekdays like get on my bike and ride at 7:30 in the morning. Maybe because even on a good day the people I know are spread all over the country. Many weekends I'm out of town so that does not help. On those rare days I want to sit and have a conversation over a cup of coffee, I have a bit of a vacuum at the moment. Hours...

I was asked many times during my visit to the Orlando Renaissance Festival what I thought of the faire. This is the third new (to me) renaissance faire I've been to in about three weekends and the 10th venue overall in the last 20+ years. I arrived just before opening and left after close so I got to see it all. If you want to skip the reading and go right to the photos [click here] I'll start right off with the three major complaints I heard during the day. The ticket price of $20 was too much for the size of the show, the stages needed to be raised, and no pub. Good points, all of which will be addressed next year I'm told. In my opinion, if you can do better for cheaper in the first year of a brand new faire, invite me. I would like to see it. Comparing this show to a 20 and 30 year old show is like comparing a new born to a college student. Unlike some - I will speak only to this show and not compare it to others. I knew most of the acts from my many trave...

Continuing my quest to visit Renaissance faires in Florida I've not before visited - The Sarasota Medieval Fair.   I've heard very mixed reviews from friends on this event. I would prefer to get my information first hand - like actually going myself. I always try and get as much information as I can before I travel to new places. The Sarasota Medieval Fair web page was the perfect place to start. They have one of the most informative websites I've seen so far. Good sign. I discovered I knew a few acts and vendors already but there was going to be over half the acts I've never seen before. That is really the point of making these journeys. One of the common comments I've heard about this show is it's small. It may have been at one time but it was pretty extensive on my visit. From the map it did not seem like it was going to be an all day event but they managed to squeeze a tremendous amount of fun in a small space. I was there from before opening ...

I know I brought my daughter to the Ringling Museum but is was in a time before I carried a camera everywhere I go. I have other photos from our "Tour of Old Florida" trip way back 10 years ago on her high school break. I have actually been revisiting many places in recent years from that trip. This particular stop is still vivid in my mind like the colored glass that makes up the entire back of this incredible house. It was for some reason a place my daughter enjoyed fully. I'm not sure if it was the beautiful house and furnishings, the outdoor sculpture garden, or the gigantic ancient paintings in the galleries I was not allowed to photograph.  This was actually a last minute choice as I discovered pre-internet our original stop was closed mondays. All I remember was my daughter and I spending way more time than originally allotted. It was the same on my latest trip. What was supposed to be a quick visit and on to other things turned instead to an all da...