A Rose By Any Other Name

The above image was always a favorite of mine, so it was much to my chagrin that it never enjoyed much commercial success. The photo was taken about 20 years ago at a Renaissance Fair in Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Coconut Grove, Florida. Formerly known as Villa Vizcaya, the magnificent building and grounds on Biscayne Bay were once the winter residence and estate of James Deering.

Like the change in name for the property, the title of the image also changed names. Originally, Joe called it The Fortune Teller. I don't remember why, but later we changed it to The Story Teller.

Perhaps it was an effort to boost sales by adding a new keyword. If that was the case, it made no difference. The image made several sales initially, then it simply fell out of favor.

Although I'm not superstitious, I do believe the energy of our intentions or a particular situation does affect outcomes. And the making of this image has a bit of a "shady" underside.

We came to the fair early because Joe hoped to ge…