Gainesvile- A Surprise in Culture

  If you pick up today's copy of The New York Times and turn to the Escapes section you'll see my travel story on Gainesville.  The basis of the story was that the little town in North Central Florida isn't just a college town. Gainesville has some interesting places for visitors to see that have nothing to do with the Gator nation.

  I spent one very long day hitting six locations around the Gainesville area. They included botanical gardens, art museums, butterflies as well as a Lady Gator basketball game.

  First on my list was the state park created around the historical home of Pulitzer Prize winning author Marjorie Rawlings who wrote "The Yearling". 

  Rawlings' home hasn't changed much from the time when she wrote that book back in 1938. It was interesting to tag along with a tour and listen to the stories of how the home and it's 52 acres helped to inspire the author.

  Next I headed to the University of Florida to capture some images of students on campus before heading to the women's basketball game against South Carolina. It was a bit of a struggle to make it look like a campus on a Sunday but luckily students were walking along the tree-lined campus. (So much for their reputation as the number 1 party school.)

  Funny thing though at the basketball game. I had the Times request a credential for me so I could roam around the O'Connell Center to make my pictures of fans during the game. The school's Sports Information Director approached me and asked if I needed a roster. I told her I had already grabbed one in the media room when I entered. The reality was that I could care less about the game and who was wearing number 12. I needed fans with orange and blue painted on their faces.

  After the game I headed over to the museum area of the campus. Inside the Natural History Museum I saw a beautiful and large living exhibit on butterflies. In fact it was so large that the volunteer warned me before entering to watch where I stepped as I might be stepping on a butterfly.

  The last stop on my list was the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens off Archer Road. The Gardens has the region's largest collection of bamboo which seems to grow everywhere. It was a nice way to end my travel story. The place was very peaceful with lots of areas to sit and collect your thoughts or just zone out. I wish I would've had little more time there as I felt like I could sit under one of the oak trees and read a book for a few hours.

  Well it wasn't kayaking in the Keys but it was an interesting to shoot. I'm finding that I enjoy travel photography more these days. I guess it's partly because people bend over backwards to assist you in getting the images you want to make. Whereas when I shoot a sporting event I have more hassles than it's worth. Besides wouldn't you prefer to be in a relaxing garden or on a warm beach rather than making sure a baseball isn't getting ready nail you in the nuts?