SURFIN' U.S.A.

Another mural on a building in Fort Lauderdale. This is by Monique Richter. I was not able to find out much about her except what Goggle comes up with (pun intended). She seems to be into surfing which could explain the subject matter. Her style is different from the other artists that you have seen here. Somewhat reminiscent of Van Gogh;that would be Hot Dog Van Gogh from The North Shore. You might have assumed I was referring to his late relative, Notfarto. At any rate, the mural resides on the side of a water sports store and adds a little beauty to it.

TOM'S MOM'S COOKIES

Just off the main drag, set back from the street is this small establishment. You can smell it long before you see it. This is TOM'S MOM'S COOKIES. This little bit of heaven produces some of the finest cookies known to man. Wars have been fought, marriages arranged involving these small morsels of manna. They are a gift from the gods to man. You can always spot someone who has recently departed TOM'S MOM'S by the unusually large grin and the unmistakable sound of, "MMMMMMM." They accept internet orders, ship around the world and have been featured on The Food Channel and many other TV shows. Be forewarned, once you try them, you are hooked!

MY OH MAI KAI

This bad boy stands guard at one of the oldest restaurants in Fort Lauderdale;The Mai Kai. It opened it's doors in 1956. It soon became an institution. People from all over the country descended upon it. It brought the South Pacific to the United States, and did it beautifully. At one time, it was the largest seller of Rum in the world. No expense was spared, no detail overlooked. It was, quite frankly, one of a kind. The owner passed away many years ago and it has fallen on hard times. It is a shell of it's former self. A lot of good times were had inside, and many a night I looked just like this guy upon leaving.

BOTTOMS UP

This is the view from the Summer studios of Fort Lauderdale Daily Photo. What you are looking at is a Temperature Inversion. This is a fancy term for the temperature increasing with altitude instead of the other (normal) way. This is fairly common in places like San Francisco, et al. We drove thru it the other day and it is like being in a cloud;you can literally reach out and touch a cloud. No monsters were contained within, I am happy to report. You may learn more about the Temp. Inversion by clicking here.

THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING

For our friend "A" in Iran. The truth cannot be silenced any longer!

TRUE CONFESSIONS

This is The Peter Lewis building on the campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. It is home to the Graduate School of Business. It, even to the amateur student of architecture, is the work of Frank Gehry. I have never been able to figure out if I like his work or not. Regardless, they certainly challenge the status quo and are highly provocative. His work covers the globe. I would have liked to have a better picture of the building but a torrential downpour prevented it. Peter Lewis is the founder of The Progressive Insurance Company. All these notables are not the real story behind the building, school, and photo. No, the interesting story behind the story is they saw fit to bestow a degree upon me many moons ago. There you have it, just a little slice of me.

FISH ARE JUMPIN' & THE COTTON IS HIGH

This is a self-portrait of me. I am preparing to drive to Northern Michigan for the summer and figured I had better do some stretching before the long drive. The heat finally got to me. I will still be posting but with shots from the archives mixed in with some things I might find of interest along the way. Wishing you a wonderful summer!

RIGHT ACROSS FROM THE PLAZA

What can one say? People love animals and people need to go to work. If there is no one home to take Phaedaux outside, the solution may be Doggy Day Care. This is one of those businesses that wasn't around when I was growing up;then again, neither was "people" day care. Times change! I didn't venture inside as I was afraid it may be run by a revenge seeking pussy cat. Cats! That is an animal that knows what to do with his down time.

EYELAND VIEW

This is another mural by a gentleman who goes by the name of Vose. His work is all over town. I believe he is singlehandedly beautifying this city. Some of his work is on out of the way walls that are not easily seen. The work above is just off one of the busiest streets in the city. If you are not paying attention while you are driving, you may actually see it;it may be the last thing you see assuming you don't survive the crash. Pleasant on the eye, tropical,good use of depth and shading, all characterize his work. If you visit our city keep an eye out for his work, but, keep the other eye on the road.

HERE KITTY, KITTY, KITTY

This will be my last "Car" post for awhile. I hope you have enjoyed them. More often than not, an unusual car is meant to draw attention to a business of some sort. The above truck is an exception. There is no business name, website, or phone number to be found. The only large cat in South Florida is the Florida Panther. He is not in an urban area and doesn't resemble the cat on the truck. There was no one around to ask the significance, so, another mystery.

WILMA

Given the cars we've seen the last few days, this van must seem rather ordinary. Driving down the road, it is anything but. This photo really doesn't do it justice. It always turns heads and more than a few accidents. Perhaps those involved may be in need of their service. Imagine coming home to your personal Waterfall or Rock Spa (sounds like something from The Flintstones), after doing battle on the freeway. The cares of the day may just slip away. Boss giving you trouble, invite him over. You may just get that raise you've been working so hard for. 

THE ULTIMATE DRIVING EXPERIENCE

Of all the cars you have seen this week, this has to be my favorite. Any comment on my part would not do it justice. I'll just let you take it in and write your own story. Be advised, if, for any reason, a for sale sign ever appears on it, she's mine!

OXYMORON-JUMBO SHRIMP

If there ever was a misnomer, this is it. This guy is anything but a Shrimp. Can you imagine pulling up behind some suburban matron in this car? While vanity insists she check her coif every minute or so in the rearview mirror, she looks up and sees this giant crustacean approaching. I would pay to see the expression on her face. I think we could use about a gallon of cocktail sauce. What do you think?

YOU LEFT ME STANDIN' ALONE...

I came upon this interesting old truck in a very upscale neighborhood. The writing on the door says The Blue Moon Brewing Company. They are a division of Coors out of Colorado who merged with Molson out of Canada. I hope I haven't lost you. What the truck is doing here and why there is a big Marlin on it, I'm not sure. We have a restaurant here called The Blue Moon Fish Company. Maybe there is a connection;drink beer, eat fish. Works for me. Regardless, it's a pretty cool truck and a definite attention getter going down the road. 

A TAIL OF TWO CITIES

I'm going to continue with a car theme this week. What people do to their cars to personalize, individualize, and advertise. I hope you will enjoy these "One of a Kinds" as much as I do. Some you will smile at, others you may shake your head at. The above is an example of a car that is a moving billboard promoting a dog groomer. More of a paintbrush than an airbrush on this baby. The slogan suggests that you and your pet can be groomed simultaneously. That is an interesting twist but I wonder who will look  better? 

DREAMS DO COME TRUE

Came across this beautiful piece of automotive art the other day. "Well I'm not braggin' babe so don't put me down, but, I've got the fastest set of wheels in town... She's my little deuce coop..." I mean really, can't you just hear The Beach Boys singing? How about Jan And Dean? The Ventures? When I look at this car I am transported to California in the '60's:The epicenter of youth and all things cool. Just to drive it along the beach once would be like a dream come true. I hope it resonates with you as well.

ENGINE COMPANY NO. 23

Driving down a road the other day, I happened upon the above vehicle. I don't know that I have ever seen a convertible fire-engine before. It was long ago retired from service. It now has been relegated to standing watch outside a local watering hole;subjected to countless drunk college students jumping onboard to impress their friends. A rather ignoble end to an illustrious career. We get many retirees looking for part time work to supplement their income. Just another statistic but she looks pretty good for her age don't you think?

WE GOTTA GET OUTA THIS PLACE...

At first glance, there is nothing out of the ordinary in this photo. Think back to those days of yesterday year when you were some where between the ages of 13 to 18. No bikes in the bike rack;no school busses in the roundabout; and, most importantly, the gates were locked. That's right, SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER! Can't you just hear those lyrics from Twisted Sister or if you are of my generation, The Animals. Almost better than Christmas. Ah, Summer!

... AND I THINK I LIKE IT

In the immortal words of The Pointer Sisters, "I've got a new attitude." That is what this statue reminds me of. It is titled The L'il Blader. The artist was able to capture just the right amount of spunk and attitude in this piece. It resides in a small but beautiful park in the city. It also happens to be the same park my daughter was married in. In fact, the statue reminds me of her. What I found most interesting about this piece is the girl is wearing roller blades not ice skates. Art historians should have no trouble dating this work as circa 1995.

A YELLOW HYDRANT ?

Here, and on many other sites, you see many murals. They have become quite ubiquitous on city buildings. This one is a little unusual. The wall is giving birth. A new mural is about to be unleashed to an anxiously awaiting public. What will it be? I am sure of one thing, it will be big! Stay tuned.

NOT JUST IN MAINE ANYMORE

This is a type of Heliconia. They are abundant in our yard at the moment. All the rain of late has accelerated the blooming of plants and flowers that have suffered from our long drought. This particular bloom is rather exotic looking and is commonly referred to as a "Lobster Claw" for obvious reasons. The not so obvious reason is that it is delicious with melted butter. Don't try this at home unless you are with a highly trained professional.