Ocala (Florida) Photos

One of Ocala's finest thorougbreds

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Sun, 19 May 2013 23:07:00 +0000

Reading material...

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:43:00 +0000

...appropriately placed!

Silver Springs aka Alligator Alley

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Sat, 18 May 2013 01:10:00 +0000

I'm just kidding about "Alligator Alley," but you will see a number of gators sunning themselves as you glide quietly down the river in one of the glass bottom boats.

Out and about on the Silver River

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:18:00 +0000

Flamingos - Silver Springs Park

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Photo by Lois Anne.

Glass bottom boats - Silver Springs Park

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:25:00 +0000

The State of Florida has purchased the famous Silver Springs park and is in process of making into a Florida State Park. Changes are in the wind and I've heard that the zoo will be removed along with some other attractions.

But the price will drop. The previous owners have charged $44 per day, whereas the state will charge just $8. And the glass bottom boats will remain.

The first photo was taken with a Nikon F4s (film camera) using Fuji Reala film. The second photo was taken by Lois Anne with a Nikon D40 and was cross-posted to our blog on our L & L Photography site yesterday.

Hawk eye

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:55:00 +0000

We are taking a break but will post occasionally on our blog at L & L Photography which you can access here. Our best wishes to all.

The above photo was cross-posted to L & L Photography today.

Father & son ...

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Mon, 06 May 2013 21:43:00 +0000

They may have been shopping for a Mother's Day gift. But it looks like they're heading home empty-handed. :)

Windows 8 is here!

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Sun, 05 May 2013 22:36:00 +0000

Windows 8 has been "here" for some time. The sign has been taken down recently. Do you care? Have to upgraded your Windows PC to Windows 8?

Some of use Macs so it's a moot issue. Well, not entirely, I still use two Windows PC's in tandem with the Mac. But I don't intend to upgrade to Windows 8 in the near future.

Spotted horses plus one not spotted

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Sat, 04 May 2013 22:38:00 +0000

I spotted these horses a few weeks ago on a horse farm in Ocala. It seemed appropriate to post this photo as I read today that fourteen of the horses entered in the Kentucky Derby this year have roots in Ocala, which is, as you know, the "Horse Capital of the World"!

doing dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Fri, 03 May 2013 22:49:00 +0000

Okay, it's the weekend. You've worked hard for 5 days. (Unless you're retired like some people I know). You need a break and you certainly don't feel like cooking. But the restaurants are going to be jammed. So, go to doingdinner.com. I think they can help! Maybe.

Ocala's Scientology center - downtown

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Thu, 02 May 2013 22:39:00 +0000

Word is that John Travolta, who owns a home in Ocala, provided the funding necessary to get this Scientology center set up. Aren't we lucky?

Your Wife Knows...

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Thu, 02 May 2013 11:40:00 +0000

Knows what? There are two of these signs on SW Highway 200, one on either side of the highway. Whatever do they mean? Who put them there? So many questions.

Krazy Kid

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:20:00 +0000

This young man lives dangerously. Driving well over the speed limit, weaving in and out of traffic, he crossed double-lines to pass our car. Stymied by a red light, we pulled up behind him. I was able to snap this picture before the light changed and he roared of in a cloud of dust. Hopefully he's got some guardian angels as he's going to need them!

Second Wind

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 19:50:00 +0000

Another beautiful horse farm in the city of Ocala.

A country lane in the midst of the city

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 22:10:00 +0000

Ocala's Resident Kook

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 02:09:00 +0000

This old guy has been promoting his hatred of our president for the past several years on this particular corner with a variety of signs. Most people pay him no mind. I have not seen him recently, however, and that may be due to the fact the Ocala City Council passed an ordinance forbidding begging at certain intersections based upon the belief that these people are a distraction and a danger to motorists. It appears our resident kook has disappeared along with the beggars.

Rock yard

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:29:00 +0000

Some people in our subdivision have become tired of watering, weeding and feeding grass. So, they installed a rock yard. It may not be as pretty and you can't play bocce on it but it certainly involved less maintenance!

Sometimes a heron will strike a pose!

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:48:00 +0000

Do not feed or pet the horses!

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 22:41:00 +0000

Good advice. And never look a gift horse in the mouth!

Horse barn - southeast Ocala

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:29:00 +0000

Sunday afternoon walk

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 21:33:00 +0000

An older woman and her caregiver take a leisurely walk in Sholom Park on a Sunday afternoon.

5 acres for lease

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 22:38:00 +0000

If you need to lease 5 acres of land, have I got a deal for you! Or not.

Cold calling

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:07:00 +0000

If I recall correctly, this guy was waving at vehicles as they passed by in order to call attention to a laundromat in a small strip shopping center. He wasn't having much luck. Perhaps, however, when people need a laundromat they will remember this guy and bring their clothes in for a wash.

It seems we are getting more and more of these "sales" people standing on street corners or in front of a business with a sign or flag or something to catch the attention of folks driving by. Some of them dance a jig, contort their faces, jump up and down, and generally act like idiots.

I find them distracting and have often wondered how many people have crashed into a tree or another car while watching their antics.

The Palms Internet Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (Lowell) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 22:43:00 +0000

The Palms Internet Cafe, located in a strip center on Highways 441/27/301 near downtown Ocala, was the site of an attempted robbery by two 19-year old men last July. But these teens did not count on a 71-year old man with a gun. Samuel Williams, a patron, pulled out his .380 pistol and began shooting. The teens fled the scene but not before being shot and wounded by Mr. Williams. They were later captured and arrested by the police.

Mr. Williams is licensed to carry a concealed weapon and was not charged.

One of the teens, a former employee of the "cafe," hatched the robbery plot with a friend, thinking there would be a lot of cash available and that the cafe would be an easy mark.

Such Internet cafes, which provide food and drink for their patrons, are essentially gambling houses, or as someone else said, they use the Internet as "a portal to online gambling."

The State of Florida has, however, just recently passed a law banning such cafes. While I don't care at all about Internet cafes, this ban makes no sense to me, because one can gamble via the state-sponsored lottery and in casinos on Indian reservations throughout the state. But in Florida, hypocrisy is the name of the game. And you must remember, our governor, Rick Scott, is a hypocrit writ large, being the criminal who committed the largest case of Medicare fraud against the U.S. government in history!

To summarize: Never underestimate a 71-year old man with a concealed weapons permit. And if you want to gamble in Florida, you're now going to have to find somewhere other than an Internet cafe.

You an see a video of the attempted robbery here.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT2na0WG1uA