Foggy reflection

As we head into a new year it is natural to take time to look back at 2018. It has been a year to remember but, for the most part, not for the good that has happened. Our government is shut-down and our top leader continues to spread lies and devalue the position he holds. The environment is headed in the wrong direction with no will to face needed actions. Natural disasters have plagued the county and the world. The economy is looking pretty shaky.

Yet a new year means new hope. Perhaps progress can be made. New directions may emerge.

So much for my foggy reflections.

Happy New Year!

December beach

Northern Florida is not the first choice as a winter retreat, but when the temperature gets into the high 70's people flock to the waters edge to put their toes into the cool water of the Atlantic.

Certainly is a big change from December in our former home. The scene would have been ice skating!

Shadows

Merry Christmas

Hoping you have a good holiday season. Be safe and enjoy your time with friends and family.

Quick trip to Japan

Actually Japan at Epcot Disney World, a convenient way to see the world. Europe and the Middle East are only steps away and no passports are needed.

And no, the rainbow is not a Disney special effect.

Bud Light

Florida autumn

It is a surprise that autumn does bring some color to Florida, although it is nothing like what you see in the northeast, and it does not come until December. Some trees do drop their leaves and muted oranges and browns do mix with the constant green.

Holiday starway

An elegant spot

Hotel lobby detail

Hotel Casa Monica in St. Augustine... an interesting mix of shapes, colors and history.

Awning and red posts

Croton

Croton plant has particularly colorful leaves that are quite showy. It is a tropical plant that does best in warm humid weather so it is a favorite in Florida.

Shortcut

Still exploring my new community I found a shortcut between two neighborhoods. Not a bad few minute walk.

Jacksonville Beach Library

Morning mist

Grass

Red hydrant

Walk in the woods

Lines and shadows

Rail in the rain

Colonnade

It's up there!

Lightner museum

It is fun to explore new museums when in a new area. The Lightner museum in St. Augustine is commonly thought of as a collection of collections. Lightner was a collector of a wide variety of objects and he installed them into a former spectacular historic hotel. The architectural style is emblematic of the St. Augustine central district... exotic and mysterious.

Good morning

The view out my window this morning. Should be another nice day.

Red duct

Window outside the window

MOCA

My first visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, a nice regional art venue located in the revitalizing downtown of Jacksonville Florida. It is housed in the refurbished art deco Western Union office building and is now part of the University of North Florida.

About a third of the gallery space was being reset for a new exhibits so there was not a lot of art to see, but there were several excellent exhibits including a wonderful body of work by Gideon Mendel titled Drowning World (timed ironically with Florence colliding the Carolinas). His excellent huge photo prints were something amazing to see.

Another piece (which is pictured in the posted photos) was by Claire Ashley, a riot of color and bulbous shape.

All in all, a nice few hours spent, and I plan to return.

Peeling bark

I am not sure what kind of tree this was but it certainly had an unusual bark. I don't think I ever saw a tree like this in Western New York... which is one of the great things about moving to a different location and climate.

Car show

Mysterious orange and green things

Always interesting to me is the strange things you find on construction sites. Especially when they are colorful.

Moonlit beach dog walker

Pretty noisy image... asking a bit more than the iPhone could deliver and also more than noise reduction could clean-up, but I am posting anyway. We expect more and more performance from our digital cameras, including phones, but there are limits to everything.

And yet the image does convey a certain mood.

Edge of the pool

Arches

Colonial Oak Music Park, St. Augustine Distillery

Bee in a magnolia blossom

Spanish moss

Spanish moss is not moss at all, but rather a bromeliad, whatever that is. It is a fairly common site in the southeast, but certainly not in the northeast where I come from.

My new backyard

Intracoastal

Pumping concrete

Things have changed since the days of chutes and wheelbarrows.

Waiting for the fireworks

It's been almost a month since my last post. The good news is we survived the move but are far from settled. We are living in a sea of brown cardboard boxes for now but making progress. I finally got my computer back up... now if only I could find my computer glasses so I did not have to tilt my neck north.

We did take some time to see fireworks as is our tradition (I met my wife on a July 4th weekend many years ago). We had a great spot on Jacksonville beach near the pier. Unfortunately the weather changed very quickly and two minutes before show time the sky opened up and the rain and wind ensued. It was a mad dash to the car but by then the rain had slowed so we watched from the comfort of the car (if sitting in drenched clothing is considered comfortable). But the view was not bad and we felt we had taken part in something that was part of our new community.

Last walk on the canal

The process of moving is never easy. In many ways it seems to have taken forever, and in some ways it has come too fast.

Our last PODS is packed and to be picked up in the morning.

But this afternoon I had a chance to take one last walk along the Erie canal. I have posted many photos from the paths of the canal and I will miss it when we are gone, but in consolation, we will be only a few miles from the ocean.

Change can be good.

Conversation on Cobbs Hill

Turned on

Hedonist Artisan Chocolates, a great shop in Rochester if you get turned on by chocolate.

Two chimneys

Construction

Waiting room

Architectural collision