Alison, etal (#856) 05-08-15

I used the second story parking lot by Whole Foods. Before walking down, I surveyed the food court area and saw a young couple enjoying themselves and each other. So, I wasted no time. Sure enough, they were very approachable and eager to participate.

Adam is a Sarasota native and attended local Riverview High School. He is now a freshman at Florida State University. As a University of Florida graduate, I am distressed at how many strangers go to rival FSU. Adam will major in Economics. My only recollection of Economics from business school is the development of a keen appreciation of why it is called The Dismal Science.

Mercedes is a senior at Pineview High, a school for the gifted. Her father is from Argentina where Mercedes is a common name. She will attend Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland. She chose it because of the strong music program.

As we spoke, Mercedes' mother, Alison, came up. She was happy to be photographed too – a threefer! I chose her as the posted name only in that she is the matriarch of the group. She is from New Jersey and has NO accent. I told her that I left New York almost 60 years ago and that some people say that they can hear it in my voice (I cringed as I said this). She said that a New York accent isn't such a bad thing. That's her opinion.

I sent these images to Adam. I got a reply that included this quote, “We were all buzzing about meeting you and ecstatic while waiting for these photos! Thank you.” That sure makes it all worthwhile!

Bob