Still bloomin' at 100!

Today is Naples Daily Photo anniversary - 100th post! So I'm throwing a party and you're all invited! There will be flowers (this photo represents just a few of the plants currently in bloom around my house - all in shades of red and purple), wine ( BYOB - which means bring your own booze - sorry!) and some cool jazz (well, it's my party and I'll play what I want to ;-))

Franz Kafka once wrote: "The life of society moves in a circle. Only those burdened with a common affliction understand each other". So who better than you to appreciate this milestone with me. You all know how much time we devote to showing off our hometowns in the best/most interesting light and, if you are like me, you get tired and uninspired once in a while. But then, one of our DP family members leaves you an uplifting comment and you feel rejuvenated! So, many thanks for your faithful visits, inspiring comments and much, much laughter... I will now have a celebratory glass of wine, why don't you join me - you all deserve it ;-)

And to cap off our celebration, here's one of my favorites, Sade, reminding us to "Cherish the day":



Thanks all for coming to my party - hope you had fun!

Scenes from the mall

Shall we go shopping today? (we can't tomorrow, since it will be my 100th post and we'll be too busy celebrating, right?).

Naples is a shopping mecca. The upscale shops of Olde Naples 5th Avenue and 3rd Street South are famous. The Waterside Shops, The Village on Venetian Bay, Coastland Mall, Bayfront - all outdoor malls built in a style to resemble a small European village square, boast every famous label on earth!

I must admit that I am not much of a fashionista (sorry Ming!) and designer labels leave me cold. But I do like art and home design and the Promenade of Bonita Bay is my favorite "mall". I also like to grab some lunch while there and munch to the sound of cascading waters...

Veiled

Florida live oaks with Spanish moss.

"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night..."

Dylan Thomas Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

(Courtesy of Olivier, you can listen to this poem read by the poet himself here)

Back door

This is the back entrance to the gated community of The Colony. I showed you the front entrance here. Not bad for the service access, is it ;-)

Speaking of which, the service industry is second only to tourism in Florida. Living large requires a lot of maintenance and support. Every day, through those gates, rolls an army of workers: pool cleaners, landscape architects, pet sitters, housemaids, caterers, handymen, exterminators, faux painters, carpet cleaners, air conditioning servicemen, the list goes on... Ironically, none of them live in Naples and most travel long distances, since there is a dire shortage of affordable housing in our county.

But that's a whole other post...

Quiz Tuesday part 12

No, I will not insult you by asking to name this lovely bougainvillea branch reaching over the fence, since you've already proven yourselves knowledgeable in botany.
Today, with apologies to some of my foreign visitors who will find this a bit of a challenge, I'd like to switch to another of my favorite subjects, poetry.

Here's today's question: can you decipher this poem by e. e. cummings:

l(a

le
af
fa

ll

s)
one
l

iness

Acrobat

My lizard.
I got a lizard at the store. She looked at me. I looked at her. I took her home.
I saw my lizard eat four crickets. She was full.
I picked her up out of her cage. I held her upside down. I let her hang from my thumb. She wouldn't let go. She crawled up my shirt to my neck. She went down my shirt. She was wild. I calmed her down.
I put her on the couch. We watched TV.
Whenever I pet her, she falls asleep. I say, "Good night."

About the Author: EAR is seven years old. He likes lizards. His lizard's name is Lizzie.

(This is not Lizzie, but a lizard I spotted on my walk yesterday. I'm sure he's just as much fun as Lizzie, but I did not feel the urge to make friends).

Age of enlightenment

Lest you think that Naples is nothing more than beaches and golf courses, I'll have you know that we take our culture quite seriously here. You will find more than 100 art galleries downtown in Gallery Row, with everything from impressionists to cubists. In addition, there's the Naples Museum of Art, The Naples Players, The Philharmonic Center of Naples, Sugden Theater, a concert arena and other cultural attractions. Not bad for a winter resort town with a population of 22,000! That is why we were named "The top small art town in America".

Still, it is mostly about the beaches and golf courses :-)))

Back to the beach

"I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying."

John Masefield Sea Fever

C'est le week-end!

The Florida Tourism Office puts out a glossy magazine listing "101 things to do in Naples".
Here are some of their suggestions:

#10 - you can surf around the Naples Municipal Pier (I know, you probably don't think of Naples as a surfer's paradise, but the warm waters and strong breezes do produce some nifty swells from time to time)
#18 -take your pooch to a "Dog Beach" where he/she can swim and run leash free (don't forget a Frisbee and some tennis balls!)
#29 - visit the Teddy Bear Museum, home to over 5000 teddy bears by artists and manufactures from around the world
#45 - take a ride on an air boat deep into the jungle of the Everglades where you will see all kinds of wildlife (including alligators and manatees in the Mangrove forests)

I haven't done any of those things. In fact, I haven't done most of the things listed. So this week-end, I'll go...I'll visit...Oh, who am I kidding - I'll just stay here and rest. It's been a looong week.
So what are you plans for the week-end?

Jeopardy!

Pretty idyllic scene, right? Couple of ducks, doing ducky things, in the cove, their safe haven. WRONG! Look up a bit north...here's our resident alligator, silently stalking his prey...
It's the Law of the Jungle.

"The Law of the Jungle, which never orders anything without a reason, forbids every beast to eat Man except when he is killing to show his children how to kill, and then he must hunt outside the hunting grounds of his pack or tribe.
...Mowgli was taught the 'Stranger's Call,' which must be repeated til it is answered, whenever one of the Jungle People hunts outside his own grounds. It means, translated, 'Give me leave to hunt here because I am hungry.' And the answer is 'Hunt then for food, but not for pleasure."'
Rudyard Kipling The Jungle Book

Material girl

Valentine's Day display at Tiffany's in Naples.

*

As my gift to you on this Valentine's Day, I am disabling my customary music accompaniment so you can sing along with Marilyn. Ready? OK, let me hear you...little louder, please...

"The French were bred to die for love
they delight in fighting duels
but I prefer a man who lives
and gives expensive jewels.
A kiss on the hand may be quite continental
but diamonds are a girl's best friend.
A kiss may be grand but it won't pay the rental
on your humble flat, or help you at the automat.
Men grow cold as girls grow old
and we all lose our charms in the end.
But square-cut or pear-shaped
these rocks don't lose their shape
Diamonds are a girl's best friend.
...Tiffany's ... Cartier...
Talk to me, Harry, Winston,tell me all about it!"

*

(From: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) sung by Marilyn Monroe and you, music by Jules Styne, lyrics by Leo Robin

Quiz Tuesday part 11

Since I insulted you last week -by mocking your lack of botanical knowledge - and then was proven wrong by Olivier and Alice, in penitence, I will pose an easy question today:

What is this plant doing, sitting pretty on a pine tree?