Five acres and a house for sale

The five acres and this house are located about a mile from our home, back in a woodsy area. We had not driven by here recently, so were surprised to see how the place had become overgrown. Just a year ago, people lived in this house. Now, it is abandoned, although I have a feeling certain folks use it for parties in the middle of the night.

Note the open window with the curtain drifting out.

The Live Oak Animal Clinic

Dr. Douglas Shearer is the vet in charge of this very busy clinic. They handle small and large animals. Our Haley is a Golden Retriever and we chose Dr. Shearer because he is a Golden owner, loves Goldens and is part of the Golden Rescue service.

A few years ago, he was instrumental in saving Haley's life.

He also has a great sense of humor. Notice he has conveniently located a doggie restroom in front of the clinic.



The clinic recently remodeled the building. Evidently, they were having some problems with unruly children. Thus the sign, posted prominently in the waiting area.

Bench - lonely, green, nailed down, and empty!

Our entry for today's theme (Empty) is this lonely bench located on the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway here in Ocala.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Too hot in the kitchen?

Pixel Perfect Award given to Quincy Daily Photo!


The Pixel Perfect Award is a prestigious award given to a photo blogger who exhibits exceptional photographic skills in terms of artistic creativity, composition, sharpness and exposure.

Quincy Daily Photo is a stellar photo blog and we offer our congratulations and best wishes for continued success.

Please check out QDP and offer your congratulations also.

Squirrels are just plain nuts!

If you're a squirrel and you see a new bird feeder being set up in someone's backyard, you immediately begin devising a way to defeat whatever anti-squirrel device the property owner installs.

We know this is true from our experience. We put up the bird feeder with a plastic hood. If the squirrels jump on the plastic hood, they will be flipped to the ground. We watched with great amusement as this happened several times.

But then the little rascals held a meeting. The next thing we observed was one particularly agile little squirrel shimmy up the shiny steel post (which, we naively thought he wouldn't be able to do). Then, as in the first photo, he jumped to the feeder, grabbing it with his feet.

He then proceeded to pull himself up so he could access the feeder.

It worked great. He could eat his fill and then knock more seed to the ground where his partner in crime waited to sample their ill-gotten gains!

But, I'll think of something else. I'm not beaten yet!

Let Freedom Ring!

Let Freedom Ring!

See, here's the thing:
Some things matter
More than others.
Freedom, for instance...
The right of
Self-determination.

See, here's the thing:
Ayatollahs everywhere -
Presidents, premiers,
Ministers or fuhrers -
Know not freedom;
Only power derived from fear.

See - here's the thing:
Power - assumed, stolen, or built on fear
Is weakness
Not strength.
Real power derives only
From the people.

See - here's the thing:
Today, in Iran and in Europe,
In Asia and the Americas,
In countries everywhere
The people gather and the people sing
"Let Freedom Ring!"

See - here's the thing:
Freedom is the most important thing.

Let freedom ring!


A poem in honor of our City Daily Blogger colleague, Amir, from Tehran, Iran, who is missing in action.

Sunday, June 28, has been set aside to call attention to his plight.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Old horse barn

It appears to be an old horse barn, now abandoned and gradually falling into disrepair surrounded by new homes and shopping centers along Highway 200. The photo has been treated with the Triqui paint process.

Walking in the shadows

Hot Dog Lady and Pixel Perfect Award

The Hot Dog Lady as she is commonly known, has been a fixture in Ocala's downtown square for a number of years. Not too long ago, the City Council tried to move her out, but there was an outburst of outrage and they backed off. So, she still sells her hot dogs on the corner to most everyone's delight.



Dusty Lens, the erstwhile blogger from Minneapolis, Minnesota has been designated to receive the Pixel Perfect award!

This prestigious award is given to a photo blogger who exhibits exceptional photographic skills in terms of artistic creativity, composition, sharpness and exposure.

Dusty Lens meets those criteria in a walk! Please check out his blog here and give your eyes a treat!

An unsual scene

In Ocala, it's hard to get around on a bicycle because of the lack of bike lanes and the continuous flow of traffic. It's very dangerous. But one person did it. This is an unusual photo for our town. The bike is parked outside of the bookstore, Barnes & Noble, which just recently moved from this site to the Heathbrook Marketplace, a beautiful new outdoor mall.

Abandoned house

An abandoned house in the woods about a mile from our home.

Side stairs, Marion Theater, Ocala

The Marion Theater in downtown Ocala is still defunct. I assume these stairs lead to the "stage entrance," but there are no markings. I love stairs and thought these were rather special.

Tin Cup's Tavern

I'm not sure if this tavern took its name from the movie, Tin Cup, which starred Kevin Costner and Rene Russo, but it doesn't seem to have anything to do with golf. We have not patronized it, but I've heard it is a pleasant place with decent food and drink and good music. It is located downtown, opposite the square on Silver Springs Boulevard.

Wild and beautiful

This plant, whatever it is, grows wild along Ocala's Florida Greenway trail. It has been photoshopped using Triqui's paint process.

Ocala mural

The building is the same one that houses the Melting Pot restaurant. You will see this mural as you enter the downtown area on Silver Springs Boulevard (Highway 40) heading east.

The mural celebrates a few Ocala icons: Horses, of course; Oak trees; water birds; the downtown gazebo; and Silver Springs Park.