Jots and Tittles on Spots and Vittles
Places to See
I had been seeing some improved photo results with my previously-owned T3i and was anxious to capture better pictures than I had on our first trip to this fantastic repository of birds and plants. Circle B Bar Reserve and a damaged iPhone lens equal sad.
It was blue skies and white fluffy clouds as I left Hillsborough County and motored away to Polk County. Continue reading “Photolog – Circle B Bar Reserve”
Now that half of the summer has passed us by I finally found time to sort through pictures from a walk through one of our closest hiking trails. Accesssed through the Lithia Springs Park, Fish Hawk Creek Preserve North offers many scenic variations in the ecology from hardwood hammock, to cypress, to pine flats and scrubs. Our first visit in winter gave me a taste to return and I was pleasantly rewarded with some great eye candy. Continue reading “Photolog – A Late Spring Trek Through Fish Hawk”
My research into activities to do in Tarpon Springs other than shopping and dining produced little results. The most attractive options were the short boating excursions. Every coastal town has these tours and the reviews for the ones in Tarpon Springs were mixed. However, one tour stood out from the others: St. Nicholas Boat Line.
St. Nicholas Boat Line Sponge Diving Exhibition wasn’t like the Odyssey or Spongeorama Cruises which offered dolphin sighting opportunities and trips to Anclote Key for shell hunting. The focus of the St. Nicholas tour was on the sponge fishing history of the town. The reviews made the reader well informed that the boat would never leave Anclote River, but that wasn’t the point. St. Nicholas wasn’t a pleasure cruise for tourists on a three-hour tour, it was an hour(ish)-long educational demonstration on a boat, which we found pleasurable. Continue reading “Experience an Old School Sponge Dive on Excursion into History”
The next morning we rose and readied ourselves for breakfast. The sunburn had progressed from uncomfortable nuisance to prickling pain when touched by cloth. I eased on a shirt and we agreed it would be best to forgo a second trip to the beach. Fool me once, sunscreen… Instead we’d refuel (yeah right, I could still feel that ice cream scuffling with that cannoli cake) at Toula’s Trailside Cafe then catch the morning St. Nicholas sponge boat tour. Then we’d do some more historic sightseeing, maybe give the sponge docks one more chance at mid-day and then head for The German Restaurant to cap the trip before returning home. Continue reading “Soak Up Greek Culture in Historic Sponge Diving Village – Part 2”
There we were, blithely letting our days waste away and ignorant to the fact that something we only recently became aware of—and subsequently came to adore—was being wiped from the face of the earth. The German Restaurant in Holiday would be closing for good in only several weeks. A final pilgrimage must be made. We decided to incorporate the visit into an overnight stay in Tarpon Springs with a stop for beach fun at Fred Howard Park. Continue reading “Soak Up Greek Culture in Historic Sponge Diving Village – Part 1”
I had a long list of things I wanted to do this spring. One of them was to take the tram tour at Myakka River State Park. I know—A tram Tour? Here’s the thing: The tour was $15 per person and the reviews were very positive. So I thought it might be a rewarding and relaxing way to learn about the Myakka River State Park history and ecology. Then I learned that the tram tours only run from December 16 through May 31. It was now May 23. Schnikes. I’d have to make something happen. Continue reading “Camp Out in the Old Blue Bus”
I enjoyed my first visit to Alderman’s Ford Preserve and was keen to see the changes brought on by spring. it was now early summer and I feared I would miss the pretty flowers. Yeah, I said it. I like looking at pretty flowers. So I drove out to hike the trails with camera in hand and decided to share the experience using fewer words than I’m accustomed to spouting.
Continue reading “Photolog – Alderman’s Ford Preserve”
When planning trips lately I’ve been bearing in mind my Triumvirate of Funvirate concept wherein I try to plan a bite, a sight, and an activity. This particular day we were going to Lakeland to visit my grandfather and I thought this might be a good time to take Christa to the Munn Park Historic District in downtown Lakeland.
That would cover a sight and a bite, as this was both a part of the historic district and chock full of restaurants including a spot I’d enjoyed twice before: Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grill. As far as an activity goes, sure, we could walk around the city a bit, maybe take in the Polk Museum of Art, but since my acquisition of a used camera, I had also been itching to get back to Circle B Bar Reserve to capture some better pics of our feathered friends in the wetland habitat.
Isn’t it encouraging to know that wealthy, successful people make mistakes just like us? Only on a grander scale. Their mistakes can often cost millions or billions of dollars. The lessons learned come at a high price, but the good news is we can share the same valuable lessons for free. Ah, the elixir of history.
The Henry B. Plant Museum maintains a frozen parcel of time, a revelation of the exotic and the opulent in a fledgling outpost city whose existence was only just becoming known to Americans: Tampa, Florida. Where a train magnate’s venture into whimsy becomes his loss, but our gain. And it’s a great spot for an air-conditioned day trip.
Continue reading “Find Folly and Fortune in a Preserved Palatial Hotel”
Today was a double whammy, make that a triple whammy of peaches and berries and sushi. Oh, my…stomach. Last month while looking for things to do in the area I learned of a local u-pick peach orchard, but it wasn’t quite the peach season. So I made a note to check it out when the time came.
When the time came…I failed to remember. But Christa remembered, like Pepperidge Farms. My wife suggested we go that morning and informed me that it was located in Fort Lonesome; a point on a map I had been interested in seeing…and just did, several days ago when we drove an alternate route home from Little Manatee State Park. But how did I miss the presence of a peach orchard and blueberry farm?
Continue reading “Pluck Sweet Life from Limbs at Local Farms”