Who goes to a county fair these days? Apparently a lot of people—140,000 attended last year’s Sarasota County Fair, according to its website. While the swirling lights of the rides attract our attention, it’s the people who enjoy those rides that make these fairs memorable.
Here’s a smattering of images from Saturday’s event. Enjoy the view.
What’s the first thing you notice when you enter a county fair? The Ferris wheel? The sausage stand? The lines for the restroom?
How about the people who work the Sarasota County Fair? They’re friendly. They’re agreeable. And they make the experience a memorable one.
Here’s how these folks spent their Saturday night.
Still searching for the love of your life? Tired of speed-dating, church suppers, and bars? Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue might have the answer.
Since 2008, Nate’s Honor has helped neglected, abandoned, and mistreated dogs and cats in need of loving homes. The organization started as a small group of animal lovers working from a garage until Nathan (Nate) Benderson, a developer with an affinity for animals, caught wind of the group and joined.
Today, together with caring volunteers and a supportive community, the facility saves thousands of homeless and at-risk animals each year from an eight-acre, no-kill shelter and adoption facility near the city of Bradenton, FL. They’ve saved more than 21,000 animals to date. And they’ve just launched the Journey Home capital campaign to expand the facility, with a dedicated cat wing, hurricane-resistant dog shelters, and a veterinary clinic that will also serve the public.
OK, that’s the background from Nate’s website. Now, on to the show.
This week, our photography class toured the facility and romped with the pups—an eager, energetic group of youngsters, in good health and ready for a move. I’ve included six photos of my favorites. Thanks to Rob Oglesby, director of development, and the volunteers who patiently gave hours of their time and knowledge to accommodate our group.
If you’d like to donate to the organization (a 501(c)(3) non-profit), contact Rob at rob@honoranimalrescue.org. To adopt or volunteer, call 941-747-4900. Or visit the facility, Wednesday through Saturday, online at https://nateshonoranimalrescue.org/ or in person at 4951 Lorraine Road, Bradenton, FL 34211.
You just might find the love of your life.
In fiction, when does setting become a character? When does location move from background to foreground?
Readers from Pennsylvania to Florida have called out locales they recognize in both the CW McCoy and Brinker series of crime novels. Even with altered geography and names, those places seem to resonate like the voice of a friend.
As they did with me while doing research for Tourist in Paradise, Peak Season and Mr. Mayhem. Here, then, are some of the images that inspired the characters that inhabit those books. As well as the writer.
Sarasota marina, similar to the one where Walter Bishop berths his sailboat in CW McCoy novels
Sansara condos in Sarasota, one of the models for the massive DeSoto Park complex in Tourist in Paradise
Farmers Market in downtown Sarasota, where CW and Tony Delgado meet in Peak Season
The Sarasota skyline inspired creation of CW McCoy’s Spanish Point
Sarasota Police Dept. inspired Spanish Point’s PD where Cheryl, Oz and Delgado work
Drumming the sun down at Siesta Beach, where CW finds a second body in Peak Season
Key Breeze stands in for the galley of the Mary Beth, where CW finds an unconscious Walter Bishop in Tourist in Paradise
Jeff Widmer 