White Pelicans at Play

It is great fun to watch these White Pelicans play. They group together and then corral a shoal of fish into a pelican "net" under water.  At that point, the butts of the Pelicans jut up into the sky and their beaks disappear into the water where the fish disappear into the pelican beaks.

It's probably not that much fun for the fish.  And you can see a couple of small ducks in the background, following along, trying to get in on some of the action.

The CDP theme for March is "Play." You can check out how other CDP participants translated the theme into a photo HERE.

Doctor's Exam Room...

...with maybe a tiny bit of Photoshopping...

Trilogy Tower & Main Gate

The Trilogy Tower has become an identifying marker for the Trilogy Resort here in Ocala.  So far as I know it is empty and has no particular meaning other than to be an identifier.  Smaller of these towers are located in other areas of the resort.

The 2nd photo is the main gate where visitors and residents enter Trilogy. 

Family Time

This father and his children were walking the Silver River Trail in the Silver River State Park. The trail is about 1/2 mile long, and they were almost to the river. Not an alligator in sight!

HITS 2018 - A Couple of Big Jumpers

The Little Red Car

This little red car would have been a perfect Christmas gift for either a boy or girl.  But alas, Christmas has passed.

Aha!  Think outside of the box.  Do you have a child who occasionally surpasses your expectations?  Do you have a child who despite certain limitations, does his or her very best?  Do you have a child who never seems to get things quite right.

In each and every of these cases, would this not be a fine surprise gift; a way of showing your unconditional love, dependent upon nothing more than they are your child?

And if not this year, maybe next?  And if not a little red car, then perhaps something more appropriate to the child in question?

Gator Sign - Silver River State Park

I've seen this sign many times before, but had never read it closely as signs like this are common and are not all that helpful as we are aware that most bodies of water, especially in central and south Florida, contain alligators.

We've seen gators in this area of the Silver River but usually out some distance from the shoreline.  What caught my attention this time is the sentence that reads gators "are present along the trails and waterways of this park." 

Trails?  Really?  When I thought about it, I realized I shouldn't have been surprised as there are times when the land beside the trails is flooded and the water several feet deep.  That's where you'd find the gators.

But as I've mentioned in previous posts:  Not to worry, gators only eat once a month.

The Black Barn Restaurant

When you see a sign advertising a restaurant named "Black Barn" at the HITS event, you don't think much of it as barns are endemic to horses and horse raising and horse racing and just about any other activity horses engage in.

But when that restaurant is located in New York City, it gives one pause.  It came to life recently, in 2015, but has already built something of a reputation as it is built on a barn theme.

Now, I've been in a lot of barns.  I've been in some dairy barns.  I've helped milk cows in dairy barns.  I like barns.  But one thing about most barns is they stink to high heaven!  A barn is not a place where I would wish to eat.

But, the Black Barn in New York must not stink and seems to be doing OK catering to people who are curious about barns and what it would be like to eat in a barn.

One source had this to say:  The Black Barn offers "upscale American cuisine served in a barn-inspired setting with a chef's table."  

You can find out much more (with photos) HERE.

Scooting along, needing more horsepower!

The Tale of an old Cart

Note:  This scene was photographed in Spanish Springs, The Villages.

With regard to the title, I'm exaggerating a bit.  If there is a "tale" here, I don't know it.  But this cart, created to give the impression of age, and another time, may have been based upon a tale.  It was obviously built to carry items from one place to another.

The black and white treatment was an afterthought, and because colored photos were not utilized at the time these carts represent, I thought it might be a good idea to see what this old cart looked like in b&w.

Which do you like best?

This post was cross-posted to our blog on The Villages, which you can find HERE.

"Master, come quick!"

"I'm warning you, don't come any closer! I bite! I'll have to hurt you and I don't want to do that! My master is just getting the mail and he'll be right back!"

In the Trilogy community all mail is delivered to a central location where every resident has his/her or their own mailbox. It's a great system, because your mail is kept safe from the bad guys and from inclement weather. It's somewhat of a pain, because you have to go down to the Oak House every afternoon to get your mail. Most of the residents subscribe to a free service of the Post Office which provides an email showing scans of the mail you will be getting on any particular day. That's nice. And if all you see are advertisements, you can leave them until the next day! :)

Quite a few people throw their dog in their golf cart when they go get their mail, as per the above photo. 

Service Van from On Top Of The World

On Top Of The World is one of the largest 55+ communities in this area. It was begun by Sidney Colen about 50 years ago and has experienced substantial growth. Currently, there are approximately 10,000 residents, but new homes are being built at a steady pace. A huge assisted living and retirement home facility has just been completed.

The success of OTOW has been largely due to meeting the needs of older people seeking a safe and fun place to live. One of the ways OTOW helps achieve this goal, is by providing service vans like the one pictured which take residents to and from doctor's appointments, shopping centers, etc.

Saddle Shops & Tack Shop

These photos were taken at HITS, 2018.  The first two photos feature small shops that deal mainly in saddles and bridles, etc.  I noticed two things about them:  1) many of the finest saddles are made in France and 2) they are very expensive.  As I recall, the saddles start in the $4,000 range and go up from there. 

The last photo features a tack shop, which sells a wide range of equipment used by horses and riders; not just saddles but also clothing, boots, etc.

The School Board of Marion County, Florida

This building, which houses the offices of the School Board of Marion County, Florida, also features one of Ocala's special horses.  Some of you may remember that there were about 75-100 of these horses in the Ocala area, part of a program called "Horse Fever."  I'm not sure what happened to the program but many of the horses still stand.

Notice also that I was specific about this Marion County being in Florida.  There's another Marion County in Ohio and sometimes the two get mixed up.  But not on my watch or my blog!  :)

I thought this an appropriate post considering HITS (Horses in the Sun") is in full swing until about the middle of March.  I shall be posting a few more photos of HITS in the future.

A final note:  Don't you think the School Board could come up with a better sign on the facade?  Make developing such a sign a special project of the art classes in Marion County's high schools, with the winners getting a trip to Washington, D.C.  I take that last part back.  There's way too much stupidity and way too many morons in that city.  Send them to Disney World instead!

A Child Shall Teach Them

This young lady is nine years old!