Wild Thing 2

 

Wild Thing

 

Spider

Yeah it looks like a cartoon character. An evil one. However, this is a Spiny-Backed Orb Weaver spider. I found it in the yard three days ago.

Biltmore Hotel

This is the Biltmore Hotel located down the road in Coral Gables. Supposedly it's haunted and many famous people have stayed here. It's also a National Historic Landmark. The amazing thing about it though is the size. The hotel can be seen from a far distance and when you're standing in front of it you feel about two feet tall. It used to have the biggest pool in the U.S. but it holds that record no longer.

Horse

Last night a friend asked me if I had any horse pictures. Simple enough question. It had me thinking though. I've been on countless assignments with horses AT the assignments. Yet, I had the hardest time finding pictures with just a horse. How could I be a photographer and not have a horse picture ?! I feel like I was so focused on including people in the photos, that I neglected to simply get photos of horses. I'm not saying I need to take beautiful horse pictures all the time. However, my friends question and my search for specific photos brought to light my mindset while I was on assignment. It seems like I felt programmed to include someone/anyone in a photograph and wouldn't really take in the nuances of a scene in their entirety, or I guess, the main elements of a scene in their entirety. When I first started photography, I was a photographer first and journalist second. Then it went the other way around. It's different for everyone. The fun part for me is doing a little of both as best I can, and remembering to enjoy myself as much as possible in the process. This horse picture is from my first internship at the Monroe Evening News.

Tinsmith Circle

Moni and I visited her grandparents in Lutz, FL last weekend. A fun fact is that down the road from them is the street where the neighborhood scenes of Edward Scissorhands were filmed. The street is called Tinsmith Circle. The houses that are there are the same ones as in the movie, except now there are trees everywhere (not carved into animals) and they aren't painted pastel colors. This cul de sac is where Edward leaves the neighborhood to go through the gates toward his castle.

Update: Ochopee, FL

After stopping by the Ochopee (O-chop-ee), FL post office the first time, it was closed so I had to return. Last week I did. Actually I returned twice because I had missed the mail carrier the first time and I wanted photos of him also. I had read a small write-up on this post office but I received a ton of information after speaking with Nanette Watson, the postmaster.
She only lives two miles away from the post office so that's not a bad commute. She's worked there for seven years. The building is approximately 8 feet by 7 feet and has been used since 1953 when a fire destroyed the general store in Ochopee which was home to the previous post office. Yes, that building has been the Ochopee post office since 1953.
"I almost see more German tourists than American," she stated. Apparently this post office is on all the travel shows and guides in Germany. She also said many people will drive by and hit the brakes prior to putting the car in reverse to stop by the place. "I've seen many accidents, luckily none have been too serious," she explained.
On my last post, I wrote that 2-3 people inside would be crowded. Two to three people inside WOULD be crowded, but customers don't actually go inside. The front doors slide open and there's a counter right behind those sliding doors where Nanette helps customers.
Leroy Fish is the contract mail carrier. His wife actually started as the carrier about 40 years ago. Leroy retired from his previous job and took over as mail carrier for the post office due to a medical condition his wife had. So between the two of them, they've been delivering the 138-mile mail route for the last 40 years.
What is the future of this tiny shipping shack? "We serve a lot of people and cost very little money to operate," Nanette said. With the florescent bulb, air conditioner, computer (laptop) and other small electrical devices, Nanette estimates the monthly electric bill at around $20 dollars.