Summerglen Pro Shop and Club House

Summerglen is a gated, 55+ community, just south of Ocala. It offers a number of amenities to its residents, including an excellent 18-hole golf course.

Vintage ATM

We found this vintage ATM, or "Mini-Bank" as it was known back in the day, in a small coffee shop in Clermont, Florida. I don't think it is operational, but I didn't try it. I was afraid it would have eaten my ATM card!

The "Honeymoon" Cottage Is About Over

This old shack, an iconic Cedar Key landmark, is not much longer for this world. As I recall, the bottom photo was taken in 1988, the first time we vacationed in Cedar Key.

It is known as the "Honeymoon Cottage," and was built by Henry Taylor in 1959 for Phillip and Margaret Thomas of Gainesville.

Constructed on stilts about 300 feet from the shore, it was connected to land by a long narrow boardwalk also on stilts.

Over the years, various storms have taken their toll. In 1985, the cottage was pretty much destroyed by Hurricane Elena. Since then, other storms have destroyed bit and pieces of it until there is nothing left except a few of the stilts and a few boards.

Personally, I think the city of Cedar Key should rebuild the cottage for it has become such an important part of Cedar Key's soul!


RIP.  The entire photo blogging community is in mourning today after learning of the death of Tina and Tom Forrester who were killed in a car accident a couple of days ago in southern Ontario.  Tina, known as EG, or Cameral Girl, was a good friend and an excellent photographer.  We will miss her greatly.  Our deepest sympathy goes out to their families.

[This was cross-posted to Cedar Key (Florida) Photos].

Panorama - Looking Back at the Cedar Key Dock

Cedar Key is an island fishing village to the west of Ocala on the Gulf of Mexico.  For the most part it has withstood the ravages of time and modernization looks much like it did when we first visited the island in 1988. 

This was cross-posted to Cedar Key (Florida) Photos.

K Country in Horse Country

K Country is on 93.7 FM radio. It's a country music station that broadcasts in our area, and last week decided to broadcast in from of Kane's Furniture Store in Ocala. I didn't hang around very long, but they were offering food and drink, too. I'm assuming this was a promotional thingy for the radio station.

Wine Bistro and More...Downtown Ocala

A Walk in the Park

Some folks will tell you that raising a child is really quite easy; they'll say it's a walk in the park. Don't believe them!

Moose Lodge

This is the Loyal Order of Moose lodge in Ocala.

The LOM got it's start in 1888 as a fraternal and service organization.  That is still their mission.  While fraternal organizations seem to be a thing of the past, there are still many active groups.  The LOM consists of 2400 lodges in the U.S., plus four in the Canadian provinces, involving over one million people,and they also appear in the Caribbean and in the UK.

They provide many sports and recreational programs for the members and their families.  They support the Mooseheart Child City & School for needy children and teens which is located just west of Chicago.  They also operate Moosehaven, a retirement community near Jacksonville, Florida.

You can see that little moose hiding in the shadow of the building.

A Forest in Sholom Park

This photo was taken very recently. I liked the way the trees form a kind of grid. The black-and-white version was an experiment, but I thought it worth keeping.

The Training Toole

Now you no longer need to get up early in the morning to hit the gym and workout alongside a bunch of other sweaty, smelly people. You can call The Training Toole and they will come to your house and get you fit in no time at all. How long it takes to get you fit depends upon the all-important question: How fit are you now?

White Horse

This beautiful creature lives on a mini-horse farm about a mile from our house. The animal had been badly abused and was nothing but skin and bones upon his arrival in our area. The new owners, however, have done wonders; it's looking healthy and comes running every time we stop to say hello.

Forgiven

Some questions: By whom, for what, and why not just get a tattoo?

Coyote Cantina Southwest Bar & Grill

Coyote Cantina is a new sports bar in downtown Ocala, just 1/2 block off the square. It features Mexican and American food. Some folks seem to like it, others not so much. I've read they charge more for beer purchased outside in the patio area than they do for beer ordered inside.

We took this photo just a week or two after Christmas and that's why the decorations are still up.

A Rainy Evening in Lake Sumter Landing

This was cross-posted to The Villages (Florida) Photos.

Preying Lizard

Hidden in the Woods

West of Ocala, on Hwy 326, there is a small sketch of a town called Morriston. It is surrounded by woods. We spotted this "hidden" truck amidst the bushes and trees maybe 50 yards off the road as we slowed down in our approach to the wee burg.

I'd like to think it is trying (unsuccessfully) to hide because it was involved in various nefarious activities. Perhaps the truck hauled moonshine during Prohibition, and even though it isn't old enough to have done that, the movie playing in my head insists it is guilty of being an accomplice to the violation of the Volstead Act and that is why it is in hiding!

I hope it gets nominated for an Academy Award.  I mean c'mon, movies deal in fantasy not reality, right?

Jesus' House

I'll bet you didn't know that Jesus had a winter home here in Ocala! I've never seen him working in the yard, though. I think he has a yard man for that by name of Haysus.

Date Night?

Words of Warning?

These words were found in an ice cream shop in Clermont, Florida.

Jennings Citrus

This citrus stand is located in central Florida at the junction of Hwy 301 and State Road 486; that's actually in The Villages. Although this is our citrus season and our citrus trees are filled with fruit, this stand claims to sell citrus from the Indian River area which is much closer to south Florida. Not only, so, but they sell pecans and peaches from Georgia which is about 150 miles north!

Would You Kiss This Fish?

The Green Grasshopper

I really don't know what this is. It stayed in place on our driveway for a couple of days. It appears to be some kind of grasshopper. Strange creature.

Modern Art Photography

If you stare at the middle of the photo, you should see it begin to move slowly from top to bottom. 

This was cross-posted to our Images - The Art of Photography blog.

Working Crane at Heathbrook Outdoor Mall

I drove by, saw this machine, and wondered what the heck was going on behind the Healthbrook Mall. So I drove by again, craned my neck so as to look every which way, but still could not see any indication as to what this machine was up to. Then I said, "The heck with it," grabbed my camera and took a picture. It's not a redneck crane like the ones that show up on Sallie Rainville's doorstep, but it is a crane!

Zephyhills Mural

Zephyrhills is a smallish town south of Ocala and north of Tampa. It is famous for water bottled and sold by the Zephyrhills Water Co. This mural (which extends beyond what you see in the photo) gives a graphic representation of the activities available to area residents.

Stone Bench - Sholom Park

Golfcart Dreamland

Scenes from a Deli

The City Daily Photo theme for February 1, 2016, is "Scenes from a Coffee House."

Unfortunately, in this part of central Florida, coffee houses per se are few and far between.  We are, however, blessed with TooJays, a gourmet deli chain based in Palm Beach, Florida.

There are two TooJays in The Villages, which is about 30 miles south of Ocala - one in Spanish Springs and the other in Lake Sumter Landing.  The Lake Sumter Landing deli is pictured above.

The menu is replete with delicious possibilities, the service is generally quite good, and the ambiance is warm and welcoming.  During the winter months, however, when we are inundated by northerners seeking sunshine and warmth, both places are very crowded, so you may have to wait in line to get a table or booth.

For other takes on this theme, click here.