Grim Reaper walking home?

Twas a hot summer day in South Florida. I was on my way to Whole Foods when I spotted what must have been the Grim Reaper. It was just after 5 in the afternoon so maybe he just got off work and he was walking home? Maybe he was bored and took the day off? I really have no explanation. It was just one of those moments.

Bacon Chocolate Bar?

I'm waiting in line at Whole Foods with a basket of organic veggies when I notice a new display of chocolate bars. The one that caught my attention is the one pictured above- a BACON FLAVORED chocolate bar! I was like WTF? Am I hallucinating? Am I still at Whole Foods or have I been transported to an alternate universe? I wonder what the marketing meeting was like. Did someone stand up suddenly and say, "Hey I know! Let's combine BACON and CHOCOLATE and sell it at health food stores!" Perfect.

Here's another post I found about it. Apparently people like this stuff. Why am I not surprised?

Scaffold Rescue in Fort Lauderdale

On the way back to my office, I saw a number of Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue vehicles stopped at the White Egret condominium so I decided to investigate. Something broke or malfunctioned on a scaffold and two workers were left holding on for their lives, fifteen floors up. One was still holding on to the scaffold while another was dangling in mid air, held up by his safety line. As I arrived, a Fort Lauderdale fire engine was raising its ladder to begin the rescue. Firefighters were also in the building and on the roof. See more photos on Design215.com

Jet Los Angeles Shoot

One of the images from the second day of shooting for Jet Los Angeles. Sedna did a great job as my assistant again and Courtney was our fabulous makeup artist.

Allie's Birthday Cake

I went with Sedna to her friend Allie's birthday party. Naturally I have tons of "snapshots" showing Allie and everyone having fun and being silly. However, for my Photo of the Day, it has to be the cake. =)

Happy Birthday: Allie

Argiope Spider

The Argiope Spider or "St. Andrews Cross Spider" spins conspicuous lines or spirals of silk into its web to prevent larger animals or birds from accidentally destroying it. I think its an amazing evolutionary trick. According to Wikipedia...

The average orb web is practically invisible, and it is easy to blunder into one and end up covered with a sticky web. The very easily visible pattern of banded silk made by Argiope is pure white, and some species make an "X" form, or a zigzag type of web (often with a hollow center). The spider then aligns one pair of its legs with each of the four lines in the hollow "X," making a complete "X" of white lines with a very eye-catching spider colored bright yellow on a field of black or variegated red white and yellow stripes forming its center.

I saw this spider in my mom's yard and I had to break out the macro lens. The spider didn't seem to mind me bringing my camera and lens within an inch of her body to get this shot. =)

Raw Tomato Soup

You are looking at a bowl of my raw, organic tomato soup. What do I mean by raw? Nothing is cooked. It's a cold soup, similar to Gazpacho but a little different. I put tomatoes, onions, garlic, fresh dill, fresh basil, red bell pepper, sun dried tomatoes, raisins, olive oil, and salt in a mixing bowl and puree everything until its a smooth soup. Then I add diced avocado, diced red bell pepper, and fresh kernels of corn if organic corn is available. Every ingredient is organic. Nothing is cooked. Everyone loves my soup, even people who don't like "healthy" food.

I'm slowly making the transition to raw food. Why? Nothing you eat has any nutritional value. When you heat food above 115 degrees, you alter its composition and destroy half the vitamins and enzymes that your body needs. When you go to the store and buy things that have been heated, processed, filled with chemicals, and finally sweetened with corn syrup so you won't mind the taste, you're being fooled into thinking you're eating food. You're not. There's more nutrition in my single bowl of soup than you probably get in a week!

I'm not there yet. I still eat some cooked food. I still go to Starbucks every now and then. I certainly don't want to eat salads every day. I have two friends that eat all raw- my friend David in Miami and my friend Thea in NYC. I've learned from both of them that you don't have to eat salads all the time to be raw. There are many amazing dishes you can make from raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains... and I'm learning how to make them! If you want to see what you can make using only raw ingredients, I highly recommend the book, Raw Food Real World.

Hint: Japanese restaurants have a lot of raw food. =)

Happy Birthday: Kellen

Lizard in the grass

I moved in really, really slow just to see how close I could get. Usually these small lizards will dart away in the blink of an eye. I think this one thought he was hidden in the blades of grass. Nikon D200, ISO 400, F5.6 @ 1/60.