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Taken
© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
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Wounded, reproachful
“I trusted in You!”, she cries.
There is no response.
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Graffiti bridge in Southwest Florida
© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
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This is the bridge that spans the newly dredged Blind Pass, now flowing between the islands of Sanibel and Captiva here in Southwest Florida. While checking out the pass one day with friends, I could not resist clambering down the hill to the shore, to see if there were any good shells rolling in. That’s when I saw this graffiti message spray-painted on the side of the bridge. It says, “FREEDOM ISN’T UNDER ANY FLAG”.
I don’t know what it’s all about, so I’m going to make something up. I think someone objects to the Pledge of Allegiance. For those of you who hail from countries other than the United States, here’s how the Pledge goes:
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the country for which it stands; one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
One of the best things about being Americans is that we have the right to debate stuff like this. We also have the right to remain silent while the pledge is being said, or to speak out and express our opinions if we feel we are being required to do something that is unconstitutional.
But I don’t think we have the right to deface public property just to get our point across. I haven’t been out to Blind Pass since this photograph was taken, so I don’t know if this has already been addressed. But I do hope that the graffiti is gone the next time I visit.
SIGNS and THE ROAD:
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Catch a wave on Fort Myers Beach
© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
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Sand sculpture of a surfer dude catching a wave. Just trying to be a little clever for Watery Wednesday 
Fort Myers Beach, Florida. 2008
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“A Neighborhood Tradition” on Captiva Island
© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
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This sign hangs over the bar at the Mucky Duck, a restaurant on the island of Captiva. It’s located right next to the jackalope Um, the sign, I mean, not the restaurant!The irony? I don’t think the Mucky Duck is even open for breakfast… but they do have a webcam pointed toward the beach!
SIGNS and THE ROAD:
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Fort Myers Beach Sand Sculpting Festival no longer free
© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
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This is the 23rd year of the Sand Sculpting Festival on Fort Myers Beach here in Lee County, Florida. It is also the year that unemployment in Lee County has climbed to within spitting distance of 14% and may rise well beyond that by year end. So, naturally it makes perfect sense that this is the year that Fort Myers Beach decided to levy a per-head charge of $3-$5 on spectators.
Because, you see, they aren’t going to pay enough for the outrageously over priced hot dogs, burgers and ice cream cones to feed their kids. And they’re certainly not going to make any purchases at the vast open air market, nor are any of them going to belly up to any number of pool bars and fork over ten bucks for something fruity with a little pink umbrella thrown in. And hey, the people who come and cheer and support this festival can certainly make that unemployment check stretch just a wee bit further, so that they can get beyond the barriers that FMB allows the hotels to put in place at the tide line – even though NO ONE OWNS THE BEACHES, DAMMIT.
The whole thing just kind of made me ill, so I skipped it this year. Here are some pics from last year that I never quite got around to publishing. You will note there is a red water sprayer in the first picture, qualifying this post for Ruby Tuesday, where I’m sure Mary will chuckle in appreciation of my righteous indignation. The artists do an amazing job; standing there to watch them, even in the hot sun, is a real treat. Last year, each sculptor had their immediate work area roped off but otherwise, spectators could walk around freely between sites and get as close as perhaps 6-10 feet to any given sculpture.
It’s a damned shame that the people had to PAY to get this close to the sculptures this year. I bet I’m not the only one who stayed away. Fort Myers Beach, in this of all years, you should have figured out another way.
Click the photos to see if a larger version is available in Flickr
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Royal poinciana on the Lee Island Coast
© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
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One of the most beautiful trees I have ever seen is the royal poinciana. This tree is a native of Madagascar and is widely cultivated in the subtropical climate of south Florida. Generally, they are blooming profusely along about May of each year, but some of them are still blooming long after that, into the summer months. This one was captured in May of 2007, when my friends and I rented a boat and ran it out to Cabbage Key, a small vacation island that is part of the Lee Island Coast. I thought the color was especially striking and could not resist snapping away at it. The royal poinciana blooms in colors ranging from yellow through orange and into red. The green feathery foliage makes it doubly ornamental.
According to Wikipedia, there are lots of nicknames for the royal poinciana. It differs from country to country. But the name I like best is the one that the Vietnamese have given to this tree – the phoenix tail. There are two reasons I like “the phoenix tail” best. I like the concept of infinite opportunities for transformation, and it reminds me of Fawkes, the phoenix who lives with Professor Dumbledore in the Harry Potter stories.
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The dread jackalope of Captiva
© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
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Of all the exotic creatures discovered by explorers when they first set foot on Captiva Island, there is none more respected and feared than the dread jackalope. Entire ships full of pirates and other scalawags were brought down by the resident herd, making it difficult to transform Captiva into a proper pirate hangout. This is why the jackalope was hunted nearly to extinction, and why in later years, a permit was necessary to hunt them. Here we see one of the last known specimens of the dread jackalope, stuffed and mounted, hanging over the bar at Captiva’s Mucky Duck restaurant.
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Golden time on Sanibel Island
© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
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Florida skies: painted-on perfection
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Really, it looks fake.
Painted-on, puffy clouds,
backdrop for the palms.
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Take the trolley to Fort Myers Beach
© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
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Driving on Fort Myers Beach is not a very appealing thought during busy beach times. The main drag is one lane in each direction and is easily overwhelmed with traffic. An alternative is to park in the Winn Dixie parking lot on Summerlin and San Carlos, and take the trolley. You still get stuck in traffic, but at least you’re not the one being aggravated by driving. You can read or sleep or chatter with your fellow travelers. And it’s green – reduces your carbon footprint to take mass transit. There are very few mass transit opportunities in this area, so why not take advantage of this one?
R.I.P.
Manic Monday is no more 
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