Dance After Dark Photography

Well, today was enjoyable. Despite the frustration of being sent home from the Toaster Tech Support job and losing out on part of my paycheck, I managed to accomplish a lot today. I didn’t get through as many photos as I’d like from Sunday’s shoot, but I did have a lot of fun showing my newly-relocated-from-NOLA friend Barbara around downtown Sanford. We met Theo, one of the (relatively) new owners of the Willow Tree in Sanford. As Theo says, the Willow Tree used to be “a little old ladies drinking tea” kind of place. Theo and his wife are German, so now it’s officially Hollenbach’s Willow Tree Café. They bought it four years ago, but I didn’t realize until recently that it had changed hands. The menu has changed significantly, and I’m eager to have dinner there sometime soon. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a schnitzel, but thanks to Diana I know I like rouladen. (The latter isn’t on the menu yet, but Theo said it’s requested often enough that he’ll add it eventually. In the meantime, he offers it pretty frequently as a special.)

Talking with Theo, Barbara and I found out that The Alley is a blues bar on Park Ave with live bluegrass on Wednesdays and a jazz open mic on Thursdays. I’d seen it and the Emerald Hen Irish Pub next to it, but I have yet to darken the doorway of either. It sounds like Sanford is finally getting a nightlife, albeit a very sedate nightlife compared to downtown Orlando.

Soon I’ll be organizing a group jaunt to the Willow Tree, which will move over to The Alley and possibly the Emerald Hen. We’ll see what else is going on in Sanford, too. Any takers? It’ll be a few weeks before I can (in good conscience) spare the cash, so we’ve got planning time.

After wandering around Sanford, Barbara and I met up with Daniel for dinner at my favorite Chinese buffet, Golden China in Lake Mary. Then we went walking, and I finally found the eastern side of the Cross Seminole Trail’s suspension bridge over I-4. I hadn’t been on that particular stretch of trail, and when I go looking in the daytime I can’t find the place. We spotted it from the road at night because it’s illuminated, so as we navigated the back lot of the postal distribution center with the bridge as our beacon I was at least marginally reassured that we weren’t running afoul of the multitude of “No Tresspassing” and “US Postal Employees Only” signs. Now that I’m comfortable getting there I’m planning long-exposure night traffic shots. At this time of year, rush hour and sunset are at the same time. We’ll see how that works out

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