THIS POST IS SHARED WITH SIGNS SIGNS. Thanks as always to Lesley for hosting! And SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY II. The new Shadowy hosts are Magical Mystery Teacher, Rose (Chubskulit) and Gemma Wiseman. Thank you lovely bloggers! All four of these hosts have great blogs of their own besides hosting these great memes!
Here's what the bronze sign in front of this sculpture says:
"Dedicated to the spirit of the people of Punta Gorda in the aftermath of Hurricane Charley
August 13, 2004.
The bent tree symbolizes the wind, which stopped our downtown clock at 4:29 pm.
Like the upright tree, the people stood tall."
Below is another picture of the sundial portion of the sculpture. The artist has used darker colored tile to create a permanent shadow-line at 4:29. (But we were there earlier in the day and you can see a real shadow too.)
Punta Gorda is 20 miles north-west of where we live in North Fort Myers. The sculpture is along Harbor Walk in a lovely park/harbor area which has all been rebuilt since the Hurricane. Charley happened before we started coming to this area and no serious storms have hit the area since then.
cool! I had to look closely to see how it worked. :)
Posted by: NatureFootstep | January 25, 2012 at 07:42 AM
What a wonderful tribute. You got some great shots there.
Posted by: Carver | January 25, 2012 at 07:59 AM
Lovely tribute and sculpture. The bent tree sculpture is a great symbol of the wind. Looks like a very pretty place to walk too. Great photos, Sallie!
Posted by: eileen | January 25, 2012 at 08:47 AM
That's a nice tribute and the symbolism is very powerful.
Posted by: Wayne | January 25, 2012 at 10:03 AM
You have such a lovely website! I was looking for a way to contact you but can't find one. I discovered your blog from a comment you left at another blog (Joyfully Retired) and I had a question for you. Could you send me an email at lisamunley@ca.rr.com?
Thanks!
Posted by: Lisa Munley | January 25, 2012 at 10:37 AM
I was wondering, at first, why a bronze sculpture of a palm was necessary when so many real ones existed. So, really, it is a perfect symbolic tribute.
Posted by: VioletSky | January 25, 2012 at 10:39 AM
I hope your luck holds out. Sounds like Charley was a BAD one!
Posted by: EG Wow | January 25, 2012 at 11:15 AM
i do like that bent tree - says a lot...
Posted by: texwisgirl | January 25, 2012 at 11:32 AM
And I thought you were "safe" here...
Posted by: Hazel | January 25, 2012 at 11:54 AM
what an artistic sculpture.
Posted by: Ewok | January 25, 2012 at 01:42 PM
Love this sculpture! That is a lovely area you are in!
Posted by: RedPat | January 25, 2012 at 01:44 PM
It looks like a beautiful tribute!
Posted by: Inger-M | January 25, 2012 at 03:18 PM
It always makes me happy to see areas rebuild. We did a lot of redoing in Palm Beach when I was growing up. The roof blew off, the steps going up to the apartment above our garage blew away, windows and doors blew in from time to time. The tribute is a beautiful one. An appropriate and amazing sculpture. genie
Posted by: genie | January 25, 2012 at 03:49 PM
I don't really remember Charley... but obviously everyone in Punta Gorda do!
Posted by: Lesley | January 25, 2012 at 04:49 PM
Looks like a lovely place to visit and I especially like the palm tree bent by the wind.
Posted by: stella | January 25, 2012 at 05:24 PM
Great shots, it looks like a beautiful area. It's hard to imagine it in the middle of a major hurricane.
Posted by: Al | January 25, 2012 at 05:50 PM
A lovely sculpture and reminder of how fierce nature can be.
Posted by: Lindy MacDuff | January 25, 2012 at 06:47 PM
Some really cool sculptures and nice shots. Let's continue to hope for no hurricanes!
Posted by: missing moments | January 25, 2012 at 07:31 PM
a great tribute to the resilience of this community.
Posted by: Luna Miranda | January 25, 2012 at 09:40 PM
Hi - thanks for the many visits.
I think I'd rather see the bronze tree than one pushed over like that by the wind!
Cheers - Stewart M - Australia
Posted by: Stewart M - Australia | January 26, 2012 at 01:09 AM
What lovely sculptures - so moving.
Posted by: Lady Fi | January 26, 2012 at 02:54 AM
What a meaningful and beautiful tribute.
Posted by: Penny | January 26, 2012 at 08:04 AM
It's good to remember the past. Glad you haven't had any big storms lately though!
Posted by: Halcyon | January 26, 2012 at 11:05 AM
Great sculpture and interesting story.
Posted by: diane | January 26, 2012 at 10:56 PM
I would so love to take a walk there..
Posted by: Michelle | January 27, 2012 at 12:59 PM
An artistic, creative tribute to the struggles of people in the midst of a horrific event! Especially love the "marked" shadow for the time while current shadows move on! A very thoughtful touch!
Posted by: Gemma Wiseman | January 28, 2012 at 02:36 PM
What a wonderful tribute and the bent tree to mark the time is awesome! Beautiful captures, Sallie! Thank you so much for sharing this with us today!! Hope you're enjoying a lovely weekend!
Sylvia
Posted by: Sylvia Kirkwood | January 28, 2012 at 03:18 PM
What an interesting sculpture and a fitting tribute! So creative!
Posted by: Kelly | January 28, 2012 at 05:24 PM
I have an Aunt and Uncle who live there. Would love to pay them a visit!
Great post, and shadows.
Posted by: Joan | January 28, 2012 at 05:32 PM
These are gorgeous!
In behalf of Gemma and Magical Mystical Teacher, I thank you for playing Shadow Shot Sunday 2. - Rose
Shadows by the Beach, come and see.
Posted by: chubskulit | January 28, 2012 at 06:13 PM
What a lovely tribute to the people of Punta Gorda. Nice photos, Sallie. Have a lovely Sunday. Mickie ;)
Posted by: Mickie Brown | January 28, 2012 at 06:46 PM
I'll content myself with looking at the sculpture of the bent tree, rather than being in a hurricane, where trees actually bend that far!
Posted by: Magical Mystical Teacher | January 29, 2012 at 08:22 AM
A great place to visit and enjoy seeing so many interesting shadows.
Posted by: LaVoice | January 29, 2012 at 08:25 AM
So beautiful, Sallie. Sad, but beautiful.
K
Posted by: Kay L. Davies | January 29, 2012 at 02:55 PM
Gosh! Hope the 'no storms' thing continues ... Great to see such a meaningful memorial - really makes people stop & look!!
Posted by: Red Nomad OZ | January 29, 2012 at 03:23 PM
Nice shadow shots.
Regards and best wishes
Posted by: Tatjana Parkacheva | January 30, 2012 at 02:08 AM
Blue sky and sunshine sure looks good
Posted by: Joe Todd | January 30, 2012 at 01:09 PM
Beautiful landscape. Greetings. Have a nice week.
Posted by: Costin Comba | January 30, 2012 at 01:09 PM