View allAll Photos Tagged OPTIMISTIC
Given that we have actually had an almost normal amount of rain so far this winter in Southern California, I am optimistic that this spring will be a good one for arthropods and wildflowers!
This is a single shot, natural light. For a view of the setup used for this shot, see the first comment.
Optimistic Fantasy ;;; Just Hold The Hands & Drop The Knees
Dedicated to [ Viρєя.vèỉή..]
=D Fdaatich Ana I Love You Like Hella Lots<3<3
Im Sorry If i Say Silly Things That Hurt i Dont Mean To =(!!
&& uuuh iunno where to start
Everything In You Is Just Like Im Close To Haven
your More Then What I've ever Imagined Of ~~
your Just Amazing
Hope You Love The Pic<3
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PS. Big Big Big Thnx To Punket For The Edit What Will I Do Without You ILoveYou && Thnx For Teaching Me Walla && Thnx To Frenchi For Taking The Pic ""RightOne""
And THNX TO MEEH For Modeling
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Ps;; Thnx For The Rose Sara <3
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Like The Pic? =D Then Show It Off To All Your Friends!!
Get It Got It GOOD
Xoxo
I'm optimistically naming this one in the hopes of doing a series on the New York subway system. Not a new idea, by any means, but it could be interesting....plus, it is getting too cold outside ;-).
Part of my Life Underground Series
The Dixie Walesbilt Hotel, known as the Grand Hotel in later years, is one of a small number of skyscrapers built in the 1920s that still stand today and is a prime example of how optimistic people were during the Florida land boom. Built in 1926, it found financing through a stock-sale campaign in the local business community, costing $500,000 after it was completed(which equates to about $6 million today.)
The building architecture, masonry vernacular with hints of Mediterranean-Revival, is also a good example of the time is was built. It was designed by two well-known architects at the time, Fred Bishop who designed the Byrd Theatre in Virginia, and D.J. Phipps, whose designed both the Wyoming County Courthouse and Jail and the Colonial Hotel in Virginia.
The hotel was constructed using the “three-part vertical block” method, which became the dominant pattern in tall buildings during the 1920s. Three-part buildings are composed of a base, shaft and a cap, all noticeably visible.
The hotel opened as the “Walesbilt” in January 1927, shortly after the land boom had started to collapse and two years before the Great Depression began. It’s also best to note that the hotel opened around the same time the Floridan Hotel in Tampa opened, another hotel built during the Florida land boom.
In 1972, the hotel was purchased by Anderson Sun State and renamed the “Groveland Motor Inn”. The firm completely renovated the hotel and used it to host visitors to the area who were interested in Green Swamp, land sectioned off for land development. At the time there was heavy speculation in the land because of it’s close proximity to Walt Disney World and were selling for around $5,000 an acre at the time. That ended after a state cabinet designation of the swamp as an area of critical state concern, placing the land off-limits to any large land developments. The firm filed for foreclosure and the hotel was auctioned off in 1974. Despite RCI Electric purchasing the hotel, it remained empty for many years afterwards.
n 1978, the hotel was signed over to the Agape Players, a nationally known religious music and drama group, who would assume the mortgage and would pay the costs to make improvements to meet city fire and safety standards. The hotel was renamed the “Royal Walesbilt” and after extensive improvements were made, it became the headquarters for the Agape Players; using it as a teaching facility and the base from which the group launched their tours. In addition, they operated a restaurant, an ice cream parlor on the lobby floor and a “Christian hotel” on the upper floors, catering mostly to groups. The Agape Players disbanded in 1985 and put the property up for sale
Victor Khubani, a property investor from New York acquired the property and renamed the hotel “Grand”. The hotel closed briefly in December 1988, due to a variety of code violations and causing the owner to later pay $14,000 in fines. On August 31, 1990 it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, possibly for tax exemption reasons. In October 1991, The State Fire Marshall’s Office gave the owner one year to install a new sprinkler system and in May 1993, the code enforcement board gave Khubani until March to complete the work.
In March 1994, the hotel closed due to multiple code violations and was to remain closed until a new fire sprinkler system was installed. To reopen, the fire escapes and elevator, which did not function, would have to be repaired as well. In 1995, the hotel was auctioned off to a redevelopment firm, which dismantled part of the interior for reconstruction, which was never completed.
Since then, the hotel has deteriorated, becoming an eyesore to many of the residents of Lake Wales and nicknamed “The Green Monster” for the greenish color it has acquired from over the years. In 1995, it was even jokingly mentioned to become a sacrifice to “the bomb”, an economic boom that occurred in parts of Florida where movie production companies would pay cities to blow up buildings for their movies. In 2007, the city foreclosed on the structure for more than $700,000 in unpaid code fines, with hopes in finding someone to restore it.
Development firm, Dixie-Walesbilt LLC announced plans to restore the hotel, signing into an agreement with the city of Lake Wales in February 2010. By the agreement, the city would retain ownership of the building until a defined amount of work had been accomplished. The work must be completed within 16 months and the amount of money invested must succeed at least $1.5 million. The building would then be handed off the Dixie Walesbilt LLC, where they may continue with private funding or other methods to for debt funding.
Ray Brown, President of Dixie Walesbilt LLC, planned to invest $6 million into the renovation, with original plans to put retail stores on the ground floor and using the upper floors for as many as 40 condominiums.
On June 2, 2011, the city of Lake Wales agreed to deed the building off to Ray Brown in a 4-1 vote, after meeting the requirements of the redevelopment agreement. Though Brown submitted a list of costs to the city totaling $1.66 million, Mayor Mike Carter wasn’t satisfied with the results so far, pointing out that Brown failed to repair the windows and repaint the building. Previous owners had put tar on the building and then painted over it, so much of Brown’s investment went to stripping the tar off the exterior walls.
To repaint the building, Brown would also have to resurface the hotel with hydrated lime to replicate the original skin as well as the window frames would need to be constructed of Douglas fir, red cedar and gulf cypress. According to Brown, previous owners who renovated the building rarely removed the building original elements. They carpeted over intricate tile flooring, stuck tar paper above skylights and placed modern drinking fountains in front of the originals. He estimated about 98 percent of the building is still in it’s original form.
Restoration of the building’s exterior began in January 2015 and included surface repair, pressure washing, paint removal, chemical treatment, and a comprehensive resurfacing of the exterior.
While the original plans were for turning the building into condominiums, that has since changed and current plans call for operating the building as a boutique hotel. The hotel will feature geothermal cooling as opposed to traditional air conditioning, a permanent art gallery as well as theme gallery showings throughout the year, and the best WiFi/internet in the city. The project is expected to be completed in 18 to 24 months.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
www.fox13news.com/news/lake-wales-city-officials-aim-to-r...
www.cityoflakewales.com/505/Dixie-Walesbilt-Hotel
www.abandonedfl.com/dixie-walesbilt-hotel/
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
With their optimistic hue and general association with good cheer, yellow roses are the perfect way to toast friends, lift spirits and send a general wish for well-being.
And that’s great news for those who love roses—the rose is known for its simple, architectural beauty, but some colors are so loaded with significance that they can be a bit tricky to work with.
Sending a get-well bouquet of red roses to your administrative assistant might raise eyebrows around the office, for instance. Suffice it to say, you can never go wrong with yellow roses.
In the outdoor gardens at Lake Merritt, Oakland
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To a nature loving optimistic photographer like myself, I often go to extremes to get that 'one-shot' that has a certain story, flair or is otherwise interesting, at least for myself. My goal is first to please myself with the adventure of obtaining a fun image, perhaps even a composition that would be enjoyed by others. And occasionally there turns out to be a few bumps along the way, and an interesting story to go along with the photo.
Such was the case this last Saturday at the wooded Harrison Hills Park near the border of four counties in Western Pennsylvania. Every Saturday morning I often hike along a scenic trail which lies at the top of a very steep ridge along the Allegheny River. At the base of the ridge are railroad tracks. I don't often see trains along there, but on this occasion, there was a train stopped right below me.
In winter the view is spectacular; off in the distance one can see the town of Freeport, and there are snow covered hills and trees as far as the eye can see if one looks up the valley. The river itself is often teaming with various forms of ducks and geese often heard, and with binoculars seen down in the distance.
On this particular day I spied a bird's nest, by my estimation most likely the nest of a Red-eyed Vireo based on the size and location in the branch of a small wild Black-Cherry tree. I decide that I'd try to get a photo of this durable nest, even though it was situated down about 15 feet from my position. The embankment there is quite steep, and against my better judgment I began to descend a little bit over the edge. There was a nice foot hold for my right leg which I decided was the best place to make pictures. I dared not go any further. I took a few photos, but my zoom was only 3x, and decided I need to get just a few inches further.
Suddenly I slipped onto my back, but yet did not slide down the ridge. My cool head told me to put the camera away, which I did, luckily, I even managed to get my glove back on my right hand. But how would I get out of this predicament? A moment later I began to slide, and slid on my back halfway down the steep ridge. Luckily, a log loomed large and I grabbed it, otherwise who knows how much further I would have gone, and to what peril.
I was able to gain my feet, inspect for damage, to which there was none, and traverse along the ridge to a place where trees with many hand holds afforded a chance for me to ascend back out of the ridge back to the path. I went back to where I had fallen and marveled at my luck. I then proceeded to place a few well laid foot prints so that anyone else coming upon the scene wouldn't worry that someone had fallen over the cliff because the tracks would have appeared to go one way only: down. I didn't want anyone to institute a search.
Perhaps some day, another photographer, in a similar situation, will think of my story, and err on the side of caution. Maybe my foolhardy escapade will have not been for naught.
Taken in September 1973.
This 1973 Evening News headline has the channel tunnel (the "Chunnel") to France opening in 1980 -- though it wouldn't actually be completed until 1994. I took this shot not for the headline (who knew at the time?) but for the vendor picking through the change in his hand. England had recently switched from the "old" pence to the "new" -- and both were in circulation at the same time. Any transaction involving coins could be an adventure, especially for a tourist.
“Mildly optimistic”. That’s what I told my friends (Monte Sano regulars) on my morning weather report. I’m usually up there before anybody else and it helps to know what the weather is really like. And I was “mildly optimistic” is would be a decent sunrise. You really don’t know what you’re going to get. Just show up and hope for the best.
A very unusual color combination: Streaked orange down low and puffy red up top. It was an interesting morning.
Nikon D7200 — Nikon 18-300mm F6.3 ED VR
32mm
F8@1/50th
ISO 400
GND filter
DOL_2749.JPG
©Don Brown 2023
This optimistic young man stayed out on the still water for a hour or more hoping for a wave. Naples, Florida has a lot to offer…unfortunately waves are are not one of them. The area is know for it's calm, still, warm waters. Dream on young man.
Taken at the Naples Pier in Naples Florida..
it is the first day of spring
and i, the eternal optimist, do think the sun will stay out
and the temperature will rise above freezing
and that i will spot crocuses peeking up
and that this will make at least 2 people smile ~grin~
scavchal16 optimist or pessimist-- can there be any doubt??
365days of color yellow
20/31
looks dyn-o-mite on black
The Dixie Walesbilt Hotel, known as the Grand Hotel in later years, is one of a small number of skyscrapers built in the 1920s that still stand today and is a prime example of how optimistic people were during the Florida land boom. Built in 1926, it found financing through a stock-sale campaign in the local business community, costing $500,000 after it was completed(which equates to about $6 million today.)
The building architecture, masonry vernacular with hints of Mediterranean-Revival, is also a good example of the time is was built. It was designed by two well-known architects at the time, Fred Bishop who designed the Byrd Theatre in Virginia, and D.J. Phipps, whose designed both the Wyoming County Courthouse and Jail and the Colonial Hotel in Virginia.
The hotel was constructed using the “three-part vertical block” method, which became the dominant pattern in tall buildings during the 1920s. Three-part buildings are composed of a base, shaft and a cap, all noticeably visible.
The hotel opened as the “Walesbilt” in January 1927, shortly after the land boom had started to collapse and two years before the Great Depression began. It’s also best to note that the hotel opened around the same time the Floridan Hotel in Tampa opened, another hotel built during the Florida land boom.
In 1972, the hotel was purchased by Anderson Sun State and renamed the “Groveland Motor Inn”. The firm completely renovated the hotel and used it to host visitors to the area who were interested in Green Swamp, land sectioned off for land development. At the time there was heavy speculation in the land because of it’s close proximity to Walt Disney World and were selling for around $5,000 an acre at the time. That ended after a state cabinet designation of the swamp as an area of critical state concern, placing the land off-limits to any large land developments. The firm filed for foreclosure and the hotel was auctioned off in 1974. Despite RCI Electric purchasing the hotel, it remained empty for many years afterwards.
n 1978, the hotel was signed over to the Agape Players, a nationally known religious music and drama group, who would assume the mortgage and would pay the costs to make improvements to meet city fire and safety standards. The hotel was renamed the “Royal Walesbilt” and after extensive improvements were made, it became the headquarters for the Agape Players; using it as a teaching facility and the base from which the group launched their tours. In addition, they operated a restaurant, an ice cream parlor on the lobby floor and a “Christian hotel” on the upper floors, catering mostly to groups. The Agape Players disbanded in 1985 and put the property up for sale
Victor Khubani, a property investor from New York acquired the property and renamed the hotel “Grand”. The hotel closed briefly in December 1988, due to a variety of code violations and causing the owner to later pay $14,000 in fines. On August 31, 1990 it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, possibly for tax exemption reasons. In October 1991, The State Fire Marshall’s Office gave the owner one year to install a new sprinkler system and in May 1993, the code enforcement board gave Khubani until March to complete the work.
In March 1994, the hotel closed due to multiple code violations and was to remain closed until a new fire sprinkler system was installed. To reopen, the fire escapes and elevator, which did not function, would have to be repaired as well. In 1995, the hotel was auctioned off to a redevelopment firm, which dismantled part of the interior for reconstruction, which was never completed.
Since then, the hotel has deteriorated, becoming an eyesore to many of the residents of Lake Wales and nicknamed “The Green Monster” for the greenish color it has acquired from over the years. In 1995, it was even jokingly mentioned to become a sacrifice to “the bomb”, an economic boom that occurred in parts of Florida where movie production companies would pay cities to blow up buildings for their movies. In 2007, the city foreclosed on the structure for more than $700,000 in unpaid code fines, with hopes in finding someone to restore it.
Development firm, Dixie-Walesbilt LLC announced plans to restore the hotel, signing into an agreement with the city of Lake Wales in February 2010. By the agreement, the city would retain ownership of the building until a defined amount of work had been accomplished. The work must be completed within 16 months and the amount of money invested must succeed at least $1.5 million. The building would then be handed off the Dixie Walesbilt LLC, where they may continue with private funding or other methods to for debt funding.
Ray Brown, President of Dixie Walesbilt LLC, planned to invest $6 million into the renovation, with original plans to put retail stores on the ground floor and using the upper floors for as many as 40 condominiums.
On June 2, 2011, the city of Lake Wales agreed to deed the building off to Ray Brown in a 4-1 vote, after meeting the requirements of the redevelopment agreement. Though Brown submitted a list of costs to the city totaling $1.66 million, Mayor Mike Carter wasn’t satisfied with the results so far, pointing out that Brown failed to repair the windows and repaint the building. Previous owners had put tar on the building and then painted over it, so much of Brown’s investment went to stripping the tar off the exterior walls.
To repaint the building, Brown would also have to resurface the hotel with hydrated lime to replicate the original skin as well as the window frames would need to be constructed of Douglas fir, red cedar and gulf cypress. According to Brown, previous owners who renovated the building rarely removed the building original elements. They carpeted over intricate tile flooring, stuck tar paper above skylights and placed modern drinking fountains in front of the originals. He estimated about 98 percent of the building is still in it’s original form.
Restoration of the building’s exterior began in January 2015 and included surface repair, pressure washing, paint removal, chemical treatment, and a comprehensive resurfacing of the exterior.
While the original plans were for turning the building into condominiums, that has since changed and current plans call for operating the building as a boutique hotel. The hotel will feature geothermal cooling as opposed to traditional air conditioning, a permanent art gallery as well as theme gallery showings throughout the year, and the best WiFi/internet in the city. The project is expected to be completed in 18 to 24 months.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
www.cityoflakewales.com/505/Dixie-Walesbilt-Hotel
www.abandonedfl.com/dixie-walesbilt-hotel/
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
An optimistic trip to Sidmouth for sunrise proved just that - optimistic. Therefore I tried to make what I could of this breakwater that I always have trouble with, composition-wise.
I am half full of hope - the rest I release to the universe
Today's daily tidbit of inspiration is #Optimistic.
What am I optimistic about? …. Just about everything, I guess. Somehow, when I wasn't looking, I morphed from a sarcastic, critical, sardonic, judgmental pessimist who regularly beats herself up into … me. For the first time in my adult life I am comfortable in my own skin. I accept myself (with all my mistakes and flaws) and I accept others. I still hold the bar exceedingly high (and recognize all too well that there is lots of room for improvement), but I am positive and optimistic that goals are achievable. I am an optimist who believes people have the power to change their world. I believe in small kindnesses. I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt. I believe in giving forgiveness to those who ask for it. I believe I (and everyone) can achieve anything we set our minds to. I believe the future is bright and beautiful and full of blessings and potential.
That doesn't mean I see the world as all peachy and rosy; it just means I try to focus more on the positive. I do not subject myself to TV news. I do not let me or my children get inundated with all the negativity that surrounds us 24/7. I think by focusing on the positive I am better able to maintain my optimism. I try to channel my optimism towards actions. When disasters strike, I channel my means towards helping, perhaps with donations of money or blood. When horrific, ugly, unspeakable things happen to innocents, I pray for those affected and I offer words of solace and protective arms to those closest to me. When people in my community are suffering I try to provide help by giving of my time or by providing food. I know that I am blessed. I have not suffered tragedy close to home (knock on wood). I think my awareness of how blessed I am helps fuel my optimism that I can affect change, however small. If I were to write a serenity prayer, it would go something like this:
Give me the wisdom to know when I can change things, the strength to make the changes within my power, and the ability to release to the universe that which I cannot.
Okay... that's enough deep thought rambling for today. I am optimistic that I will have toast and homemade marmalade for breakfast now. :)
A slightly optimistic destination board on the unit doing the Looe - Liskeard shuttles. The train has stopped to reverse at Coombe Junction Halt. At one time there was a signal box here, but now the guard operates the token machine - also the key to the shed containing the token machine is on a staff doubly to ensure safe branch line working. There is a number 2 frame and token machine just beyond the station, so the cement trains don't need to stop at this point, but carry on a couple of hundred yards and use the token machine for the freight side of the line.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority."
E. B. White (1899 - 1985)