Art in the Park

Every year the Pensacola Museum of Art hosts Art in the Park. It is a huge art festival with so much to see. That day apparently I didn't feel like taking a lot of photos, but I'm putting up the ones I did take. The first three were taken while walking from the car to the park.

"But, like ivy, we grow where there is room for us."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Miranda July (No One Belongs Here More Than You)

Fairhope Arts & Crafts Festival - 2010

One of my favorite spring events...the Fairhope Arts & Crafts Festival. The day was warm and the sun was shining. And the vendors were out in full force. Last year we were in Pensacola for a little trip looking for jobs, homes, and just getting to know the area again. It just happened that it was during the art festival, so we made the lovely drive over to Fairhope to the 57th annual festival. But, this post is about this year's art festival!

"I dream my painting and I paint my dream."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Vincent Van Gogh

Saturday afternoon in the park {Part 2 of 3}

Inside the A1A Ale House was cool and nice. We enjoyed a tall glass of iced tea while waiting for our lunch. I took the following image, and didn't see the reflection of the woman in the copper fountain on the bar until after I got home and put it on the computer. Quite interesting.

"We photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing, and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth can make them come back again."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Henri Cartier-Bresson

While we were eating D commented on a picture on the wall and how much he liked it. A vintage photograph of New York. A very interesting image indeed.

On the Rail

After lunch I walked over to the park to see what all was going on. D walked back to the car and sat on the bay until I got there. I still don't know what the event was. There were people everywhere. A band, with drums. Only drums. But lovely drums. With oodles of spirit. Made you want to dance through the park. They were dressed colorfully with flowing feathers.

"What is genius? - It is the power to be a boy again at will."
¸.•*´¨`♥ James Matthew Barrie

Somewhere between that band and the next photo, I teared up. The thought of leaving all of the magic that is St. Augustine just overwhelmed me. But, I moved on.

I have seen Gary several times before, at the Saturday morning Farmer's Market in St. Augustine. Sometimes I saw him with the musicians playing his flute, or pushing his bike through the crowd to find a suitable parking place so he could do his market shopping. I have never spoken to him.

Until today.

Like I said. I was in the park. They were having a festival. I don't know what this festival was. I just happened upon it. One of the many pleasures of living in St. Augustine. Music. People. Artists. Just wonderful. Then I saw Gary sitting near the entrance to the park painting. I almost walked by, but was so taken by the fact that he was painting, that I had to stop and talk with him. Soon I just sat on the sidewalk in front of him and enjoyed the conversation.

As it turns out, he is a man of many talents. An actor, painter, writer, musician. A modern times renaissance man. He has lived in St. Augustine the last 10 years. He has also lived in San Francisco. And he is a world traveler.

When I finally asked him if I may take his portrait for 100 strangers, he readily agreed. So we continued talking, and I shot away. A wonderful session.

He also gave me two of his pencil sketches! He says he is working on improving his face sketches. I said I'm working on improving my 100 strangers portraits...trying to not have out of focus portraits.

Gary "100 Strangers" #19

{Continue to part 3...}

Saturday afternoon in the park {Part 3 of 3}

This ole fellow melted my heart. He reminded me of our sweet Bear.

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Will Rogers

In the middle of all the drum beating, dancing and general chaos, were these women doing yoga in sync. Beautifully in sync.

Look to your soul...

...stretch to the sky...

...all the while staying grounded.

And I know this is repetition, but I love the collage, so here it is.


"A photographer gets people to pose for him. A yoga instructor gets people to pose for themselves."
¸.•*´¨`♥ T. Guillemets

Pensacola Bound? {Part 3 of 6}

We discovered that while we were there, they were having their 25th Annual Pensacola Crawfish Festival.

Home of the Cajun Turducken

"If Cajun Man were here, this very second of this very minute of this very day, he would say, 'you can do it!!!"
¸.•*´¨`♥ Mr. Sottile

Jerry from "Jerry's Cajun Cafe"

“The story of life is quicker then the blink of an eye, the story of love is hello, goodbye.”
¸.•*´¨`♥ Jimi Hendrix

This next was my favorite image from the festival. It is workers steaming the crawfish. They were so intense. And the steam was rolling from the pot.

“Let the poets cry themselves to sleep, and all their tearful words will turn back into steam.”
¸.•*´¨`♥ Conor Oberst

{Continue to part 4...}

Pensacola Bound? {Part 4 of 6}

You need intestinal fortitude

There were loving couples, and those that perhaps were having a bad day.

"It is astonishing how little one feels alone when one loves."
¸.•*´¨`♥ John Bulwer

"You shut up when I'm talking to you."

Festival Flowers

{Continue to part 5...}

23rd Annual Great Chowder Debate

Today was the day of the Great Chowder Debate. Lots and lots of food, fun and people. About 50 local restaurants set up stands and offered their take on the best chowder. Most stands had 2-3 varieties. Talk about creamy, warm, soothing goodness! All laced with different types of seafood...shrimp, lobster, crab, crayfish, conch. After buying a fistful of tickets, we set out a tastin'.

Here are some photos from the day, starting with a breath taking rainbow. I took Stinky Pete out for his morning outing. It was rather dark, the sun just starting to peek out...but stormy looking. I called him to come back in and he took a few steps and then stopped dead in his tracks and looked over his shoulder towards the sky. I stepped further out to see what had his attention. This is what I saw.

Rainbow

Going on our way to the Chowder Debate, we passed Castillo de San Marcos. I have problems getting a good shot of this magnificant fort, but this one didn't turn out too bad. So, until I get a better one, this will have to do.

Castillo de San Marcos

Santa Maria Resaturant

A1A Ale Works

Next we crossed the Bridge of Lions and, as always, I take a shot of the progress of the construction.

Bridge Work

Next stop was the 23rd Annual Great Chowder Debate. It was held on the water at The Conch House Marina. By the way...they had my favorite. As it turns out, it wasn't a chowder, it was a bisque which I traditionally don't care for. But, their Lobster Bisque is magic!

Wood Conch

"Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Gospel of Matthew

Chain

There was beer and more beer.If you got thirsty, they had you covered. Too bad I don't like beer, but it sure is purty :-)

Shock Top Beer

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Benjamin Franklin

Painting Clown

Painting the Girl

A slice of the crowd

Chum Bucket

The Beard

"Life's pretty good, and why wouldn't it be? I'm a pirate, after all."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Johnny Depp

The Greek Festival & more

The more in the title involved coffee at the Oasis and then on the way to the Greek Festival, we stopped at the Farmers Market.

What is so special about St. Augustine? It has a Bohemian feel...laid back and relaxed. A city that you can ride your bike to the diner on a lazy Saturday morning. This particular bike caught my fancy. Yellow and mellow.

"Melancholy is incompatible with bicycling."
¸.•*´¨`♥ James E. Starrs

The Farmers Market was busy. Lots of people. And a few new booths.

"There are so many colors in the rainbow. So many colors in the morning sun. So many colors in the flowers and I see every one."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Harry Chapin

Golden pottery...

...square pottery.

“If one takes pride in one's craft, you won't let a good thing die. Risking it through not pushing hard enough is not a humility.”
¸.•*´¨`♥ Paul Keating

Sign of our Times


"Every time a child says, "I don't believe in fairies," there is a fairy somewhere that falls down dead."
¸.•*´¨`♥ J. M. Barrie

“Only God, my dear, Could love you for yourself alone And not your yellow hair.”
¸.•*´¨`♥ William Butler Yeats

Handmade baskets...

...affordable!!

"Before, milk-white, now purple with love’s wound, —And maidens call it love-in-idleness."
¸.•*´¨`♥ William Shakespeare

Pumpkins & Sunshine

Two Orchids

Birdhouses

Glass Menagerie

"I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Henry David Thoreau

After strolling through the Farmers Market, we headed towards the Greek Festival. I have to say that St. Augustine was all a buzz with activity! The downtown area was crawling with people. I loved it.

Soon we arrived at the Greek Festival. It too, was crawling with people. Admission was $2. Pretty reasonable I thought. There were booths with the usual fare...crafts, art, jewerly, and anything else one could fit on a card table. The center of the Festival was the tent for music and dancing. Loved the dancers! But, the lines were at the food tents. Yum. Yum. Yum. Did I say yum?

Getting their Bud on!

There were ladies from the Red Hat Society everywhere! Each one with a more spectacular hat than the next.

Nancy & Jean "100 strangers" #11

Two more red hats

A colorful children's barrel ride


"Lift up your hearts, you good dancers, high! higher! And do not forget the good laughter!”
¸.•*´¨`♥ Friedrich Nietzsche

Greek Dancing


“Unless a tree has borne blossoms in spring, you will vainly look for fruit on it in autumn.”
¸.•*´¨`♥ Sir Walter Scott