Castle Otttis by TwoPynts
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Description
We continue our tour of the St. Augustine area with this odd sight. Driving north on A1A by Vilano Beach, you pass what looks like a King Aurthur-style castle rising above the windswept trees. What you are seeing is Castle Otttis . Why 3 T's? Well, according to the locals, it is to represent the 3 crosses on Calvary Hill where Christ was crucified. I suspect it might also be for the castle's 3 turrets. It was built in 1980 by Rusty Ickes and Ottis Sadler with plans and supposedly without a permit (according to the local paper). The county appraiser had a problem trying to figure out how to classify the structure, and it was finally listed as a garage because the interior was not finished and there were no utilities. The castle now serves as a chapel and is open one Sunday each month. Castle Otttis is featured in the book, Strange Florida. The next time I am in the area, I will hopefully be able to get onto the grounds for more neat pictures like the ones you see at their website. Some interest was expressed in the 3 pyramids you see in my gallery upload yesterday in the bottom photo. In 1842, the US Army relocated the remains of 1,400 soldiers from temporary burial sites all over the territory to St. Augustine for internment in 3 mass graves. Three big pyramids were constructed from coquina rock to mark the graves. In 1885, The St. Augustine Post cemetery was officially designated a national cemetery. A tall obelisk memorial was erected at the site of the pyramids to honor the deceased soldiers and native American scouts of the Seminole wars. The US government would not provide funds for the memorial, so it was paid for by each soldier in St. Augustine donating one day's pay. At 1.36 acres, St. Augustine's National Cemetery is one of the smallest in the country. ----- Thanks for stopping by and for your grave comments on yesterday's photo, St. Augustine National Cemetery.
----- Olympus C8080WZ & PhotoshopCS. (457)
Comments (50)
pimbotin
No rules? Hmmm, this sounds good to me...! Cool shot!
cbender
truely an impressive one... :) great piece...! really like the interplay between clouds and architecture here...!
MaydaMason
this seems a real infrared! well executed!
tibet2004uk
Nice! I really like that IR effect!! It gives such a surreal look to the image!!
Zacko
COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!! This scene looks so moody with that omnious (but i bet it was such a blue and beautiful day before you went IR on it) sky over that GORGEOUS castle. Excellent work Kort. You sure picked a perfect photo for this technique....now will ya be so kind and tell me what ya meant with "those dang swedes"...kept me up wondering all night, lol. Have a great day. #:O)
hotracer2
Love the postwork, wonderful image and composition:):):)...v
Richardphotos
so many things in Florida that I have missed seing. I must return. I am always intriged by castles whether or not they are old or new. the b/w adds to the sense of age-excellent work
kenwas
Excellent image for IR use!
parb1194
Beautiful castle in IR. Looks enchanting. Accolades!!!!V;o)
oscilis
Haunting picture.
gwfa
just came back from the 1st knight... ;-)
kansas
A wonderful structure. I like the IR effect. Very interesting info. Something new to learn every day. Thanks. P.S. I just visited Photo-Genesis. I intend to spend this afternoon there.
PhotoSmith
Other than the foundations may not be built on sand! I like the allusion and illusion, both presented so well. The postwork and composition are wonderful. A stunning image, Kort.
john010766
Sublime.......... S
killerpumpkins
This is another great subject matter in this special effect. I like this very much. Nice tone for the season! Xlent! KP
CDBrugg
goodness me - Florida's version of our medieval past looks far better than the real thing (you should come over to this side of the pond sometime Kort -lol) great picture ;-)))
dragonfly2000
Outstanding post on this 'strange' building! Very cool work here. A garage LOL.
Tedz
A salute to the fallen...and their Castles in the Sky.
uniquedreamer
WOW! very impressive post. Right out of the midevil days and in Florida?.
Bothellite
I love the postwork and the growling angry world behind.
Damia
OMG! That is so cool! Wonderful shot. Has a sureal feel to it with the clear castle and awsome sky. Well done! :)
Cosme..D..Churruca
EXTRAORDINARY ! Like it so very much !
jophoto
Interesting building and story. Love the sky with those turrets. Works so well! Would love to see more of this structure.
nathalie06
Another wonderful postwork in infrared Kort ! I love this old castle ! And a very interesting story too. There's something unreal and magic in your composition. Have a good evening. V
thesymphonyofthelife
the architecture and teh sky are nice. It's an excellent photography with nice contrast. have a good day
jcv2
You keep us surprised with your series around St. Augustine!!! Fantastic capture of this 'garage'! :) Excellent work, Kort, very original!
Digimon
Wow! Excellent photo! Reminds me of the cover to U2's The Unforgetable Fire!!!
logiloglu
like out of a fantasy world. very expressive b/w tones and contrast. an impressive capture,Kort. WOW #:O)
mps
Very nice shot. I'm glad you did it in infrared it defeintely adds an extra touch to the shot. Vote
Saurav
Excellent done, my fav so far in the series.