Had a wonderful day today at Trout Lake Nature Area with the family
Uploaded a couple shots to 500px. Here’s my favorite from the set.
Anhinga’s Tree
A flock of anhinga and a lazy gator enjoying the Florida sunshine
Also grabbed a quick video of the finches playing in the trees.
Showdown 33: Fort Pierce Central vs Fort Pierce Westwood
I know I’m late in getting this post up, but I’ve been keeping very busy (and sleeping a lot thanks to my CFS).
Showdown 33 was very difficult for me; I’m a Westwood alumni, but now I have one child at each of the participating schools—and my son plays on Central’s JV football team! I started out the game on the Central side, but nearly incited a riot when I cheered a Westwood interception play (it was beautiful and I couldn’t resist). After that, I made the switch and sat with Westwood’s supporters. Allegiance aside, I did get the chance to try my hand at some sports photos. Here they are, segregated by school in a sort-of choose your own adventure gallery pairing.
Brynn & David: Photographing My First Wedding
On June 30th, I had the pleasure of attending and photographing the wedding of two wonderful friends of mine, Brynn and David. The wedding was held at Pepper Park with a reception at Melon Patch Inn following. The ceremony was the beautiful beach wedding so many brides dream of (accomplished with the help of Weddings by Rachel) and the reception was a fun-filled event full of love and laughter, all highlighted by the creative, hand-made touches created by the bride. Congratulations to the happy couple!
Help Save the James McCabe Theater
Odds are that you’ve never heard of the Florida town of Valrico or of the James McCabe Theater, so let me give you a bit of background. Valrico, which is Spanish for “Valley of God,” was first settled under the name Long Pond, but it was renamed in the 1880s when it experienced its first influx of residents. Despite the appealing new name, the town saw little success—in 1893, there were 100 residents and by 1911, that number had fallen to a mere 50 people.
Hoping to keep the town from going under, The Valrico Improvement Association was formed; it worked closely with residents to help fund the development of the community. The Association was founded in 1913 with WF Miller as the president. Soon the group had raised the $3500 needed to buiild the new Valrico Civic Center, which was completed in 1915. The the Depression hit and it hit Valrico hard. The community was once again on the decline, but when State Road 60 connected the small town to Tampa, its future began to look brighter. Then, during the recent Florida land boom, people began to flock to the area. As of 2010, the Valrico population numbered at 35,545, a 440% increase from only 10 years before.
Today, the James McCabe Theater is housed in the old Valrico Civic Center, the only remaining commercial structure from Valrico’s near-forgotten turn-of-the-century land boom. But that might not be the case for long; without community support, efforts to preserve the Theater will be doomed.
If you’re in Florida, and you care about the preservation of historic buildings, join us at the James McCabe Theater on June 16 for a fun-filled, old-fashioned fundraising event. There will be plenty of food for everyone, and you’ll be able to show off your talents at Corn Hole or Redneck Horseshoes. The event staff will be serving up a history of the location, along with hamburgers and hotdogs, Juan R Leon will be performing (www.juanrleon.com) and there will be a raffel, photo ops for individuals and groups and even an informal ghost hunt!
I’ll be in attendance, presenting a unique look at the haunted trees of Florida (from 5pm-6pm) so be sure to introduce yourself!
All proceeds will go to benefit the Theater.
Tickets are $10 per person.
McCabe Theater Restoration Project
presented by
Plant City Paranormal Research & Fire and Ice Paranormal
in cooperaiton with
United Paranormal International’s
Historic Preservation Society