AF Twenty-Seven

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’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