My Florida Paradise

Why we love living in Florida!

2011-12-31T08:19:00.000-08:00

The weather has been awesome with gorgeous blue sky days! So far it has been a warm winter . . . 70-80's during the day, 50-60's at night . . . NO SNOW . . . NO AFTERNOON STORMS . . . NO HUMIDITY!! It has been a great time to enjoy the beauty of Florida and explore the outdoors. Great time to visit this part of the world . . . no wonder the snowbirds descend upon us this time of year!

The Captain and I have been getting out more and experiencing the outdoors . . . often enjoying an early morning adventure of fishing, exploring local parks and the historic culture that Tampa has to offer.

As a result there are a ton of photos I have yet to process, but I have not forgotten! I also haven't forgotten about the series on Vintage Disney. We haven't even scratched the surface of exploring Busch Gardens and the area beaches. I promise to get to these projects soon!

The Gasparilla pirates will invade Tampa at the end of January and we plan to be right in the middle of it this year. We will be taking lots of photos and reporting on the festivities.

Subscribe to My Florida Paradise so you won't miss out on future posts!

Come on down to Florida!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T12:11:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours

Merry Christmas!

Hope your day is happy, festive

and full of love :)

Fishing Adventure at Ballast Point ~ Tampa, Florida

2011-10-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

The Captain and I started in the middle of the night . . . beginning with a trip to the 24/7 Walmart to buy some last minute items we needed for our adventure.

This is the view that greeted us as we walked upon the pier. The photos don't do the early morning sky justice . . . it was overwhelmingly breathtaking. What was really beautiful is the downtown Tampa skyline at this time. What you are looking at in this view is the Port of Tampa.

Click on any of the photos for a larger view with greater detail.

It surprised me that this early in October, it was freezing out there (well, what this Florida girl calls freezing). The winds were whipping around and I was chilled to the bone! Good thing we still had blankets in the van from our trips to the beach. Once I got wrapped up in a blanket, I was fine.

I just sat there gazing at the sky for the longest time . . . the changing colors were amazing. The water was choppy from the wind and took on a spectrum of colors. The sights and sounds of the morning stillness, along with the beachy smells conjured up those awesome childhood memories for me again.

We had the whole pier to ourselves except for a few people at the very end and some people in the park area enjoying the changing colors of the sky. I would be so very happy to grab a cup of coffee on the way over there and just watch the changing sky. Being on that pier gives a panoramic sky view . . . just AWESOME!

This is a part of the downtown Tampa skyline . . . not the greatest photo, but I love the way the sun bounced off of the sides of the buildings. Next time I'll get better photos of this view!

All of a sudden, the birds started to appear . . . a few at first . . .

. . . and more appeared . . .

The night skies turned to day . . . with a smidge of orange skies.

The little guy was not too happy with the intrusion of the bigger bird!

As more and more birds appeared, so did the fishermen.

A view of Bayshore Boulevard . . . notice the beautiful pinkish sky!

The big rock bulging out of the water is full of little birds . . .

The sun begins peaking up from the horizon . . .

I love the way the sunlight reflects against the pier!

Well . . . we proceeded to fish throughout the morning and a chilly early morning turned into a hotter mid-morning at which time we had enough of feeding the fish and decided to drive around and take more photos of Tampa. We did catch two little fish, but nothing substantial to bring home.

The fun was being in the midst of it all and experiencing night turn into day on Tampa Bay.

Hope you enjoyed the photos!

Ballast Point Park ~ Tampa, Florida

2011-09-25T02:38:00.000-07:00

Ballast Point Park is a located on Tampa Bay (featuring awesome views of downtown Tampa and the Port of Tampa), down the street from Bayshore Boulevard, one of the most picturesque points in Tampa.

click photo for enlarged view

The park dates back to Tampa's earliest days, originally named Jules Verne Park. The Hillsborough County Historical Commission placed a historical marker at the park which reads:

"Formerly Jules Verne Park . . .

Mrs. Chester W. Chapin, controlling owner of the company which operated the city's first electric trolley cars, purchased these acres and in 1894 developed this site into a tropical park as a terminal for her line.

She named it for the French writer Jules Verne (1814-1905) who in his famous novel "From the Earth to the Moon" first published in 1865, chose Tampa town as his launching site for the imaginary shot of his rocket to that planet near one hundred years ago."

The park features a lovely fishing pier that brought back so many memories of my childhood. As we ventured down the pier today, flashbacks of fishing with my dad came to mind. The one memory that stands out are the ugly blowfish that were often caught off that pier. They really freaked me out as a child!

click photos for enlarged views

As a dating teenager, the pier was a fun spot to enjoy a relaxing evening after having dinner out. That pier has been a fun spot for me as I became an adult, looking for a frugal way to spend a very enjoyable evening, either fishing or merely walking the pier watching others fish. There is something about fishing piers at night that fascinate me in the simple way of just enjoying one of nature's gifts . . . the sounds, the sights, the smells. It is an awesome way to spend an evening!

click photo for enlarged view

We passed by the familiar picnic pavillions and I could almost feel the happy childhood excitement and wind on my face as I ran around and played with my cousins and second cousins. Family picnics back in the day meant the whole family got together . . . such happy memories just walking around that park!

Each sheltered picnic pavillion includes a grill, lots of picnic tables in shady surroundings that includes a children's playground.

The tree-lined walkways along the water are popular among joggers, walkers and rollerbladers with quick access to Bayshore Blvd.

Some views of Bayshore Blvd., downtown Tampa and Port of Tampa from the Ballast Point Pier:

click photos to enlarge views

It was one of those overcast days in Florida . . . hit and miss showers all over town. Notice the difference in cloud formations . . . watching the sky fascinates me!

Ballast Point Park is an awesome place to spend the day picnicing with family, relaxing on a park bench enjoying the Florida sunshine, fishing on the pier or just passing the day or evening watching others fish . . . there is also a restaurant on the grounds (have no idea what the food is like).

Check it out if you find yourself in Tampa and just want to enjoy a little relaxation with spectacular surroundings . . .

Discover Tampa through our eyes!

2011-09-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

The Captain and I have been all around Tampa for one reason or another. Since we recently got married, there have been so many IDs to get, change, update which have taken us from one part of town to the other . . . numerous times. It gave us the idea of doing blog posts featuring the diversity of Tampa, what makes it so special and why I would not live anywhere else in the world.

Today we went off just for fun. MacDill Air Force Base was having a Veterans' Appreciation Day, so we started our day off with an awesome brunch at the dining room usually designated for active military only. WOW I was impressed with the quality of food and the great service we received. After doing some shopping and checking out all the various veterans association booths (did I mention that I love being a military wife?), we decided to continue our adventure and forget about going straight home.

Our first stop was Ballast Point, which is located on Tampa Bay . . . down the street from the base and across the bay from downtown and the Port of Tampa. We checked out their lovely pier and relaxed at the picnic area, enjoying a beautiful Florida day, taking lots of photos along the way.

Ballast Point is off of Bayshore Boulevard, which runs along Tampa Bay, leading to Downtown Tampa. I kept clicking photos throughout the drive all the way through downtown. It was at that point we decided to make it a dedicated photo taking day. We took some awesome and unusual shots of gorgeous buildings surrounding downtown, ending up in Historic Ybor City, which is where we finally landed, parked the van and headed out to our adventure.

My roots are in Ybor City and the changes made through the years have made me so proud of my latina heritage which lies in the historic district.

The highlight of our day was a ride on the streetcar from Ybor City, back towards downtown to Channelside, home of The Florida Aquarium, the Tampa Bay Lightning (St. Pete Forum), cruise ship terminals, dining ships that include a tour of Tampa Bay and the quaint shops and restaurants of the artsy Channelside district itself.

The new ultra-modern condos that have gone up and still going up around Channelside and downtown are each unique with gorgeous architecture and landscaping . . . quite the contrast a streetcar ride away from the historic Ybor City architecture that takes you back to another time, very reminiscent of Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

We had a blast . . . but the bad news is soon after jumping on the streetcar to begin our journey to Channelside, the camera batteries died. Major bummer . . . we are planning on going back tomorrow, weather permitting, to take even more photos of Ybor City and finally take some photos at Channelside.

It is awesome to show The Captain around his new home and share my roots with him.

I'll take each section of town as a blog post with lots of photos to share my city with all of you, along with a little history and some "back in the day" memories.

Can't wait to continue our adventure tomorrow!

UPDATE :(

IT IS TOMORROW AND AN UGLY

RAINY DAY IN TAMPA!

NOT A GOOD DAY FOR PHOTOS

. . . maybe next weekend?

Fort Desoto Park ~ St. Petersburg, Florida

2011-08-04T04:36:00.000-07:00

The Captain and I recently spent a beautiful and sunny Florida day on the white sandy gulf beach at Fort Desoto Park in St. Petersburg, Florida.

We couldn't have picked a better day . . . no rain, no storms . . . very unusual for this time of year. There is nothing like sunning on the beach and cooling off in the warm, salty and refreshing Gulf of Mexico.

Our day started very early in the morning . . . we arrived as the sun came up . . . daybreak on the Gulf of Mexico beaches is awesome!

The park offers great diversity with a wealth of bird life, sea life, wild life and plant life. We just visited the beach, but the park also includes two fishing piers, campgrounds, the historial forts, museum, boating and so much more.

Although it has been many years, it was one of my favorite places to go camping, where you can encounter cute raccoons that are very adept at stealing food, hiking or biking through the trails or fishing from your camp site. An awesome place to go camping, if that is your thing.

The park consists of 1,136 acres of protected islands . . . home to beach plants, mangroves, wetlands, palm hammocks, hardwoods and native plants. It is the one place in this area that I imagine is as it was when the Spanish explorers first discovered its vast beauty.

The park's natural ecosystems provides a home to more than 290 documented species of birds and the beaches provide refuge to the loggerhead sea turtle as they nest between April and September.

Fort De Soto's three miles of white sandy beaches was named America’s Top Beach for 2009 by Trip Advisor, the world's largest online travel community. In 2005, “Dr. Beach,” named Fort De Soto the nation’s #1 Beach.

Here are some photos we took . . .

Click here for the official website of Fort Desoto Park.

We plan on visiting again very soon to check

out other amenities the park provides . . .

hopefully for a couple days of camping and fishing!

This post has been linked up with the

following blog hop/meme . . .

Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens

2011-07-17T16:47:00.000-07:00

Although we had every intention to make it to Busch Gardens for the opening of the new ride Cheetah Hunt, between Florida thunderstorms and life, we didn't make it until the other day. We got there in the very late afternoon and it got too dark to continue taking photos, so there wasn't enough time to explore the new section to go with the ride.

Hopefully we will return next week . . .

but in the meantime, here is a peak at the new ride . . .

The landscaping at the base of this section

of the ride is gorgeously tropical!

A photo from our last visit . . . the landscapers

busily preparing the grounds for the opening

of the new Cheetah Hunt section.

What a difference a few weeks makes!

One of our favorite spots to chill out.

I love this water feature!

The Magic of Walt Disney World

2011-06-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

There is no other place in the world that I love more than Walt Disney World in Orlando. It is truly magical.

The photo is from the early days of Walt Disney World. Notice I am wearing bell bottom pants . . . what does that tell you about how long ago that was? I was there the first week the park opened and continued to visit at least a couple of times a year. My husband and I were annual passholders and visited at least once a month, sometimes a couple times a month. We were there for the opening day of Epcot Center.

So many memories lie in the magic of Walt Disney World.

Since I became a widow almost 9 years ago, I have not returned. That will soon change as I have moved on with my life and I know that new memories of Walt Disney World with The Captain will be equally as awesome and magical. I can't wait to show him all my favorite places at the various parks and resorts.

What I've decided to do is feature Vintage Walt Disney World in future blog posts. I have numerous photo albums going back through time and VHS video that I would love to convert to CD so I can share rides that don't exist anymore and construction of new rides and resorts as they were going up. The parks and resorts are constantly evolving, but I'd love to feature the many changes and take a trip back in time to earlier days through my memories, photos and video.

The backdrop of this photo are the gardens at the Polynesian Hotel, one of the original monorail resorts that also features boat rides across the lagoon to the Magic Kingdom. The lushly tropical lobby whose atmosphere is complete with waterfalls, awesome tropical landscaping and parrots remained one of the most beautiful places to hang out on the Disney property . . . in my opinion. This is the only photo I have scanned into my computer at the moment, but I will definitely be featuring the Polynesian Hotel in a future post with much better photos and video.

The gardens at the Canadian pavillion at Epcot Center . . . one of my favorite spots to get away from the crowds to chill out and get a little rest. Gorgeous!

Keep checking back for new posts as I dust off my photo albums, convert my videos and dig up some magical memories of Walt Disney World.

Adventures at Busch Gardens

2011-05-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

The Captain and I went to Busch Gardens today, where they were busily working toward next Friday's opening of their newest attraction, Cheetah Hunt. It is unbelievable how fast these projects progress. We last visited a few months ago and couldn't believe it is almost ready to open.

It was a hot and humid day in Central Florida where we kept going back to take a break around the Sheikra attraction where you can get wet just by being close to the water portion of the ride. The little kids hanging out and getting drenched over and over again were so entertaining.

It was fun to hang out in "Stanleyville" today. We really enjoyed our lunch at the Zambia Smokehouse where we were served a huge portion of pork ribs and french fries . . . well worth the $12.49 they charge for the platter. We decided to eat outdoors so we could take in the sights and sounds of Stanleyville, goof on the people around us and be amused by the birds who would descend on the area after a table was cleared. It is pretty cool that they stay away from the people who are still eating at the tables . . . at least they are polite :)

The disappointment of the day is when the camera batteries died and we had to stop taking photos.

Here are some photos we took of Cheetah Hunt . . . I'm working on a new video of today's visit. We took lots of landscape photos and The Captain got some awesome shots of turtles riding on the back of the gators.

The landscapers were putting the finishing touches at the base of the new ride.

Looking up from the base of one section of the ride.

More views of the ride, which stretches through a large part of the park.

Click here for my blog post on the introduction of Cheetah Hunt which includes videos from Busch Gardens.

We are tentatively planning to be there for the opening of the new attraction and will take lots of photos of the completed ride.

What an awesome and beautiful day!

My home town . . . Tampa

2011-05-01T05:12:00.000-07:00

Tampa is such a cool place to live with so much to do and see.

It is where I have lived most of my life . . . it is home!

Rather than write another post, I thought I would post videos

that I have gathered from YouTube to show Tampa from

the perspective of others.

A tourist's video view of Tampa

Visit Tampa/St Petersburg video

Destination . . . Tampa Bay

Travel Guide - Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay, The Movie ~ History in Tampa

Tampa Video and Audio Tour

Space Shuttle Program 30th Anniversary @ Kennedy Space Center

2011-04-14T05:14:00.000-07:00

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, located on the east coast of Florida in the Orlando area, marked the 30th anniversary of the space shuttle program this week. NASA officials and astronauts featured the accomplishments of the shuttle fleet and Kennedy Space Center workers. A shuttle-themed cake was presented by Buddy Valastro, a baker featured on the Food Network's “Cake Boss.”

NASA's launch headquarters is the only place on Earth where you can tour launch areas, meet a veteran astronaut, see giant rockets, train in spaceflight simulators, and even view a launch. The following is an excerpt from the Kennedy Space Center website, detailing a typical tour . . .

"Your exploration starts with one of our world-renowned tours, where you depart Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to see NASA’s awesome facilities, including the massive launch pads, gigantic Vehicle Assembly Building, and the awe-inspiring Apollo/Saturn V Center.

There is so much to do at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex – from live-action theatrical shows like “Star Trek Live,” to the Astronaut Encounter where you can meet a veteran NASA Astronaut. During your Kennedy Space Center tour, you’ll see 10-story-high rockets from all eras of space exploration in the Rocket Garden, walk through a full-size Space Shuttle mock-up, see IMAX^® space films on gigantic five-story screens, and see an actual Gemini program capsule on display in the Early Space Exploration exhibit."

For information on Kennedy Space Center events, click here or call 877-313-2610.

Nature's Fury

2011-03-31T20:25:00.000-07:00

March is usually a pleasant and dry month in Central Florida, sometimes too dry, but it is a beautiful, peaceful time before the tropical weather interrupts every afternoon with thunder, dangerous lightning and torrential rain.

It started yesterday with an all day storm that was welcomed after so much dry weather. I even commented on my personal blog how I love those rainy days as long as I don't have to get out in it and the joy of hearing the rain hitting the awnings on the windows, making it so inviting to sleep the day away and catch up for all those late nights with no sleep.

Sightings of a funnel clouds and resulting tornadoes began early this morning and didn't end until early evening, pounding the area with heavy rain and hail escorted by torrential winds that did widespread damage in Central Florida. The neighborhood is littered with fallen limbs, but thankfully no serious damage.

We personally spent most of the day with no electricity or running water that is generated by an electrical pump. It is the price we pay for living in paradise . . . the seasonal storms that result in electrical outages.

The rest of spring will hopefully be normal for this time of year with low humidity and comfortable temperatures . . . today was just a preview to prepare us for the upcoming summer rainy season.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention dodging tropical storms and hurricanes in between the daily storms . . . that is a normal summer in Central Florida.

It doesn't matter where you live . . . we all get a taste of nature's fury.

How does nature's fury affect you

in your part of the world?

My new home page

2011-03-12T16:35:00.001-08:00

My home page is back! Now you can keep up with all of my blogs, websites and places on the web in one place. Click here to go to the blog, where you can follow via Blogger, Google Friend Connect, Networked Blogs, my new Facebook Fan Page or through RSS feed via your favorite reader or email. You can also follow me on Twitter where all my blog posts are automatically tweeted.

For my Adgitize and Entrecard blogging friends . . . within the next couple of days, I will be setting up Adgitize and Entrecard . . . so you will have one more place to click!

My apologies for not being around as much . . . there are not enough hours in the day for everything I have been working on, but I should be back to "normal" soon.

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!

A taste of kitschy cool Florida . . . Weeki Wachee Springs

2011-03-09T17:10:00.000-08:00

WOW! I never thought I’d get a request for a post . . . but . . . this post is by request for one of Florida’s oldest and natural attractions . . .

Weeki Wachee Springs

The attraction was a childhood favorite of mine and I remember visiting the attraction many times. In fact, somewhere in my mom’s archives are photos from the visits. I’ll include them in the future if she can find them.

Pre-Disney World tourist attraction days of the 1950s/60s were the glory days of Weeki Wachee Springs, boasting attendance of 500,000 people per year. It is said that Elvis Presley and Esther Williams were among those who visited and/or made films and television shows there . . . naturally . . . it was owned by ABC, the American Broadcast Company, who heavily promoted the attraction.

The feature attraction? Live underwater mermaid shows! The ladies came from all over the world for a chance to audition for the role of a Weeki Wachee Mermaid, who were dressed in fancy outfits complete with fins . . . and considered celebrities throughout Florida. They perform in an aquarium-like setting set in the spring of the Weeki Wachee River. The current theater was built in 1959, embeded in the side of the spring 16 feet below the surface . . . it seats 500 people.

The show was originally based on underwater air hose breathing techniques created by a former Navy man, Newton Perry, who trained SEALS to swim underwater in World War II.

Weeki Wachee Springs, known as the City of Live Mermaids, is located on the Gulf Coast of Florida at the crossroads of US 19 and State Road 50, about an hour north of Tampa. It is currently owned by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and a part of the Florida State Park System.

The spring is the only one of its kind in the world with the deepest fresh water cave system in the United States. The park itself is 538 acres . . . the only water park that is completely fed by freshwater springs.

Along with the mermaid show, they offer canoe and kayak rentals, volleyball and swimming at Buccaneer Bay which is a water slide attraction with a beach-like setting of white sands and relaxing covered picnic areas. You can also have your picture taken with the mermaids or take a riverboat ride down the Weeki Wachee River and enjoy a taste of untouched Florida. They even offer a summer Mermaid Camp for the kids. Visitors can join the Sea Diver Program and swim in the springs

Hours of operation vary by season . . . check their website for the schedule.

A quote from the Weeki Wachee website . . . The City of Live Mermaids is more than just mermaids . . . it’s a truly original piece of Florida’s rich heritage.

Spring has arrived in Florida!

2011-03-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

One of the things I love most is sitting outdoors and watch nature in action. The weather has been gorgeous and I have spent more time outdoors this week than I have in a very long time. Maybe they were here before, but I wasn't paying attention . . . the robins have arrived! They are the sign for me that Spring has arrived and I couldn't be happier!!

We actually reached the 80's last week and the air conditioner has already been off and on for a week or so. I really love open windows! The Captain and I have been busy cleaning up the property . . . he finished off the fence, so now the back yard is totally private :) . . . YES!!! I AM HAPPY :)

Humidity has not arrived and I am very grateful for that . . . I can handle the heat without it.

I love living in Florida :)

Wordless Wednesday . . . Cool Canines!

2011-02-22T19:39:00.000-08:00

As usual . . . almost wordless!

I'm venturing away from the Florida theme for this week

because I felt like having a tribute to my babies who have

departed to Rainbow Bridge . . . and because I am craving

a sweet fur baby doggie to love . . .

a look at some cool canines!

these are not my photos

Grab my button!

Wordless Wednesday . . . Pink Flamingo Reflections

2011-02-08T19:13:00.000-08:00

As usual . . . almost wordless!

The pink flamingo are awesome!

The photo is from Busch Gardens at one of the pink flamingo sections.

The following video is my creation made from photos of our visit
on New Year's Day. I misplaced some of the photos when my external drive
started acting up on me, so I will be making another one when I find them all.

I'm linking up at these Wednesday Blog Hops . . .

Wordless Wednesday . . . Lovely Lemurs!

2011-02-01T22:25:00.000-08:00

Almost wordless!

These photos were taken at Busch Gardens,

Tampa, Florida on New Years Day.

I love the lemurs!

I've posted this video before, but here is

Lemur Love again . . . just because I love them!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

The invasion of pirates . . . all about Tampa, Florida

2011-01-25T11:09:00.000-08:00

I put this post up once a year around the timeof the Gasparilla festivities in Tampa.
Tampa is where I have lived all of my life
and I feel blessed that I was born in this part
of the world that is perfect for me.
The Captain and I are planning to explore Tampa
with our cameras in the coming weeks so that we can feature all the things that make Tampa special.
Since we have annual passes to Busch Gardens, my
posts usually focus on the awesome theme park.
There are so many aspects of the park that I haven't
even covered yet.
Many of you have asked about Busch Gardens and I'm
working on a general post about Busch Gardens. In themeantime, check out a video I created from one of
our visits.

There is much more to post about . . . subscribe to
my feeds or post my Wordless Wednesday button on
your blog. Gina's Wordless Wednesday always includes
a linky so everyone can participate.

TAMPA . . . The word "Tampa" is a Native American word used to refer to the area when the first European explorers arrived in Florida whose meaning is sometimes claimed to mean "sticks of fire" in the language . . ."The place to gather sticks" . . . which also relates to the high concentration of lightning strikes that Tampa Bay receives every year during the hot and wet summer months.

HISTORY
Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon first arrived in the Tampa Bay area in 1513, but the Spaniards focused their attention on settling eastern Florida and left the western areas alone.
In 1824, only two months after the arrival of the first American settler, four companies of the U.S. Army established Fort Brooke to protect the strategic harbor at Tampa Bay.
Tampa owes its commercial success to Tampa Bay and the Hillsborough River. When phosphates were discovered nearby in the late 1880's, the resulting mining and shipping industries prompted a boom of growth and wealth that lasted through the 1890's. The Port of Tampa is now the seventh largest in the nation; today phosphate shipping is supplemented by trade in shrimp. A pleasure cruise line operates as well.
In 1886, Vicente Martinez Ybor established a cigar factory in Tampa. From the steps of Ybor's factory, José Marti, sometimes called the George Washington of Cuba, exhorted the cigar workers to take up arms against Spain in the late 1800's. Hispanic culture enlivens Ybor City which covers about 2 square miles between Nebraska Avenue, 22nd Street, Columbus Drive and East Broadway.
The military has also had an ongoing role in Tampa's development. The city was the primary outfitting and embarkation port for U.S. troops bound for Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Today the U.S. Operations Command is headquartered nearby at MacDill Air Force Base.

WHAT MAKES TAMPA UNIQUE . . .
DIVERSITY

One of the things that makes Tampa unique is the Gasparilla celebration, a festival similar to Mardi Gras with a pirate theme . . . best to check out the video . . . click here.

As far as I'm concerned, this is as close as I'm going to get to living in paradise. Our winters are usually pleasant . . . there are warm breezes, gone is the humidity, the daily afternoon tropical thunderstorms or threats of an impending hurricane and only the occasional cold day and night (what I call cold) . . . this is winter in Tampa, the best time to visit my part of the world. We occasionally get a freeze at night, but it never snows and cold fronts usually move fast and last a day or two, then back to warm and sunny Florida weather.

No matter what you are in the mood for, you can find it here, there is lots to do . . . you can relax and dine at a waterside cafe, take a streetcar ride to Channelside for shopping and back to Ybor City for a delight all to itself.

Ybor City is an experience that takes you back to another era, known as Florida's Latin Quarter, wrought iron balconies, globe streetlights, brick-lined walkways and the majestic architecture of cigar factories, social clubs and other unique buildings. It provides a glimpse into an era rich with culture and history . . . famous for Spanish Flamenco dancers, Cuban sandwiches, hand-rolled cigars, shopping at Centro Ybor by day and when the sun goes down, party at the many restaurants, nightclubs and bars that line the streets of Ybor City that are so reminiscent of New Orleans.

For those into sports, Tampa is home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning and winter home of the New York Yankees and served three times as Super Bowl host.

Tampa is one hour away from Disney World and the home of Busch Gardens, where you can ride world known roller coasters like the Montu, Sheikra, Gwazi, Kumba and many other attractions, one of the most awesome zoos in the world and gorgeous gardens to walk through. Check out all to do at Busch Gardens by visiting their website, which is a treat in itself . . .

Busch Gardens website

Cross Tampa Bay and you will find white, sugar sand beaches, sport fishing, jet skiing, parasailing . . . there is nothing like walking the beach at dawn or watching a spectacular sunset on the Gulf of Mexico.

There is also an abundance of state parks, botanical gardens . . . a nature lover's paradise.

Famous people from Tampa . . . Ray Charles, Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys, his brother Aaron Carter, Hulk Hogan, Lauren Hutton, baseball players Dwight Gooden, Gary Sheffield and Steve Garvey, singer/songwriter Stephen Stills . . . and me!

Wordless Wednesday #5 - Marvelous Meercats

2011-01-11T20:34:00.000-08:00

Almost Wordless . . .

More photos from our recent visit to Busch Gardens.

Today's "Wordless" Wednesday is all about meercats, also
known as mongoose . . . reminds me of the movie "Riki Tiki Tavi"

I love these little guys!! We spent the longest time watching
them play around their habitat. It is difficult to photo the
complete scene . . . but you can probably tell from the photos,
they have tunnels built all over their "home".

STANDING GUARD!

CHECK OUT THE LITTLE GUY
ON THE GROUND :)

NOTICE THE TUNNELS

I'm working on a video of our New Years Day visit to
Busch Gardens that I will be posting sometime this week.

The Captain and I love Busch Gardens and visit as
often as we can!

When I originally put this post up, I forgot the video I
made with portions of the Riki Tiki Tavi cartoon
and some awesome photos the meercat/mongoose.

Here it is:

Link up your Wordless Wednesday post!

Wednesday Blog Hops and Events

Wordless Wednesday #4 - End of a perfect day

2011-01-04T05:20:00.001-08:00

Almost Wordless . . .

Busch Gardens - Tampa

The end of a perfect day on New Years day

It was the perfect Florida day . . . no rain,
no humidity . . . 75 degrees in the afternoon

A gorgeous blue-sky day!

A view of some roller coasters from across the
Serengeti Plain . . . photo taken from the train ride

Wednesday Blog Hops and Events

Wordless Wednesday #3

2010-12-29T08:01:00.000-08:00

I'm running so late today!!

Tampa Bay Hotel 1920's postcard
(now the University of Tampa)

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ALL WEEK LONG

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Wednesday Blog Hops and Events

Gina's Wordless Wednesday #2

2010-12-21T18:27:00.000-08:00

RIP . . . Victim of last week's freeze :(

No poinsettia for Christmas

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ALL WEEK LONG

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Wednesday Blog Hops and Events

Gina's Wordless Wednesday #1 ~ Mirage

2010-12-14T23:52:00.000-08:00

I'm dreaming of a warm Christmas!

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More Wednesday Blog Hops and Events

Wordless Wednesday . . .

2010-12-14T22:25:00.001-08:00

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