Speeding Fines Doubled: Flagman Ahead

Monster Transformer Masquerades As Hockey Star

I posted this hockey player's brother transformer from the NFL back in July 2009. Read more about Tampa's Rustic Steel Creations HERE. They're the folks who dream up and build these incredible metal artworks. 



SS American Victory Ship

The SS American Victory is docked just behind the Florida Aquarium in Tampa’s Channel District. I posted a photo that more clearly shows the length and size of the ship HERE. She was built in Los Angeles and delivered to the U.S. War Shipping Administration on May 24, 1945. She was named after American University in Washington, DC, to honor the school’s contributions to war training and weapons research during both World War I and World War II. Regular tours of the ship are available and it is quite an adventure as you explore a good portion of the ship and learn of its history. Very well worth it! For more info about the SS American Victory click HERE.

It's simply painted steps, a tall cactus and dualing blue trash cans (and rain drops)

Do you sometimes see a combination of design, shapes, colors, and objects that in your mind's eye make for a good composition? And you really can't explain why? This residence, and I think it is someone's home (or studio), is in an old warehouse building buried in the Channel District. The brick on the wall above the awning shows what remains of an old painted sign. It is sandwiched between multi-million dollar projects under construction and several modern, finished buildings that contain apartments, condominium units, office space and even a performing arts theater. There is plenty of empty space in the district for sale or lease and it all seems to be awaiting a turn around in the economy. It is prime for discovery and some pioneering souls have made the decision to go ahead and move in. The entire area is a intriguing mix of the old and the new, the vibrant and the empty, and it's encircled by Channelside Drive, the port and cruise terminals, the Florida Aquarium, the Shops at Channelside, and the city's downtown business district to its west. It is without a doubt a very interesting place to call home and definitely shows tons of promise. It may take awhile to attract the hundreds if not thousands of residents and business owners who could conceivably move here. It is ready and once it explodes it will make for one of Tampa's most desirable and fun places to live and work. (Ybor City is less than five minutes away and the trolley runs nearby.) I love the painted steps of this place; that's probably the thing that caught my eye, but the blue trash cans even seem to belong and anchor a decided place in the finished composition. It just called to me. You explain it. (It must be today's rain popping in and out of the sunny sky.)

Transformers world-over beware: Metal football monsters are ready to attack and block with a vengeance

Dominigue Martinez, born in France and raised in New York, is the driving force behind Rustic Steel Creations. The operation, begun in 2003, is inside (and outside) a 7,000 sq. ft. space that sits smack in the heart of Tampa's Channel District. Sometimes called the dragon guy because of the huge, incredible creature that stands guard out front of the studio on 12th Street, Martinez and his team of creative and talented metal artisans take on every challenge that's thrown at them by the art gallery crowd as well as the builder, architect and homeowner who has big, outlandish ideas for projects formed in metal. I posted a shot of the very tall and entertaining dragon on April 12th, Tampa's Channel District is filled with unexpected surprises. It really draws visitors to the otherwise quiet street. Rustic Steel is filled with positive energy and enthusiasm. I was warmly welcomed into their world and every member of the team, highly-skilled artisans all, exudes a confidence and genuine pride in their combined talents and abilities. A tour of the showroom and studio workshop reveal the wide range of client requests and projects in various stages of completion. Finely crafted railings, by the dozens, were being worked on as I walked through. Machinery and work benches were filled with works in progress and the entire shop area is filled, floor to ceiling, with metalworking machinery for cutting, drilling, welding and final fabrication and finishing. The space is a wild and eclectic collection of projects past and present, utilitarian objects and almost indescribable and unique metal artwork on the walls, hanging from the ceiling and just lounging around. The football player is just one oversize example of the fascinating steel and wrought iron creations they can bring to life. Found objects of every kind and description are reused and recycled into hard-to-believe artwork. Their philosophy, taken from their website, reads, "We believe in making something out of nothing, in turning trash into treasure. Whether we're forging cold steel into decorative art, or transforming found objects into real treasures, we return to this metaphor again and again in our endeavors." If you study football guy, the use of a shiny chrome radiator grill is obvious, but all of the other bits and pieces are harder to identify. A complete inventory of his many parts and their origin would be difficult (by this lay person) but like a scavenger hunt, the closer examination and discovery would sure be fun. Tampa is not the only city that boasts such great talent but we should be thrilled that Rustic Steel Creations is a viable business, perfectly combining our desire for sturdy steel and iron elements in our homes and offices, and our basic and innate human need for right-brain and creative stimulation in our lives. Football guy would like to offer his opinion. He says he is utilitarian. (Who's going to step up and argue with him?)

Tampa's Channel District is filled with unexpected surprises

The Channel District was once home to warehouses and businesses that supported the shipping industry and the busy port of Tampa. Over the last few years developers have transformed the area with condominiums, shops and restaurants. The Florida Aquarium, trolleys of the Tampa & Ybor City Street Railway and cruise ship terminals attract natives and tourists to the newly-bustling waterfront. But in the heart of the district are several artists who add character, energy and life with their galleries and creations. What is this monster on the street?