Naples, southwest Florida. Choppy waters on the Gulf of Mexico. Paul Goldfinger photo. Click to enlarge.
Naples is a fabulous international city in southwest Florida.
The downtown is elegant with beautiful shops and restaurants. Yet, despite attracting tourists, the beaches are open and uncrowded. That’s because there is plenty of parking and no mega events to force the residents into their homes such as happens in Ocean Grove and continues into September and beyond.
This photograph is from March, peak season for southern Florida.
Ft. Myers, Fla. farmers market. Gypsy fashion. Paul Goldfinger photo. December 2020. Blogfinger.net. Click once to enlarge.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD. Editor Blogfinger.net
The dark-hued Gypsy music is often described as romantic. It may be a coincidence, but Gypsies are often called Romas. Their music has its origins in eastern Europe and borrows from a number of ethnic musical styles.
The Glenn Miller classic “I Know Why and So Do You” references Gypsy violins: This version is with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and vocalist Paula Kelly as seen in the movie The Shape of Water.
"When you smile at me I hear the Gypsy violins,
When you dance with me, I'm in heaven when the music begins."
Sunset at Bunch Beach in Ft. Myers, Florida by Paul Goldfinger. Click to enlarge.
It’s a black and white sunset, and someone once asked me how I could photograph a colored flower in black and white.
The answer is that color may be pretty, but the soul of a photograph is in the light—the luminance.
And there may be other intangibles to a black and white image which attract appreciation, such as the way George Harrison sees a certain woman below.
Paul Goldfinger . Bunche Beach, Florida.
BEATLES. “Something” was written by George Harrison, the Beatles’ lead guitarist for the 1961 album Abbey Road. This is from the One (1) album.
“Something in the way she moves Attracts me like no other lover Something in the way she woos me I don’t want to leave her now You know I believe and how..”
I tried to photograph this threesome who were selling hand-crafted jewelry at the Outlets Farmers Market on Friday. It was the first day this season, so there was a great deal of enthusiasm. These lovely young ladies weren’t feeling the groove posing for a photo with the masks on, so they asked.
It seemed safe enough with them distanced from all the customers and wearing masks all along. When they took off their masks they were busting out all over—big smiles erupted, and you can see how much was being missed under those masks.
From now on I will try to ask my street photography subjects to briefly unmask. After all, a photo only takes 1/250th of a second. So I took one exposure, the smiles lingered for a few moments, and then the masking resumed.
We went to the Barbara Mann to see the Book of Mormon. It had received many accolades, but we didn’t care for it very much. The subject matter was often pretty gross and unpleasant, plus it was anti-religious, especially towards the Mormons; as well as condescending and/or obnoxious towards a variety of groups including blacks, gays and women.
However, the musical song and dance numbers were often wonderful, such as “Hello” which opened the show (see below).
The show is about the pairs of young men who are sent on two year religious missions all over the world to try to gain converts to the Mormon Church. In the opening number, a group of missionaries dressed in their usual black pants, white shirts and ties, with name tags, perform this lively number called “Hello.” The song is about how they go from door to door, ringing doorbells, with their sacred texts of the Latter Day Saint movement.
They try to interest people in their religion with the ultimate goal of baptizing them. This show is set in a primitive village in Uganda, so the young Elders have their work cut out for them.
The Barbara Mann Theater has a high, grand entrance-way illuminated by the lights shown in the photograph above. The packed house seemed to love the show and gave it a standing ovation with whistles and cheers, although some folks around us left at intermission.
ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST OF BOOK OF MORMON with the opening number “Hello!”
Tina works at the French bakery in downtown Fort Myers. Photo By Paul Goldfinger. Her brioches make fine French toast.
Brioche from “Hey Peach” in Bradly Beach. Paul Goldfinger photo in Eileen’s Ocean Grove kitchen. 10/3/25. The plan is to make French toast.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net. 10/3/25
Speaking of French toast in Ocean Grove, two Grovers have opened one of the finest bakeries around called “Hey, Peach” in Bradley Beach. That bakery has first rate pastries and breads, but they also have authentic croissants and brioches.
Erin and James have hung two of my French black and white photographs in their shop. One is of the Parisian waiters which is on the cover of a book being distributed around the world in multiple languages. And the other is of a morning foggy French country farmers’ market revealing a display totally devoted to foie gras.
Eileen Goldfinger’s OG kitchen has a French flavor with the chef ‘s tile above. I went to “Hey, Peach ” today where the enthusiastic staff sold me macaroons, a sourdough baguette, authentic croissants , a brioche. (above) and a cream puff.
Mel, who runs the front-end display department, tells us that their brioches are often purchased for French toast.
When I saw the brioche today, at first I thought it was a round challah since the High Holy Days just ended, but Eileen had just reposted her French toast recipe using challah, and then I recalled the brioches sold in Ft. Myers Florida to use for French toast.. (above).
To use the bumpy “Hey, Peach” brioche for French toast, Mel suggested that we slice the bumpy top off leaving a flat surface for French toast slices.
ALAN ARKIN (She keeps his blood pressure normal–a non-pharmacologic therapy)
