WELCOME

WELCOME Sunny.

I am so glad you found me again.

Sunny has the most wonderful blog, Barnyards and Barnacles, that I recommend you visit often. (Sunny had been following me at Tampa Bay Daily Photo so when I stopped posting there in August to concentrate on Tampa Daily Photo and Tampa Florida Photo, she thought she'd lost me.) Born in Cornwall, England, Sunny has made Massachusetts her home and through her blog she takes us on a journey through her America. From luscious, colorful scenes of covered bridges in Vermont to barnyard animals, to the rolling, rock-walled fields and rolling hills of Massachusetts, you will enjoy her view of New England and other stops on her personal journey. I especially like her old barns and covered bridges. Go meet Sunny.

Christopher Columbus: Does everyone celebrate 1492?

Does everyone celebrate Columbus Day? No, everyone does not celebrate the explorer and his "discovery of the New World" in 1492. It's a fact that there are national and local observances of the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus, but not everyone thinks it was such a marvelous occasion in world history or cause for a party or celebration.


Columbus Day became a federal holiday in 1934, but, people were celebrating as far back as the American colonial period. In 1792, New York City and other U.S. cities celebrated the 300th anniversary and in 1892, President Benjamin Harrison rallied the nation to celebrate Columbus Day on the 400th anniversary of the event. It was quite patriotic and was seen in a positive and popular light. But even though many Native Americans may not have seen reason or have any cause to join in the celebration - I wonder how the big day went in schools on Indian reservations - the idea of replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day didn't come about until 1977. It was first proclaimed by representatives of Native nations and participants gathered in Geneva, Switzerland at the United Nations-sponsored International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas. In that year the planning began for the 500th anniversary of Columbus Day in 1992. It was decided in 1990 to transform Columbus Day, 1992, "into an occasion to strengthen our process of continental unity and struggle towards our liberation." (Wikipedia has details regarding Columbus Day and the Native American's reaction to it HERE.)


The International Columbian Quincentenary Alliance and Spain '92 planned a Tour of the Discovery Ships. The official schedule of the recreated Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria included their departure from Spain and, by February 1992, they were sailing along our East Coast; they visited 13 cities in 11 states. Festivities were planned at the parks and harbor fronts at Miami, Houston, Tampa, Norfolk, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. The ships also docked at New Orleans, St. Augustine, Charleston, Newport, RI, and Wilmington. The final celebration of the voyage of the Nina, Pinta and the Santa Maria was with the tall ships in New York's harbor on July 4th.


The ships were in Tampa, tied up at the docks alongside the Tampa Convention Center for ten days, from April 3-12. I went to see the ships in 1992, and sat down on the grass to hear the Native Americans who came from all over the United States to celebrate Indigenous People's Day. Russell Means, an Oglala Soiux, and one of the best known activists for the rights and freedoms of American Indians, led their celebration. As a backdrop to their words that day, the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria looked pretty small and one had to wonder how they ever sailed across the Atlantic to begin the exploration of the European's "New World."


The statue of Columbus in Tampa was sculpted by the artist Albert Sabas. It stands at the western end of the Platt Street Bridge and was dedicated on this day in 1953.

Monochrome: Tampa Police and their narrow getaway

This narrow yet very attractive and inviting respite is like a vertical park between the Tampa Police headquarters in downtown Tampa and the parking garage located just to its south. I would never have imagined that this place existed.

Thanks Aileni for this challenge each week of seeing our world in black, white and shades of gray.

If you love your world in black and white, be sure and visit some of the world's most interesting places and experience the incredible photographic artistry of Monochrome Maniacs!

Chillounge Party Scene transforms Tampa

The Cointreau Chillounge Night was held in downtown Tampa tonight. As I type this it has about an hour and a half to go. We thought it would be the perfect afternoon outing for our Pekingese…ride in air conditioned comfort over the bridge to the Franklin Street event area, be carried a block or so, walk a block and repeat for the return trip home. It was HOT, right at a steamy 90 degrees as we crashed the preparations for the street party. 4-blocks were closed around the intersection of Zack and Franklin. The historic Tampa Theatre looked almost ready for its big showbiz entrance as they set up the daybeds in front. The pillows were wild and extremely colorful. Dozens of covered seating lounges of every description were arranged on sidewalks and streets. The entire area was beginning to look like the best outdoor party one could imagine. It took six trucks to haul all of the Miami/South Beach style furniture to accommodate the paying guests at several levels. VIP seating was calling me. (Click on the insert to see if you don't agree it looked pretty good.) Plenty of thought went into making the in-crowd and party crowd mighty comfortable and inviting for the eating, drinking and I guess dancing into the night. They have even scheduled a fashion show and Brazilian Samba parade. The Peke, Dr. Porter, navigated his way past staging, food buffets, comfy overstuffed chairs and gauzy awnings – daybeds were aplenty for really kicking back but he was persuaded to keep moving. (This breed of dog does love to be pampered and this was his kind of palace treatment.) The luxurious bars were immense and bottles of champagne were conspicuous. Plus, it is Tampa so expect a full cigar bar. This should be one unforgettable event. (The sweet little dog was almost surprisingly well behaved. He didn’t snap or growl at anyone and was respectful of the furniture, bars and food areas…he had a ball.) I may step outside now and listen for the sounds of Brazil.

Skywatch Friday - Season 4 Episode 13

Visit Skywatch Friday to see the beauty and wonders of the world's most magnificent skies. It's always an amazing show.

Sulphur Springs Tower grandly lords over all.

My post yesterday was about the Sulphur Springs Tourist Club. The neighborhood of Sulphur Springs began around the natural “healing” waters of the spring and was an independent resort community popular with residents and tourists that got its start in the latter part of the 19th century. It was incorporated into the city in 1923. Its owner and developer, Joshiah Richardson, built a hotel for guests and then a large shopping arcade, an early mall, was added in 1925. It was located on the west side of Nebraska Avenue, across the street from and immediately north of the Tourist Club. He had grandiose plans for his natural springs and in 1920 he opened amusement park which included the pool (which is still there), bathhouses, an alligator farm, the Tourist Club dance pavilion, and a shed for the Tampa streetcars which made the round trip bringing city residents and tourists to enjoy the cool spring waters. The arcade and rapid development of the area required a water supply so Richardson mortgaged all of his assets, including the 100 acres of Sulphur Springs and the Arcade, and built the tower that you see above at a cost of $180,000.

The Sulphur Springs Tower stands on 13 acres of land on the north bank of the Hillsborough River between Nebraska Avenue and Florida Avenue. The growth of the community and the thriving resort and tourist business which developed would not have been possible without the water tower. The 225-foot-tall tower was designed to look like Gothic medieval, with slit windows and castle-like walls and openings crowning the actual holding tank at the top. (Click on closeup at left for detail.) The walls are 8-inches thick and the entire structure’s foundation is anchored in solid rock. It was constructed of poured-in-place concrete and was originally planned to include an elevator to carry people up to the observation balcony where they could see the river below and far beyond in every direction. It must be quite a sight even today. Other plans for the interior, besides holding fresh water, never materialized. When it was operational it held as much as 200,000 gallons of water pumped up from the nearby springs. The water tank occupies the upper quarter of the tower while seven floors, one room per floor, make up the lower 3/4s. After many attempts of the years to actually do something with the empty tower (besides given a name to a once-popular drive-in movie theater which is long gone), the City of Tampa Department of Parks and Recreation has taken over maintenance and future development of the entire area which includes the tower and park, and the Sulphur Springs pool complex. A boardwalk along the river is in the plans. (Sadly, some years ago, before historic preservationists could act, the arcade and hotel were demolished.)

The Tourist Club lives on in Sulphur Springs

The Sulphur Springs Tourist Club, known as the Harbor Club since 1985, is located at 915 East Grant Street. The view above is facing northwest from just across the Hillsborough River. (The Nebraska Avenue Bridge is to the far left just out of the frame.) It was built on the north bank of the river, just east of Nebraska Avenue in Tampa's Sulphur Springs. The social center of the community from the 1920s through the 1940s, it was the place for dining and dancing. The facility included a popular restaurant and bar and a second floor ballroom. In later years the riverfront building on 3 acres also contained a barbershop, television repair and retail shops. A postcard view form the 1940s shows the front of the club in it heyday. (Click to enlarge.) Notice on the left side are shuffleboards courts, always popular with tourists who flocked to Florida - young and old alike. The courts would be on the far right side of the photo above.

Halloween Costumes

If you're a regular follower of my blog then you know how much I enjoy finding these artfully "costumed" mannequins on the highways and byways of Tampa. Regretfully, there isn't a list of their locations - like the Map to the Stars in Hollywood and LA - so I have to drive endless miles for hours on end to find even one of these lovelies. Most often they are awaiting me and are flagging me down as I cruise along, never expecting him or her (or a romantic couple sometimes) to be patiently standing on the curb, waving a sign or simply beckoning me to stop. Daring me to produce a flattering portrait (I guess they want to prove to mom and dad mannequin that they are earning an honest living.) Yes, she is dressed appropriately for the camera: strangely flared black stretch pants - tight; oddly cut and cropped t-shirt; appropriate necklace; and a very attractive head of hair. The one accessory that could only mean she's navigated wild partying Bourbon Street in New Orleans is the sensuous boa, draped loosely and casually over her arms and around her size 18-inch waist. It is the pièce de résistance. (Why does that boa look familiar? I guess that's another story for another time, right Mrs. TDP?) My little mannequin girl obviously caught the lens at a weak moment and SNAP. Here she is. On her wheeled cart ready to sell you a Halloween costume. Right off her back if you insist. Oh no. I just noticed she's missing a finger. What else don't we know about her?

Sea Oats at the Seaplane Basin

The sign states that the Seaplane Basin at the tip of Davis islands participates in the Healthy Beaches Program of the Florida Department of Health. The natural sea oats growing all around the basin along the beach sure look healthy enough. That's a good sign that it's well cared for. Many folks of every age come out at sunset to stroll, walk their dogs and enjoy the view of the many sailboats at anchor. People like this close-in beach and take good care of it.

Bayshore Boulevard at the Platt Street Bridge

What's a Hummer good for?

If you're going to drive one of the most reviled, gas-hogging vehicle brands to ever grace the American highways and tony upscale driveways of MacMansions, you might as well call attention to yourself, too. This rolling billboard advertises an "adventure" for Women Only. I guess the guy who drives it needs the pseudo-macho appearance of a military-themed SUV to get his point across and drum up business. I wonder if he wears the GI drill instructor's hat and carries a swagger stick while yelling at the 20-ish hard-body moms who can afford his camp? Just wondering.

Skywatch Friday - Season 4 Episode 12

The small tidal ponds beside Westshore Boulevard near Bay-to-Bay Boulevard afford the homes a calm and peaceful view from the porch and yard.

Visit Skywatch Friday to see the beauty and wonders of the world's most magnificent skies. It's always an amazing show.