View allAll Photos Tagged optimistic
My first "artistic" photo set this year. Mila first time showing up with red color hair. Minimum post-processing in this version - lite tint and contrast adjustment.
I wasn't really optimistic that the weather would play ball as i set off for Rumbling Kern on sunday morning,but i was really pleased that the clouds would clear and give way to some quite nice light.
This was taken at that great time,when the darkness of night gives way to the light of day.In the right conditions its surely one of the best times to be out there with camera in hand.
EXIF....F19....3 SECONDS....ISO 100....11MM....LEE 0.9 ND GRAD (HARD)
The 50mm f/1.4 has been a solid walkabout lens for me so far. It is light and handles almost anything thrown at it. Love it!
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 not sure if this pedal rikshaw driver smiled like this because he was having his photo taken or because he was hopeful of getting a customer. I liked how this turned out though.
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
January 2019
The Grand Opera House opened in April 1909. Its investors were 14 businessmen, including William Bell who shared an optimistic vision for the young city of about 4,200 – neighbouring Copper Cliff's population was about 3,000. The theatre originally had more than 1,000 seats, three balconies, majestic high ceilings, sophisticated art nouveau decorations throughout and an elegant lobby.
In December 1929, the first all-talking feature movie, “Lights of New York,” was shown. The owners of the renamed Grand Theatre invested $20,000 to install the Vitaphone sound system, which involved a record disc played in sync with the film.
During the 1930s, the Grand was owned by William Mason, owner of the Sudbury Star.*
The Grand survived The Depression, the death of vaudeville, and the Second World War. But by 1949, it was in need of major repairs. New owners renovated the building into two movie theatres, the Empire and the Plaza.
Laurentian University used the offices in the building at 28 Elgin for classes until its campus opened in 1964. Later, Gauvreau Academy of Dance and Modeling was located in the upper offices.
When the movie theatres closed in 1986, Ted Szilva, developer of the Big Nickel tourist attraction, bought the building for $400,000 and spent another $200,000 on renovations. Ornate chandeliers from the Capitol Theatre on Durham Street were installed and this added to the grandeur.
Legendary performer Tony Bennett opened the revitalized performance centre in 1987. During a renaissance from 1987 to the mid-1990s, it booked A-list entertainers such as Johnny Cash, Celine Dion, Tom Jones, Nana Mouskouri, k.d. lang, Conway Twitty, Wayne Newton, Engelbert Humperdinck, Crowded House, George Carlin, the Smothers Brothers, Howie Mandel and the Beach Boys.
Szilva's plans may have been too grand. Although Sudbury audiences were enthusiastic about its heady schedule of entertainment, the city's population was not large enough or wealthy enough to fill the theatre night after night. The building went into receivership.
Claude Michel purchased the Grand with his father, Arnel, and two private investors in 1988. He continued to book top acts, but asked the city for relief for property taxes of $50,000. The city "rented" the theatre for 40 nights over 12 months and community art groups could apply to use the space at no cost. The relief program ended in 1996.
Michel found running a nightclub, then known as the Big Thunder Bar, more profitable. The seats were removed and the sloped floor was levelled. Office space in the building was converted into apartments.
The Grand was put on the market in 1999 for $1 million, but there was little interest from prospective buyers. Michel finally sold it in 2013.
Today, the Grand Nightclub is a popular dance club that also books concerts and rents space for theatre productions and special events. A second bar, in the old Plaza theatre space formerly known as Coyotes, is now called Fuse.
Explored September 18, 2023 #260.
Bit of a square mood today and also feeling a little optimistic with last night's heavy rain possibly heralding more interesting skies on this beautiful island. Looking forward to the weekend already!!
I love this image for an odd reason - I managed to capture blowing foliage mostly in sharp focus at a shutter speed of 1/15 with just a few leaves out of focus adding to the drama - perfect! ..*slaps back*
I really didn't want to use an ISO above 100, I know I will never print the image so what is the point, and f/8 was as wide as I dare go to gain more light, the dof already being on the edge. But noticing the wind would momentarily halt from time to time occasionally leaving the banana leaves and grass blades at an apex point I thought I would try my luck. From an embarrassingly high number of shots I got lucky with this one. I just love the sideways grass blades along the bottom!
Thank you for breezing by and please press L for love :)
* * * *
nothing breaks your stride
like what's become
I have been feeling absolutely optimistic lately, fevered with ideas and inspiration. Setbacks happen and somehow, for what seems like the first time ever, it doesn't faze me. By focusing on the benefits of any situation put before you, you can take advantage of them. Simple. How you look at things determines where you go in life. Look forward and you'll go forward. Look back and you live in the past. How you react determines how good it turns out for you. There is a peace that results from retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you had expected. I have finally come to a place in my life where, as trite as it sounds, I can honestly say "I may not have everything I want, but I have everything I need." I would find it an impossible way to live to always want more: more cars, more expensive jewelry, etc. It's unfathomable to me, I've just never been wired that way.
I think it must seem strange to see a woman head into the woods with a garment bag, tripod and a camera bag. I'm horrified at the idea of someone seeing me doing something like taking this picture. When I took this I could hear people in the distance riding dirt bikes and I hoped like hell that they wouldn't come my way and see me high up there in a cape, trying very hard not to topped off. There was very little wind so creating that motion I wanted with the dress and cape left me a little precarious. Getting up there required crawling over lots of small rocks with crevices that could hide one of many different poisonous snakes in my area, making me realize I really should carry a snake bite kit with me, too. Just a few of the thoughts that go through my head.
Optimistically started to set up this morning to view the latest batch of sunspots, thinking we would have a half decent day. Cloud began to build from the North East during this process so I decided the SW120ED would stay in the box today and just loaded the 72ED-R Lightwave instead. Seeing became quite turbulent and now 2 hrs later we are totally clouded out. At least it gave me an opportunity to find out if the filter I made for this scope works.
Captured via an Orion SSAG in Planetary Mode using a continuum & UV/IR stack filter set. Best 85% of 2000 frames.
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/
www.emporis.com/buildings/178033/grand-hotel-lake-wales-f...
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
I actually managed to speak to the owner last a while back. He is open to selling it, but he`s a tad optimistic with the price...
Apparently his Uncle got it in 1978, his Dad then had it off his Uncle in the late 1980`s, & this guy inherited it when his Dad passed away in 1998.
I did give it a quick look over, & although it was more solid than I was expecting, it will need welding to the inner & outer sills both sides, the floors, all the doors are rusted out at the bottom to greater & lesser degrees, as are both front wings, the bonnets rusted through round the NS hinge section, which is why its sticking up, the rear bumper also needs replacing, the rear arches seem good amazingly, as does the rear screen surround (but the front one is holed). The seats have absolutely had it, suffering the usual 70`s BL sun perishing, as has the carpet. Obviously all the brake system, suspension, clutch hydraulics & tyres will all need renewing. On the up side, the engine is free, but, needs a full rebuild (he said it needed a re-bore & new rings when it was last in use), it didn't feel like there was much compression when I did turn it on the fan, so I`d imagine its pretty smoky!
Its all do-able, but its certainly not a weekends worth of sprucing up, & frankly not worth the money he`s after.. It would be a labour of love, as you can find mint ones for £3-4k, or, could be used as a parts car.
This little dirt road I found could lead anywhere. More importantly, I hope this week your road leads you someplace great!
Hey folks, I'm currently really busy getting my website to work and printing business cards and other stuff. So, I'll catch up on you and you know that I will! :-)
Take care,
Flo
I was still optimistic about a year ago, when I took this photo of Yoda. I wish you were here with me giving me that look. This photo may be a bit under-exposed, but I just love it.
taken in May or June 2012; w/ Hasselblad 503cx + Planar 80mm + Fuji 160NS
Praha-Prague_Kavárna - Restaurace s velmi optimistickým jménem "Márnice".__Cafe - Restaurant with a very optimistic name "morgue".
Morris, my "Butterscotch" boy is currently very sick. :-( He has the dreaded urinary tract blockage and infection that so often plagues male cats. Had him in at the Chaska Valley Vet Clinic today (5/15/09), and he's on antibiotics and special food now. Hopefully it was caught in time. I am hopeful, but not optimistic at this point in time.
Update 5/18/09: Morris is doing much better! He's not out of the woods, but he's almost back to his old self!
He was born at my nephew's farm outside of Star Prairie, Wisconsin in the spring of 2004. My nephew's son, Jason, named him Morris. His favorite "toy" is light beams of any kind. It makes him go wild!
View the Large size if you really want to appreciate this picture!
The other shot was too depressing so here's a happier one. The light was just incredible right here.
Explored, thanks guys!
Malmö / Konungariket Sverige
See where this picture was taken. [?]
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
Optimistic fishers gather at the end of Murrays Bay Wharf, Auckland, enjoying the early spring morning sun.
Yashica Electro 35 GSN
Ilford Delta 100
A Richard's pipit (Anthus richardi) was caught seeking for the tiny soil insects inside a well plugged paddy field. Sitting upon the elevated soil dumps it was scanning the arthropods for the taking while I was optimistically after it with a heavy tele in hand. It only allowed me a frame from a distance. Pics was taken from a village in Katwa, West Bengal, India.
An optimistic mural on the wall surrounding the Cockerill-Ougrée site.
Une peinture murale optimiste sur le mur ceinturant le site de Cockerill-Ougrée.
Ilford HP5+ 800iso Adonal 1+25 8'
I was still optimistic on the numbers of Bald Eagles coming to the Harrison River in early November. As the month progressed there were more but no where near the numbers of some previous years. I read some numbers that people posted alluding to over 1500 birds but that would have been likely only over a very large area likely covered by a boat on an exceptional day. Hopefully next year will be better.
The optimistic railfan in me enjoys seeing the tri-window PRLX 8149 (EMD SD60M) heading east over the frozen Partridge River while leading its train though downtown Aldrich. The pessimist in me doesn't overly enjoy shooting in such gloomy conditions in between seasons. If the ground and foliage can't be green I wish it was completely white. Also, there is no denying that this patch job is absolutely hideous, but it gets the job done.
Lo mejor que la fotografía me ha enseñado es a mirar el lado bello y luminoso de todo lo que me rodea. Sé que suena muy tópico, ya que estamos en la era de las frases positivas y el "buenrollismo", pero es que es así.
Para La Graella Vintage: Cámaras.
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