Knight and Shining Vacuum Cleaner

Honestly, could there be a stranger, more eclectic collection of "stuff" for sale? Really?

It's warm in Florida

It's not terribly warm right now in the Tampa Bay area but compared to many parts of the USA it's sweltering. Walks on the beach have become a bit nippy, but I haven't shoveled any snow. It's even warm enough that Ann Taylor mannequins are now going topless. Not a sweater, earmuff or wool scarf in sight.

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?

A man and a woman. So much tension, yet cold and unmoving.

This sweet couple stand greeting passersby on Howard Avenue, our SoHo entertainment and restaurant/bar district. After your first realization that, no, sadly, they are not living, breathing locals trying to decide which of the hottest clubs to hit, you drive on by. But that first glance makes you look. He's sporting an Au currant goatee, skull t-shirt and bleached jeans. She is almost touching his hand, she's moving in on the clean-cut young professional dressed for bar-hopping on a Saturday night. She is declaring 'poison' on her t. The latest jeans and t-shirt ensembles probably set them back a few bucks. Just so they could look properly casual and unconcerned with their clothes. There must be forty or so popular nightspots to choose from as they make their way up and down Howard, South Tampa's place to eat and party. The famous Bern's Steakhouse is a couple of blocks down. That's it. He has their proper jackets stashed and they're heading to Bern's for steak and the dessert room after. What an elegant evening he has planned. (Now, will she take his hand in hers?)