We love festivals. And Southerners especially love festivals, dressing up and celebrating with thousands of others. And a little libation… and a lot of beads… So, more to come. Love to hear what you have to say about our travels.Read More →
They say the Gasparilla Parade is the third largest in the U.S. and I believe them. It went on and on and on… Thought it would never end. Not to say I didn’t enjoy it though, along with thousands of other revelers. Enjoy a snippit of images from this year’s event. So, more to come. Love to hear what you have to say about our travels.Read More →
We were lucky to be in Tampa during the Gasparilla Festival before departing for the Miami Everglades. We were also lucky to have a neighbor in the Tampa East RV park who also worked part time with the Tampa police force. He was able to get us parking close to the convention center so it was a short walk along West Platt Street for good views of the incoming invasion. What a sight – hundreds of watercraft in Seddon Channel escorting an amazing pirate ship filled to the top sails with pirates. It took a good amount of time from our first sight of theRead More →
We scored tickets to the Lion King at the Starz Center for the Performing Arts, a truly beautiful performance. While in the theater a storm blew in and by the time we left the theater the city was washed clean and bathed in an eerie glow of fog and colorful reflections. Went to the top of the William F. Poe Parking Garage to grab some images. So, more to come. Love to hear what you have to say about our travels.Read More →
From the downtown park in Auburndale we could see the railroad track leading straight to some interesting structures with a lot of smoke/steam coming out. Had to go check it out. It was a little tricky getting there, but, from a bucolic Florida small town atmosphere, all of a sudden it was as if we had come across industrial America – or a version of it. Really didn’t know what we had stumbled across, but soon saw a huge truck loaded with citrus queuing up for entry. Found out it was the Cutrale Citrus Juices USA plant. In case you’re in the area and wantRead More →
Took a Sunday Drive from Tampa South to see what we could see. Lovely countryside – actually, more like continuous, sparsely populated suburbs and industry. Came to the little community of Auburndale and walked around a bit. On the corner of Main and W. Park St., is the Baynard House, built in 1894. It’s listed in the National Register of Historic Places and was the home of Ephraim M. Baynard, a prominent real estate developer in the area and owner of one of the first citrus packing plants. It’s beautifully restored. You can imagine the owners sitting out on the porch sunning themselves onRead More →
Renninger’s Antique Center is a huge complex off US 441 in central Florida. They host all kinds of ‘extravaganzas’, one being a Steam Punk Industrial Show. We were fortunate to be around when they had their January show, so hopped up there for a day. Loved exploring all the weird and arcane stuff you’ll find at an event such as this – but more interested in the ‘characters’ who showed up to celebrate a period in American history that never really happened. But Steam Punk is proliferating and I see it spilling into Renaissance Faires and Cosplay events. The more the merrier, I say. HereRead More →
On Long Key Gulf Blvd. near the Pinellas Byway sits the Loews Don CeSar Hotel, ‘The Pink Palace’. There’s a fascinating story about the hotel at http://archive.naplesnews.com/community/ghosts-in-the-pink-palace-ep-401425008-332399502.html – you ought to check it out. We happened upon the place while exploring the Long Key one evening. Was a beautiful end of day and marvelous “photographer’s” sunset. So, more to come. Love to hear what you have to say about our travels.Read More →
My daughter, Michelle (‘Mitch), works for WorldVentures, an international travel club. These images are from the international convention in Orlando, FL, called “United”, which also coincided with their ten year anniversary. Mitch and Sara Thompson lead a group of volunteers from all over the world, who, over the course of the event, handle registration, help in the product and souvenir sales area, make sure the close to 20,000 attendees get in and out efficiently, handle any issues and, in general, make sure attendees have a great experience. We were in Tampa so Mitch invited us over to Orlando for the meeting. Grima has accompanied herRead More →
We continue our exploration of the Tampa area, crossing over to Davis Islands, dotted with canals and views of downtown Tampa and sailboat harbors, plus some very impressive homes. We then cross the Hillsborough River to the University of Tampa to take a close look at the H.B. Plant Hall building on campus. It can be seen clearly from across the riverfront downtown Tampa, and is striking for its Moorish architecture. The building was constructed in 1891 as a luxury hotel railroad magnate Henry B. Plant. Today part of the building, a U.S. historical landmark, is used for university classes and part is a museumRead More →
