Last Weekend in June at Club K

When Tyler opened the refrigerator at Club K he said, "is anybody else the least bit disturbed by this?!?" I think he was startled. It was priceless! Doesn't everybody have one of Justin's smoking/drinking Elmo balloons in their fridge?

Stella said, "they've got GREAT lizards here!"

Greg & Renee said, "CHEESE!"

More "CHEESE" with the Michaels.

Happy 75th Birthday Krispy Kreme

In honor of their 75th birthday, the Krispy Kreme Cruiser will be driving all over the USA in 2012. On July 13th (Krispy Kreme's actual 75th birthday) the Cruiser will be in Winston-Salem, NC where they'll be commemorating the location of the first Krispy Kreme Doughnut shop. You can follow their interactive map to see where they'll be next on GlazeTheNationTour.com.

Krispy Kreme Cruiser Fun Facts:

• 1960 Flxible Starliner
• Originally put into service on October 26, 1960 in Los Angeles, CA as a private tour bus.
• Bus specs: 35' long x 8' wide x 9'6" high. 
• Engine: Cummins 5.9 Turbo Diesel.
• Launch date:February 23, 2012 in Daytona Beach, FL.
• 2012 travel projections: 500 stops, 400 cities, 37 states, 50,000 mi.
• Operated for Krispy Kreme by Richard Childress Racing in NC.
• Restoration: Outcast Kustoms in NC.

 

We got to meet Kim & Ron, the lucky husband & wife team who are on a year-long road trip, spreading doughnut cheer. This 1960 Flxible Starliner sure is a beaut!

I LOVE the instrument panel. I could've shot it all day.

The Cruiser even has a real "HOT DOUGHNUTS NOW" light!

Tropical Storm Debby

When I got to the office this morning, I sat in my car waiting for the rain to let up.

There has been a CRAZY amount of rain. TPC Sawgrass got 25 inches. That's NUTS!

Inaugural JAX Truckies Food Truck Rally

Today Rob, Lauren & I went to the JAX Truckies Rally featuring ten gourmet food trucks in downtown Jacksonville. First stop was Super Food where we picked up Tuna Poke Nachos (sesame-soy-ginger marinated Ahi with wasabi hummus & kimchi atop nori nachos) as well as mac 'n cheese balls.

From Monroe's Smokehouse BBQ we had Sweet Potato Fries, Memphis Deluxe Sliders (pulled pork topped with creamy cole slaw & oh so sweet bbq sauce) as well as Smokehouse Pulled Pork Sliders.

I love the Gourmet Aviator truck. This is the front ...

... and this is the side. I could've shot this awesome aluminum truck with great graphics & photogenic rivets all day long.

At Mother Fletcher's we got a Philly (Filet Mignon, sauteed green peppers & sweet onions on a toasted steak roll, Teriyaki Wings (it took Mama 13 years to perfect these marinated juicy wings) & a Falafel (crispy on the outside, moist & perfectly seasoned on the inside. Served in a soft pita topped with Romaine lettuce, Roma tomatoes & scratch made tzatziki sauce).

At Corner Taco we had a Fried Mayport Shrimp taco with white corn puree & a side of asparagus.

We also had Espresso Blackened Mahi-Mahi & Carnitas tacos. The Corner Taco food truck is a beautiful vintage 1965 Airstream Globetrotter that came to the TOUR in March (links to my blog post).

Nice building mural across from the rally.

I shot some random photos as we walked along the waterfront.

When we got back to PVB, Rob coaxed Stella onto his lap. We were stuffed, but knew we'd have to digest in time for dinner ... a Low Country Boil party at Matt & Ilona's.

Record Rainfall = Muddy Pup

We've had record rainfall all week & there's no end in sight. It's been so bad that I made Stella wear her raincoat. I know this is what she was thinking, "Not only will I not go outside in this silly thing, but I won't look at your stupid camera either."

Bad weather = a wet, stinky pup with muddy paws. This was after a playdate with Hank.

Lens Test

Today I wanted to test the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens. I don't like variable aperture lenses but I heard great things about this lens from other photographers I respect. Luckily, Stella always makes a great test subject. I'd like to do some more extensive testing, but so far I'm impressed with the range, sharpness, weight & versatility.

Stella's delicious giant stick is bigger than she is.

After our shoot ... dinner at Taco Lu. YUM!!!