Journal

One More Disney Day

2012-03-09T03:22:01Z

On Feburary 29th, the Magic Kindgom at Walt Disney World Resort opened at 6 a.m. and didn't close until 6 a.m. the next day. A lot of people took advantage of the first, and perhaps last, time they could spend 24 hours at the Happiest Place on Earth.

A rare chance to be in the park before sunrise, the day began with a dreamy fog covering Main Street USA.

Even the cast photographers couldn't resist a snapshot of the dreamy castle.View down from Tomorrowland Terrace.Three hours in (9:30 am) attendance was about average with perfect weather.

After the lunch hour, guests were still in unusually high spirits. Normally the post lunch lethargy is deeply set by 1 pm.

In the evening, many people were taking advantage of all the extra time by playing the new interactive card game "Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom."

As evening turned to morning, a lot of guests were showing wear, and bemusement was easier to find than delight.By 4 a.m. the park was still packed. There was still much energy, but few conscious children.One final look back at the castle just before closing. We spent the last hour people watching from the top of the train station.

And yes, we were there they whole 24 hours. Achievement unlocked!

St. Petersburg Alive on a Saturday

2012-02-07T02:50:42Z

A walk around St. Petersburg's downtown on a Saturday. This set includes the Saturday Morning Market, the Dali Museum, and the waterfront.

A squirrel, defending her turf.

Gasparilla Invasion 2012

2012-01-29T20:23:22Z

Pirate season has begun!

Davis Island to Downtown Walkabout

2012-01-15T16:48:43Z

Davis island is a study in contrasts. The upper-middle to lower-upper class island is surrounded by Tampa's shipping and quarrying industry. Perfectly trimmed water-front parks are backdropped with smoke stacks and chemical storage facilities. The views without industry are obstructed by the homes of the even more wealthy Harbour Island [sic]. It is within a short walk of Downtown, but no one on the island walks there.

Seminole Garden Center

2011-07-31T05:24:20Z

The Seminole Garden Center strangely drops “Heights” from the name of the neighborhood where it is located. It is remarkable that a piece of land this size still exits as public property in the middle of a desirable historic district. The building appears to be as old as the site, but is a re-creation of the original building — the current facility opened in 2010. The brick is outlined in white trim and large dramatic windows suggest construction before air conditioning. The grounds are sparsely adorned but well manicured. The archetype of subtropical high-society of the 1940s.

Built in 1939, its purpose to host community events seemed to persist primarily with that of garden clubs. Newspapers from the early 1940s advertised Spanish lessons for tourists. Visiting the site today, there is little evidence of any on site gardening, but there apparently was once a sunken garden somewhere near the present day parking lot. Historical records lack information on it, but oral records and a 2007 archaeological survey confirm it existed. The building would make a great meeting space for community events or local clubs, but the current $400 minimum rental fee (for 4 hours) relegates it to primarily weddings. I doubt many modern day garden clubs or quaint Spanish lessons would be able to afford that price.

View from the side of building showing the accessible ramps and large bay windows.

The plaque on the front of the building seems to be real marble, but the date is misleading. The original building was burned down in in the 1970's and this building is only one year old.

Called "Nest Builder" by Leslie Fry, this single piece of art is located in the front courtyard.

The statue debuted with a strange amount of controversy.

The artist created a pleasantly strange "making of" video available on youtube.

The large oak in the courtyard is the centerpiece of the property. Mercifully, the Spanish moss is left intact.

There is more landscaping than garden at the center, but a few flowers were blooming.

The grounds should feature more botanical elements.

What's there is pretty, but I had to hunt for colors other than green.

And this mushroom was the most interesting thing aside from the sculpture in the yard.

A few additional photos are in the gallery.

Sulphur Springs Water Tower

2011-07-24T16:06:53Z

As a kid heading to Busch Gardens, the tall white tower looming over the Hillsborough River along I-275 caught my attention and imagination. Its crenellated crown and tall, white-washed visage was convincing as the remnants of a fort or watch tower, protecting the city from Pirates or the English. The crumbling rampart and moss covered north face added a ghostly tint to the fantasy. The tower was built in 1927 to supply water pressure to the Sulphur Springs Hotel, located across what is now Bird Street. At 210 feet tall, it held 125,000 gallons of spring water, a fraction of Tampa’s current water consumption of 50 millions gallons a day. Although never used for anything other than water storage, the interior is large and the first 7 stories were nebulously slated to be “clubrooms.” I suspect a 1920s’ meaning lost to me. Sources differ as to whether an elevator delivered guests from the bottom to the top to enjoy what is probably still the best view of the river in Tampa. I doubt its inclusion, as there are no external support structures for one, and the interior seems too small. The site apparently housed a drive-in theater beginning in 1951 and going through at least the 1970s when one could still see the historic hotel across the street. Ironically the hotel was torn down during 1970s to expand the parking lot of the now declining Tampa Greyhound Racetrack. It’s unclear when the theater closed, but it is unlikely it survived into the 1980s. Through the intervening decades, the land fell into disuse and an icon that continued to be part of many Tampanians’ commute was forgotten. At the turn of the 21st century, the local drugstore boom reminded us of the tall tower hiding in plain sight. Walgreens was interested in the land, though probably not the part with the tower. Local dismay and a sympathetic mayor moved the city council to purchase the land and in 2003 the tower was unsealed and cleaned. The River Tower Park opened in 2005 featuring a lit tower at night.