Florida

So much to say on my trip to Florida...

I flew into Orlando and worked for two days with an artist in Mt Dora. I have been working on a big project with this individual for a few years, and on this trip we started a new one-one in which I may also get to do photography on (which is exciting for me). I did get a chance to photograph the other model (Jenny) while there, but unfortunately I'm not able to share anything since it was for the project they're keeping under wraps (for now).

Once my work in Mt Dora wrapped up, I found my way to Orlando. That night I wandered around Old Town, which is some sort of mix between a vintage 50's soda fountain, a carnival and a painfully bad tourist trap. It was biker night, so there were a lot of interesting motorcycles zooming by, and the visuals definitely kept me occupied.

The following morning I met up with my sister and the significant other's, and we went to Universal Studios, and Islands of Adventure. Having park hoppers was so cool because it gives you the opportunity to experience the Harry Potter train (going to and from each park)...but overall, I just did not have enough time to see everything. We went on the rock and roll rollercoaster, The Mummy, the Harry Potter rides (all of them!), the new King Kong, Jurassic Park, Spider Man, the Sinbad show, and so much more, but I feel like I still missed at least half of what was there. These parks in Orlando dwarf the California parks (they have a lot more land and are able to expand more in Florida). I suppose I'll just have to go back again in the future. We finished our evening with hibachi dinner, and found our way to my family's house.

The next afternoon we walked the Circle B Bar Reserve (a protected swamp/lake area with walking trails) and I got to play with my new camera lens a little bit (thank you for the Xmas gift Kevin!). The mirror lens is incredibly hard to use, and I learned (too late), that I must have a tripod with me in the future *sigh*  On the plus side, I definitely got a few images I really like, and I'm okay with soft focus-I've been told that is part of the charm of the mirror lens anyway. One of the really neat effects is the little circles that appear in reflections. Keep an eye out for them in the attached photos. Anyway, there were SO many alligators, probably over 30 of them that I spotted in the hour or two I was walking. The majority of gators were babies, but there were a few watching from the water that easily measured 10+ feet long (look for them in my images, one or two may pop up in the backgrounds). 

The rest of the trip is a blur of visiting relatives. Bon fires, cookouts, smores... I went to the Dali museum in St Pete the day it was storming so bad. The wind was upwards of 50mph, so it was a good day to stay inside. There was a fantastic Frida Kahlo exhibit too, so it was a nice way to occupy the afternoon. The last day was windy and still a bit stormy (yep, the weather is still following my travels), so I spent much of my time hanging indoors with my mom.

I flew home last night to visiting company. SaraLiz has been at my house dog-sitting, so this afternoon I photographed her (finally!!). Yayyyyy!!

I suppose I'll end this here. Time for me to get to bed!

xoxo

Carlotta