Photo of the year

The theme for January 1, 2014 is "Photo of the Year." This is one of my favorites.

Please click here to see other "photos of the year" from around the world.

And a very Happy New Year to all!

Swaying gently in the whisper of the wind

Festive holiday flora in Sholom Park

Wise Guy?

I thought this was an interesting character but I have no clue as to who it might be. Maybe one of the three wise guys? Just some well-to-do potentate?

Palm trees and flag on a sunny day

This was taken at the Spruce Creek golf course (where the Sandhill cranes posted yesterday were located).

Sandhill Cranes on the Spruce Creek Golf Course

Gift cards...

...for when you don't know what to give - at Christmas or anytime.

Santa's on his way?

Santa's on his way
But there's been a slight delay
The reindeer, tipsy with egg nog
Crashed ol' Santa's sleigh.
But "Do not fear, do not fret,"
Santa laughs and says,
"Ho, ho, ho, watch and see
"I ain't quitting yet".

Though he bumped His big ol' head
Upon his ol' red sled
And though his glasses
And his mind
Are just a bit awry
Santa will come visit you
He'll fly down from the sky.

The problem is that Santa knows
How you've behaved all year 
Hopefully, you've tried to be
A kind and gentle soul -
So you won't wake
On Christmas morn 
And find he's left you
One big lump of coal.

Hiding in the woods

Creche for sale

You could have one just like this. If you so desired. The blue sheet of paper in the picture gives prices for everyone, from baby Jesus to the wise men. And if you bought one you would have helped "keep Christ in Christmas." Sort of.

Mailboxes - all in a row

A hunting we will go

Hunting for a wayward golf ball in the woods on a foggy morning!

Polly got a cracker!

Jingle Bells

The Marion theater - reaching for the sky

The old Marion theater in downtown Ocala has, in this photo, assumed a shape similar to the ancient ziggurats of Mesopotamia and now serves a similar purpose as it reaches to worship the movie gods on high!

The City Daily Photo theme for November first is "heights." You can view other theme day posts here.

The Witch of Ocala

As you know, witches are hard to find, even on Halloween. They like to do their dark deeds, well... in the dark. We caught this one, though, hanging around a hardware store. She was in the brooms. And quite engrossed. I snuck up behind her very quietly, then jumped in front of her and snapped this photo. She was so surprised and upset she turned green. The last I saw she was going up, up, up and away on a very old broom, shaking her fist at me.

But I'm not afraid of a plain old witch!  I once had an 8th-grade girl from Haiti in my geography class bring a voodoo doll to school and proceed to stick pins in me while giving me the "evil eye" because I wouldn't let her talk or run around in class! The voodoo didn't work. I don't think she passed the 8th-grade!

Glen Hill Farm

This photo shows a small portion of the Glen Hill Farm, a 400-acre breeding and racing operation located very close to Ocala's center. It was bought in 1986 by Leonard Lavin, the founder of the Alberto-Culver Co., known for its VO5 brand.

Today, the farm's president and CEO is Craig Lavin Bernick, Leonard's grandson.

Glen Hill is most famous for the horse, One Dreamer, who won the 1994 Breeders Cup Distaff.

Life jackets - a necessity for most water sports

Downtown on a slow day

Wild turkeys in the wilds of Ocala!

Some of you may remember a post from awhile back which portrayed what might have been a wild turkey or perhaps a stick! Those pictured today are real wild turkeys in the wilds of Ocala! There was a group of seven, but when I got too close they headed for the hills, er, the woods!

Majestic sunset

Early morning run - Winding Oaks Horse Farm

Vitto with a sad face

My friend, Vitto, who is a better golfer than I am, was having a bad day today.  It all caught up with him on the 16th hole where he used a black marker to express his feelings.  Perhaps he thought he would gain my sympathy, but all I could do was laugh for on this day the tables turned.

I fear for the future, though!

The Ocala National Golf Club

In a previous incarnation, this place was called the Golden Hills Golf Club because it was located in the Golden Hills community. It's been sold a couple of times and was not cared for properly and the golf course became very run down. New owners, however, have changed the name and worked on the course and it's now back to its older and better self. It's a difficult course, however. If you play it, bring lots of golf balls!

Rainstorm

How much is that kitty in the window?

A study in contrasts

This home is located on Ocala's east side.

Charley's

My favorite restaurant in Ocala is located in the food court of the Paddock Mall! Go figure!

Cross over the bridge

It's a new bridge, crossing over Interstate 75, which allows people to detour around a major traffic area on Highway 200. Thousands of folks, it seems, have seen fit to take advantage of this recently-built span.

Fox Squirrels acting squirrely

Between a rock and a hard place

One of the rules of golf says you must "play the ball as it lies." In other words, you can't move your ball so as to give yourself a better shot (with a few special exceptions). This is not one of those exceptions, thus the golfer might say this is "between a rock and a hard place." (It wasn't my golf ball, thank goodness!)

Pony for sale

Actually, there was one horse for sale, along with two ponies. This is one of the ponies. I have no idea as to the price of said pony.

Grant teeing off on #18 - Royal Oaks Golf Course

His name is Grant. We call him the General. As usual, he hit a beautiful drive on this final hole of the Royal Oaks Golf Course in Ocala.

Univ. of Florida attire

In the mall, this store is for fans of the University of Florida. Fans of Florida State University, University of Miami, University of Central Florida, Central Florida College, University of South Florida, Florida A&M, Nova Southeastern University, etc., may consider this place a waste of space. :)

Juan Passos

Juan Passos is a very busy man. Not only does he run a lawn care service company, but also owns Handyman Solutions. Senor Passos is also fair and works very hard to satisfy his customers. If you live in Ocala and are looking for someone to care for your yard or if you need someone to do some work around the house, give Juan a call at 352-274-5795.

Halloween Tree

This photo has been cross-posted to our blog on L & L Photography.

A Fiery Truck

Ocala Cowgirl

This is for my friend, Mary Beth, at Small City Scenes of Stanwood, a cowgirl from the state of Washington!

The Mojo Grill & Catering Co.

This post is for my friend Memphis MOJO who, not surprisingly, lives in Memphis!  He is an inveterate poker and bridge player and a huge baseball fan!  If you're interested in poker or bridge

you can learn a lot from MOJO by reading his blog, "Just Sayin'".

The Mojo Grill was initially located in downtown Ocala.  Then it moved a few blocks out of the downtown area.  Recently, it took over the location of what was originally a Roadhouse Grill.  I just learned (as you can see on the truck) that there is also a Mojo Grill in Belleview, a small town south of Ocala.

We had occasion to dine at The Mojo Grill not long ago and found it very interesting.  The place is immensely popular, partly because on certain days, "kids eat free."   The food portions are generous and pretty much what you'd expect from this kind of grill - burgers, French fries, steak, etc.  The service was excellent but the ambiance was loud and that's the way they like it!  In addition, there is live music for your dining pleasure.

You can read all about it here.  

Dangerous crossing

Brotherly Love

This photo was cross posted to L & L Photography.

Halloween Girl

She was in the Halloween department trying on hats and masks. She saw me pointing the camera, and with that sly look, lifted the mask. She's going to be a heart-breaker some day!

Note: This photo was cross-posted to L & L Photography.