AF Twenty-Seven

Alright, here is the thing; we have been so active on the road it has become quite the challenge to choose what I will write about from day to day. So I’m going to make a deal with myself right here and right now. Instead of writing about a dozen things that happened in the last week or so, I’m going to create something I like to call a “gist list”. A gist list is something I just made up that will give a one line summary of the happenings that I have either experienced or learned about this week. Then I will go a little more into depth with the item on the list.

You ready? I am. Ok let’s go!

Amon’s Get the Gist List Number One

I know it’s a short list but I could have easily written about 4 or 5 katrillion characters about each one. Since I know that you are not in the running to read that many characters, I will continue in the manner in which I agreed with myself earlier and just cover the latter of the one line summaries.

The Photograph Contest

Not too long ago, it dawned on me that the crew has access to a pretty nifty camera. The camera is Canon EOS 5D and it takes some rather incredible pictures. I thought it would simply just be a shame not to pick up my photography skills before, during, and after the shoots.

While I was taking a picture of a pretty pink flower, someone mentioned that we should have a competition. Immediately, Paco, Sunshine and I began brainstorming about the rules and prizes. Within a matter of minutes we had it all laid out: we were going to submit three of our best photos to Ben and the winner got an extra two-hundred calories added to their diet. We took so many pictures between the four of us that I decided to set up a Flickr account. You can check that out here: The Crew’s Pro Flickr Account

Till Next Time

Amon Focus

The birth of The Toefros is something that I am very excited about. It just goes to show how easy it is to create a band.

Over dinner earlier this week, the Skipper, Paco, Sunshine and I were having our normal interesting conversation about a little bit of everything. But that night, the majority of it was music. Somehow we went from talking about music we liked to starting our own band. We were throwing our jokes and ideas on the table. Usually when dinner comes we move on to another topic, but this time it just took off.

In a matter of minutes, we figured out our band name would be The Toefros, and we would be masters of the Ambient Universal Global musical genre. We also figured out which instruments we were going to play. Sunshine’s instrument of choice was the funk kazoo. Paco decided to take on the sexy samba whistle. Skip was determined to play the hand bones or the spoons, and I was on harmonica. Our instruments were carefully selected—since we were going to be an Ambient Universal Global band, our sound would have to be very organic.

On the way out of the restaurant, Sunshine and I thought it would be funny to ask a waiter for a good place to premiere our music and explain to him our sound. We told him we were big in Sarasota and he was surprisingly interested. He suggested a place called the Palace in downtown Amelia Island.

That night when Paco and I were in the hotel room, we just kicked back from a long day. I went into the bathroom to wash my face when I noticed something…. unsanitary on the toilet seat. First thing I did was ask Paco if he had done it. He said no and said he saw it earlier too. I knew I wasn’t cleaning it up so I called the front desk to see if they could send someone up to clean the bathroom. The woman at the desk was incredibly nice and since it was so late she asked if we wanted to change rooms. I looked at Paco to see if was cool with it and he just shrugged, so I immediately said, “Yeah, we’ll take a new room,” and went downstairs to pick up the new key.

When I met the woman at the front desk, she smiled and asked if I wanted a king size bed with a Jacuzzi. I laughed and said I was with Paco. She apologized and said she thought Missy was with me so she figured she’d give us a romantic upgrade. I laughed again and told her that wasn’t the case.

Instead, I blurted out, “We’re all in a band together called The Toefros.” She thought our name was cool then asked more about it. I told her our genre and the instruments we played. She kind of laughed and said, “Well, that’s interesting.” I also told her why were really on Amelia Island and all about VISITFLORIDA.com. I explained, “The Toefros thing is a hobby and we’re still up and coming.” Then she gave us the rock star treatment. She gave Paco and me the UPGRADE! We got a suite, which was much better than the room we had. It even had a balcony overlooking the town.

After we got situated in the room, I told Paco what had happened downstairs. He immediately started laughing. “Yeah right! For real?” Then the phone rang. It was Cyndi, the woman downstairs, asking if the suite was okay. I told her it was, and that out of my appreciation I was going to get her autographs from the whole band. I heard Paco lose it in the background, laughing hysterically. After I got off the phone, we grabbed Sunshine and we all went out for a beer.

The next morning we were still giddy from the night before. As we prepared for the day’s shoot, we explained to Skip what happened at the hotel and he gave us that classic Skipper grin.

Our location for the day was at Amelia Island Plantation and we were set to film their beautiful golf courses and nature tour. The shoots went great. Their 15th hole on Ocean Links is probably the prettiest hole out our all the courses I’ve visited in Florida. We wrapped the shoot and headed back to the hotel to clean up for dinner.

As soon as the TV-RV parked outside of the hotel, Paco said, “Let’s take our band picture!” We all laughed and started scrambling to get into character. We got changed and Skip set up the camera to go off on a timer. Since we were by a railroad track, we agreed that it was the most cliché and therefore the best place to take the picture. After the “photo shoot”, Paco brought our favorite shot into Photoshop to make it black and white. He also added our band name in The Crew’s favorite font, Papyrus. After tweaking out the picture, we split up. Paco and Skip went to film an impromptu carriage ride for a behind the scenes video because Skip had befriended one of the locals. Meanwhile, Sunshine and I headed to CVS for our 8X10 photos. When we got back, Skip had already befriended another local who invited us to their coffee house after dinner.

After dinner, we headed to the coffee house for some espresso. Of course, we got to talking about The Toefros and our sound. Just so happened this time we had our band photo. Skip, Paco, Sunshine and I all signed the band photo and gave it to the workers. They were so happy with the picture they said they were going to frame it and hang it in their front window. We got their email address and said we would send them an MP3 of one of our jam sessions.

The following day, we ate lunch at the Cracker Barrel (which was ever-so appropriate). This gave us a chance to get some instruments for a jam session. Sunshine bought her funk kazoo and Paco bought a slide whistle. Skip was trying to find some percussion but he settle for a fork and plastic cup on the TV-RV.

After dinner, we had a jam session and cut four songs in five minutes. It was almost like we were born to do this. How can you go wrong with song titles like Little Dummy, Okra Burger, and The woo woo WOO Song?

Up to this point, no one has heard any of our music. So we all agreed to make a basic website and leak our sound to the net. Feedback is always welcome and you can check us out at www.thetoefros.com.

Till Next Time,
Amon Focus

Since Adobe Premiere loves to take forever and a day to re-index files, I’m figuring this is the perfect time to post a new entry. As you may have read in the previous posts of Sunshine and Wipe Out, the crew took an off-the-clock trip the Busch Gardens for a preview of their Hallo-Scream event. When I used to live in Orlando, the one at Universal Studios was quite serious but I never made it out there. Since Wipeout had the $20 hookup, it was obviously time to make it happen.

I knew this event was pretty popular in some circles but I got to experience it firsthand—sitting in traffic right outside the entrance of the park. As we drove by full parking after full parking, I knew we were in store for some long lines. I killed time with Missy by updating her slang book and hip-hop hand gestures. Hopefully she doesn’t take me too seriously by trying out her new urban skills the next time she parties with the Wu-Tang Clan or the Woo-Tank-Clane as she cheerfully says it. That could get quite interesting.

We met up with Paco and his wife and headed straight to the candy shop. This candy was fresh, like it had been made minutes before we entered. My mouth watered as I grabbed a bag and went to town on the sour pears, gummy whales and of course numerous flavors of Jelly Bellies. I paid for my candy, took a photo op with two healthy nurses, and proceeded to an astonishing roller coaster humbly known as The Sheikra.

The walk to the ride consisted of the crew trying really hard to convince Wipeout’s friend, Julie, to ride the rollercoaster, and Missy screaming at everything that moved in the scare zones. Once we got to Sheikra, we split up because Julie wasn’t getting on the monster and Wipeout stayed back with her. The rest of us made our way to the line. I’ve learned that waiting in line, especially in a amusement park, is an art. No matter how long the line is, how fast it moves really depends on the company you are with. Luckily I was in line with Missy, Paco and his wife. We killed time playing the “What If” game and my childhood favorite, “To Save Your Pops,” which consists of creative scenarios you are willing to endure just to save a loved one’s life. When we got to the head of the line it seemed like the weather just got better. It was cooler and breezier up at top than way down below.

I’d been on the Sheikra once before but for some reason as I stood in line I couldn’t remember for the life of me the details of the ride. But once the car began its journey to the top of the roller coaster, my previous experience was slowly creeping back to me. When we hit the top and I saw the view I said out loud, “Oh I remember this now!” which was soon followed by an “Ohhhhh aaaaaaaarrrrrhhhhhhh!” That first drop is incredible.

After Sheikra, I spent the rest of the night laughing my head off at Missy. We all headed to two haunted houses and Missy was the victim in both of them. I watched characters run past us and straight to Missy as if they were getting notches on their scream quota. In one haunted house, I watched Missy seriously start running and ducking through it like she was in a classic 80s horror flick. She did everything but fall to the ground. I had a serious laughter headache when it was all said and done.

Everybody said their goodbyes. Then Wipe Out, Missy, Julie, and I took a 35-minute trek back to the vehicle.

Till Next Time,

Amon Focus

<img style=”margin: 5px 10px 5px 0px;” src=”http://www.blog.amonfocus.com/wp-content/uploads/1190323158_amon_2heads.jpg” alt=”" width=”250″ align=”left” /> I woke up yesterday morning with my eyes burning and my stomach growling. My eyes were burning because I couldn’t get to sleep the night before. I couldn’t sleep because I was still wired from the previous day of shooting and when I got home late, I just didn’t feel like going to sleep. I guess the smarter thing to do would have been to shower and pass out, but not me. I had to devote a few hours to “<a href=”http://amonfocus.stumbleupon.com/” target=”_blank”>Stumbling</a>” and channel surfing before I met up with the sandman.

The next morning, I met with our newest member of the crew, Missy—also known as Sunshine—and, of course, my favorite nephew, The Skipper. We all hopped in the TV-RV and headed straight to beautiful St. Petersburg.

We arrived early to our location and my stomach was still growling. I suggested that we hit The Pier to find some breakfast. They agreed and off we went on the trolley. I had coffee and bagels on the brain, but anything would have sufficed at that point because I was just that hungry. We headed into The Pier and came upon a lovely looking coffee shop. I started looking at the menu to see which tasty beverage I would be taking back to the RV, but my plan was interrupted by a woman informing me that they didn’t open until 10am. Preposterous! She was kind enough to point us to place around the corner.

At the second cafe, I felt like I wasn’t in Florida anymore. For me, this place was pretty nostalgic. The eatery looked like it was cut out of Staten Island’s ferry terminal and inserted snugly into this far side of The Pier. I ordered a raisin bagel with butter, while Missy and Skip ordered bagels with cream cheese. I know you’re wondering about our beverage selection. I’m getting to it. I had a Monster Mean Bean, which was good. Skip enjoyed a Monster Chaos, while Missy had her heart set on a cranberry juice.

While we were waiting for our bagels to toast, Missy pointed out to me that Skip had on two different shoes. Skip was sporting a sneaker on his right and a work boot on his left. I immediately grabbed the camera to get the story. I was curious to know why this had happened.

Skip, who is quite familiar with my sense of humor, thought I was recording his shoes for no apparent reason. So he began shuffling his feet and saying “Happy Feet! Happy Feet!” Then I tilted the camera up to his face and asked him why he had on two different shoes. He just started laughing—and so did everyone else that was waiting for their food. I got his explanation, but you’ll have to check out the video later this week on our Behind the Scenes section of the site.

After laughing at Claude’s fashion sense, we headed to St. Petersburg’s Museum of History to get the day started. According to the museum’s website, it is their mission to collect, preserve, and communicate the history of St. Pete and Pinellas County. After spending a few hours viewing the exhibits and getting an exclusive preview of their archive, I can officially give you the thumbs up that their mission has been accomplished. In a very short time, I saw a replica of the Benoist Airboat, two shrunken heads, a mummy, an actual hollowed out tree canoe, city maps dating back as far as 1937, war propaganda posters, and classic Alberto Vargas pinup calendars. Each one of these exhibits had their own unique story to go along with them, but the one that stood out the most was The World’s First Commercial Airline Gallery. The story of Tony Jannus turning a six-hour journey to Tampa into a 22-minute flight is one reason I will tip my hat to St. Pete in appreciation every time I catch a commercial flight.

After the shoot we took a micro Segway tour to the very spot were Tony Jannus landed. No one in the crew had ever been on a Segway before, so the tour guide was kind enough to give us a 10-minute training session for our two-minute tour. Riding a Segway is a lot like riding a unicycle without a seat or pedals, but with an extra wheel and handle bars. If that doesn’t make sense to you, then embrace that feeling of confusion because you are now one step closer to understanding the sensation your body feels when it is trying to comprehend gyroscopic technology.

The museum was cool, the Segways were fun, and only thing left was to catch some lunch. We ate at a place that I won’t name because I don’t want to hurt its business, but the food was atrocious. No problem—that just gave Missy and me an excuse to buy a lot of sweets from a nearby candy store. You should have seen us. We were like four-year-olds with crisp new five-dollar bills. We bought jelly bellies, gummy fruits, Swedish fish, and Missy got lots of black licorice rolls.

But that’s where our sugar interested divided. I don’t do black licorice rolls.

Till Next Time,

<a href=”http://www.amonfocus.com/”>Amon Focus</a>

I type a few lines and then erase them. I pick a topic to write about and then change it about two paragraphs into the post. I turn on some music to assist with my written expression, only to turn it off moments later because it’s too distracting.

I go through this ritual with almost every new post that I begin. Even this very sentence that you are reading right now has toured every paragraph in this entry simply because I couldn’t decide where to put it. I’ve often asked myself aloud in my sleep, “Does writer’s block apply to blog posts?” but I never answer myself because that would make me crazy, especially if I have to wake up to do it. I mean, I’ve always seen blogging as a fancy way of saying ’stream of consciousness.’ You know, just basically just typing whatever comes to your mind whenever you get the urge. Chartreuse hamburgers always love a good game of pinochle while muddling under the ice cold sun. Sometimes I wish it were that simple.

When I sat down to write this entry, I had every intention to write about my latest experience on a dive boat. About how courageous I thought the people on the boat were because they were willing to be left in the middle of the ocean for half an hour at a time to explore the reefs and wildlife. About how well the dive boat crew deployed each diver with great skill and agility. I was even going to give props to Paco, also known as George, for getting incredible underwater shots in shark-infested water. I mean, yeah, it was a nurse shark, but a shark is a shark is a shark and he was out there. Armed with a camera enclosed in a plastic casing with some flippers, Paco was unstoppable, even at depths of sometimes 150ft. If it were up to me, he would have definitely gotten some of sort of merit badge, a medal or at least a cookie (white chocolate macadamia preferred). I mean, I really wanted to give you that dive boat experience but, as members of our crew know very well, plans change.

There are very few events that have can force me to change direction once I make up my mind to blog about a certain topic. Taverna Opa is one of them, but it wasn’t Opa this time. It was Spice Resto-Lounge, located in downtown Hollywood. Spice is one of those places that you have to experience for yourself. No matter how detailed I go into this experience, I will never ever, never ever, ever, ever…ever be able to capture the dynamics of what truly goes on within this fine establishment.

The funny thing about Spice is that it has the ability to discreetly transform its energy levels whenever it sees fit. Prior to the Crew trip to Spice, my brother from another mother G-Money took me to Spice when I was in his neck of the woods back in May. G and I arrived around dinner time and there weren’t many people around. As I recall, G was telling me about what happens at Spice but I was only half listening, mostly because on the flat screens they were playing this incredible DVD of the Brazilian Carnival festival I’ve always wanted to visit. So the most I got out of that conversation were keywords like ‘dancing,”‘women,’ and ‘all night.’ After we ate, the only keywords I left with were ‘relaxing,’ ‘great food,’ and ‘Carnival DVD.’ So naturally when I found out we would be filming Spice for a nightlife video, I was in the mindset of filming a really nice restaurant. Boy was I in for a pleasant surprise.

As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by extremely beautiful women smiling and dancing for us. Before we got beyond the lobby’s velvet rope, we met with the owner of Spice, Arnaldo Batista. Arnaldo gave us a table and Paco and I immediately went to work. First, we got on their stage to get high shots of the crowd and bar. I stepped down to get shots of guests dancing to Bachata, which is popular guitar music from the Dominican Republic. Next I headed to the bar because it was so beautiful. I filmed a few people sipping tasty beverages and then Arnaldo invited me behind the bar to get better footage. I filmed one of the waitresses making a Mojito. I then met Tiburon, one of the bartenders/dancers, and he did a number of bartender tricks for the camera. As I walked back to regroup with the crew, one of the night shows began. I looked up to see five or six dancers on the bar. Film time!

As the hours crept by, the shows got more and more elaborate. In one night I saw bands, singers, dancers, and Brazilian Carnival show. I could seriously go on for another 20 pages, but I respect your time.

At the end of the night, I had a very big smile on my face. I was truly moved by the cultural experience and the extraordinary hospitality from Arnaldo and all the Spice staff.

If you are ever in the Hollywood, Florida area, definitely make time to check it out. You will not be disappointed.

Till Next Time,

Amon Focus

Yesterday, La Chica and I headed out to the Ybor City Museum to film our authentic Florida expert, Lucy. Paco didn’t live too far from the location, so he met us out there. The first thing I noticed in the museum was the sweet smell of tobacco leaves, which were being rolled into cigars right in front of us. After meeting Lucy and the museum staff, Paco, La Chica, and I naturally went right into our setup rituals. Paco and I prepared our equipment while La Chica gave Lucy her world class ‘Lavaliere Treatment.’ La Chica has given this treatment on just about every shoot and has the ability to hide a lavaliere wire in a matter of seconds, no matter the type of garment or the gender of the talent.

Once we had our cameras in place, Lucy stepped in and began her intro. Lucy’s intro was well thought-out and well delivered. We shot a few takes and headed over to where the cigars were being rolled.

The only place I have ever seen cigars rolling was at the Atlantis in the Bahamas. I found it interesting then and it definitely had my attention now that we had the opportunity to film it. We recorded a few shots and headed over to the casitas, located just past the museum’s garden. Casitas are small cottages that were built for cigar workers’ families who had relocated to Ybor. Luckily for us, we ran into Grant, who was a very helpful volunteer for the Ybor City Museum. Grant was knowledgeable about the casitas and gave us an interesting tour of one of the homes. After we wrapped up at the museum, we went across the street and did Lucy’s closing monologue if front the immigrants’ statue.

Our last location of the shoot was at the Columbia Restaurant on 7th Avenue, so we gathered our gear and prepared for the hike. Lucy even chipped in and carried one of the tripods over her shoulder. Once inside the Columbia Restaurant, we were immediately in the way. The lobby was jumping with customers whizzing by, going to and fro in a way I can only label as ‘lunch traffic.’ Our guide hadn’t arrived yet, so I figured I’d scout the restaurant for a good place to do an intro. In my micro-excursion through the restaurant, I came across a variety of rooms, court yards, and bars, all of which were beautifully furnished. When our guide arrived, we headed upstairs to do her introduction overlooking the court yard. It was a bit loud up there, but it was worth it.

Once we completed filming by the courtyard, we went to the kitchen. The kitchen was a behemoth and could feed up to 1,200 people all at the same time. After finishing up in the kitchen, Paco and I went for more b-roll. We said our goodbyes to Lucy and packed up our gear.

On the way back to our vehicles, we noticed a sign that said something about Alaskan tacos. I had never tasted an Alaskan taco, so I was down to check it out. Paco and La Chica were also game, so we put away our gear and headed in. I got my food and it tasted OK. To tell you the truth, they really didn’t move me, but Paco and La Chica seemed to enjoy them. I savored the candy-tasting Mexican strawberry soda and bought another right before I left. La Chica and I said goodbye to Paco then we headed back to base.

Till Next Time,

Amon Focus

Good morning everyone, and welcome to this episode of “What’s in Mr. Focus’s Duffle Bag?” This is Mr. Focus and this blog entry is coming to you straight from the TV-RV. The Skipper, La Chica and I are headed to Fort Lauderdale for a nine day tour to film everything from family reunions to beach resorts. Paco is driving down separately because at some point we will use his vehicle to go places the RV can’t. This vehicle that picks up where the RV leaves off is affectionately known as the Dinghy.

As I sit here taking in the beautiful scenery of minivans, cattle, and power lines, my mind begins to drift to early times of yesterday . . . to a time that spans back to last night. I was gathering my necessary items for this latest expedition. But now, as I sit here on this grand RV, all packed up and ready to go, I wonder . . . did I forget anything?

One of the most challenging parts of packing for a TV-RV adventure is getting over that “Did I forget anything?” feeling. I’m sure what is packed for a trip varies from crew member to crew member, but here is a peek into what I usually pack into my duffle bag (in no particular order):

Crew Shirts

Hands down, one of the most comfortable shirts I own. This sea-foam green companion works flawlessly in all temperatures; keeping my back, neck, and clavicles cool when it is sweltering outside. The crew shirt is also perfect for locating crew members in large crowds.

Cargo Shorts

Cargo shorts or ’shoot shorts,’ as I like to call them, are handy because of their array of pockets. Perfect for tapes, batteries, bottled water, secondary cell phone, headphones, sour candy, business cards, wallet, mics, and anything other thing that may need a home.

Sneakers

When I’m walking up and down beaches, golf courses, and state parks, my best friends become my left and right sneakers. I wear these Red Reebok Ventilators not because of their style, but because they are like putting my feet into down pillows. I could trek for miles and not even notice.

Hats

This is essential for me because once a week I drag a razor back and forth on the old scalpy-scalp. The sun can be brutal at times and a hat serves two purposes for me: 1) It keeps the sweat out of my eyes; and 2) It prevents people from calling me the bald red-headed guy.

Swim Trunks & Water Shoes

Because you never know when you might be filming on a beach, river, retention pond, lake, pool, dam, or ocean.

Sunglasses

Lucky for me, I have a pair of glasses that transition into shades whenever the sun comes out to play. You definitely want to protect the windows to the soul from harmful UV rays. The cliché in that last line just made throw up in my mouth a little.

Undershirts

I’ve packed these only because I feel naked without them. I tried a few times to work without one but all I did was drenched my crew shirt.

Jeans, Casual Shirts, & Shoes

These are appropriate for those occasions when we have a meet-and-greet with talent, or if we are having dinner with an expert after a shoot. The red Reeboks, shoot shorts, and crew shirt just don’t cut it. Also, I don’t need to dress for the field if it’s an edit day.

Light Jacket

The RV can get a little brisk after a few hours into the journey. Plus, some parts of the state can get cooler than others. I rarely get to wear it, but I leave it in the RV closet just in case.

Laundry Bag

Dirty clothes go here. This prevents me from performing the old college “Did I wear these already?” sniff test. And when it comes time to wash my clothes, I’m are already halfway there.

Miscellaneous Toiletries

I pile all of these items into a small leather bag. There is a technical name for the bag but I can’t remember it off hand. Ben knows, but I’m not about to ask him because it is too early in the morning. No one wants to wake up to me asking such a weird question. Anyway, the contents of this bag usually consists of soap, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, razor, shaving cream, face wash, after shave, floss, band-aids, Gold Bond Body Powder and pain killers. If your personal hygiene isn’t up to par, everybody suffers.

Nintendo DS

This little puppy is the perfect supplement to ease downtime boredom. Almost every member of the crew has one and we probably have 20-something games between us. It’s always a good time battling Paco and La Chica in Mario Cart or Club House Games. Shout out to Jay Salyers too! Whenever you get your DS, we’ll be waiting!

Plastic Spork

The beautiful thing about this wonderful devise is that it is a spoon and a fork all at the same time.

Battery Chargers (phone, DS, and camera)

Forgetting any of these can be quite costly.

Sun Screen

Sun burn sucks.

Headphones

I have two or three pairs of the exact same kind and I still manage to misplace them. I usually use headphones for the HDV camera and laptop, but they also come in handy for watching videos on my Treo (which totally rocks, I might add).

All of these items are equally important for a successful trip. Well, maybe not the spork, but you get the picture. Sour candy and fruity beverages can be picked up at truck stops, so I don’t bother packing them.

Thanks for tuning into another exciting episode of “What’s in Mr. Focus’s Duffle Bag?” If you feel I missed something, drop me a line.

Till Next Time,

Amon Focus

The last 82 hours and 27 minutes have been killing me inside in the most cliche (amongst the other cliches in this post) way possible. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, and I’m barely making my way through this blog post without at least one of my eyes getting a little teary from the pain of being wrong. Prior to this very moment, I was face-to-snout with a truth that was so great I to take a picture with it.

The truth in this fictional paragraph is that I never really cared for manatees. I’d never met one in the club or at the office. Whenever the subject came up, I’d change it. I didn’t want to talk about them nor did I ever want to see one. I wouldn’t go as far to say that I was a manatee hater, but let’s just say if I had to give a job to a manatee or a dolphin, the manatee would have been unemployed. To me, the ever-loving mammal simply didn’t matter.

All this may sound a little on the harsh side, but can you blame me? In my warped perspective, the sea cow has always been the red-headed stepchild to the dolphin. Maybe if Flipper were a manatee, or if a manatee represented a National Football League team in Miami, I wouldn’t have had such a negative view of one of the earth’s most unique creatures. They say that hindsight is 20/20 and I say yes, it is . . . Why yes, it is.

My whole manatee philosophy was shattered in one word…SNOOTY! YYYYYYAAAAAAAAYYYYY SNOOTY! Okay, that’s out of my system. I’ll get on with the program.

I met Snooty, the world’s oldest manatee, over at the South Florida Museum in downtown Bradenton. My first impression of him was that this dude looks a like a 1,200 pound leather potato holding a baby puffer fish in its mouth. But I thought that was cool.

I filmed Snooty swimming around in his tank for a few minutes and he was quite graceful. I decided to go to the edge of the tank to get a closer look. Snooty met me there. As I set my camera over the edge of his tank, Snooty arose from the water and planted himself perfectly into my shot. What a ham! Meanwhile, Jenny, our host for the day, fed him carrots and California romaine lettuce.

Snooty’s handler, Mel, told us all kind of great facts about manatees that left me feeling like an idiot. I had no clue these animals were this cool. Snooty reminded me of an affectionate puppy with no fur and rough skin.

This is my public apology to Snooty and the rest of the manatees around the world. I was wrong. You ROCK!

Till Next Time,

Amon Focus

I’ve never been too much into golf, to tell you the truth. I took a golf class for a few days in junior college but dropped it because I couldn’t wrap my brain around concept of it.

That was about 10 years ago at the Sullivan County Golf & Country Club in upstate New York, but after visiting the PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, I might sign back up. Not really. But I will tell you that I have seen many beautiful golf courses in fifteen frame increments while channel surfing to my favorite shows. Though my prior golf course experience may not qualify me as a connoisseur of the sport, I can assure you that the PGA National is one place you might want to check out. We had a chance to visit the resort’s 15th, 16th, and 17th holes—collectively known as “The Bear Trap”. Word around the office (from Ben) is that the Bear Trap is quite the challenge. After walking/carting the championship course with the Skipper, I can see why.

About an hour after we wrapped the PGA shoot, we headed to Miami to the Art Deco Welcome Center and spoke with Diane Downs. I’ve passed this building many times while strolling and people-watching on Ocean Ave., but that day I got to go inside. Diane gave us some great history of Miami plus some very interesting info on the Carlyle Hotel and the Victor Hotel. I’m familiar with the Victor mostly because it was the place where I had my first Mojito about two years ago.

We grabbed some grub from a burger spot on Ocean. I got the Such-and-Such burger and a basket of fries. I topped it off with a Pineapple Smoothie because that’s what gangstas do. Paco gave me an onion ring. To show my appreciation for such a kind act, I offered him one of my fries but he took two. I’m not falling for that again.

After eats, we headed over to the Wolfsonian, a design museum down in the Art Deco District in Miami Beach. The Wolfsonian carries some of the best propaganda art, industrial design, and graphic arts in Miami. There was this red sneaker book that I was eyeing during the shoot but I forgot to get it after we wrapped. I’m sure I’ll pick it up when I return to the area.

We left the Wolfsonian and headed over to Indian Creek Drive for an Architecture Boat Cruise with none other than Randall Robinson. The boat cruise was a little over an hour but I got the gist of it in the first twenty minutes. Carl Fisher. Art Deco. Morris Lapidus. Sounds good to me.

After the boat cruise, we headed back to the RV to freshen up and get some water. Boy, was that some tasty water! It was cold and jam-packed with moisture, just how I like it. I even consumed the condensation.

We ended the day with Paco’s family. After that long day, it was the perfect way to wind down. Now, I’ve met many a family in my life, but Paco’s set a new standard. His father, mother, sister, sister’s boyfriend, and pup were all exceptionally cool and very hospitable. If you guys are reading this….thanks again!

Till Next Time

Amon Focus

La Chica and I headed out to Siesta Key in Sarasota to film two expert videos about snorkeling and beach safety. It was super foggy on my red eye commute from Bradenton to Sarasota but by the time we got to beach it was all cleared up. Garland stopped by to make sure we were off to a great start and brought us some Munchkins from Dunkin’ Donuts. It had been well over ten years since I indulged in these tasty pastries so I welcomed the nostalgia by eating three or four. We met with David our beach expert and then headed down to the water to begin filming. The first thing I noticed when we hit the beach was miles of piles of seaweed that had washed ashore from a storm earlier in the week. The second was a scent that I didn’t recognize but became quite familiar with by day’s end.

After we finished Dave’s introductions we ventured further down the beach to film at a specific part of the beach known as “Point of Rocks”. Point of Rocks was the ideal spot to get Dave snorkeling but there was a price. This portion of the beach was nestled behind a concrete wall that you had to either swim a very short distance around or shimmy on the provided walkway. Being that I had my tripod and camera I chose to get my shimmy on but there still two obstacles to overcome. The first was the scent that I mentioned in the above paragraph was now a stench. Once I shimmied my way to the middle of the walkway I was saturated in the smell of rotting seaweed (yuck). I quickly began to shimmy back to shore because one step further in the direction of such a stench would lead to the liberation of three or four Munchkins that I had been holding captive since the morning. Once back on shore David, La Chica and I began to reevaluate our plan of action. Simply shimming the wall wasn’t going to cut it.

Somehow we managed to make our way around the walkway and we were met with our second obstacle, water. We were so close. Point of Rocks was literally about 50 feet away but the water was too deep for me to bring the camera and tripod. I leaned over and took a few shot and we head back. Since the show must go on, we set up shot about a 1/2 mile down the beach and got the rest of our shots of Dave snorkeling. I even got knee deep in the ocean to get closer to the action.

Aside from the seaweed problem, I thought shoot went great. Believe it or not that beach is so beautiful I’d do it again in a heart beat. David was super cool and easy to work with. Doing multiple takes in the hot sun can be draining but Dave’s a trooper.

La Chica and I scaled the rest of the beach for b-roll , interviews, and sound bites then headed back to the base.

Till Next Time

Amon Focus