Vilano Beach revisited

I had to take a trip to Vilano Beach because of two comments that I received on my blog.  They came at nearly the same moment so I'm sure the anonymous comment was from the same individual.

I was there this past weekend and it was sad to see the area was lost and broken down. It was rather spookey that Haley's sign was on at night time but now that I have read your blog I find out why--I wish they would refurb the area and put it back to its family oriented state from the 40s & 50s.

Again just this past weekend I was in this area-stayed at the hampton in not knowing what Vilano beach was like or had been like..... this bldg is boarded up and roof is falling in. The beach is trashed. 

 I wrote on the two posts that I did on Vilano Beach (Haley's Court Motel and Vilano Beach Pavillion) that the little Florida hotels were in fine condition, cute and occupied.   I just couldn't believe that in a year the cute little village of Vilano Beach was trashed. 

I was so worried that I took a field trip the next day to see for myself.  Haley's Court Motel was as beautiful as ever, as I just knew it would be.  The Beach Pavillion was still lovely and the beach was not trashed at all.

There was one thing that was a shock and that was the Vilano Beach Motel.  This could be where the "roof is falling in" comment was directed.

This particular hotel was in a sad state of affairs.  It looked like there was a fire in the office and then the whole place was shut down.  This made me sad because it was occupied when I came here before, but it wasn't in the best of shape even then.

The last time I wrote about the Bluebird of Happiness I had only seen a photo on TV about it's updated appearance. I had heard it was going to be moved to a new location, but I guess that hasn't happened yet. 

I was so excited to see it all revitalized and without the protective chain link fence.  I was able to get right up close and personal.

I'm glad I took a run down here.  I did find something sad, but I also found the Blue Bird of Happiness and that made me very very happy.

Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - Storm Watch

POTD - Storm Watch

©2010 Kristin Corlett

I watched these birds for quite awhile sittin' all together.  Each breeze showed off a graceful choreography of dips and bobs all along the wire.   This was taken in St. Augustine, FL at the boat launch on the Intracoastal.

World Golf Village

This past weekend our Liver Transplant Support Group had an outing to World Golf Village.  We ate lunch at the Murray Bros. Caddy Shack.  It's a golf themed restaurant that has some wonderful food.  I always enjoy going there, but it's especially fun with the support group.

We received free tickets to the putt putt golf, the IMAX theater and the Hall of Fame.  I don't know where the tickets came from, but we really had a great time.  (Thank You who ever you are!!)

John, Albert and Ajay were the only ones who played putt putt.  I'm thinking Ajay was the winner.  He's got a pretty good swing for an 11 year old.

While we were waiting for the boys to finish up, we gathered round the pond to watch the heron.  What a beautiful bird.  It was in this same pond that I saw the Soft Shelled Turtle.

Next stop - the IMAX Theater.

We saw Dinosaurs Alive!!

This is a photo of the opening scene with two dinos fighting.

This was so interesting.  I wish I would have taken notes because I can't remember everything that made me think "OH WOW!  That's so neat! or interesting or fascinating or I'd like to look that up or what was the name of that dinosaur..." 

The movie talked quite a bit about the excavations headed up by Roy Chapman Andrews.   He discovered, tagged and brought home so many dinosaurs.  It's believed that he was the original inspiration for Indiana Jones.  He's pretty handsome, too!

After the movie I was just going to go home because honestly, I have no real interest in golf.  BUT, some of the other folks in our group wanted to go, so I went.

First though, I thought it might be a nice time to get some family photos :)

This is Anita, John and Anita's sister, Flo. 

This is Albert and Julie and their son Ajay.  I have no idea where Ajay is looking - he's such a goof ball!

I get so attached to these families that even though they are still here in Jacksonville, I start to get sad thinking about them going home.  Both of these families live in California, so it's going to be quite a trek to see them again.  So far they are all waiting for a transplant so no one is going home yet. 

Next stop - The Hall of Fame.

"Bob Hope: Shanks for the Memory," the Hall of Fame's showcase member exhibition has extended its stay through 2010. "Shanks" offers the largest collection of Hope golf memorabilia ever available on public display.

from the World Golf Village Website

As soon as I saw the Bob Hope exhibit, I was so glad I decided to come into the museum.  I have always loved Bob Hope.  I've had a bigger crush on Jack Benny, but Bob Hope is a close second :)

Bob Hope met the Apollo 14 Astronauts, so that's why this little tidbit was in the Bob Hope section. 

Bob's Emmy was my photo of the day the other day.  Here's the plaque that went with that Emmy.   I just realized that this Emmy is just a year older than me.  She looks great!

Golf Balls.

They look so funny with all of their strange patterns.

I wonder if the new patterns made a difference in the how far they could go or if some of these were purely decorative?  Hmmm.

Are you ready?

Yes, I'm ready.

To fall in love...

Oops I had a song in my head.


If you're ever in this neck of the woods, I'd suggest a trip to World Golf Village.  It was a great time even for a non golf enthusiast.

Hope you have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - Bayard Rooster

POTD - Bayard Rooster

©2010 Kristin Corlett

A bar for motorcycle enthusiasts has this giant rooster standing high up in the air at the roofline.  It attracts the bikes and their riders from near and far.  Isn't he great?!!  The bar is called the Bayard Rooster and is located on US 1 near St. Augustine, FL.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Theme - Paths

I had just finished photographing the scene below when I stopped to read my email on my phone.

"...how about on the theme of "paths?" Any kind - street, sidewalk, foot, cattle, etc.  I know you will do well."

 I guess it was meant to be that I do a little post on the paths that I've seen.

The path above was the driveway to the giant house on the water where I went to the estate sale. (blogged here and here)

This path was lovely with the flowers and the weathered lattice and posts.  What you can't see is that the end of this little walkway hovers about two feet over the sandy beach and the end posts have long since been lost.  This path is no longer in use.

 This is the new path just a few feet away from the washed out walkway.  This is less glamorous, but gets you to the beach without having to jump!

Some paths are not on the beach!  Some paths are found in antique stores.

Those antique stores that have air conditioning is preferred.

Their paths are far superior to those antique stores without ac.

Some of the paths I came across were pretty clearly marked.

This was the path into an old RV park.

An unexpected treat.

Someone had left their sandy shoes on the railing, just for me to photograph, I'm sure of it. 



Thanks so much 42N for the suggestion.  It was a lot of fun to keep the theme in mind as I wandered through my days this past week.


Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - Gimme an 8

POTD - Gimme an 8

©2010 Kristin Corlett

Numbers Rule!  I love spotting them in unusual places or in this case, with an interesting background.  You can't help but notice the giant 8, but your eye should also be drawn to the red platform next to the dock.  Gimme an 8 was found in Green Cove Springs, FL right next to the defunct casino boat.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Sparty - Anything for Love

It's college football season and I love getting a glimpse of my favorite mascot, Sparty. I attended Michigan State University so it's more than just a passing fancy but I grew up loving MSU and wrinkling my nose at the University of Michigan.  This nose wrinkling wasn't even taught to me, it was just something that happened!  In my heart I know that the green and white of MSU reigns supreme over those maize and blue!

My Mom now lives in the heart of East Lansing just blocks away from the MSU campus.  I will be in that house, right near that campus in just over a week.  I'm hoping I see Sparty while I'm home.  


Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - High Five for Jesus

POTD - High Five for Jesus

©2010 Kristin Corlett

I've been toying with the title for this photo for days now, but High Five just made me laugh.  I hope it tickled your funny bone.  The Jesus statues are just one of the many that you can get in the concrete gardens on US 1 between Jacksonville and St. Augustine.

Enjoy!
Kristin

P.S.  I did discover that Jesus is sold with hands.  They are kept in the office so they won't get broken, I suppose.

Lightning

One of our pre-transplant friends have rented a condo on the beach while they are here waiting. 

Today they invited a few families over for a little Fiesta.

We had wonderful food and fellowship and fantastic views of the water and the beachside area of town.

After dessert our friends turned on the lightning show!

I have never taken photos of lightning before and I was kicking myself that I didn't have my tripod with me.

I did figure out though, that if I balanced the camera on the railing, with the camera strap around my neck (we were 17 floors up!) that I could get a good shot of the sky even with a longer exposure.

We must have had a hundred lightning strikes tonight.  They were coming one right after another.

I just knew that I was going to be able to capture at least one, so I'd push the shutter button and sure enough, I caught several lightning bolts.

I didn't realize I had gotten this one until I came home.   What a thrill!

The bright lights on the horizon right in the middle of the frame are from the Jacksonville Jaguars Stadium and probably the downtown lights, too.  The Jaguars were just finished getting smoked in their game tonight, so the lights were still on in the stadium.

This was my final shot of the evening, although the rain and thunderstorms were still in the area.  

Thanks friends for inviting us over for such a lovely evening.

Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - Emmy

POTD - Emmy
©2010 Kristin Corlett

This is Bob Hope's Emmy.  It was on display at World Golf Village in their Hall of Fame Museum, part of a special Bob Hope tribute.   I borrowed it for a few minutes for this photo shoot :)

Enjoy!
Kristin

Soft Shelled Turtle

I saw this very interesting turtle at World Golf Village on Saturday. He (or she) was enjoying the crackers that some folks were tossing into the pond. I kept asking them to toss the crackers closer to me, so I could get better photos of him. Since they didn't know me, they weren't inclined to lose the excellent view of the turtle.  Thankfully a leaf came floating in front of me and the turtle rushed over to get a better look at it.

Google is truly an amazing invention.  Sometimes I sit in awe of what we can learn in a few moments.  I knew this turtle was different than any other turtle I'd ever seen before.  I showed my husband the photos of the turtle and asked what he thought and he said it was a snapping turtle.  I Googled "Snapping Turtle Florida" and clicked on images.  Around page five I found a photo of a little snout nosed turtle that looked a lot like the one in question.  It said it was a soft shelled turtle.  I Googled that and that's my guy!

The National Zoo site has a nice bit of info on the Soft Shelled Turtle.  It's just a one page piece if you want to click over.  It says that the turtle looks like a big pancake.  I'd have to agree!  He's much flatter than I'm used to turtles looking like.  It also says that the turtle's skin actually covers the shell.  This guy is not endangered or threatened, but he is frequently used for soup.  I wasn't prepared for that soup part!  Poor guy.

They have long necks, webbed feet, and can breathe underwater. I do believe that they live most of their life in the water, hence the webbed feet. It doesn't look like the feet of this turtle are rigid at all. I wonder if it can walk on land? I didn't find that out.


Have you ever seen one of these snout nosed turtles before?



I'm going to link this post up with Sundays In My City even though I wrote it yesterday.  Please go on over to UnKnown Mami's place to see other fabulous cities.

Kristin

POTD - Spin to Win

POTD - Spin to Win

©2010 Kristin Corlett

Last Saturday I went to a birthday party for an 11 year old and we went to Dave and Busters.  I'd never been there before but we had such a good time!  We had some fabulous food, played some arcade games and visited with friends for several hours.   This game was called Spin to Win.

Enjoy!
Kristin

One of my Top Ten!

Honestly, this item has to be one of my top ten favorite things to use in the kitchen.

This Anchor Hocking Microwave dish may not seem like a big deal but to me it means the world.

Let me go back and explain something real quick. 

Most of the time I microwave only in this dish, with the lid on. 

This means that I don't melt any plastic bowls, I don't waste paper towels, I don't have to cover everything in that horrid cling wrap and I don't burn my hands on dishes that get too hot in the microwave.  I place everything in my microwave dish, nuke it and put the food on a plate or in a bowl and eat. 

I blogged about my love for the Anchor Hocking Microwave container when I talked about how I make apple sauce.  

A few years ago I needed to have a second container so I paid too much for one on eBay.  Right now I've noticed there are a few with an opening bid of $5 and one going buy-it-now for almost $30.  Well, they aren't terribly hard to find, but they are hard to find in great condition.  I've only seen one at a garage sale (and I bought it) and all of the others that I have purchased have been off of ebay.  Some are really beat up, that's for sure.  I think I've given a few of these to both of my sisters and now I'd like to put them in the rental condos for my tenants.

A few nights ago I was looking at the latest Estate Sales in the area when I saw a stack of beige

in the middle of the table.

I'd recognize those anywhere and I knew I'd need to get them. 

There was one problem.  The sale started at 9am and I've been sleeping until 10 because I've been going to bed so late.  I was going to have to get to bed early, get up early and drive across town to get those dishes. 

I managed to get to bed around1:30 and I got up at 7:30.  I was out of the house at 9, a little late, but I was was confident that there was enough stuff in that house that my dishes would still be there.

I was mostly concerned about what I was going to have to pay for them.  I planned on $10 a piece and I saw three of them on the table, in the photo, so $30 was my top price for all three or for one, if they were asking too much for them. 

I walked into the sale house and peeked in every room looking for that table.  This house was filled with stuff, thousands upon thousands of items, but the stack of three was still there. 

Squealing was heard coming from my mouth when I saw that they were marked $1.50 each!!!  I gathered all three up and put them in my bag.  Then I decided to look around at all of the other items, since I did have a little extra money :) and wouldn't you know it -

I found a brand new one, in the box, in a closet in a different bedroom.  It was marked at $1.  Brand New for a buck!  I've never had a new one!!!

I tried to get them to discount the used ones down to a buck, but they couldn't reduce any prices on the first day of the sale.  I had to ask, but it wasn't going to change my mind.  :)

So this is one of my great loves.

What do you think?  Am I totally crazy?

If there's any interest, I might have a giveaway for one of these.  Let me know in the comment section if you'd be interested in one of the used ones.  I don't think I can give away the new one.  I don't know if I can use the new one yet, either :)

It was a lovely lovely day. 

Hope you have a great day, too!
Kristin

POTD - Fire Hydrant

POTD - Fire Hydrant

©2010 Kristin Corlett

This yellow fire hydrant lives in the flower bed of one of my favorite antique shops.  It's the antique shop where I found the green bunny.  It's the antique store that doesn't smell musty, so my allergy nose can tolerate extended wandering.  It's also the antique store that has as much good stuff outside as it has inside.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Friday Fragments

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!

I collected quite a few fun things this week from Facebook, my husband, and a few links.  I hope you enjoy my bit of randomness and that you get a chance to go over to Mrs. 4444s place and read what she's been up to.  Friday Fragments after all, her brainchild :)  Thanks Mrs. 4444 for having a brain!!

*•-:¦:-•:*''''*:•-:¦:-•

I have to pat myself on the back - I made it to 40 of the Friday Fragment participants last week.  I think that was everyone!  It was so nice to read everyone who joins one of my favorite weekly carnivals.

With that said, I only got to visit about half of the Saturday Sampling and a small handful of the Sundays In My City.   I'm finding that I love all three of these carnivals, but it's tough to see everyone.   I'm sure I'm not alone in that :)

*•-:¦:-•:*''''*:•-:¦:-•

Saltine Cracker notepads

These are just the cutest things!  Wish I'd have thought of it.

*•-:¦:-•:*''''*:•-:¦:-•

My husband said "Anytime you'd like dinner just let me know."

I said, "OK, I'm ready."

He said, "Can you wait an hour?"

*•-:¦:-•:*''''*:•-:¦:-•

We use the ice in the door feature in our fridge about a dozen times a day. I think that there's a short in there somewhere and I can't decide if I should call a repair person. Ice is still being made, we just can't get it out through the door. I guess I can call and find out what a service call/repair will cost, but I know I'll have someone come out and have to shell out the money. Is it worth it? I can't decide! Anyone else have this issue?

*•-:¦:-•:*''''*:•-:¦:-•

A friend of mine on Facebook lives in China. This was her recent status update...

The house alarm keeps going off at really annoying times...2am...3am...etc...the workers are here to see if they can figure out the problem. Before when this happened they told me the alarm could smell the flowers on the kitchen table so I shouldn't keep them there:)

Isn't that funny. As if the alarm could actually smell flowers!
She still hasn't found out what's wrong with the alarm as far as I know.

*•-:¦:-•:*''''*:•-:¦:-•

Rainy Mood - 30 minutes looped recording of a rain storm.  It's lovely.

*•-:¦:-•:*''''*:•-:¦:-•

Another FB status update from a friend of mine. 

I thought this was kinda funny....I was driving home behind a Pepsi truck and he ran over a Coke can! Go Pepsi!!

*•-:¦:-•:*''''*:•-:¦:-•

Pioneer Woman favorite movies from readers.  You'd think it would be a top 50, but there are only 47.  Check out PWs numbering system!  She's so funny.   For my favorite movie I chose Music and Lyrics, although I have a revolving top 20.  What would you have put as your favorite movie?

*•-:¦:-•:*''''*:•-:¦:-•

This is my 1400th blog post.  Wow! I didn't realize I'd surpassed 1000 already.  Guess I'm a little behind on looking at my stats.    I'm still excited about writing a blog post a day, so that's great and I'm even happier that I started the Photo of the Day (POTD).  I've now published 276 of those.   I feature one photo a day with just a few sentence description.  I've designed it to be short and sweet so it's not a burden to those faithful readers.

Thank you everyone, who reads my blog.  You've made the past 1400 blog posts even better with your comments and readership.  Thank you.

*•-:¦:-•:*''''*:•-:¦:-•

Have a wonderful, delightful weekend.
Kristin