Category ArchiveEverywhere Once |

Fats Waller Redux

by Brian on March 15, 2011 in Florida

For those who remember our visit to the Ernest Hemingway House in Key West, Florida there is a good story in today’s New York Times about the house, Hemingway, and the six toed cats who live there.

“There was very little that was safe or conventional in Ernest Hemingway’s life. The great writer hurled himself into danger in three wars, managed to survive two plane crashes on the same big-game safari in remote Africa, and precipitated many domestic dramas with a variety of love affairs in the course of his four marriages. “Moderation” appears to have been one word lacking from his otherwise superb vocabulary, even when it came to cats.

The Hard Way to Easy Street

by Brian on March 14, 2011 in Florida

Although these exotic felines now live on Easy Street – 12802 Easy Street to be precise – it was a life of hard knocks that brought them to the Big Cat Rescue Sanctuary in Tampa, Florida. The 120 animals that reside here all arrived for different reasons, but abandonment and abuse are common threads. Some were performing animals that came to the sanctuary instead of being ‘retired.’ Others were rescued from the fur trade. Many more were abandoned when their owners realized that large wildcats make for dangerous, and expensive, pets.

One of the sanctuary’s recent rescues, a wild bobcat on the losing end of an automobile encounter, has become a bit of a sensation. When no local vets or specialists would even attempt to help the animal, Read More…

Modern Masterpiece

by Brian on March 11, 2011 in Florida

Photos courtesy of stephenknapp.com

After visiting dozens of museums all over the world you might think I know a little something about art. And that is exactly what I know, a little something. Mostly what I know is what I like, and what I don’t. And my experience has taught me that visiting modern art museums focusing on works created after World War II is mostly a waste of my time. There are the occasional gems to be found, of course, like some works by Jackson Pollock, for example. But too often artists of this period focused more on creating something different than they did on creating something enjoyable. For many, the modernist emphasis on breaking with convention gradually devolved into meaninglessness and ugliness. Thankfully, that period may be at an end. I’ve noticed an increasing number of museum displays from contemporary artists whose work is both ground-breaking and beautiful. Add Stephen Knapp’s name to that list. Read More…

Neh-Ples

by Brian on March 9, 2011 in Florida

Thomas Edison Winter Estate, Fort Myers, Florida

Is it possible to experience culture shock having never left the country, or even the state of Florida? The answer seems to be yes.

While driving to Naples from the Everglades on US 41 we were shocked by the sudden change in scenery. Gone were the unspoiled wetlands, dotted with lazy alligators and colorful wading birds. In their place sprung congested intersections, crowded with shopping malls and big box retailers. “Historic” downtown Naples offered more of the same, only the retailers were higher-end and the cars crowding the streets had Italian accents (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati) instead of Japanese ones. It was all rather depressing. Read More…

Not Crossing

by Brian on March 7, 2011 in Florida

This sign is more hopeful than practical. Fewer than 10 endangered Florida panthers are thought to prowl the 1.5 million acres of the Everglades National Park. Not surprisingly, we haven’t seen one.