AF Twenty-Seven

My cousin Vic and I headed out to Amsterdam for a few day and I took some pics.

New York was blessed with a fresh bed of snow today and I was amped to go out and play in it.

Never too old to have some fun in the snow making a snow angel. Yep.

Since the Gators are National Champs once again, it is only right that I got around to posting the video we shot not too long ago.

A few weeks ago or maybe even months, the crew headed out to UF to film tailgating with VISITFLORIDA.com’s Sports & Adventure Expert Lauren Tjaden. It was a lot fun editing this one because Lauren always does a great job on camera and the fans were all about it.

Go Gators! Not because I attended UF but because the last time I was there I bought a t-shirt that said Gators on it and Alberta Gator is friggin’ hot!

A few weeks ago I took a vacation to the incredible country of Panamá. With a group of about 60 people, I got a chance to really see what Panamá was all about. I ate good, laughed hard, explored, took over 1,500 photographs, and met some good people I’ll probably know for the rest of my life.

With a fraction of the images I created one of the longest photo montages…ever:

My First Trip To Panamá from Amon Focus on Vimeo.

One of my favorite pictures from the trip:

Check out the rest of the pictures here: My First Trip To Panamá

This morning I looked up and thought to myself “Damn, its September already?” I know we’re like pretty much done with the month but time seems to be seriously in the fast lane right now.

Florida summers can be rather interesting due to the heat but this one was special. Summer of ‘08 was straight up and down the shi…great!

Tampa

The crew and I headed out to Tampa to film about a dozen locations. Even though we had the Open Florida RV, there were places that it just couldn’t go so I did a lot of driving.

Our hotel was about 5 minutes away from International Plaza and that meant runs to Gelateria del Duomo for gelato were always priority one. Sugar shocked by our gelato experiences, Missy and I found ourselves screaming “GELATO” in moments of silence for no apparent reason. This usually made Steve cringe and that was the signal for us to do it again.

These guys were a bunch of characters who only spoke in pirate talk. They were all about the Gasparilla Pirate Festival and of course a picture op.

I caught up with Arturo Fuente Jr., President of Tampa Sweethearts Cigar Company and learned a thing or two about cigars.

The attic to the old cigar factory was perfect for smoking and taking pictures. Which cigar is that you ask? The A. Fuente Hemingway.

I also found a great deal of H.O.P.E. during the heritage shoot in south Tampa.

When it came time to film the progress of the Tampa Museum of Art we had to wear hard hats. We didn’t actually get to go on the work site because OSHA also states that it is a hazard to have shorts on at a construction site. So we did the interview outside their aluminum gates.

Forecasting the summer weather in Florida is pretty easy…HOT! Ice pops were essential for successful cool-downs. Missy and I would usually eat about 3 a session.

I had a chance to kick it with the Tampa Bay Lightning mascot ThunderBug! He had a field day on the RV before he got around to signing it.

We also stopped by Burn’s Steak House to film and grub. Burn’s has a wine cellar in their basement which is home to over 100,000 bottles, crazy.

When we got back to the Hyatt Place, Steve-O snapped a few practice shots.

Two Words, King Mogul.

Jungle Island

In Miami, there is a place called Jungle Island and it is home to this thing. This thing, is called a Cassowary. From what I understand from the safety speech I was given prior to filming, is that, this thing…this thing, will kill you if you ever see it in the wild. So if you’re walking down an open plane somewhere in Australia and you happen to cross paths with this thing right here, don’t even bother running. Just make peace with the experience of a turkey-ostrich looking animal with a prehistoric horn shredding you to pieces.

Those were all the thoughts on my mind after the tour guide wrapped his safety speech then put me feet away from the beast that loved to swallow apples whole.

This was also the summer where I issued many cool points to lemurs.

Ft. Myers

We filmed a bunch of fantastic hotels in the Ft. Myers area. Across the street from one of them was a little place called Cuban Tropical Grill. Of course I had to indulge in one of their signature mango smoothies

and then I ordered a sandwich.

Later that night, we hit the Waffle House (sober) for some breakfast and a variety of wild football stories from one of the locals. Yum.

Everglades Alligator Farm

Here is Alligator Bob breaking down the difference between a gator and a croc. They both have teeth and that’s all you really need to know about that.

Here is Bob’s assistant Jeanette the Reptile Wrangler giving her version of the whole gator and croc presentation. For some reason I liked hers a lot better.

Here is a shot of Jeanette hooking me up with an experience with with one of her snakes.

Years ago I would have been like “What? Hold a snake? Fug that!” Now after almost 2 years on the job I’m like “What? Hold a snake? Get the camera.”

Since Jeanette was such a good sport with the crew that we had her sign the RV.

No Everglades excursion would be complete without an airboat ride. Right?

The BBQ out in YBOR

What is a summer with out a BBQ?

At the birthday BBQ, the girls were really into this game called Taboo. I’m supposed to be paying attention.

What is BBQ without a nice dose of healthy laughter?

I was buzzin’ like crazy off MJ’s classic Piña Coladas and if it were possible, I’d be drinking one right now .

Stress

No summer is complete without a healthy serving of stress. I got a big spoon full toward the end of the season but I was on familiar ground so I knew exactly what to do.

At The Beach

Steve and I were brainstorming in the office one day and fun was the topic. Out of about 15 minutes of conversation we manage to come up with a concept called We Ain’t Bored. Pretty soon we got some co-workers, we got some props, and then we shot a video.

One of the videos we shot for the We Ain’t Bored concept took place at the beach.

Missy, Emilie, and Mo all showed up for a Sunday of fun in the sun on the beach. Don’t believe me? Here is the video: At The Beach

Kissimmee

We filmed Medieval Times a few months ago. The only thing I can remember about the show is a woman in a Native American costume riding a horse.

During our travels from destination to destination we ended up in Poinciana and found a little Caribbean jewel called Atty’s Restaurant for lunch. I had the jerk chicken and a bottle of my favorite grapefruit soda, Ting.

Family Reunion

Sometime around the 4th of July I drove with my aunt to Virginia to meet over 100 family members I didn’t even know I had till about a year ago.  Yeesh, it was pretty eerie how much we had in common too.

Here is an actual visual representation of what my family tree looks like on my father’s side.

My sister, my pops, and of course the kid.

I love my family.

My little cousin with the glasses has a name that I love…BROOKLYN!

My silly sister and I doing what we do best, clowning.

I caught this flick with my cousin Rush moments before he chased me through the family luncheon for a one on one game of basketball. I’ve been undefeated in every game that we’ve played since we were kids. Now that I’m grown and out of shape he is dying to play one last game. I’m retired and as it currently stands I’m the chickety chickety CHAMP! Chump.

My pops is a good sport.

I’m really missing my pops and sister as I try to think of a caption for this picture.

My uncle, my pops, and my little cousin.

I wonder what my pops just said to my uncle.

Well folks, it’s a wrap for me. It took me forever and a day to get this post out and hopefully the next one will be a lot sooner than 3 months.

Till Next Time,

Amon Focus

I think today is Thursday but it feels so much more like a Friday. Hold on…wait…wow…it is Friday.

The first two above lines are what I like to call starter lines. It is the section of the post that I write but rarely ever publish. It is a technique I use just to get the ball rolling when I am drawing a complete blank. Pretty much my literary catapult or my creative ice breaker to pick up where the caffeine dissipates. Try it, love it, and expect more of it from my end. Especially since, even at this very point in the post, I still don’t where I’m going with this.

I think I know the angle I’m going to take with this one. I’m going show a dozen or so images and then write captions under them. Does this sound like something that you’d be interested in checking it out? If so, you can get your scroll on…now!

Key West

Skipper, Sunshine, and I headed to The Keys for an expert shoot with Smart Travel Expert, Mitzi Gordon. Here are Mitzi and I taking a smile on Duval Street.

One of the many highlights of the shoot was the Hemingway House. We were granted access behind the great steal gate that guards Hemingway’s writing studio. After the interview, I got to sit in Mr. Hemingway’s actual chair and pretend to type on his typewriter. I gotta admit, I was a little inspired.

On the way to the Kino Sandal Factory, I found this street stencil of Mr.T and Rocky. I don’t remember the movie, but I will remember that day for the rest of my life.

Going to Key West and not taking a picture in front of this monument is like going to Paris and skipping the Eiffel Tower.

New Kicks

When we were heading back to the lab from Destin, I stopped by the Reebok Outlet and dropped 30 bones on a sweet pair on Ventilators for my adventure back to NYC. To see the whole sneaker, stop by my office tomorrow and I’ll see what I can do. Bring Jelly Belly Beans.

South Jamaica Queens

Here is the intercom to get into the building where I grew up. Why am I showing you this? Because I have your attention, yo.

Money-Making Manhattan

I took this picture waiting for my sister to call me back before I hopped on the train.

While I was waiting, I suddenly became infatuated by the style of this crosswalk sign.

Grabbed a pic of one of the music spots I used to hit when I was in high school. If you don’t know about Colony, then you don’t know about music. Well, maybe you do. Plus, I was just kiddin’. Sheesh.

My Little Sister

This is my little sister, Delilah. She is about as cool as little sisters get. Just don’t ask her to make you a sandwich with mayo on it. She hates the stuff. Won’t touch it. D if you are reading this, your Swiffer Sweeper is on the way. Congrats on your new apartment.

Staten Island

My grandmother lives out on Staten Island. When I was a kid, my family and I would take 2 buses, 2 trains, and the Staten Island Ferry just to get to my grandparents’ house. Nowadays, there is a bus that will take you there in a jiffy, but I thought it would be fun to travel the old way.

While on the ferry, I looked at my mom’s wrist while she was eating a bag of pretzels. I thought her bracelets had a cool texture to them and I took a picture.

This image is on a wall in my grandma’s home. Ever since I can remember, this drawing has been there. It is my mom back when she was 18. The artist sketched it about the size of a movie poster.

These are my grandma’s hands and my favorite picture from my whole trip. She thought I was joking, but I’m going to sell this one to a coffee shop and she is going to be famous. You’ll see. You’ll see.

I bought this sculpture for my grandma one Christmas and I love taking pictures of it. They never quite come out right but this one made the cut.

Back In Queens

This is a small sign somewhere in my uncle’s shop, better known as Ritz Auto Body. It is one of the staples of the neighborhood as well as of my upbringing.

Here is my cousin Rush fixing a van for a client at the shop. I can’t think of too many cars he can’t fix. As a matter of fact, he is building a car from scratch! Can your cousin do that? I didn’t thinks so.

And here is his boot. This picture is also going to the coffee shop.

If this Go-Kart could speak, it would probably tell humorous tales of me and Rush driving wildly through Brookville Park. Coincidentally, his driving style has not changed much since we were kids, yet it’s still fun driving with him.

Here is my other cousin. He doesn’t speak much but when he does, I listen. I seriously expect big things from this dude.

This is my other cousin who is also an artist. While I was there, she showed me a few of her latest pieces and let me get a few shots of how she does it. I was seriously impressed by her work and by the fact that she was welding. I’m very curious to what she’ll be creating in years to come.

This is one of my cousin’s art pieces. She gave me the run down on what it means, but I don’t quite remember. If you really want to know, drop me a line. I will give her a call, and then I will reply to your email with the back-story.

I got a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens a few months ago and this picture pretty much explains why I love it so. There was an old oil drum somewhere in my Uncle’s shop and these bolts were on it. I took a picture.

The East Village

I took this picture on a walk-by because I thought it looked cool. Inside, there were people in the windows recording their radio show live on the air. I tried to take a picture but all I got was wild reflections. I deleted the image and kept walking.

New Jersey

At one point during my trip back home, I ended up in Jersey with my sister, Liz. She invited me to a BBQ and we had a few hearty laughs.

The food at the BBQ was incredible. As they say in some of the smaller towns throughout Florida, “Now That’s Good Eatin’!”

Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse

Three days ago we headed up to Daytona to film our good friend Lucy Beebe Tobias. We all climbed 203 steps to the top of the lighthouse behind me. The trek was worth it for two reasons. The first is a given, and that is the view. The second was my favorite, and that was the breeze.

Well people, I love you but I gotta go. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you at the beach…I can’t say that. That is David McRee’s line. My line is:

Till Next Time,

Amon Focus

I know after reading the title to my post you are wondering what I’m going to write about. It’s pretty simple actually. I’ll be writing about a few parks, a beach, and a fort. And because you’ve been very kind in the past, I’ll also include a number of miscellaneous pictures with descriptions as well. Thanks to The Skipper, I’ve got pictures galore.

So what makes this picture-packed post different from all the rest? Well for starters, these pictures are different. Plus, these pictures are of a few parks, a beach, and fort as well a few scattered showers of random images along the way.

Are you ready to scroll this post until the tips of your fingers are numb? I am. So I’m going to start things of with a park and then a beach…just kidding.

Stephan Foster State Park

This park was quite interesting. If I were ever given a choice to where I would go to “rough it” in the wild, this park would be the place. Their cabins can easily compete with some of the rental properties I’ve seen on some golf courses. Each cabin on the grounds has a fireplace that turns on at the flick of a switch. I got a chance to turn on the fireplace in the cabin we filmed and then I turned it off. I only turned it on to film the fire plus the AC was cooling the cabin while we there. Due to the temperature outside the cabin, I handed the victory to the AC and allowed the fireplace to gracefully bow out until the appropriate season arrived. It had no problem with this so I left its presence and made my way to the bell tower.

In the park was this magnificent bell tower that played a number of Stephan Fosters songs throughout the day.

I got a chance to go inside the bell tower. I was a fan of the stone walls. This would be a cool place to throw a party if it had more exits. In case you are wondering about the khaki cameo in the picture, that is Skip’s knee.

I made my way up 200 some-odd steps to the top for an aerial shot of the Stephan Foster Museum, which is sitting behind me. You can’t see the breeze in this picture but I must say it was quite pleasant.

The Skipper took this picture and I thought it was cool. So I’m sharing it with you.

Daytona Beach

We caught up with Beach and Surf Expert David McRee for a shoot. We hopped on the SkyRide on Dayton Beach Pier for a unique shot.

I’m focusing quite heavily on whatever I’m filming here. Mostly because I’m trying not to look down. David thought it was pretty funny.

At lunch, David spoke about a book he wrote called How to Be Safe From Sharks, Jellyfish, Stingrays, Rip Currents and other Scary Things on Florida Beaches and Coastal Waters. I checked it out on his site and it is FREE! I downloaded two, one for me and one for the crew.

Exiting the beach I saw this picture op and I said to Skip “One for the blog?” and he said “Sure Amon!” I should have taken off my hat.

Castillo de San Marcos

We also caught up with Authentic Florida Expert Lucy Beebe Tobias to film Castillo de San Marcos and The Kingsley Plantation.

This monument has over 330 years of history and was built with a unique limestone known as “coquina”. Coquina has seashell fragments throughout it and did a great job absorbing the blow of canon balls from many of ships years ago that were just passing by.

Here I stand with a very knowledgeable translator. He answered every question we threw at him with ease. I wanted to ask if I could buy his hat but deep down I knew I couldn’t pull it off without the whole ensemble.

Random pic in front of a canon, part one.

Random pic in front of a canon, part two (with flag).

A few blocks away from the fort I caught up with MJ. You may know him as Michael Jordan and might even point out that this is wax figure. I’ll probably ignore your comment and pretend I really met him. So now what?

After we wrapped the Fort shoot, Missy, Skip, Lucy, and I headed for grub. During lunch I learned about Lucy’s cool personal blog and her latest book. She gave us autographed copies before we ate and I immediately went right to the index of the book. Lucy has discovered tons of cool places to go for a stroll and I am all about that. As a matter of fact, as soon as I finish this post I’m going to wait for the RV to stop and I’m going for a walk.

The Kingsley Plantation

Right now, you are viewing a picture taken by Skip of the Kingsley Plantation slave quarters. Located on Fort George Island, the plantation consists of slave quarters, a barn, a garden, a plantation house, and the kitchen. I learned a lot interesting history.

Random serious face pic standing in front of slave quarters.

Before we left the plantation we ran in to an archaeological dig site. I was very impressed by their methods and findings.

Whelp, its about time for that walk.

Till Next Time,

Amon Focus

One of the guys I work with who we call “The Skipper” prefers to do video blogs about our adventures on the road. The other day my assignment was to shoot and edit Skip’s video blog. Instead of aiming the camera in his direction and uploading a static shot of him talking about his experience, I decided to have a little bit of fun with it.

The last few weeks have been almost nonstop filming with a few days of rejuvenation in between. I’m writing this post from the Hampton Inn in breezy Destin, Florida. The weather outside right now is exactly the way I like it. Right outside my hotel room it is about 72 degrees Fahrenheit, clear, the wind is blowing west at about four miles an hour, and the humidity is at around 66% according to a very good friend of mine…Google. Let’s move on from the meteorologist bit to an update of the activities over the last few weeks. Walk With Me.

The Showcase of Citrus

This was my very first time in an actual orange grove. We drive by them all the time but walking through one is a very cool experience. At the Showcase of Citrus in Clermont, Florida, you can hand-pick a variety of oranges. I even got the chance to try a kumquat. A kumquat is pretty much a little baby orange and you can eat it like grape, skin and everything!

Another part of the Showcase of Citrus tour is a ride in this monster truck. Here you will learn about the groves themselves and hand-pick fruit right from the truck.

Hot Air Ballon

What you are looking at here is the Skipper and I (plus a little bit of Paco’s shirt) at a little after 5 a.m. We are watching the sunrise while the hot air balloon is being set up.

I opted to hop in to the cherry picker for an aerial shot of the balloon’s inflation.

Another shout-out to Em for this fine example of good photography.

This was shot by the Skipper and it pretty much gave me an idea of how high I was. The scariest part about being that high up was coming back down. I almost lost it when I felt the vehicle’s hydraulics kick forward and shake the basket rapidly before the descent. Everyone down below got a kick out of it but I wasn’t smiling until my feet were back on the ground. It wasn’t funny then, but it’s a little funny now.

Here is a quick shot of the balloon I was filming while it was being inflated.

After we got all the necessary shots, they told us to hop in for a ride. Riding in a hot air balloon is big fun but watch out for the fire because it can get rather hot.

Fantasy of Flight

After we finished filming the hot air balloon, we began the Fantasy of Flight assignment. Since the hot air balloon assignment was filmed on one of the runways of Fantasy of Flight, we only had to walk a few yards to the next location.

I’m here with the owner of Fantasy of Flight Kermit Weeks. A true visionary. If you aren’t inspired after speaking to this man, then you weren’t listening close enough.

Richard Petty Driving Experience

Emilie and I went on assignment a couple of weeks ago to film the Richard Petty experience in Orlando. After we got all the footage and interviews we needed they offered us a ride around. I was all about it.

In my old neighborhood, standing in front of a car that doesn’t belong to you is commonly known as frontin’ and that’s exactly what I’m doing here.

Pier 60

I met the real Captain Jack @ Pier 60 Park on Clearwater Beach, Florida, and he was a trip. Captain Jack is a very pleasant guy who was super cool about taking pictures. So much so that he often reminded visitors to bring their cameras next time they visit for free pictures with him, you know, The Real Captain Jack.

Believe it or not, this pose was the real Captain Jack’s idea. He said “Here take my weapon and pretend to be a rival pirate!” This was my impression.

Earlier that day, I shot Captain Memo’s Original Clearwater Beach Pirate Ship Cruise, which was a lot of fun. It was two hours of dancing, singing, stories, treasure hunting and face painting fun for the whole family. I didn’t take any pictures but I did shoot a lot of footage. Look for that video on VISITFLORIDA.com soon.

Gelateria Del Duomo

On one of these days, we filmed International Plaza out in Tampa. My favorite place there is Gelateria Del Duomo because of their fantastic gelato.

First they gave me a little spoon sample their strawberry chocolate gelato. When I expressed how good it was, they gave me a cup! I was taken away for like 15 minutes just lost in the flavor in the little cup. I spoke to one of the owners and he said surprisingly the strawberry chocolate flavor isn’t that big in his store in Italy. Go figure. I’ll be back for another soon enough.

Blackwater River State Park

Yesterday, the Skipper, Missy and I were at Blackwater River State Park, which is way up in northwest Florida—Milton, to be exact. Let me start by saying that this was probably my first state park shoot where I did not get bitten by a mosquito! That may not mean much to you but for me that is a holiday.

I’m here with park ranger Marshall Shaw who was quite informative to about the park. I learned why the river has its beautiful tea color as well as why the river is considered one of the purest sand bottom rivers in the world. I could tell you why but I think you should visit the park and find out for yourself. It is an interesting story.

Ranger Marshall navigated our canoe down the river and he’s got skill too. We didn’t hit any trees or anything like my previous experiences. I can’t tell how much I appreciate not hitting bushes and shaking eight-legged castaways into the boat for once. We parked the canoe on three or four banks down the river and I never got wet. He even taught me the best way to sit on the canoe to prevent it from rolling over for future trips. Thanks, Marshall!

Thank you for taking a moment out of your day to catch up with me.

Till Next Time,

Amon Focus