ArtFest By The Sea!

My sister Susan and I attended the 36th annual ArtFest by the Sea in Juno Beach, Florida this past Saturday afternoon, and I must say, I was very impressed. I attended this festival last year, but do not remember it being nearly as large as it was this time. There were over 250 artists displaying their work all along Juno's Ocean Drive, which runs along the Atlantic. There was a great variety of art on display, and to my surprise, quite a bit of photography, including a booth featuring Scanlan Windows to the World, as seen in the photograph on the left, and which is also a regular participant at the Cherry Creek Art Festival in Denver. 

The best thing about this festival is that it takes place right along the beach. Every so often there is an opening from the street, such as the one in the photograph on the right, letting festival goers see and even step onto the beach for a break before continuing on with the art. The beach around here goes on for miles, and this time of year it is very popular, especially on weekends. Every parking spot along Ocean Drive was taken as we drove toward the festival. When I got to the point where the road was closed off for the festival, I drove through several parking lots with no luck. Having given up on ever finding a spot and at a traffic light waiting to turn back onto Ocean Drive, I noticed that someone had pulled out of the lot I was just in. After a simple U-turn and almost running down a few senior citizens, I was finally able to park. And I must say, those seniors can really move fast when they need to.

And since this is Florida, there was, of course, a guy at the festival with a parrot on his shoulder, as seen in the photograph on the left. This is not unusual at all down here. I have seen people walking along the sidewalk on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach with those huge parrots on their shoulder, as well as at Hobe Sound Beach, but am not really sure why they do it. To get attention, to show that they are free spirits, because it is their support parrot? Who knows? In any case, I really enjoyed ArtFest By The Sea this year. It really was worth the fight for a parking spot. And yes, the City of Juno Beach did provide a shuttle service for people who wanted to park in a different county and spend a few hours getting to the festival, which I imagine some people did. But where's the fun in that?

The St. Lucie County Fair - Part II

As I discussed in yesterday's blog post, my sister Susan and I went to the St. Lucie County Fair, which takes place at the St. Lucie County Fairgrounds west of Port St. Lucie, Florida this past Thursday. This is a traditional county fair that takes place in the middle of cow country, and a very well-attended event. Which is no surprise, since there is not much else to do in Port St. Lucie most of the time. In addition to lots of food booths and carne games where you can take a chance at winning a prize, the fair also has amusement rides, including 2 Ferris wheels and a ride seen in the photograph on the left which I would not recommend taking on a full stomach.

As I mentioned yesterday, the highlight for me was the petting zoo, where you can buy a cup of food for $5.00 and feed all the animals, of which there are many, including that hungry goat in the photograph on the right. I have never gone in much for taking video, but this past Thursday a video would have been the best way to capture those animals jumping over each other to get to that food. I suspect the fair people must hold off feeding the animals in the morning in order to get them to behave like that.

I was very surprised to find a number of camels at the petting zoo. It does seem strange that people would be raising camels in South Florida, but there you go. I have yet to see any camels making their way along the beach carrying a snowbird from up north, but when I do, I will definitely take a photograph to share on this blog. One thing I found interesting is that there was only one kind of food with which to feed a variety of animals, and it looked kind of like a potato chip. But no matter whether it was a goat or cow or even a camel, they all gobbled it up as fast as they could. I am not sure what was in it, but I do wonder if I might be able to get a bag of them at Walmart and try 'em out. 

In any case, today is the last day of the fair, which runs from noon to 11:00 P.M. I checked the schedule, and today's events include Andy Rotz's Wild West Showdown, whatever that might be, musical acts, Racing Pigs, and Laser Tag from 1:00 until 9:00. And I do have to mention that on Thursday I watched a mother and her three young children playing laser tag, and it felt truly weird watching them running around tagging (i.e. shooting) each other with handheld laser guns. Of course, this is Florida, a big gun rights state, and so I suppose that is considered perfectly normal down here. In any case, the St. Lucie County Fair is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. Be sure to visit the petting zoo, buy a cup of $5 food, and feed my pals, the two goats in the photograph on the right. They will love you for it.

County Fair!

My sister Susan and I went to the St. Lucie County Fair this past Thursday afternoon. This was the first honest-to-God county fair I have ever attended. This event, which runs through this Sunday, takes place at the St. Lucie County Fairgrounds, located way the hell to the west of Port St. Lucie. And if you think Florida is not an agricultural state, think again. Once you get way from the coastline, whatever isn't swamp seems to be filled with cows and horses. And I must say, I enjoyed this fair very much. It seemed to me like a traditional county fair, the kind you see in the movies, with a midway, lots of food booths, and more carnival style games to test your skills and win a prize than you can count. There were also plenty of amusement rides, if you want to live dangerously.

The best part of the fair for me was the petting zoo. At the entrance, you can purchase food to feed the animals. I don't know what they put in that food, or if they simply don't feed the poor things before the gates open, but all of those animals were frantic to get those treats, as seen in the photograph on the right. They were literally crawling over each other to get to the person handing out the food. 

There was a wide range of animals at the petting zoo, ranging from goats to miniature cows to camels (Yes! Camels! In Florida!) to llamas and alpacas, which is what I think the animal in the photograph on the left that those children are feeding might be. After leaving the petting zoo, we headed to a number of barns featuring different types of animals, including goats, cows, horses, and small animals such as chickens, roosters, geese, and even a large turkey, which actually does go gobble gobble gobble. Who woulda thunk it? In the buildings featuring the cows, goats, and horses, their young owners, no doubt members of the local 4-H club, would be standing next to their animal ready to proudly tell you all about it. Amazing how different a lifestyle exists just a short drive west of here.

And yes, I think that goat in the photograph on the right has taken a shine to me, even if I didn't have any food to give it. I would consider adopting it and taking it home to our condo in Stuart, but the complex doesn't even allow dogs or cats, let along goats. And this particular HOA takes its rules and regulations very seriously. I can just imagine having to explain to them that this was a service goat. In any case, it was a fun afternoon, and both Susan and I enjoyed the fair very much. It was like a trip back to the America of old, a much simpler and happier time. And if you are in the area, I recommend going. Today and tomorrow are the last two days, with hours from 12:00 to 10:30 today and 12:00 to 9:30 Sunday. And be sure to buy food for the animals at the petting zoo. They are truly desperate for it.

Jupiter, Florida - A Paraglider's Paradise?

Jupiter, Florida is famous for having 3.5 miles of beautiful beaches along the Atlantic, with the shoreline bordered by dunes, mangroves, and sea grape trees. I was there the other day, taking some photographs, and was surprised by two paragliders zooming right over me, one of whom can be seen in the photograph above. They were pretty low in the sky, moving parallel to the water, and seemed to land a little further down the beach. It actually looked kind of fun, and so when I got home, I looked the sport up on the internet. The Wikipedia article seemed to go on for pages and pages, so I skipped that and simply googled whether it was safe, and how expensive it was to do it. One article I found stated that it is an incredibly safe sport, but "it can be fatal if you get into a severe accident." It went on to say that "most injuries and accidents that happen can be survived and prevented." I also found out that it can cost $10,000 for equipment and training. Enough said. Jupiter, Florida might be a paradise for paragliders, but I think I'll stick to photographing wild boars, of which the State of Florida has over 500,0000. Which I suspect is much safer, and cheaper, than paragliding.

Whistling Past Pierced Ciderworks

I was walking around Edgartown, the historic part of Fort Pierce, Florida, the other afternoon and found myself passing Pierced Ciderworks. I have never gone inside this place, since all signs point to the fact that it might indeed be selling cider, but I do like the building it is housed in. It was originally owned by photographer Harry Hill and is over 117 years old. I took the photograph on the left of the place with their delivery vehicle in the foreground. There is room in that truck bed for lots of cider and it obviously must be pretty speedy, so using it for deliveries makes perfect sense to me.

As I was passing by, I took a look at the entrance to their outdoor patio, as seen in the photograph on the right, and thought it actually looked quite inviting. I checked and found that Pierced Ciderworks does serve an IPA, from nearby Sailfish Brewery, and it seems to me it would be like having a beer in the middle of a tropical jungle. All in all, I thought to myself at the time, probably a good place to check out one of these days.

But then when I got to the edge of the house, I remembered what I learned last year about Pierced Ciderworks - it is evidently a hangout for zombies, as you can clearly see from the warning sign in the photograph on the left. It is well known that zombies crave cider, so it makes perfect sense that zombies would congregate there. Of course, if you do hang out in their patio after dark and have a few pints of IPA, that very well might be that. Of course, I myself have never socialized with zombies, and so perhaps what I have heard and seen about them in social media and films is simply "fake news." And so, perhaps I will have an IPA there one of these days. What could go wrong, right?

Even The Manatees Are Excited About St. Patrick's Day!

Almost every day I pass by the manatee in the photograph on the left. The owner periodically dresses it in festive attire based on the season and upcoming holidays. I first noticed it when it was dressed in full MAGA attire, topped by a Make America Great Again ballcap, during the last presidential election. This month, it is dressed as a leprechaun in anticipation of St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick's Day is a pretty big holiday around here. In nearby Jensen Beach, Florida the St. Patrick's Day Festivities and Parade takes place annually in the downtown area, this year on Sunday, March 15th, with a parade, food, vendors, music, and entertainment. Last year, I tried to find a parking spot within walking distance of the parade route but just wound up driving around in bumper-to-bumper traffic until the parade was over, finally finding a spot right in front of Mulligan's, a local seafood restaurant. But it was still fun to walk around Jensen Beach Boulevard, the main drag, and watch all the festivities taking place.

Just a few blocks from that leprechaun manatee, in Willoughby Creek, a little past Manatee Bridge, are actual living, breathing manatees, but they are much less impressive than that leprechaun. I have seen them at Manatee Lagoon in West Palm Beach, by the Fort Pierce Marina, and here at Willoughby Creek, and the only damn thing you see is their nose for a second or two as they get a breath, or just a small section of their back, such as the two on the right in the photograph on the right, who didn't move once while I was there. If you don't see them, click on the photograph to enlarge it enough to see the two dark blobs. Talk about boring. I know they are gentle, endangered creatures, but entertaining they are not. And I suspect those particular manatees don't give a damn about St. Patrick's Day, although I could be wrong. Perhaps they will perk up when it gets closer to March 17th.

A Return Visit To The Peacock House

I stopped at the Peacock House up in Fort Pierce, Florida yesterday afternoon to see if there were any peacocks out and about in the lot across the street. The Peacock House, also known as the historic Crain Estate, offers tours of the house, the four outdoor gardens, an art gallery, and according to them, "peacocks o' plenty," which you can actually feed. However, I have never toured the place, mainly because the tours are limited to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 11:00, which is usually not a convenient time. Plus, there are supposed to be lots of peacocks running around that neighborhood, called the Peacock Arts District, that you can see for free.

Despite the promise of prides of peacocks all over the place, I only saw a single one, wandering around that lot across the street, and seen in the photograph on the right. Which is really not all that impressive. And that peacock was not that impressed with me, either. As I was trying to get a good photograph, it continued strolling around, pecking at the ground, totally ignoring me, refusing to pose for a portrait. And so, I think I am done photographing peacocks for a while. I have read that they are having a problem with wild boars in Tradition, a mixed-use development on the western outskirts of Port St. Lucie, and so perhaps trying to get some photographs of them might be a better idea. I am pretty sure I can get a wild boar to look me in the eye and pose for a portrait. What could go wrong?