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Welcome back to Hats of Mardi Gras 2008 - Dunedin, Florida.
I have never seen a hat with a tail like that! It makes me wonder, which came first, Dr. Seuss or Mardi Gras? Yeah, you see it too... I mean, Mardi Gras is like The World Of Dr. Seuss... on booze. But don't get me wrong. It was a lot of fun, and everyone I saw was really enjoying themselves. That is a fine thing. My only regret about that evening was that it didn't occur to me to buy one of the hats, so I could wear it to work. :D
Okay, you know the drill, down below you find four more pictures of the goings on that I thought you just might enjoy. I have them setup to open in a new window when you click them. (So be sure to click on the small photos to see larger images in a new window.)
About the smaller photos below:
Top Left: Where do I even begin? This guy was riding around on this totally whacked out bicycle, not really dressed up for Mardi Gras, but THE HAT! What the heck? Yeah, it's a PICKLE! And if you click to see the large image, you can read that it says "Pickle Man" on his hat, and 'Chip's Paintless Dent Repair" on his bike. Yes, we are all selling something, aren't we. Now check out the little girl to his left... and the DOG (Yorkie?) in the stroller!
Top Right: The woman in the center of this photo really was something of an attention getter. We couldn't help but notice her. She seemed to have a uniquely elegant air about her... with a couple of interesting tattoos too! Then, when I checked out the image full size, I saw a surprise... the man looking out his window in the top left corner of the frame!
Bottom Left: This one booth had the neatest sculpted leather masks! Very cool! Click for a closer look, they really are wonderful!
Bottom Right: I love this shot, because every time I see these people, who had staked out places to watch the parade very early, I can't help but see them as 'behind bars'. And the folks eating their dinners there just add to the whole jail house thing for me. Meanwhile, if you look in the center of the picture, you may notice the stars of yesterday's main photo, before he got his Mardi Gras hat on. You also get to see the woman he is with from the front, if you were wondering about all those straps! :)
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If you would like to see more of this area, check out
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my photography blog. Thanks for coming today, I hope you enjoyed your mini-vacation to Dunedin, Florida!
I like this cool shelter in the courtyard by these stores. It makes for a nice place to get out of the sun with an ice cream cone.
There it is, "the writing's on the wall".
The Rose Garden Boutique. Pretty much says it all, doesn't it.
One of the things I like about publishing this daily photo blog, one of the things that I get out of it, is the refreshed perspective that sometimes jumps out at me from pictures I took.
If you are in the mood for a fine Downtown Dunedin Lunch, remember you can park easier now that the public parking lot is open again. That restores the pedestrian friendly nature of this area, as you can park your car and walk about comfortably. Even the egret, seen in this picture, seems to get the pedestrian thing.
If you happen to be cruising the Pinellas Trail through Downtown Dunedin, don't miss a chance to check out the Time Out Cafe. As in, time out from biking or running or skating or walking to have some great lunch, and enjoy the wonderful downtown scenery. The same applies to those of you cruising through in your cars, which will be easier now that they have re-opened the public parking lot next to Ocean Optics. Yahoo!
I know I've said it before, and I am sure I will say it again... The City of Dunedin really does it right! This sign, standing near the main walk-in gate at Knology Park baseball field, has a map on either side, just like this, together with a listing of Downtown Dunedin Merchants below it, indexed to the map. Pretty cool.
This is the trail next to Edgewater Drive that follows the waterfront for a few miles. In fact, it starts in Clearwater, at the southern border of Dunedin and will take you all the way north to the Dunedin Marina, just a block from Downtown Dunedin. Pretty cool. It's a beautiful, peaceful place to walk. Great for strolling while you watch the sunset. This is not part of the Pinellas Trail, although it is just as nice.
When I look at this image, it brings memories of how it felt to stand there on the beach at dusk. There was a firm breeze, I could smell the woodlands of the island as well as the saltwater. It was peaceful. I could feel my 'batteries' recharging.
This cozy and welcoming courtyard, complete with fountain, can be found just off Main Street, in Downtown Dunedin, on Broadway. As you sit on the smooth, cool green benches, you can contemplate the life of a water drop in the fountain.
Lots of people take advantage of their lunch hour to stretch their legs for a bit on the Pinellas Trail. As it runs right through the center of Downtown Dunedin, it is easily accessible to folks before or after they enjoy a Downtown Dunedin lunch. There are quite a few restaurants near the trail in this area.
I can't say that all the dumpsters in Downtown Dunedin are this stylish, but I like the look of this one. Sure, dumpsters are generally dirty and ugly (unless you are making a million dollars with them), but I think it's great fun to see the life someone painted into this one. What do they look like in your town?
This is Alamo Lane. It's not a high priced, fancy neighborhood. It's a NICE neighborhood. I love to walk here when I get a chance. That is Lake Paloma on the right. If you've been here before, you have read about Lake Paloma.
This is the big picture, at Deli News Cafe, that shows the whole front of the building and how the two wall murals fit together. It's a really fun place, like I said, and I like the way it looks. They even have more murals on the walls inside. I will get those for you another time. When I snapped these pictures of the outside, I had to get them while they were closed, so no cars would be parked in the way.
Like I said yesterday, here is the other section of the wall mural at Deli News Cafe. It's a fun place on the outside, and a great place for lunch on the inside. Scroll down to yesterday's post for more complete information about the Deli News Cafe.
Welcome to the March 2008 City Daily Photo Blogger Theme Day! (Wow, what a mouthful!) The theme this month is graffiti or wall murals. Well, I guess I don't get out enough, because I was not able to find any graffiti in Dunedin, in the course of my normal travels around town.
Welcome back to the finale of Hats of Mardi Gras 2008 - Dunedin, Florida.
I think he would make a great best friend.
This one is for you Link Spice!
Welcome back to Hats of Mardi Gras 2008 - Dunedin, Florida.
