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

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