Vintage Florida Photos

I just recently discovered the Florida Memory Project website.  It's a division of the library and information services and they have managed to collect over 170,000 digital photos.  I think I can probably spend a few dozen hours looking through this particular archive.  I pulled just a few photos from my search  "Jacksonville Beaches" in black and white.   I've been home sick for well over a week now, so what's going on in my city is a look back at the way it was. 

Rosemary Carpenter, Miss Florida 1948, posing in front of sea-oats - Jacksonville Beach, Florida

Date 1948
Collection Florida Photographic Collection
Image Number C010331

Jacksonville Beach "baby races"

Date 1973
Collection Florida Photographic Collection
Image Number C680688

Two young children fishing at Jacksonville Beach

Date 1981
Collection Florida Photographic Collection
Image Number C800981

Young women posing from behind a beach umbrella

Date 1930
Collection Florida Photographic Collection
Image Number SP01286

Ida May Roth at the beach - Jacksonville Beach, Florida

Date ca 1924
Collection Florida Photographic Collection
Image Number N048043

Tourists walking along the Jacksonville jetties - Jacksonville Beach, Florida

Date 1929
Collection Florida Photographic Collection
Image Number N032606

Group at the beach - Jacksonville Beach, Florida

Date 1923 or 1924
Collection Florida Photographic Collection
Image Number N048045

Family standing next to its car at a Mayport beach

Date 191-
Collection Florida Photographic Collection
Image Number PR06772

Looking down roller coaster at the beach - Jacksonville Beach, Florida

Date Between 1930 and 1949
Collection Florida Photographic Collection
Image Number RC07957

Bird's eye view of Jacksonville Beach

Date 1946
Collection Florida Photographic Collection
Image Number RF00359

People walking near the beach in Jacksonville

Date 1936
Collection Florida Photographic Collection
Image Number SP00001

Young women with man at the beach

Date 1930
Collection Florida Photographic Collection
Image Number SP01284





I hope you enjoyed a look back at what it was like in Jacksonville, FL before the internet :)  For more tours of cities near and far, please head on over to Unknown Mami's weekly carnival - Sundays in my City.   It's one of my favorite places to be each week.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Inspiration through jelly beans

I was reading a photography website (ClickinMoms - I have a banner for them on the left hand side of my blog) when I came across this photo of jelly beans in the article about photographing food.
  I like things in jars and I like taking pictures of things in jars, so this just fit right into one of my themes.  Since I don't eat jelly beans, it didn't occur to me that they'd make a good subject. 

I try hard not to voluntarily put myself in the candy isle.  I could live there.

After a facebook discussion on where to find jelly beans, I went to Target, bought two bags and didn't bring home any other goodies, amazingly.

Source - ClickinMoms

I just love this photo. (above)  I like how clear the jelly beans are in the jar and how the jelly beans in the background are not in focus, but they still look like what they are. 

When I first set up the shot in my house I put the jar and jelly beans on a white background.  I thought that's why the colors popped out at me so much in the original.   Those just didn't look right.  Too white, too bold.  So I had to go back and find the photo.

Ahhhh, it looks like a cutting board.  A nice earthy color bringing out the colors of the beans.

That explained a lot!

I got out a metal tray in a dark earthy color, a tall glass jar and set up the lighting.  Took a dozen shots or more.  Then I switched out the tall jar with a shorter one.  The shorter one had a larger opening and I liked that better.

This is the best shot from my first session.  It's not as warm and cozy as the inspiration piece and I think that's because there was too much light shining on my beans and tray.  Also, the tray was reflective, unlike the wood used in the original.  My jar is too far toward the middle, which usually can be an easy crop, but I lost most of the jelly beans on the left side when I did that. 

I had never taken a picture as inspiration and then tried to replicate it nearly exactly.  I kind of like it!  I can see things in mine that I like, but I can also see things that can be improved upon.  I think I'll take more shots in the daylight (no natural light right now) and use a cutting board as the base. 


It's good to know that I still have a lot to learn.

Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - Night time on JTB

POTD - Night time on JTB

©2011 Kristin Corlett

It's been a while since I have done some road trip photography.  That's my fancy way of saying "I'm pressing the shutter button on my camera, while driving, hoping to get something interesting." This evening when I went out for kitty food and jelly beans (an odd combo, huh?) I decided to take some shots from the steering wheel.  Both hands on the steering wheel but a few fingers were holding on to the camera.  I liked this shot best because of the wavy light off to the right hand side and the streak of yellow on the left that almost looks like a tiny flame. I have always liked the way lights show up in night pictures.  They are like giant flashing neon.

Enjoy!
Kristin

JTB is the abbreviation for Route 202/J. Turner Butler Blvd.

Aunt Jean

Aunt Jean is arriving!

She's my Aunt Jean but only because I have adopted myself into her family tree.  Or I pulled her into mine.  Since she's the actual Aunt of my friend Lori, then it would be more correct to assume that I have invaded their family. 

I'm glad I got that straightened out.

Aunt Jean arrives on a midnight flight into Jacksonville, tonight.  I will have my rear end firmly planted in the car that will be picking her up.

You know how some people just naturally connect to each other?  I don't know what it is, but I love Aunt Jean.  Hopefully she likes me well enough that she can tolerate my over enthusiastic bubbliness around her.  

Lori, Aunt Jean and I are going shopping at the outlet mall in St Augustine on Friday.  It's been years since I've gone out shopping like that, but that doesn't matter, I'm just excited about the company.  Right now my voice sounds like a 100 year old smoker, but hopefully by Friday I'll be able to talk rather than croak.  If not, I'll do a lot of listening.  For those of you who know me, yes, I can listen!  I can hear my friend Kevin saying something about being able to see the game on TV because Kristin will just keep the conversation going.  He only had to nod every so often.  (It's true and funny at the same time)

When I gave my hug to Aunt Jean in the Philly airport a year ago February, I asked her if she would be traveling to Florida any time soon.  She said she didn't plan on it.  Well, this will be her second trip down here.  Thanks for planning on it!

Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - Swamp grass

POTD - Swamp grass

©2011 Kristin Corlett

In an area right in my neck of the woods is a retaining pond with a whole host of cattails.  I thought all of the tall grasses were cattails, but this grass was different.   I have done some investigative work (Google searches) and have not come up with the correct terminology to figure this one out.  I may have taken a picture of the entire stalk, I can't remember right now, but these are the seeds.  They seem to just push right out of the top of the grass.  Wild looking.  Speaking of wild.  I sort of freaked myself out and got the heck out of there when I started wondering if an alligator was in the water waiting for me to get just a little bit closer.

If you know what kind of grass this is, shout it out.  Ya know, it may be a pampas grass come to think of it.  I'll check on that.

Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - Indoor Flamingos

POTD - Indoor Flamingos

©2011 Kristin Corlett

My new pets have found their home in my home.  Goodness, they've only been in place a few days and I see the shelf already needs dusting - they must be messier than I originally thought!  I have to admit that I really do enjoy quite a few of the tacky Florida stuff out there.  Although I have lived in Florida for 8 years now, this is my very first set of pink flamingos.  A shell lamp may be in my future, yet!

Enjoy!
Kristin

Emily's Holiday Guide

The Holiday Guide 

by Emily Henderson

To say that I was shocked to find out who put this guide together is an understatement.  Emily Henderson won one of the HGTV Next Design Star seasons and I wasn't sold on her.  I have seen a couple of her shows on HGTV and I have found them to be pretty good, but I haven't been a consistent watcher.  When I found the link to the guide and Oohh'd and Aahh'd over nearly every page, I would have never put Emily's name on the project.  I will pay a lot more attention to her now. 

Empty Parking Lots

I linked this up on Facebook and one of my sister's said "Well that might just be the best gift guide I've seen in my whole life. Fun fun."  High Praise coming from someone who is one tough customer.

Go ahead, flip through the guide.

Everything in the book is clickable and will take you to the page you want and you won't lose the page you were on in the guide.  (sometimes it's the little things that make me happy.)

Balancing Blocks

A range of prices are included for all ages.

DIY ideas and free printables.

Stripey Straws

I already have a pretty nice list of items that I would love to give or receive.
I may not give any of them but at least I've got some ideas in my head!
It's good to be a step ahead that's for sure.

The photos are just a few of the fun things in the guide, with links to the source.

Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - Green Glass

POTD - Green Glass

©2011 Kristin Corlett

Green glass, green pottery, green grass, green trees.  All pretty to me.  Of course I loved this green glass jar collection I found in the house where I stayed on Martha's Vineyard this summer. 

Enjoy!
Kristin

Friday Fragments

It's Friday Fragments Day!!

It's Friday Fragments Day!

It's Friday Fragments Day!

It's Friday Fragments Day!  

It's Friday Fragments Day!

Welcome to Friday Fragments!  This is the place where we're able to put little snippets of fun or interesting things together without having to stretch that idea into an entire blog post.

Mrs. 4444 is our lovely host and I am so grateful for her continued hosting of this fun carnival.  For morehttp://www.halfpastkissintime.com/2011/11/friday-fragments-episode-171.html finds, please head on over to Half-Past Kissin' Time.  Thanks!

*•-:¦:-•:*''''*:•-:¦:-•

 

I should have known when the Canada Dry Ginger Ale liters were on sale BOGO and I got two. 

I should have known because my husband had left town for a few weeks.

I should have known when I scheduled my first party in years.

I should have known when I crawled into bed with my still sick husband the night before he was to leave town that I was going to get sick.

...and have to drink the ginger ale, be alone and cancel my party.

I'm grateful that I'm alone though.  I had complete control of the remote, the couch and the bed.

I hope I'm halfway through this crud because today was just awful.

A friend of mine called and asked if she could drop off some chicken soup.  That was just the sweetest thing!  I always think I'm going to do something like that for someone, but by the time I really think about it, they are well again.  Now maybe I will be more inspired since it's happened to me!

*•-:¦:-•:*''''*:•-:¦:-•

I found some pink flamingos a few weeks ago at a local shop.  These were the original kind - with the metal legs that stick in the yard and just plain plastic pink flamingo bodies.  It's actually very hard to find them here in Florida, so I was totally excited to see them for sale.  Since I don't have a yard I didn't put their legs on.  They are sitting in my bookcase.  I love them.

I changed the name of my Etsy shop from Kirby3131 which I didn't want as my store name, to Photos on the Run.  That is so much more like me.  Most of my photos are taken when I'm out doing something else!  I love the new name and am so grateful that Etsy let us change our name finally.   If you every want to visit my Etsy shop (for a gift maybe? Christmas? Birthday?) I always have a link on the left hand side of my blog - You can click on any of the photos (in the Etsy banner) to take you there.  Thanks always for looking and commenting on my photos.  I so appreciate it.

I'm watching Season One of Project Runway right now on TV.  (half watching half blogging) It was such a great show before the producers started picking the one to win instead of the judges.   

*•-:¦:-•:*''''*:•-:¦:-•

The photos in today's FF post are all from yesterday when I played around with some apples, a peeler and my pig cutting board.  These were the outtakes. 

Have a great weekend and Happy Veteran's Day and Happy 11-11-11.

Kristin

POTD - Love

POTD - Love

©2011 Kristin Corlett

I bought a dozen apples the other day to make apple pie for my 11-11-11 party.  I have never made an apple pie before, but it's a Pioneer Woman recipe, so I figure I can't go wrong!  However... I have since gotten sick (again!) and had to cancel my party.  So instead of taking a picture of the cough syrup I've been taking as often as I can, I decided to pull out those apples and do something interesting with them.  When I peeled this beautiful and tasty Gala Apple I noticed that the remaining skin looked like a heart.  With a little clean up, I made sure it looked like a heart. 

I think I'm going to have to make that pie anyway.

Enjoy!
Kristin

The apple pie recipe is actually from PW's cookbook.

POTD - Jewels

POTD - Jewels

©2011 Kristin Corlett

When I saw these lamps online at the auction website, I imagined photographing them.  Once I got them home I was almost overwhelmed -  I wanted to capture the shadow against the wall and the rainbow shine on the jewels.  The lamps were so tall (nearly three feet) that I kept trying to get the whole lamp in the shot.  When I focused on one section, I got the shot. 

Enjoy!
Kristin

It's so gaudy!

This wasn't what I was originally going to talk about today, but photobucket isn't cooperating with me tonight and I can't seem to get anything loaded. However, my phone was able to send a photo in, so ... I guess I'll talk about the auction.

I'm in need of an income and I don't want to get a job, so I'm going to start buying some furniture, fix it up a bit and sell it.  The problem with this is that I love and adore buying furniture and I have a bit of trouble selling stuff I like a lot.  The other day I bought a chair and torchiere lamp at auction.  I may keep the lamp for my photo room.  It gives off a ton of indirect light and I like that.  The chair I will use for my party on Friday and then I have no problem selling it. 

Tonight was a box lot and the cheaper furniture auction.  You can get some incredible deals and I got a few of those tonight.  I got a mirror for a dollar, a framed poster for four, a lamp for five, a scrabble game for a dollar and a pair of the lamps shown above for $30 each. 

I really didn't want to pay that much for the lamps, but they were the entire reason why I went to this particular auction to begin with.  Oh goodness, I fell head over heels for these gaudy darlings.  I will be keeping them for a little while, but at some point I'll paint them, find some fabulous shades and maybe even rewire them and sell them. 

On Friday, they will be sitting on either end of the kitchen bar. 

Do you think they should be painted white?  Maybe just a dry brush coat over the blue, so the blue still shows through? 

I want to get another booth in an antique mall or craft space.  I'd love to sell my photos and the cool things I find.  I will be looking into that, too. 

Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - Snuff Kitty

POTD - Snuff Kitty

©2011 Kristin Corlett

When I was in Michigan I had the honor of photographing Snuff Kitty.  Actually, her original name was Copenhagen but that turned into Snuff after a few minutes.  When I talk about her I almost always add Kitty onto the end, hence Snuff Kitty.  She is an incredibly quiet kitty with the silkiest fur.  She loves to snuggle on top of the person sitting on the couch watching a movie and she loves to lay in my suitcase if she happens to get into the guest room.  This photo was taken outside on the patio furniture that had been covered in fallen leaves. 

Enjoy!
Kristin

The big clean up

My husband is leaving for Michigan today.  He's all better now. 
It was a long process because of the steroids he was given, but his cold has been gone for days now.

I ended up being sick just a day and a half.  Honestly, it was mind over matter.  If I needed to rest and take some breaks, fine I'd do it, but I wasn't going to be taken down by a cold.

Tom packed up his truck last night and took with him a chair and ottoman that was in our bedroom.  It was just a chance suggestion by me that turned into him asking if he could take the chair with him to his cottage in the U.P.  I said that I really dislike the chair because it's too slippery.  I can't sit in the chair, especially in the reclining position, without sliding down into an uncomfortable position.  Truth be told I didn't like the chair when we purchased it, but he did and I gave in.

Since the chair is gone it has opened up a GIANT space on my side of the bedroom.  We have another recliner-chair-thing that I purchased years ago, that never even made it out of the box.   (I bought it in an attempt to replace the chair I disliked)  Now it's in our garage buried under a table and who knows what.  When Tom gets back from Michigan we'll go and dig it out and see if it has survived the years of neglect.  I think I'm just going to enjoy the extra space for a few weeks.  I might even have some different ideas for that space.

 The odometer in my car even likes all ones.

I'm cleaning house like crazy because I'm having a party for 11-11-11.  I rarely ask anyone to come over because my place is so disorganized and I'm embarrassed by it, but it drives me crazy that I can't show off my home.  I've got a great place, if I do say so myself.  I've been working for weeks on getting things condensed, tossed and given away and I am really seeing a difference.  I also haven't dusted in goodness knows how long, so I've been doing that, too.  The ceiling fans are all clean, the kitchen cabinets have been cleaned real well, the tops of all the art on the walls.  It's your basic spring cleaning for several years all wrapped up into one massive effort. 

The neat thing is that I think I can get all I want accomplished by the end of today - which will leave me several days to get crafty and make some fun stuff for the party.  I've been resisting the urge to get crafty first and clean later!!

I am having trouble coming up with a food menu though.  I'm going to make dinner for everyone and I'm just scratching my head.  I'm thinking pasta, salad, bread - but what pasta? what salad? what bread?  If I did this a little more often I wouldn't be so clueless. 

I'm just grateful that I didn't back out of my party plans.  I've been wanting to have a party on 11-11-11 for years now, but I was thisclose to blowing it off because getting my house organized enough just seemed too daunting a task. 

If you want to come to Jacksonville, FL on Friday night around 6pm I'll be having a party. 
Come on over!

Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - Geometry

POTD - Geometry

©2011 Kristin Corlett

I posted this photo on Facebook the other day and someone said that they loved the geometry of this shot.  I knew there were a lot of things I liked about it, but the word "geometry" summed it up in just one word.  I just hadn't figured out the word until it was written in the comments.  Thanks Susi!

Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - Past their Prime

POTD - Past their Prime

©2011 Kristin Corlett

I debated whether or not to use this as my Photo of the Day because the flowers are past their prime and some of them only have their seed heads.  Then I realized that behind those flowers is the Muhly Grass which is in its prime with the brilliant purple tops.  I originally took this photo just to see if the purple would come through and give a softness to the wilted flowers. 

We do get Fall in Northern Florida and I'm happy I documented a little bit of it.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Ferris Wheel

POTD - Ferris Wheel

©2011 Kristin Corlett

I can't help but take pictures of Ferris Wheels. They are just so bright and lovely against the sky.  I think they are beautiful against a blue sky or a nighttime sky.  Oh and a sunset.  I bet it was real pretty against a sunset, too.  The funny thing is that I don't actually like to ride Ferris Wheels.   I love a good roller coaster, but the slow moves of the Ferris Wheel basket makes my tummy do flip flops.  Still, they are beautiful. 

Enjoy!
Kristin

Racing Pigs

A couple of friends and I went to the Jacksonville Fair on Friday.  (Thanks Mike and Chris for suggesting the outing!)  I've lived in Jacksonville for five years now and I had never attended.  I'm used to the big county fairs that we have in Michigan, so I was quite curious to see what kind of a fair a Southern city could create.

I would have never guessed that I was going to see some pigs run around a track and jump into a water trough. 

It was a very popular event!  The pigs are a few months old and gladly race around the track so they can get to the end to get their reward.

What do you think motivates a pig to run?

Look at them go!
The little capes on them are their numbers, so that the crowd can root for their favorite.

They look like SuperMan with those capes.

In answer to the question - the pigs are motivated by an Oreo Cookie.  That's their reward at the end of the track.



One of the other things that pigs like to do is swim!
The pig handlers said that if pigs had a nice big pool to swim in and cool off, then they wouldn't roll around in the mud (to cool off.)

Since the pigs enjoy the water a special water trough was set up for them to swim in.

This group of four came barreling around the corner and put on the brakes!!  It was so funny.  I think they are new to the water trough trick. 

It took one brave soul to put a hoof into the water before the others would join in. 

They were still racing to the end for an Oreo, so they made short work of the swim.  I was amazed at how quickly those teeny little pig legs could paddle!

Snouts up!

I Win!!

But these fellas are right behind.

At the end of the show we could get a picture taken with this little piggy.

I completely enjoyed the Racing Pigs.  They were a hoot!



That's what can happen on a Sunday in Jacksonville, FL.  For more Sundays in my City, please head on over to Unknown Mami's place.  Who knew you'd see a pig race when you came here?!  You never know what others will blog about in their city.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Just a little drama

We've had a little drama at our place the past week.  My husband caught a cold last week, not a huge deal for most people, but being that he's immune suppressed that makes it a bigger deal than usual.  This cold immediately became a hacking cough and fever type of cold.  I gave him the OTC stuff for a few days, but on Saturday evening his temperature wouldn't come down and his coughing was out of control.  Time to go to the Mayo Emergency Room.

Can I just stop here and say that I am so very grateful that we moved to Jacksonville almost 6 years ago.  Walking into the ER at Mayo is just heavenly.  Hardly a soul is there and all of the doctors in the ER are part of the Mayo Staff.  We get right in and all of Tom's history pops up on the screen.  Not to mention, they know exactly how to handle a post transplant patient and all of their medication dos and don'ts.

He's the only one at the ER, so he gets in right away.  No matter how fast you get into an ER, the wait is three hours before you get to go home.  Labs take time to test and read if nothing else, so I'm always fully prepared for a three hour wait.  This night was no exception.  The doctor comes in, chats with Tom, listens to his breathing, listens to his concerns and orders a chest xray. 

Pneumonia.

They give him an antibiotic while he's there and give us a script for more.

Three hours later, nearly on the button, we go home. 

The next day, Tom is feeling much better already and I feel awful.  Damn, I got it.
I stay in bed half the day, rest and try my hardest not to breathe the same air as Tom.  I don't want this any worse.  I end up only being sick for Sunday and Monday and slept most of Monday, barely awake past 7 pm.  By Tuesday I'm pretty chipper but still I could sleep most of the day! 

Monday, Tom takes his antibiotic and is feeling itchy, but he didn't think a thing of it.  I wasn't awake, nor was I sleeping in the same room as him with this cold the two of us had, so I had no idea that he was having a reaction to the meds.

Tuesday comes around, he goes out on a job and comes home complaining of being itchy.  I suggest several things, but the medication issue hasn't clicked with me either. At 9pm he takes his antibiotic again and goes to bed.  He comes back out an hour later and he is head to toe hives and red blotches. I run off to the drug store and get him some Benedryl.

Around the two hour mark, post Benedryl, his face starts swelling and he has a fat lip.  Mayo ER here we come again.

Poor guy was allergic to the generic form of the medication.  The ER folks spring into action and he is quickly given and IV Benedryl, Prednisone and a few other things to help him relax and doze off while the drugs work on getting the swelling down.  Three hours later we are on our way home.

It's Thursday now and he is so much better.  The hives haven't come back and he has hardly coughed at all the past 12 hours.  He is jumpy and wide-eyed from the Prednisone but it's only a 5 day dose, so he'll get through it.  He managed to fall asleep last night so that's a big plus.

So that's what I've been up to...

Hope your life has been a lot less drama and a lot more fun!
Kristin

Beauty in Ordinary

POTD - Beauty in Ordinary

©2011 Kristin Corlett

My jar of fortune cookie fortunes is filling up, which is really nice because now when I reach in for a fortune, I'm getting ones I haven't seen in awhile.  This particular fortune that I grabbed said, "You find beauty in ordinary things.  Do not lose this ability."  I don't ever remember seeing that one before, but the interesting thing about it is that I hear this from people all the time about my photography.  It never fails to inspire me to do more.  Now that I'm in the push to finish out my 365 project and I'm feeling like I have already taken pictures of nearly everything around me, this fortune tells me that I need to just keep going.

60 days left.
Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - Pumpkin on the windowsill

POTD - Pumpkin on the windowsill

©2011 Kristin Corlett

At my sisters house I spotted this pumpkin with a red leaf on top just sitting in the windowsill of her kitchen.  It was just so beautiful I had to stop and admire the simple beauty of it.  Hope you had a happy Halloween.

Kristin