Author: floridaphotobob@gmail.com

Last week I kicked my Blog off with a humorous look at life in Florida. Perhaps I should not have led with that. I am a really funny guy, but I hope to be a bit more serious when talking about Florida.

Over the coming weeks and months I hope to introduce you to some aspects of Florida life and history you’re not familiar with. Along the way I’ll share some of my photos. So,here we go…

I’ve lived in Venice over forty years now and have seen a lot of changes. I can tell how long someone has lived here by asking a few questions about places around town like Sambo’s, Burger Queen and the two bowling alleys.

Back in the day I was a volunteer firefighter in South Venice. I still have a few pics I took back then. I also wrote a few stories for the local papers. That was before my son was one of the last babies born in Venice Hospital’s short lived maternity ward. He graduated from Venice High, went off to Tampa for college and now lives out of state.

I have been interested in photography for quite some time, but it was not until I got my first digital camera that I really started to take it seriously. The ability to take a hundred photos instead of twelve makes it a lot easier to hone ones skills.

Since then I’ve sold photos locally as well as via the internet. My photos hang on walls from Florida to new England to The west coast and places in between. One of my photos ended up on the cover of a trade magazine while another was used for a “Call to Action: by the Audobon on-line.

In addition to photo prints I sell stuff. Tote bags, greeting cards, throw pillows and coffee mugs among other things. I use a print on demand service which means the service basically buys my images and prints them or puts them on the products. Each image is printed as needed  Any print, any product you buy is made just for you. Because there is no warehouse full of them it means that you might be the only person on the planet to own an image or product.

Florida landscapes are my specialty, but that is by no means the only subject of my photos. Traveling is a passion that perfectly compliments my photography. As a result you can visit places you’ve never been or find a memory among my photos. Take a moment to check out my images at RobertWilderJr.com. It’s free to look. Hopefully you’ll find something you just have to have if not for yourself them for someone you love. Art is the perfect gift. It is unique, personal and always thoughtful.

Yes, I consider photographs to be art, or at least some photos. Some are just snapshots, the kind you take on vacation. This would include selfies. Seriously, though, try someone elsies instead or at least turn around once in a while. I really can’t tell if that selfie was taken in your backyard or Paris. Your big fat head is blocking out the scenery.

Portraits can be art, but that is not their real purpose. I don’t do portraits, but that is a personal choice.

Landscapes and other photographs are art. They are meant to evoke an emotion in the viewer. True, they often capture a moment in time a place in space, but there s more to them than that.

Personally I hope to show people things they see every day but never really see. And I have had some success with that. On Wednesdays I run a feature called Weird Wednesday where I share some odd or humorous photos I have taken over the years. Several times I’ve had people say they have driven by there many times, or been to that park and never noticed that. It is fun.

I also feature Friday Florida Fun Facts. Some of those will show up in my Blog in expanded forms (both more words and photos).

Most photos that I share will be available to purchase on my web site. Just click and you will be magically transported.

Hope to see you back soon.

One thing you learn living in Florida is that a lot of people that have never visited the state have a very distorted view of life in the Sunshine State. No one can dispel all the myths, but I’d like to give a try at ending some of those misconceptions right now.

1) Florida is home to a million different bugs.

O.K. Florida is warm year round so, yes, we do have lots of bugs, but there are actually only two types of insect in the state. The kind that are small enough to slip right through the holes in the screen door and those big enough to open the door for themselves. Seriously, that’s it.

 

2) Everybody’s from someplace else.

It’s true that we do have a lot of transplanted residents here. I am one of them. I’ve only lived in Florida to about 40 years. I do, however know several people born and raised in the state. My son is one. I do have grown adult friends who are second third or more generation Floridians including one whose family came here to help build “Flagler’s Folly”. Look it up.

If you want to go on believing there is no such thing as a native Floridian go ahead. Just don’t argue with me when I tell you that you are wrong because you are wrong.

3) Florida has no seasons. It’s always summer.

First off, what’s wrong with that? Second, we do have seasons. Four of them just like everyone else. Our seasons do kind of overlap and aside from Hurricane season there are no specific start and end dates.

Hurricane Season. Runs from June 1st to November 30th. Not that those dates really mean anything. We can get a tropical storm before or after the official season. By the way, there is no truth to the “fact” that Florida gets the most hurricanes. Historically we’ve had more storms hit than any other single state, but overall we get less than half of all storms.

Rainy Season. Starts sometime in what some call spring. During rainy season we get rain most every day, usually in the afternoon. These can be heavy thunderstorms, but they are seldom long in duration. When the weather people say there is a fifty percent chance of rain that means it is going to rain, but only on half of us. Literally. It might rain on your left shoulder but not your right.

Dry Season. Whenever it’s not rainy season. Our lawns go into hibernation (unless you water them) and everything else turns brown. A lot of trees will drop their leaves, though they will often sprout new ones the next day.

Snowbird Season. This is when most people are in the state. It starts in October or November depending on weather up north and runs through Easter. Easter weekend usually sees more people in the state than any other time. Most Floridians have a love/hate relationship with Snowbird Season. We like the boost it gives our economy, but hate the crowded roads and restaurants.

4) All the old people live in St Pete.

The running joke is “all the old folks live in St Pete but their parents live in [insert name of your town here]”. In reality there are old folks scattered all around the state. The average age of Floridians is around 45. That ain’t old. The median age is even younger at around 39. Wait. What? Florida is jam packed with old folks, so what gives?

First, remember all those Snowbirds that flock down here in the winter? Many of them are not Florida residents, so they don’t count. Also, it really depends on where in Florida you are that determines how many old folks you’ll see. There are several planned retirement spots round the state that attract grammas and grampas by actually saying you have to be old to live there.

My city of Venice is not a planned community. it’s just a great place to retire. Here the median age is around 67. .

5) Everything is close to Disney World.

Orlando is close to Disney World. Orlando is in the center of the state. You can’t get an ocean view room there. Everything else is a bit farther away. Seriously, just take a look at a map. go ahead. I’ll wait.

Florida is a narrow state, but it is long. If you are planning a trip to Florida do some research. A trip to Disney does not mean taking a quick trip to Miami for a Cuban sandwich (it’s over three hours by car).  Try Tampa instead, anyway. That’s where the Cuban originated.

I’ll be bringing you more info on the Sunshine state in the months to come. Most of the articles will be more serious in nature with some great vacation tips, but I’ll always be  trying to sell you something so be careful. Er. I mean, have your credit cards ready!