A Crooked Look At Naples....Florida, That Is
black mamba
Registered Users Posts: 8,323 Major grins
I say a crooked look because, after the night before, I'm not sure I was seeing anything straight.
The story starts with a phone call from a dear friend, inviting me down to his new penthouse condo on Marco Island, FL., for a week of R & R. It's not nice to turn friends down, so off I went.
The view from the condo that greeted us each morning....
Looking north toward Naples.
Looking south toward the 10,000 Islands.
Headed up to Naples for the day. One thing especially attractive about Naples is the architecture and building coloration that is pervasive throughout the town. Plus it's about the cleanest town I've ever seen.
Options for dinning run the full gamut, from rustic waterfront options...
To a plethora of street side cafes...
To a little more elegant setting... all over Naples they do an outstanding job of utilizing the natural flora to emphasize and accentuate the buildings. The red Bentley ain't a bad touch either.
Houses in Naples can cover quite a spectrum. From a simple Florida " cracker " house ( tin roof, screened poarch, wood siding )....
To a home like this....just completed and on the market for about $17 million. I wanted to show it all in one shot...no way.
The front from the side. the Gulf waters are about 100 feet to the left.
The bulk of the home...
The rear section...
Just down the street from this house, another home ( actually a compound of the main house, a smaller guest house and a third building ) sold for $105 million. That's right....$105 MILLION.
You didn't think I would let you get away before showing you at least one car...did you? I found this jewel hiding on a side street. It's a Mercedes SL 6.3 AMG V-12 Twin Turbo.
Before heading back to Marco Island, it called for a quick stop at a real fish camp for a brew and a huge pile of fried oysters....
One final note. Early in the day, my friend and I had spied, at a distance, that red Bentley cruising the town with the top down and it had two " sharp blonds " in it. By chance, we elected to have lunch in the same restaurant that the girls in the Bentley had selected....see the red Bentley photo. We soon discovered that the " sharp blonds " were both about 70 and resembled dried prunes.
My remark to my buddy..." damn waste of a great car ". His reply...." who are you trying to fool, we're right there with them ". I don't think I'll visit him any more.
The story starts with a phone call from a dear friend, inviting me down to his new penthouse condo on Marco Island, FL., for a week of R & R. It's not nice to turn friends down, so off I went.
The view from the condo that greeted us each morning....
Looking north toward Naples.
Looking south toward the 10,000 Islands.
Headed up to Naples for the day. One thing especially attractive about Naples is the architecture and building coloration that is pervasive throughout the town. Plus it's about the cleanest town I've ever seen.
Options for dinning run the full gamut, from rustic waterfront options...
To a plethora of street side cafes...
To a little more elegant setting... all over Naples they do an outstanding job of utilizing the natural flora to emphasize and accentuate the buildings. The red Bentley ain't a bad touch either.
Houses in Naples can cover quite a spectrum. From a simple Florida " cracker " house ( tin roof, screened poarch, wood siding )....
To a home like this....just completed and on the market for about $17 million. I wanted to show it all in one shot...no way.
The front from the side. the Gulf waters are about 100 feet to the left.
The bulk of the home...
The rear section...
Just down the street from this house, another home ( actually a compound of the main house, a smaller guest house and a third building ) sold for $105 million. That's right....$105 MILLION.
You didn't think I would let you get away before showing you at least one car...did you? I found this jewel hiding on a side street. It's a Mercedes SL 6.3 AMG V-12 Twin Turbo.
Before heading back to Marco Island, it called for a quick stop at a real fish camp for a brew and a huge pile of fried oysters....
One final note. Early in the day, my friend and I had spied, at a distance, that red Bentley cruising the town with the top down and it had two " sharp blonds " in it. By chance, we elected to have lunch in the same restaurant that the girls in the Bentley had selected....see the red Bentley photo. We soon discovered that the " sharp blonds " were both about 70 and resembled dried prunes.
My remark to my buddy..." damn waste of a great car ". His reply...." who are you trying to fool, we're right there with them ". I don't think I'll visit him any more.
I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
0
Comments
www.ivarborst.nl & smugmug
Looks like a wonderful place to relax and enjoy yourselves.
Had to laugh at the last line, becomes truer and truer every day,
Oh well we've worked hard for our time
Craig
Burleson, Texas
I can certainly appreciate your love affair with Naples. Its a beautiful town. Every time I go there, I'm made aware again of its cleanliness. I think they would arrest you if you dropped a cigarette butt on the street.
Thanks for looking in,
Tom
As part of the group of Americans who are hammered economically, I am still somewhat amazed at the degree of wealth some folks still enjoy. Naples is a place where that kind of wealth is on display and, like it or not, it is impressive to see.
Take care my friend,
Tom
You're too kind to me. I think if I had posted 100 shots of the town, I might....maybe.... could have given you some real feel for what it's like there. I could spend a whole week just going through the major art galleries....that's not including the second tier galleries.
Lord knows how long it would take to sample all the good restaurants. That one rustic, waterfront eatery I showed....there must be at least 50 just like it. Fine dinning places dot the entire town. Anything, and everything, that folks with money want to enjoy is there in spades.
I should stress that everyone I interfaced with....gallery owners, restaurant personnel, etc....were very open and friendly, eager to help in any way needed. I couldn't shake the feeling, however, that I was an intruder....an interloper....that I was a little out of my element and that, come the strike of midnight, something might happen to me.:D
It's a great town.
Tom
I'm a very simple person...I'd take the 'cracker house' vs the expensive one. Although.....
www.Dogdotsphotography.com
Enjoyed the shots, Tom!
BTW do I remember correctly that a while back you were discussing how to deal with glare when shooting cars outdoors in sunlight? What did you adopt as your strategy finally, may I ask?
Neil
http://www.behance.net/brosepix
I'm with you.....the more simple things are, the better. Particularly so, it seems, as I get older. My buddy says that we ( he and I ) fit right in with those old gals sporting around in their Bentley. I guess I'm due for a reality check.:D
Take care,
Tom
AH...Savannah. Now there is another GREAT town. I get up there quite often for a one or two night caper. Funny you should mention " Midnight in the Garden.....". Good movie, better book. Make no mistake about it....the practice of Voodoo is a deeply ingrained part of the total Savannah culture....and not limited to just their large black population. Strong currents run deep in Savannah. It's one of the most intriguing and fascinating places I've ever spent time in.
To paraphrase a one-time popular ad, when considering a circular polarizer...." Don't leave home without it ". The CP is indispensable in helping to control glare when shooting cars in a bright, outside environment. You need to know under what conditions the CP functions best, but it is my single greatest aid in dealing with glare. Being fleet of foot is my next best " tool ". A simple step to one side or the other....as small sometimes as a foot....can make the glare a lot more manageable. Remaining constantly aware of the presence of glare fills out my bag of tricks. Some shooters just fire away and never really consider the effects of glare.
In summary: Always be cognizant of any existing glare, be willing to move around to help minimize the effects of the glare, and use the CP religiously. Do all that and you'll win the battle.
Take care guy,
Tom
P.S. Neil, if you have a real interest, I can tell a fairly interesting story about the burial of the central characters is the book.
Bet they would have swapped that Bentley for a pickup truck, and be 25 years old again......
When I was young I flew for a living, and took a lot of people to Florida.... Been 40 years sense I was last there. Kind of forgot how beautiful those beaches are.......Thanks for sharing the set......:D
Given darkness and a lonely spot, it becomes irrelevant what the badge on the bonnet (hood) you are leaning on reads!
Neil
http://www.behance.net/brosepix
Grateful for that, Tom. I was shooting some veterans and vintages (antiques, cars, that is) over the weekend, and sometimes the relationship with me and the glare became pretty touchy!:D
I'd relish any serving of further tales of Savannah and Co!
Neil
http://www.behance.net/brosepix
Oh, Mary, one day you must visit Florida just to breath the semi-tropical air. It is so different from ND. One can feel really poor in Naples. But, there is also the other side of the coin, you know. Perhaps, someone will capture it, one day.
--
How life has changed. I would never think of my grandmother as a dry prune. but again, she did not drive Bentley.
Just curious, who bought it? Russian mafia?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
It's good to hear from you.
I'm told that one of the dot.com billionaires spent the $105 million. I don't know for sure. I would have liked to include a shot of that place but it is hidden so much by landscaping that you really can't see much. Several years ago, I happened to have seen it when it was just about complete and openly visible. The smaller home was about the size of the one I did show. The larger home left you flabbergasted at its size.
Tom
One of the most intriguing places to visit in Savannah is the Bonaventure cemetery. It and an adjoining cemetery, Greenwich, play a huge part in this story. Both were the sites, long ago, of private plantations of epic proportions. They are situated on property that offers some of the most beautiful views in all of Savannah.....high bluffs, overlooking massive marsh and river vistas. Each is populated by hundreds of gorgeous oak trees, draped in Southern moss.
Bonaventure is where the Savannah elite are buried: storied personalities like Johnny Mercer, the famous song writer and Savannah native; famous military leaders of many wars past; stalwarts of industry; just about everybody who was big-time in Savannah's history: etc., etc. Greenwich had to satisfy itself with a somewhat lesser clientèle.
The massive oaks that cover both these sites are stunning to see but the shade they project makes for extremely difficult lighting. I've tried for years to record images that do the place justice, but haven't been able to do so. I may have to turn to HDR to pull it off.
It was on a recent visit to Bonaventure that the story really begins. Darlene, my wife, and I were intent this time to find the grave-sites for the principal characters in the book: Jim Williams, and the young guy he shot.....Danny Hansford. In the book, Hansford is correctly identified. In the movie, for what ever reason, he is incorrectly identified as Billy Hanson. Finding a particular grave-site in a cemetery of this size is no small task. We were getting nowhere.
Luckily, a cemetery employee happened to drive right by us....his truck clearly identified by signage on his truck door. Both of these cemeteries are city owned and operated. I flagged him down and asked if he could direct us to Jim Williams' grave. He informed me, much to my surprise, that Williams was not buried in Savannah. He had been born In a small GA town....Fort Gordon....and his family had interned him there when he died.
I then inquired as to the location of Hansford's grave. I would love to relate the rest of this story in the tone and vernacular that the employee used, but, in the interest of being civil, I won't. He promptly informed me that no one of the likes of Hansford would be buried in Bonaventure. He said Hansford was buried by the State and that those folks belonged over in Greenwich. I inquired if he might direct me over to his site there. He commenced to give me a really long series of directions. I guess he could see that this game plan wasn't going to work when my eyes started to glass over.
He stated that he had some work to do over at Greenwich....get my car and follow him, he'd show me the way. Thank god for that. I'd have never found it otherwise. We eventually got to the grave-site. He pointed out where it was and started to drive off. He then abruptly slammed on his brakes, jumped out of the truck, and ran in the direction of the grave. Darlene and I were hot on his tail. He commenced to rant and rave. Taken back as I was, I asked what was wrong. He said, " just look at that crap . It happens all the time. Makes me madder that hell ".
What had him so fired up was all these trinkets and such that covered the gravestone. He said that even after all these years, the voodoo practitioners and the gay community still revered the site and had created a cult status of monumental proportions around this kid. He said voodoo and other dark forces played a huge role in the kids life and that they wouldn't turn him loose after his death. All these trinkets and such were supposed to comfort and aid him in the hereafter.
He said the voodoo'ist and gay bunch would sneak into the cemetery after dark....coming in by boat off the river.... and perform their rituals. He said they had to have someone clean the grave-site weekly. He fussed and fumed a little more than left.
Darlene and I were left to ponder the situation....wondering about the spirits of the night that gave this soul no rest. It got a little spooky right about then.
I offer as evidence the images of the work of the spirits' handymen. I was told that the single, purple flower, seemingly innocent in appearance, was, in fact, evidence that someone in the hierarchy of voodooism had been there to work their magic.
Many thanks, Tom!
Neil
http://www.behance.net/brosepix
Do they do any Night Graveyard Tours there?
I have to say, I really didn't realize all the Voodoo in
Charleston, and love the description of the Cemeteries,
I'd love to shoot that.
We may have to set up a Gathering there???
Really loved the Story, even as Spooky as it was!!!
Craig
Burleson, Texas
Savannah would be an ideal place to huddle up. I'm sure Randy would second that. There's more fascinating photo ops than you can shake a stick at. History just drips off the moss-laden oaks there. Terrific places to stay ( at very reasonable rates ) are abundant and the list of fabulous places to eat is famous worldwide.
There's no graveyard tour in Savannah done at night. There are, however, quite a few events centered around the many so-called haunted homes and sites throughout the town.
If there was ever a town ideally suited to your IR photography, Savannah is it. That Bonaventure cemetery and your IR treatment would be a marriage made in heaven.
If the Posse ever wants to gather-up there, I'll be happy to organize the whole thing. Anybody on the forum would be more than welcome to attend. Either Spring or Fall would be ideal. I'll be going up for a few days right after Thanksgiving....I'm in bad need of a dose of the place.
Tom
P.S. Anybody visiting Savannah for the first time would be well advised to read the book " Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil ". No other literary piece I've ever read does as good a job of educating one to the tone of the place....the people, their culture, and the deep currents that swirl throughout the life-fabric there.