The Start of Summer in Florida!

As they say, “I’ve got good news; I’ve got bad news.” In this case there really isn’t any bad news. Only that my goal of a weekly blog is falling on hard times. But there’s a reason that I’m happy to share.

It’s Sunday – not even Saturday – and I have yet to publish this week’s blog.. After thinking about it, I have decided that until such time as we’re in the RV for our next adventure, I need to settle on doing a blog when I can – hopefully, bi-weekly (since weekly hasn’t worked out very well!).

I can hear some of you asking, “Why is this? What does he have to do – being retired et.al.?” Between now and December 10th, there are only 181 days – of which we will be out of the house for 81 days – leaving only 100 days to get ready. Ready for what? Surprise! We are going to have a photographic art show in Fernandina Beach on December 10th!

Margaret and I met with the folks at Intercoastal Wine store on 2nd street. In addition to selling wine, they allow local artists to hang art on their walls for three months. Our timing was impeccable – Dec, Jan, and Feb are open. So we signed up!

So between now and Dec 10th, I have to finish printing the “good” stuff, deciding on titles, pricing, organization, presentation, and all the things that go with having a show. Fortunately, Margaret has practical experience from her days in California, owning the Frame Game, in preparing artists for shows. And I know she knows her stuff. Every time I come up with an idea, she steps in and sets me straight!

Anyway, it promises to be challenging and hopefully, a lot of fun. I know I’m having fun printing (and critiquing) my photo collection from the past 4 years. The challenge is finding photos that are not only technically correct, but are artistically interesting. On a personal note, I am finding that to print or not to print and then critiquing it after it is printed is helping me grow artistically – at least it seems to be helping!

Last time, I said I would be doing a series of blogs on our local Fort Clinch State Park. Thinking about Fort Clinch the last week made me realize it isn’t fair to dash off a few thoughts and a random photo or two. Living so close to Fort Clinch State Park – it is 1.5 miles to the entrance and 3.0 miles to the Fort itself – we almost take it for granted. During our frequent outings for coffee and breakfast, we often swing in to Fort Clinch State Park to enjoy the woods, river – ocean – and marsh views. In fact, thinking about writing about the park, I realized that there are so many aspects to the park, that it would do an injustice to gloss over the big picture.

For those of you that haven’t been to the Park, there are at least six different aspects. And these are not simply facets of a single feature. Each part is unique. I really want to do it justice, thus I will do my best to cover each part in a separate session.

First off, if you’re not familiar with the Park, you might wish to visit their web-site - http://www.floridastateparks.org/fortclinch/ . It will give you an over-view of the Park and activities. I will try, in these blogs, to give you our perspective as a frequent visitor.

I will end this rambling with a photo of the day. There is a new attraction in Fort Clinch – a viewing platform overlooking Egan’s Creek, including the Fernandina Beach lighthouse. I will write about this in the future. The photo is of a tree “stump” on the way to the overlook. As I said in the last blog, I enjoy seeing “things” in trees. Part of the fun is that it is different every time I look at it. Enjoy!

Wayne