Interior, St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans, Louisiana

May the blessings of the Easter season be yours throughout the coming year.

— Bert and Rusha

“Unconditional Surrender” by the marina in Sarasota, Florida

Down by the marina in Sarasota, Florida, a 26-foot tall sailor connects with a pretty young lady.  The statue, officially named “Unconditional Surrender,” has also been dubbed “The Big Smooch” (at least by roadsideamerica.com), and people either love it or hate it. Originally intended to help people forever connect to the memory of WWII, Jack Curran, a former signalman, put up $500,000 to help preserve the memory of those who served. Although many have called the statue “a big gaudy sideshow” (Source:  Herald Tribune), a Florida contingency brought it back by popular demand in 2006 after it spent time in San Diego, California.  It seems a lot of people connect with the world’s largest random embrace!

For more “connections,” go to Weekly Photo Challenge: Connected.