Christmas Trees For Sale

...and that "Fresh cut..." sign will be up for many weeks.

Battle of the Sunsets

The picture above was taken at the Paddock Mall in early evening.  We thought it was great.

But sometimes you can't beat the evening sky in your own backyard!

Local Crackpot and the Marion County Panhandlers

Our local crackpot, a frumpy old coot with a head of wooly white hair, stands on this corner frequently, holding signs with anti-Obama screeds.  He's also big on stopping "foreign trade" which he believes will be American's "downfall".  And he loves "the troops."

Sometimes he'll walk along cars stopped for a red light and try to sell small American flags.

He looks to be in his 80s, and lives in a beat-up old trailer some 100 yards north of the intersection where his lot and trailer are plastered with similar signs.

But the signs on the fence, which are just a few feet from where he's standing in the first photo and which I have not seen before, have two new concerns:  "Help the Salvation Army," and "Marion County Panhandlers."

It's the latter I find amusing for often there will be several panhandlers begging for money on this corner.  The police chase them off as they are thought to be a nuisance and a distraction to drivers trying negotiate the heavy traffic.  As I recall, the county commission passed an ordinance which forbids begging here precisely because of the amount of traffic.

But who are the Marion County Panhandlers?  Do the panhandlers in Marion County now have a union?  And if they don't get enough money from the public do they go on strike against the public?  How would that work?  It's all very confusing!

Santa - Going to take a break

Being a mall Santa is a hard job what with kids climbing all over you all day and parents snapping pictures, their flashes blinding your eyes. Every Santa needs an occasional break!

Stormy weather over the Intercostal Waterway

Follow me...

...from here

...to here

...to here

...to here

...to here

...and finally, to here!

This is the Royal Oaks Golf Course

in the Oak Run Community

A thank you to all who offered advice on how to beat the captcha mess.  Seems every once in awhile Blogger decides to "improve" something and screws it all up.  So all we need to do is pass by the captcha requirement and hit "Publish."

That feels sort of like skipping school only to find out there was no school that day!

Rainbow - Juliette Falls Golf Course

It appears that Blogger has screwed up the works again.  I've noticed, as have others, that just about every blog has word verification these days.  I thought that odd.  And I knew my blogs did not have word verification.  But, just to be sure, I checked.  Hah!  My blogs, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, now have word verification.

I went to my settings and found that in fact word verification is turned OFF!

We've either gotten hacked or Blogger is responsible.  But I have no idea what to do about it.

Grocery shopping

One of Ocala's less fortunate citizens.

House in the Intercoastal Waterway - Ormond Beach

The Intercoastal Waterway runs for 3,000 miles along the southern and gulf coasts of the U.S. You can read all about it here.

Birds at play

Beach Party - Ormond Beach

This one's for Birdman at Port City Daily Photo.  He thought a photo of a beach should include examples of feminine pulchritude.  Hopefully, this will satisfy his desires.

Ormond Beach beach scene

Photo by Lois Anne.

Ormond Beach is an upscale community located about 75 miles due east of Ocala in Central Florida. It's a great place to spend a day or two and we'll be showcasing the city in the days ahead.

Delancey Steet - Deli & Bagels

On the southwest side of Ocala there are numerous retirement communities which contain thousands of people, many of them migrating to this area from New York or elsewhere in the northeast where it's cold and snowy during the winter.

These are people who are used to and very fond of delicatessens which offer a variety of bagels and lox and meats and breads and other such.

Up until recently, we had no delicatessens on the southwest side of Ocala.  That led to a certain amount of grumbling, especially among old-timers in barber shops, in thrift stores, and on golf courses.

Then, all of a sudden, Delancey Street showed up.  Delancey Street was soon followed by Darrell's Diner (with two locations).  Now, not only do we have a diner, but we have several to choose from.  It's heavenly!

Delancey Street is featured in this post and is located in a small shopping center within walking distance of the famed On Top of the World Community.

Some people are hard to train!

No, no! Point the camera the other way! Turn around! The rainbow's behind you!

Waiting at the Dollar Store

It appeared to me that this gentleman was waiting for someone - spouse? or friend? - at the Dollar Store. He probably waited a long time. Some people love these "Dollar" stores where everything is supposed to cost $1.00.

Hah, everything doesn't cost one dollar. Many things cost more than one dollar. Some things cost multiple dollars.

I asked a clerk about this. She said:

 Too bad for you

But you can can scream

 And you can holler

If you dare.

We'll still sell at any price

One dollar maybe

Or maybe more.

Truthfully, we just don'e care.