Thursday, March 2, 2017

Wintering in Sunshine


In the past, I would have been sharing winter scenes this time of year.  But not any more. Aside from a ski trip or two out west with The Professor, I will happily be spending my winters in glorious Florida sunshine. 

The cool thing about living part of the year in here is that there is a local photo club which I have joined.  It is a very active group of several hundred individuals. Some with little experience and others who earn a living at their craft. They host monthly meetings, focus group outings, feedback sessions, and too many other activities to mention.  Needless to say, I am in hog heaven.  Sunshine, beaches, amazing critters and all to be enjoyed through my camera!  (Which has been greatly neglected over the past year.)



In January, the photo club had a fun excursion in Ybor City, a historic neighborhood of Tampa. Although I had been there before, it was fun to see it through my lens.





“ Ybor City was founded as an independent town in 1885 by a group of cigar manufacturers led by Vicente Martinez and was annexed by Tampa in 1887. The original population was mostly composed of Cuban and Spanish immigrants who worked in cigar factories.' 



Ybor City was unique in the fact that it was entirely populated and owned by immigrants. Nowadays, its a mixture of an entertainment and night club district amidst offices and residences.  

A cool place to photograph with its Spanish, Cuban and Italian architecture. The lady below, as you can see, was none so please as I quickly snapped a shot.



We had lunch at the Columbia Restaurant, which is the oldest restaurant in Florida, owned and operated by five generations since 1905.  It was delightful as well as meeting new folks and talking camera talk at lunch.


This past month, we enjoyed the Herrmann's Royal Lipizzan Stallions.  I'll share next time.  Until then, my friends!