Patchwork quilt

This is just a small sample of the driveways I cross on my habitual walks through the community.

"The powers that be" would prefer that all driveways were built using individual bricks/stones. But as you can see, most homeowners opt for the easier, less expensive method of pouring concrete and "stamping" out a design...

See anything you like?

Virgin (canine) sacrifice?

Truffles at the canoe park

Sometimes words are superfluous. The picture says it all.

What not to do

Today's post serves as a lesson: you should not take photos through a dirty window and an even dirtier screen!

And you should definitely not cut a raptor's wings off...

For the correct way of taking hawk photos, please visit here ;-)

Through the looking glass

This is the front door of an estate house in my neighborhood.

Through it, you can see all the way into backyard, which slopes down to Spring Creek.

(That's one benefit of living in a gated community - security is not an issue.)

Flower power

Bougainvillea in my neighbor's garden

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature." ~ Anne Frank

Beach Party

Oh, happy days!

The weather is picture perfect - sunny and dry days, cool and comfortable nights.

If you need me, you'll know where to find me...

Meet me at the mall...

Coconut Point Mall, Estero

It's time to get out of our "Blue" funk and release those endorphins!

“When women are depressed, they eat or go shopping. Men invade another country. It's a whole different way of thinking.” ~Elayne Boosler

P.S. Hope you don't need any water ;-)

Theme day - The Color Blue

Restaurant at Crayton Cove, Naples waterfront

If you are a frequent visitor to NaplesDailyPhoto you know that the predominant color here is blue. That's what Southwest Florida is all about - blue skies and blue water.

So it wasn't easy choosing a photo for today's theme day, but I think I succeeded...

I'm showing you here everything I love: Mediterranean Blue, Provence and French Cuisine!

Besides, it was either this or the photo below ;-)

Port-a-potty (portable toilet) at a local construction site

Please check out the rest of the "Blue" participants in this month's theme day:

Boston (MA), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Arlington (VA), USA - Cape Town, South Africa - Portland (OR), USA - Sequim (WA), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Arradon, France - Petaling Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - Stockholm, Sweden - Singapore, Singapore - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Phoenix (AZ), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Toulouse, France - The Hague, Netherlands - Moscow, Russia - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Stayton (OR), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Detroit (MI), USA - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Bandung (West Java), Indonesia - Greenville (SC), USA - Hyde, UK - Radonvilliers, France - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Nashville (TN), USA - Manila, Philippines - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Saarbrücken, Germany - New Orleans (LA), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Forks (WA), USA - Wichita (Ks), USA - Barton (VT), USA - St. Louis (MO), USA - Joplin (MO), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Quincy (MA), USA - Setúbal, Portugal - Inverness (IL), USA - Christchurch, New Zealand - Toruń, Poland - North Bay (ON), Canada - Le Guilvinec, France - Chateaubriant, France - London, England - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Naples (FL), USA - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - Sydney, Australia - Austin (TX), USA - Mumbai, India - Boston (MA), USA - Santa Fe (NM), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Paderborn, Germany - Montréal (QC), Canada - Jackson (MS), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Orlando (FL), USA - Grenoble, France - Cheltenham, UK - Forks (WA), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Weston (FL), USA - London, UK - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Belgrade, Serbia - Paris, France - Shanghai, China - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Montpellier, France - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Auckland, New Zealand - Evry, France - New York City (NY), USA - Nottingham, UK - Las Vegas (NV), USA - Oslo, Norway - Minneapolis (MN), USA - American Fork (UT), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Haninge, Sweden - Trujillo, Peru - Trujillo, Peru - Melbourne (VIC), Australia - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Durban, South Africa - Brussels, Belgium - Anderson (SC), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Wellington, New Zealand - Prague, Czech Republic - Saigon,

All Hallows Eve

A murder of crows at Pelican's Nest Country Club

"And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!"

~ Edgar Allan Poe The Raven

"Strange animal facts" #13:

Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.

On Heron Pond

“When despair for the world grows in me, and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be -- I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought or grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”
~ Wendell Berry

On the road again...

Cascade, Michigan

I am traveling this weekend. Leaving here...

Naples, Florida

...and arriving here.

Hmmm...seems I can't escape the color red ;-)

Have a colorful weekend, everyone!

"Strange animal facts " #12:
In Alaska, it is legal to shoot bears. However, waking a sleeping bear for the purpose of taking a photograph is prohibited.

The quiet before the storm

Third Street South, downtown Naples

The official season for South West Florida does not begin until November 1st. That's when hordes of "snowbirds" (residents from the cold, northern parts of the US and Canada) descend on Naples and its environs. They stay up to 6 months in their second homes and condos, boosting the local economy and contributing to the wellness of the region.

Then, there are "the visitors". They swoop in at the heart of the season - February and March -
populate our beaches with their pale, weary bodies and empty their full, bulging wallets into our stores and restaurants, all the while stretching the local resources to the max.

And that leaves you, "the tourist" - carving out a week or two out of your busy schedule to escape the cold and snow and melt in the sun. To you I say: come, you won't be disappointed, but if at all possible, avoid the full season (February and March).

You'll thank me ;-)