It’s AMPAS weekend! What better way to celebrate than unveiling our own personal lists of our Top 15 Favorite Films of 2009. And as an added bonus, we thought we’d post our predictions for who we think will walk away with the coveted golden statuette tomorrow night (and who we think should win!)
There’s nothing I love more than going to the movies. One of my favorite things to do with Monica is to wake up for an early breakfast, and then head to the movies to enjoy a double feature. There’s just something so satisfying about sitting in that dark room, with a giant bucket of popcorn, pigging out on your favorite snacks, and watching a really good movie. Likewise, there’s also nothing worse than spending $20 and seeing a really bad movie. Haha. Nothing worse.
So was 2009 a good year for film? Yes! A very good year. An historic year. Big blockbusters, successful films by female and african american directors, a good year for sci-fi films, an excellent year in animation (maybe the best in a really really long time) and some of the funniest and most creative comedies we’d seen in a good while. So how would Mon and I rank 2009? What were our favorite films? Who would we give Oscars to if we were in charge, and who do we think will walk away with the little golden man on Sunday? Let’s jump right in…
And now onto our Oscar predictions…
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The Anhinga Trail is a historic trail southwest of Florida City located inside Everglades National Park. On November 5, 1996, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Florida! But despite how awesome it is, and despite the fact that I was born and raised in Miami, I had never been to the Anhinga Trail… or even Everglades National Park for that matter. Hard to believe, but it’s true. It’s sort of like growing up in New York City and never having gone to Times Square. Not that the Everglades could ever be as exciting as Times Square, but in South Florida, it’s basically all we have. The beach and the Everglades. Those are our ‘cool’ attractions. And to be fair, they are pretty cool. The beach is beautiful and so are the Everglades. The Everglades are a phenomenon to see in person. It’s crazy to imagine that all that marsh and wetland is just 30 minutes from where we live in Downtown, Miami. I’m glad that Monica and I are actually taking advantage of being a Floridian again and visiting all that SoFla has to offer (however minimal it may be).
Last weekend we visited Biscayne National Park with our friends Alex and Heather and their kids. We went canoeing in the mangroves which was very scary. From the moment we got into the canoes we came very close to tipping them over several times. We were positive that once we got to the mangroves we’d tip over right into the jaws of a hungry gator. But after canoeing for an hour and a half, we never saw a single gator! They may have been laying dormant in the water below us, but as far as we know, we have no proof they even have gators at Biscayne National Park.
So that’s what was so great about walking the Anhinga Trail. It was full of wildlife. From the moment our foot hit the trail there were 5 or 6 gators sunning themselves on the grass three feet from where we were standing. It’s a rush to see these animals up close and personal. They’re very docile and don’t seem to care that there are dozens of people taking pictures of them. I wasn’t brave enough to get too close, but I still managed to snap a few close-up shots of these swampy beasts.
All around us you could see gigantic gators swimming in the water, slowly, watching us, circling the pier we were standing on. Rumor has it you can actually go canoeing inside Everglades National Park, although I’m not sure you can canoe in the waters where Anhinga is located. And even if you could, I’m not sure I want to. Haha. Those gators were much too interested in circling us when we were standing on an elevated pier, imagine if we were in the water with them, on their level. Those canoes are way too hard to keep afloat (clearly still suffering from PTSD from Biscayne National Park). But my interest has been piqued and I’m gonna do a little research to find out where you can go canoeing.
Anyhow… I guess we should get to the photos… I didn’t take all that many. But here are a few shots to give you an idea of what it’s like to spend a day in the Everglades… 68 degrees and sunny. Jealous yet New Yorkers?
The rest of the photos… after the jump… enjoy!
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Mon and I visited Biscayne National Park this weekend with some friends for a Sunday afternoon of canoeing! This was Mon’s second time canoeing (my first), and we paddled along the everglades, exploring the mangroves, almost tipping over and falling into the water several times. Thankfully my camera survived the trip and I was able to take a few snapshots of the park. I wasn’t brave enough to bring my camera out while inside the canoe since the slightest movement would almost topple the boat over.
After canoeing, we headed over to Black Point Marina for lunch at the Black Point Marina Grille! Delicious burgers, even better french fries! We finished the afternoon but walking down a nature trail that lead right out to the ocean. Enjoy the pics…
Check out all the photos after the jump…
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Click below to see the rest of the photos… many many many more after the jump!
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Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 10:05am Posted in Video
My official foray into family / children portrait photography, here are a bunch of photos I took of my friend Heather and her family this past weekend at Matheson Hammock Park. It was my first time ever visiting the park and I was really impressed with how beautiful it was. I’m definitely going to have to make a few trips back in the coming months and take some sunrise/sunset photos.
And now on to the photos…
Check out all the photos after the jump…
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More photos after the jump…
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The rest of the photos after the jump…
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by Pab
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