Chihuly - Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Tonight I went with some of the gals from work to the Dale Chihuly exhibition at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. It was really interesting. We got there about an hour after we wanted to because of Miami traffic, but we still had a good time. Right away, they all sat down with some other people we ran into (members from work) to feed themselves and I wandered around taking a few photos while it was still light out. By the time I wandered back, they had eaten their fill and fed the rest to me - the food was much better then the service!

I was hoping to be there in time to see the Amorphophallus titanum bloom, but alas, a dollar short and a day late - well actually $30 short, and 13 days late. It was all shrivled up and brown, and looked like a dead dog - about that size too!

This is called Niijima Floats, and was found in the Benjamin Rush Sibly Victoris Amaxonica Pool.

Here is the White Tower, found in the Baily Palm Glade Pool.

I liked the way the light played off the Tumbleweeds onto the ceiling of the Whitman Tropical Fruit Pavilion.

The Carnival Boat was really interesting at night, located in Pandanus Lake. 

Wedding Photos

Today's photos are brought to you by our proud sponsors, the Letter 'Orange' and the Number 'Left'.

I just can't seem to get it right. Sorry folks, but today's picturebook story is going to be read to you backwords. I posted to this blog in chronological order (photo sets wise) so they will be read by you, the esteemed audience, in reverse chronological order. Don't worry kids, our heros will still live happily ever after.

Mr. Chris Powell and all the new women in his life. His new Friends and Family, belonging to Mrs. Chris Powell, as well as a few old ones of his own.

Mrs. Chris Powell and the new men in her life. Friends and family.

Chris being supported by her new menfolk.

Husband and Wife. 

Street Vendors at the Mallory Park Sunset Festival

One of the street performers had a dog that could do tricks. The performer needed some help and selected one of us! Lori was a good sport about it too.

Needing a third, and final person, the groom himself was pointed out by about 30 people - there were only 22 of us total, and not everyone was at the festival. Brother Chris was asked for a dollar bill and he looked to his bride-to-be as she was carrying his wallet. His very-near-future father-in-law bailed him out with a 5 dollar bill. Chris folded the bill the long way, and then the OTHER long way and put it in his mouth. The dog ran an obsticle course and jumped up and took the bill out of brother Chris's mouth. Quite cool considering we had 2 participants in the act.

A photo of the sunset from Mallory Park in Key West, Florida.

Here is a photo of the group that attended Chris's wedding. From right to left: Everyone. Missing from the photo are myself, Cousin Keven, and friends Delgado. 

Florida Keys Sunset Festival

Key West has a "Sunset Festival" in Mallory Park off the north end of Duval Street. There are a bunch of street performers and such, but what I like, is the sunset.

A 'normal' sunset photograph during the Sunset Festival in Mallory Park in Key West, Florida.

I got out one of my fancy camera filters and took this photo with the 8 point star filter.

Here I used my 'Sunset' filter, but I think I had it in upside down - the darker part was up.

The 'Sunset' filter can really make a sunset pop. 

Obligatory Key West Photos

One simply cannot go to the Florida Keys and not come back with any Cock and Pussie photos... It seems like no matter wich way you turn, you catch sight of one or the other, they are running wild all over the island. I would highly recomend going in the spring, the chicks are EVERYWHERE!
 
 
 
  

Photos from the Powell Wedding in the Florida Keys.

I started to get my film developed tonight. I grabbed 3 rolls at random and went off in search of a 1 hour lab. I stopped by at Wolf Camera first. They want around $15 to get my double prints plus index print and a CDROM for a 24 exposure roll AFTER I buy the fotoclub card or whatever their discount card is. That is going to be $200 to get the photos developed. MADNESS

I ended up at Target. The local target seems to do a good job. $11 a roll. I can't read their receipt, they ring it up differently then they sell it. I guess it isn't all that much cheaper then Wolf Camera is...

I went all the way to the end of the road. As far south as you can drive. I like the house number.

Chris's neice.

Chris and her father, John Downs.

Brother Chris's father.

 

Photos on the beach after the wedding.

Chris & Chris Powell on the beach

I think she is ticklish there

Mrs. Chris Powell's Brother, Siter-in-law, and nephew.

Chris & Chris Powell practicing...

 

More photos on the beach after the wedding.

Chris & Chris Powell on the beach.

They don't know who to look at for the next photo!

Posing for the Photographer.

Chris practicing... Lets see how lont THAT lasts...

 

The Powell Wedding in the Florida Keys

I went to the Florida Keys this last weekend. The furthest south I have ever been in my life by a good long ways. Two of my friends from Florida where getting married. Chris & Chris Powell they are now. You can't imagine how confusing it is to talk about one of them. It was a wonderful wedding on the beach in Key West, Florida. I took over 10 rolls of film with my Nikon N80 SLR camera, those photos will be posted later, after they are developed. I lent my digital camera to Keara, and she (and whomever else picked my camera up) took 180 photos with it!

Chris and Chris saying "I Do" on the beach. There where twenty people their between friends and family, a very nice, small wedding in the sand. Can you imagine a prettier location? Sandy beach, palm trees, sun-bathers...

Somehow I managed to make the "very short list" of friends. Here are all the non-family who where at the wedding. I would give all the names for the people in this photo, but I can never remember Lori's name. She got mad at me for sticking my camera in her face during all the photos. I let the photographer do his thing, and I was taking photos of other stuff, like everyone all dressed up, not staring glassy-eyed into the camera lens.

After the wedding and the photos, we went to a place on Duval Street called Fogarty's. We had the upstairs to the place and all of us got around 2 large tables. The food was really good. Mr. Chris did the smearing of cake onto Mrs. Chris's face. I think this is the best cake that I have EVER had! It had strawberries inside of it. YUM!

Chris wore her dress the whole night. She had a blast parading around Mallory Park for the Sunset Festival. People would stop and congratulate her, honk the horns on their cars and scooters driving by, it was a lot of fun. We ended up at Rick's for a night of bootie shaking!

Photo Credits: Assorted (read, I haven't a clue!) 

The Essential Calvin Blog: Breeding in the Fish Tank

The Essential Calvin Blog: Breeding in the Fish Tank

My last college roomate's mom's Angel Fish laid eggs this last weekend (talk about 7 degrees...). Her tank must be boring, as they laid the eggs on the glass in the corner. Last report is that the eggs haven't been eaten yet. It looks like she is going to have to figure out how to get rid of baby Angel Fish now!

If you look at her fish's top fins, you can tell that they where raised in a small (short) tank. The fins roll back instead of standing up nice and straight like my Angel's fins do. If the fish are raised in a larger tank, they get the nice, straight fins.

Broward County Convention Center

Here is a photo of the Water Sculpture in front of the Broward County Convention Center where our REALTOR Rally was held on Friday. 

2006 Fort Lauderdale Air and Sea Show

Today was the 2006 Fort Lauderdale Air and Sea Show. A whole lot of people, a lot of sunscreen, a few planes, and fewer cloths all headed to the beach.

Here the Marines where showing off. I think the action is going on about 2 miles north of where I was standing.

All kinds of people came out to watch the show.

Check out all of them private boats out there. They where kept 4000 feet away from the beach to allow the planes room to make some noise - They are almost a mile away!

Here you can see that the Blue Angels where zooming about through town. I think I even saw them circle a gas station once, but they didn't stop in - I am guessing gas prices where too high. 

Fort Lauderdale Air and Sea Show

The Canadian Snowbirds put on an impressive show. Nine jets doing all kinds of interesting areobatics. There was even a Canadian ship here for Fleet Week.

I got to see a pair of F22 Raptors. Very impressive Jets.

The Stealth Bomber was probably one of the quietest planes there today.


I walked from Oakland Park Blvd, down past Las Olas Blvd and back again today. I get home, and what goes RIGHT OVER where I live? One of the Blue Angels. He was moving so fast that I couldn't get a photo of him - I got a photo of a pile of doggy bones next to the pool instead. This one will have to suffice, but it was also taken from my back yard. 

RAGFL Realtor Rally 2006

Today was a LOOOOOOooooonnnnnnggggggg day. We had our annual tradeshow today. I was "invited" to attend - read PUT TO WORK.

I am happy though, I was given a radio this year. I only had to walk from one end to the other 3 or 4 times as opposed to the 9 or 10 times that I did last year. Last year I was chasing moving targets blind. This year I knew when they where looking for me and could hide more effectivly **grin**. Actualy, the only time that they called for me and I didn't jump right on it was when I was eating my lunch.

I spent half the day printing up name-badges. I had suggested that we bring a laptop and a printer this year as last year we didn't have an introduction for one of our speakers. last year and it was a big deal to get it. The big boss lady pooh-poohed the idea when I brought it up earlier this week. One of the other "big" people thought it was a good idea. So we brought one along. I also went around yesterday and gathered up digital copies of everything people had printed to bring along and put it on my USB drive. Guess what, we needed something printed off again. YAY me. Too bad the big boss man or the big boss lady won't recognize it. so, that disaster averted, I ended up spending half the day printing out namebadges for the vendors that just showed up. Next year, I am bringing a paper cutter too. Better yet, we need to do a better job of getting vendor names before hand. I would swear that there where as many vendors as attendees judging from the number of extra badges I needed to print up.

My feet are threatening secession if the rest of me doesn't go to bed soon. That would make wandering around the Fort Lauderale Air and Sea show difficult tomorrow. 

My Mess at work.

This week has been a tough one. First, my boss got offered an awesome job that sounds like it comes with a hefty pay raise from another company. Half my friends at work have moved on now. I am going to really miss her.

Tomorrow is our annual Tradeshow, so we have been working like mad to try and make that go well.

This weekend is the Air and Sea show. The Blue Angels where buzzing around town all day today. Pretty cool. I am going to the show on Saturday with Chris and a few of his friends it sounds like.

I haven't been sleeping well again lately, I was up at 3am programming in my head last night. I am migrating the websites to a new server, and some of the code is behaving badly.

At home it seems like I have been so busy, but I haven't gotten anything done. I can't even tell you what I have been doing. No playing UO, no reading of books, no nothing.

I got my hair cut tonight. Hopefully he got the lazy hairs....