Well my weekend trip with Chris to Clermont was quite wonderful. A look at the local radar Saturday morning revealed some large pockets of showers and thunderstorms were going to roll through central Florida around the time we would be en route to Clermont. The speed and direction of the storms, however, seemed to indicate we would drive through them on the way there, but that by the time we arrived they would be gone completely. Fortunately, I was correct and the weather was rather nice the entire time.

After a breakfast stop at Dan's Restaurant, we made our way to Clermont and first hit the Citrus Tower. It was as much a pleasure to visit as it had been for me during my visit earlier in the week whilst taking pictures for work. Chris enjoyed it very much as well, which really made me happy. We stayed up on the observation level for some time peering out at the view, stopping to drop some coins down a chute that allows you listen to them as they make their way all the way down to the first floor.

We continued to the historic downtown area and to the fishing pier at Lake Minneola. After enjoying that for a while, we moved on to the Lakeridge Winery for the tour and tasting. After browsing through the shop for a bit, the tour began with a fifteen-minute video highlighting the history of wine making in Florida and of the Lakeridge Winery specifically. I found this video very interesting and learned a lot about wine I had not known previously. After the video, a guide took everyone through the production area of the winery detailing the various functions of the equipment and providing information on their output.

Presently they produce 100,000 gallons (379,000 litres) of wine every season. Even with that output, they are still running out prematurely so they have added another production line that doubles their output. Their product line includes ten varieties ranging from dry to sweet and while they do hold a distribution license, the Lakeridge Winery does not sell its product in but very few, select retail stores. The rest of their business comes exclusively from on-site sale and direct shipping.

After trying their varieties of wine through the tasting, Chris and I both went back to the shop and made some purchases. I got a bottle of the Cuvée Noir Reserve and Muscadine Chablis while he elected to get three of his favourites. I am very much looking forward to enjoying my wine.

We came back in the late afternoon and just enjoyed the rest of the day. I was really happy to have been able to not only go out and do something different, something rather simple yet so enjoyable, but also to share it with someone who found an appreciation in it as well. I believe this trip will be the first of many as I plan to purchase a book that has various back road day trips to places around central Florida. Simple, inexpensive and incredibly enjoyable, I think I may have discovered something else I have been missing.

Footnote: Pictures from this trip are located here.

I overheard someone at lunch today ask what was on a BLT sandwich. I also finally learned that RE/MAX stands for "real estate maximums." Even though I have no complaints, somehow Monday's are always so humdrum. Luckily, this one is nearing completion.

It was my mother's birthday Friday so I was looking at all the cards she got from her friends and co-workers and I thought of something amusing. See one of the cards she received was from her employer's outsourced employee benefits company. This reminded me of my last birthday when I received a birthday greeting card from of all places, my life insurance company. It really seems somewhat off to me to get a card from a partial organisation like that. I mean really all the card needed to say was, "thanks for not dying so we do not have to pay out to your beneficiary." Perhaps that is just the slight twinge of bitterness toward the "American dream" cum corporate monopoly.

In other news, Lou Perlman can suck my dick for laying my friend off. Actually, I take that back. I would not let that fat fuck near me with a ten-foot pole. I hope all three-hundred of his pending lawsuits work out just fine for him that prick.

Finally, to the middle-aged bearded man who cut me off in traffic today, yet honked and gave me the finger, go fuck yourself.

I am not in a bad mood. Seriously. Just fed up with a few things.

As part of my ongoing project at work taking pictures of various areas around Orlando, Monday marked my trek to the city of Clermont, approximately thirty minutes west of downtown (unless traffic is beastly, which is not unheard of on SR 50). Not having been to this region in more years than I can count, I was not really sure what to expect. When it was all said and done, I was actually disappointed to have to drive back into town from my expedition. Addendum: check out the photographs from this here.

As I started to get closer and closer to Clermont proper, I knew I had to stop and eat something immediately. I had fully planned on having lunch earlier before I left the location north of Orlando where I was taking some pictures for the same project, but that never happened. Clermont is one of the most uneven areas in the very flat State of Florida, containing some really nice flowing hills and valleys. Only in Tallahassee, the Capital, have I seen anything similar. As I came across one of the hills I saw the next intersection was Citrus Tower Boulevard. I had not been to the Citrus Tower in probably over ten years and I thought it would be a great spot to get some food and a very great view from the top for the benefit of my pictures and also for my own personal satisfaction. Yeah, I got a thing with towers if that is not already apparent.

The area is really quite picturesque. The level of development, both residential and commercial, is startling though. Coming into this I knew things were going to be very different from the way I remembered them being a decade ago, because if they had not this project would be a waste of time. Speaking of which, I will be uploading pictures from all my photo shoots in the near future, so check back for that soon.

I pulled into the Citrus Tower plaza, parked and went into the lobby. I had a craving for a hamburger and so was extremely pleased that the Mexican restaurant on premises, Santiago's, had one available. It was one of the best burgers I have had in a while. I asked to have cheese on it and they used the shredded mozzarella you would find on a taco or something similar. The way it melted and distributed about the meat was nothing short of glorious. I then proceeded to ascend the tower and admire the view, albeit littered with the signs of progress: new subdivisions, apartment complexes, shopping centres and huge chain carry-it-all stores. Long gone were the days of Clermont being a sleepy town on the edge of nothing; progress at its best and worst, simultaneously.

When I finally decided to leave the lookout and return to the ground, I had a very nice chat with the lady that runs the gift shop and also sells the admission to the observation deck. I told her that I had indeed been at the tower before in response to her enquiry and stated how I remembered there used to be a tour via golf cart through the adjacent citrus groves. She said when she started working there nine years ago, those golf carts were in the process of being sold. I chatted with her for a bit more about things changing, wished her well and got on my way to get the bulk of the photography done.

I found myself walking through historic downtown Clermont, a quiet yet personable stretch of road containing nifty little shops and restaurants, all just blocks away from the park and lake. I walked up and down this road and was immediately reminded why I occasionally yearn to live in a remote location where the sleepy valley town is the only thing close to civilization for miles and miles around. Of course my inability to function long-term in that situation prevents that from occurring, but I still do think about it now and then. During my several cross-country road trips as a child, filled with intrigue and a desire for adventure, I encountered such places and they always seemed so genuine.

I walked down to the park and out on to the fishing pier jetting out into Lake Minneola. After walking back through town stopping at the chamber of commerce and library looking for some printed materials to take with me, I got on my way back to Orlando. There was a cute flower and fruit stand operated by a very nice woman who chatted with me after watching me stop and take a picture of her establishment. I browsed for a minute and then hit the road.

This weekend I am taking my good friend Chris to Clermont to repeat the enjoyment I had and share it with someone else. Who says you need to be in a relationship to enjoy a cute little trip like this together? Hell that is what friends are for anyway. I am going to take him to the Citrus Tower, historic downtown, surrounding areas and then to the nearby Lakeridge Winery for a tour and tasting. It is going to be a fabulous time and I cannot wait for the weekend to come.

The entrance to the Arby's restaurant closest to my office is narrow, on a curve and has curb that banks right up to the drive. These obstacles make turning in a little difficult, especially when you have half the world barreling down the road behind you. Last week as I pulled up to the driveway, slowed down and signaled, a woman in a black, late 90's Ford Crown Victoria backs out of her parking space, turns the wrong way and proceeds to the entrance… to sit there while fumbling around with something in her passenger seat. I honk several times before she notices and waves to me as if I was waiting there with the sole intention of letting her go. The reality of the situation was that I was prevented from entering as a direct result of her inability to follow simple directional road signs. I watched as the lane of cars grew behind me and finally entered the parking lot.

While most of the eastern coast and north-eastern United States get hammered by Hurricane Isabel (now downgraded to a Tropical Storm), the weather here in central Florida is nothing less than perfect. Today will be the third day in a row that conditions normally found starting mid-to-late October will be present here. Yes, the high temperature during the day is still around 90°F (32°C) but the morning and late night temperatures are from 65°F (18°C) to 76°F (24°C). It is a little more humid than it has been the last two nights, but it is still very comfortable. I have turned off the air conditioning and will be sleeping next to my large open window again tonight.

The local forecast calls for rain and thunderstorms resuming this upcoming Sunday, but I hope they are as isolated as our recent precipitation has been, especially with my on-going photography project for work.