Happy New Year from Paris!

Tonight is New Year's Eve and I hope to be in the midst of the crowds celebrating with champagne. What a delightful way to welcome in 2009!!!!!

Best wishes to all of my fellow bloggers and blog readers.

A bientot.

Posting from Paris!!!

Merry Christmas from Paris. It is beautiful here and all of the people I have met are lovely. Best wishes to all for a joyous New Year!!!

This wasn't taken in Kissimmee but in Dade City, another old Florida town. My inherited daughter and I drove there awhile ago and walked around the downtown and checked out some of the stores. I spoted this water thingie and thought it made a good subject for a photo. So here it is..

And I leave for Paris today so this will be my last post until I return.. I've just been too busy and tired to write up 20 days of posts before I go.. I have house guests who are going to take care of my house and I've been showing them all the little and not so little quirks in the house so hopefully they won't have too many problems.

Mine have been piling up.. I'm hoping not an omen of things to come. I have a cold.. my suitcase was way too big and too heavy so I bought another one and dug out an old one so I can pack two lighter ones... the raincoat with hood that I bought came down to my shoes and I looked like a cross between not-so-little Red Riding Hood and Cousin It from the Adams Family.. so off I went to find another. I repacked my suitcases and my cat, Shadow, kept climbing into and on them hoping to keep me from leaving him.

Hopefully today will be a better day...

Paris Countdown: I leave this afternoon and I arrive in Paris Tuesday morning ...!!!

This should be the last of my lamposts. This motif is the live oak which is one of our most common trees here in Central Florida. They grow very large and give us much needed shade.
I have five very large ones on my property that were almost totally denuded of leaves and small branches by Hurrican Charlie but they held up and are well on their way to recovering.

Paris Countdown: 1 Day!!

This streetlamp displays the typical Florida cattle silhouette. Most of the beef cattle raised in this area are American Brahmam.

The American Brahman - the first beef breed developed in the United States - has played an important part in cattle crossbreeding programs throughout the Americas. Brahman cattle were imported from India into the United States as early as 1854 - gifts from the British government to Louisiana rancher Richard Barrows. By 1926, 266 bulls had been placed on Gulf Coast ranches from Florida to Texas.

As many Seminole elders will remember, it was the Brahman crossing on the Florida native cattle that gave the state's cattle industry its base cows for many of the great cattle herds that call Florida home: Lykes Brothers, A. Duda and Sons, Mormon's, Alico, the Babcock Florida Company, even our own Seminole herds.

These cattle have endured famine, insects, ticks, flies, mosquitoes, and harsh climates and will adapt well to the harsher tropical and sub-tropical environments. They also secrete sebum, an oily substance, from their skin - effective in repelling insects.


The above is from a March 2001 article about the Seminole Tribe's use of the Red Brahmam instead of the more common grey.

Paris Countdown:2 Days!!

Last month I posted one of our city's lamposts that had a cowboy boot on it.. Here is one with cowboy on a bucking horse. It is decorated with a red bow for the holidays. Each block in downtown has a different motif on the streetlamps.. I'll do another one in a few days.

Paris Countdown: 3 Days!! Panic is setting in..

A sandhill crane in the front yard and my cat, Sassy, in the window fascinated by it. She gets excited by the smaller birds but she's not sure she'd want catch this one.

Paris Countdown:4 Days!!

Yesterday was watermelon at the Farmer's Market.. This is the entrance to the square downtown where it is held.. They also do music and other activities there. Much of downtown is being renovated and is looking good..

Paris Countdown:5 Days!!!

Our Farmer's Market is on Thursday and I always love the vendors and their cheerful dispositions and the rows and rows of produce. Last week the watermelons looked good but I resisted the temptation. Too big for one person.. My house sitters will be here on Wednesday so this week I may bring one home.

Paris Countdown:6 Days!!!

This is Jeremy who, along with his family, own Laniers Antique store in Downtown Kissimmee. He sets up every morning by bringing out piles of items to display on the sidewalk. Usually there are some chairs where you will find Jeremy, his Dad, or some of the locals sitting in and discussing current Kissimmee events.

Paris Countdown:7 Days!!!

The Kissimmee Sculpture Experience





Of all the new Downtown Kissimmee sculptures, I think this one is my favorite.
It is by Carlos J. Diaz of Kissimmee and is called Dream Rider. See the plaque for details and artist's statement.

Paris Countdown:8 Days!!!

I love this character from Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba show at Downtown Disney. All of the costumes are wonderful but this one is just a delight..and so is the character.

This is a photo taken from a large sign above the doorway to the shop at Cirque du Soleil. I had taken a larger area but there was a metal bar dividing the photo so I cropped it. I like the colors.

Paris Countdown: 9 Days!!!

This is the arch with the two gentlemen from yesterday's post. Done in a primative folk art style with many interesting tidbits set into it. Next time I'm there I'll try to take some closeups.I shot this photo during the crowded art show and found it difficult to get a clear photo.

Paris Countdown:10 Days!

I'm doing two photos today because these guys go together.. they are on the side of an arch at the back entrance to The House of Blues at Downtown Disney. This area is where they put the folk art when they have their Festival of the Master's annual art show. I like the crude collage way that it's done. Lots of odds and ends embedded in the concrete.

Paris Countdown: 11 Days!!

My neighbor's yard offers many photo opportunities.. He has a collection of statues that have aquired a nice aged patina.. I thought this one would look best in sepia.

Paris Countdown:12 Days!!

This is my neighbor's tree.. The orange is about 1 inch across and his little tree is full of them. I need to find out the proper name for it. In the background is a bouganvilla that covers the back of the house and blooms a number of times during the year.

I just realized that yesterday was an aniversary.. One month since I started this blog.

Paris Countdown: 13 Days!

Theme Day: Circles/Spheres




This isn't Kissimmee.. I took this photo July 2007 in Albi, France. I think these are to keep cars from careening onto the walk areas and smushing the pedestrians. What a good idea.. Albi was lovely. We took a very enjoyable cruise on the river while there and of course went to their stunning cathedral. I am so smitten with France and cannot wait to get to Paris.

Paris Countdown: 14 Days!!


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