Florida

Sloppy Joe's Bar

A historic American bar in Key West, Florida. It is now located on the north side of Duval Street at the corner of Greene Street, (201 Duval Street). Founded on December 5, 1933, the bar's most famous patrons were Ernest Hemingway and the infamous rum runner Habana Joe. The original location at the time Hemingway frequented Sloppy Joe's is a few doors down to the west, just off Duval Street, at 428 Greene Street, and is now called "Captain Tony's Saloon". The bar went through two name changes before settling on Sloppy Joe's with the encouragement of Hemingway. The name was coined from the original Sloppy Joe's bar in Old Havana, that sold both liquor and iced seafood. In the Cuban heat, the ice melted and patrons taunted the owner José (Joe) García Río that he ran a "sloppy" place. The bar is the site of the Ernest Hemingway look-alike contest, started in 1981. It is well known as a tourist attraction, with live bands and slushy drinks. On November 1, 2006, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Cuban Tree Frog

You never know what you're going to see, when you take the dog for a walk, at night. This fellow was on the house, and had assumed the house color (pretty exactly, I think). Cuban Treefrog Impacts: Ecological - Cuban Treefrogs prey on native frogs, small lizards, and small snakes; their tadpoles can out-compete native tadpoles for food or space; believed to be causing the decline of native treefrogs. Human Health / Quality of Life - Cuban Treefrog skin secretes a mucus that can irritate eyes and nose, cause allergy-like symptoms, and even trigger asthma attacks; they breed loudly after midnight in pools, ponds, birdbaths, etc.; they invade toilets and can clog drains; they invade power boxes and cause power outages. Size: Usually 1.5 to 3 in. (max. ~ 5.5 in.) Note: Any treefrog in Florida that is larger than 2.5 inches is definitely NOT native, and is probably a Cuban Treefrog. Identification: Body color is highly variable, ranging from whitish to gray, green, or brown, and may be marked with irregular, dark stripes or blotches that fade when the frog changes color. Skin is warty (some warts quite prominent). The armpits and groin may be washed with yellow. Juvenile body color is olive-brown; sides are often marked with light stripes. Juveniles often have reddish eyes, and blue bones that can best be seen through the skin on the underside of the hind legs (show in the lower left inset image above). Like all treefrogs, this species has enlarged, sticky toepads; toepads are quite large in this species, usually much wider than the toepads of native treefrogs. Breeding: March to October (perhaps year-round in South Florida); lays eggs in a surface film (100-1,000 eggs at a time). Call is a hoarse mraaaak! To hear frog calls, visit the USGS Frog Call Lookup and select the species you want to hear from the common name drop-down list. Diet: Beetles, roaches, spiders, other small invertebrates; also small frogs, lizards, and snakes Habitats: Native to Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas. Introduced throughout the Caribbean, in Hawaii, and in Florida. Possible isolated population in southeastern Texas. Found throughout peninsular Florida, the Keys, and isolated areas of the panhandle, on buildings and in trees in urbanized and natural areas near breeding sites. Breeds in any shallow, fish-free water, including bottomland and floodplain forests and swamps, cypress domes, marshes, wet flatwoods, manmade ponds, ditches, birdbaths, buckets, and swimming pools. Often moves to breeding sites in large numbers after early-season rains. Source: http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/frogs/cubantreefrog.shtml

Night image made at Stranahan House,corner of SE 6th Av & SE 4th St, just off Las Olas Blvd.

Night image made at Stranahan House,corner of SE 6th Av & SE 4th St, just off Las Olas Blvd.

Night photography at Stranahan House, Fort Lauderdale. III he Stranahan House, also known as the Pioneer House, is an historic building located at 335 Southeast 6th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. It was built in 1902 as a trading post by Frank Stranahan (1865-1929}, the founder of Fort Lauderdale, who had earlier established a ferry across the New River at this point to carry traffic on the newly built road from Lantana to what is now North Miami (that road is now U.S. Route 1). The building also served as the town hall and post office. It became his home in 1906 when he added a second story and remodeled the existing structure for his wife, Ivy Julia (Cromartie) Stranahan (1881-1971), Fort Lauderdale's first teacher and co-founder, whom he had married in 1900. After her husband's death Ivy Stranahan kept the house, but rented out the first floor to a restaurant. After her death it was devised to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church which sold it to the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society in 1979. After being restored the house was conveyed in 1981 to Stranahan House, Inc., a non-profit corporation set up to preserve and maintain it.[2][3] On October 2, 1973, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Night photography at Stranahan House, Fort Lauderdale. II he Stranahan House, also known as the Pioneer House, is an historic building located at 335 Southeast 6th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. It was built in 1902 as a trading post by Frank Stranahan (1865-1929}, the founder of Fort Lauderdale, who had earlier established a ferry across the New River at this point to carry traffic on the newly built road from Lantana to what is now North Miami (that road is now U.S. Route 1). The building also served as the town hall and post office. It became his home in 1906 when he added a second story and remodeled the existing structure for his wife, Ivy Julia (Cromartie) Stranahan (1881-1971), Fort Lauderdale's first teacher and co-founder, whom he had married in 1900. After her husband's death Ivy Stranahan kept the house, but rented out the first floor to a restaurant. After her death it was devised to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church which sold it to the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society in 1979. After being restored the house was conveyed in 1981 to Stranahan House, Inc., a non-profit corporation set up to preserve and maintain it.[2][3] On October 2, 1973, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Corner of SE 6th Av & SE 4th St, Fort Lauderdale Night image made at Stranahan House,corner of SE 6th Av & SE 4th St, just off Las Olas Blvd.

Night photography at Stranahan House, Fort Lauderdale. I he Stranahan House, also known as the Pioneer House, is an historic building located at 335 Southeast 6th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. It was built in 1902 as a trading post by Frank Stranahan (1865-1929}, the founder of Fort Lauderdale, who had earlier established a ferry across the New River at this point to carry traffic on the newly built road from Lantana to what is now North Miami (that road is now U.S. Route 1). The building also served as the town hall and post office. It became his home in 1906 when he added a second story and remodeled the existing structure for his wife, Ivy Julia (Cromartie) Stranahan (1881-1971), Fort Lauderdale's first teacher and co-founder, whom he had married in 1900. After her husband's death Ivy Stranahan kept the house, but rented out the first floor to a restaurant. After her death it was devised to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church which sold it to the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society in 1979. After being restored the house was conveyed in 1981 to Stranahan House, Inc., a non-profit corporation set up to preserve and maintain it.[2][3] On October 2, 1973, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

1978 - Crossing the Finish Line

Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America. Gulfstream Park was opened on Wednesday February 1, 1939 conducting a four-day meeting. The initial meeting had a crowd of 18,000. In 1944, the track was reopened by James Donn, Sr. for a 20-day meeting in December. The Gulfstream Park Handicap was first run in 1946 and the Florida Derby began in 1952. In that year the clubhouse was built and the Grandstand seating was expanded. Gulfstream Park introduced turf racing for the first time in 1959. In 1952 the clubhouse was erected and a new addition was put on the grandstand. It also marked the first running of the Florida Derby. The following year, the Florida Derby became the first stakes in Florida with a $100,000 purse.

Moon

Moon over Florida.

Even funnier feet.

Looking for Dinner

Funny Feet

Waiting on the Train. Old Delray Beach train station, now a histoical landmark. (HDR)

Hibiscus 9

Night image made at Stranahan House,corner of SE 6th Av & SE 4th St, just off Las Olas Blvd. Night image made at Stranahan House,corner of SE 6th Av & SE 4th St, just off Las Olas Blvd.