The Great White is about 3 feet tall, a little shorter than the Great Blue. It has long black legs. It weighs a little over 2 pounds, but its wing span is 4 feet. Around the time when Ocean Grove was founded, the Great White Egret was endangered due to the needs of the hat industry. But it has come roaring back. It hunts for fish and small animals like frogs.
Thomas Edison had over 1000 patents, so he undoubtedly had lots of dough. His estate on the Caloosahatchee River is lovely, but quite unassuming. This is his kitchen. He and his wife had a maid and probably a cook.
As you can imagine, the home was well lit with lots of light bulbs and lighting fixtures. We have photographed other rooms as well as the property.
Just type Edison Estate or Thomas Edison into the search box at the top of this home page.
ANDY FARBER AND HIS ORCHESTRA: “Midnight, the Stars, and You.” (Hey Tommy—-please turn on the lights! I can’t find the phonograph!)
Naples is a fabulous 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 they don’t want to attract throngs, so 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.
They are a group of about eight friends who met on this beautiful Sunday morning, for a session of wind surfing. The group meets at various locations where conditions might be ideal. They told me that the winds were good for about one hour this morning, just enough time to form a line and catch the breezes as they surfed around in a big continuous circle, like sail boats do. It is a strenuous sport, and you have to be in good condition; the surfers were a mix of men and women of varied ages.
I watched their session as the wind caught their colorful sales and propelled them at high speed through the calm surf. It wasn’t easy to stay afloat.
I got a chance to take some photos, then, as they reorganized on shore, we chatted for a while. One of them, a professional piano tuner, gave me her card. I promised to send them some photos, which I did.
They all seemed to have a wonderful fun time. They were laughing and chatting away on the beach as they explained how good this sport made them feel. One of them said, “It’s a great workout.”
Downtown Fort Myers, Florida. First Street is the main street—not Main Street. The place hums and doesn’t roar. It has a slow pace, like much of the South. A historic downtown slowly comes back to life on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River.
By Paul Goldfinger. March, 2015
JESSICA MOLASKEY from the album Pentimento (Ken Peplowski on clarinet)
