I was drawn to Lily's hat, and she was happy to participate. But when I looked at her closely, I was sure that I had seen (and photographed?) her before. But she said no, and when I heard the name I knew that it must have been a coincidence. And then I was proud to learn that her name had four letters, so that I would not make the mistake of a double “L”. So proud that I forgot if the last letter was a 'y' or an 'i'. Can't win. Well, for now she's Lily.
Paul (#661) 10-03-14
Paul was sitting on the ground, on the edge of the sidewalk, playing his guitar and singing. A cardboard box neat to him contained a few small bills. He stayed in Bradenton for four years, tending to his mother. When she passed two years ago, he relocated to Sarasota. He said that recent times have been a bit tough, as it had rained almost every afternoon.
He and another bachelor are saving up to buy a sailboat. They only need $200 more. The boat has no engine, but it has a generator and small air conditioner (an absolute necessity!). They plan to live on a mooring in Sarasota Bay.
I asked him about recent good times. A couple of weeks earlier, Paul was performing in front of a Starbucks, two blocks away. A Bentley pulled up, and suddenly Jerry Springer was standing next to Paul.
“Hello, Mr. Springer.”
“I'm Jerry. Do you know any Beetles songs?”
“Yes sir, I know them all!”
Yep, that's pretty neat.
Bob
Daniel (#660) 10-02-14
Daniel was eating at an outside table in Bradenton, FL. The light was nice; he was undercover. And he was in front of a blank pink wall – I liked it. When I explained the project, and that my main goal was to meet people, he was intrigued and was happy to participate.
Daniel is from Queens, NY (same as I) and went to college in upstate New York. He came to Bradenton at age 25 and likes it here. Daniel considers himself very lucky, in that he is in the financial industry and does his work online. He can live anywhere that there is an Internet connection. Otherwise he feels that the area is not too business friendly. He made a sweeping motion around the street, “Where are the suits and ties? Most residents work in infrastructure, like teachers, police, and healthcare. There aren't many large business here hiring.”
I guess that Daniel IS lucky.
Bob
Frank and Kellie (#659) 10-01-14
I saw them from across the street; we were walking in the same direction. I liked their body language, so I picked up the pace to double time before crossing. I wanted to be in front of them on their side of the street. I don't like approaching people from behind.
When I asked for my favor, I was surprised that Frank seemed reserved, Kellie is the one who was all for it. But as soon as I asked Frank to 'not smile for the camera', this was what I got. I said, “You don't have to look THAT unhappy,” but that just fueled the theatrics. I asked Kellie if Frank always looked that way. “Yep, that's him”, she deadpanned.
When it was her turn, I took a quick look and did something I almost never do, I let her keep the glasses on. By pure luck, her eyes were sharp, there was no lens reflection, and the frames did not cut through the iris'.
They both recently graduated from Sarasota High School. I asked what the do now – Frank answered, “Look for lunch.” Kellie took my card and was interested in getting a copy of the images. Frank, who knows.
Bob
Victor (#658) 09-30-14
Victor was sitting under a roof next to a convince store in St. Petersburg. He offered no resistance to being photographer, but was very shy and quite. Friendly, but quiet. He moved to St. Perersburg from New York City 15 years ago. As A child, I had lived in Queens. Victor has lived in Brooklin, Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island and Mt. Vernon – everywhere BUT Queens. He is very glad to have made the move to Florida.
Victor is retired from the New York Transit Authority. Had he not retired when he did, Victor wold have been on duty during 9/11, which surely would have been a life changer.
An hour later, I passed by the same location. Victor was still there, reading a newspaper. I think that he had found his spot.
Bob
Emily (#657) 09-29-14
While photographing a young lady seated at an outdoor table in St. Petersburg, Emily (at the next table) called over, “Well, you're in luck. You're going to get two.” Emily was not shy. She lives in tampa, but was originally from New Iberia, LA. I mentioned how a few french surnames are so common in Cajun country, like Broussard, Tibideaux, and Breaux. Emily said that her brother's last name is Breaux. Quite a coincidence, her Bro' is Breaux.
She has lived all over, including the Netherlands (her father's native country), and Nigeria. Her passion is a non-profit organization called Khusi Hona. It aids orphans in India, and Emily's card identifies her as the CHO – Chief Happiness Officer. The organization's website is HERE. Emily has an essay on the site HERE.
She loved the idea of meeting strangers for a photo. We promised to hook-up on Facebook (we have), and she asked for a copy of the image. It immediately appeared as her Facebook avatar, always an 'upper' for me.
Bob
Kalin (#656) 09-28-14
I saw Kalin from a distance and liked his cool look. The hat didn't hurt. I had to maneuver around several people and wait my turn, as he spoke with a few people. So I was surprised when he turned out to be quite quiet and shy; he agreed to be photographed somewhat reluctantly.
Kalin is from Colorado and attends State College of Florida, in Bradenton. I asked how he found that school from Colorado. “They have a good golf team; I got a scholarship.” Good reason. Then I noticed that his backpack said “Titleist.” Duh!
Bob
Christian and John (#655) 09-17-14
Sarasota is a fairly upscale city, and not a particularly cheap place to live. So it amazes me how many homeless there are, and how many are scam artists and panhandlers. One downtown business has a sign out front that says that 93% of all money received by panhandlers goes to drugs and alcohol. I don't know how accurate that number is, but the message is clear.
Christian
John
