A Work in Progress...

Gasparilla Pirate Fest 2012

2012-01-30T11:26:00.000-05:00

This year was the first time I attended any of the annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest events. Alan and Phil hosted lunch for us and we walked over to Bayshore Blvd. to watch the parade. I'm thinking maybe it would be nice to go to the invasion brunch sometime to catch that event next year. All of these boats invade Tampa and take over the city. Wonderful.

Cody was right in the middle with us!

A lovely Florida winter scene . . .

Ye Motley Crewe

Phil relaxes on his perch.

Wayne perched for a ring side view.

I do love palm trees. I saw this different variety as we were leaving.

Some have asked me, isn't Florida a crazy place to live? My reply is that all places are crazy, Florida is just a different kind of crazy. Here we are, celebrating pirates. And this summer, we get to celebrate Republicans. Heaven help us.

Beginning Life as a Full Retiree

2012-01-27T18:09:00.001-05:00

This has been my first full week of absolute workless retirement! I have been taking things slowly. Getting out of bed when I felt like it. Eating when I was hungry. Making no appointments or scheduling anything! Only one thing I wanted to do was to make sure I took at least one good walk a day.

I have been taking a different route each day, to keep things more interesting. Work and exhaustion was my excuse for not exercising. It's good to be moving again!

I've never seen this marker on 9th Ave N before.

This gazebo is in Round Lake Park.

I saw these colorful homes nearby.

This morning I went on my walk with my friend Dave. Although there was a fine mist in the air, it cleared up shortly after we set out. This is a couple blocks from my apartment, as we were finishing up our walk.

A January Sunday Boat Outing

2012-01-23T15:14:00.000-05:00

The slideshow version!

A January Afternoon Boat Outing

2012-01-23T13:01:00.000-05:00

Kevin and David rented a pontoon boat and were in need of a crew, so they invited us to go along and help trim the sail. I think most of us thought we were going to some kind of sale, but anyhow, it was a fun six hour excursion through some of the Suncoast Barrier Islands.

Our tour took us from Indian Shores down to Pass-A-Grille Beach and back again. We shoved off shortly after 10:10 AM

David was our skipper. He sure knows his stuff! An afternoon of smooth sailing thanks to Skipper! I've even forgotten about that slight bump when we pulled into the dock. David was great at minimizing the water coming over the bow whenever a speeding boat passed!

Landlubbers sitting a fore. (I have no idea if that is correct.)

When we broke for lunch, the rest of the crew voted to throw Wayne and me overboard when we took out our cloth napkins and metal forks from our picnic satchel. Fortunately no one suggested keelhauling us!

Bay Pines VA Hospital complex.

John's Pass

Spotted some dolphins along the way.

And a fine mist.

We heard rumor of Oprah having a home in this vicinity. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of Gayle or maybe Stedman.

Proud Mary?

The downtown St. Pete (unhappiest place in the US) skyline and Tropicana dome look fairly close!

This speeding boat didn't see us before passing.

Another dolphin sighting. There was a pod of them in this area.

Guess who is skippering this boat?

How nice of them to open this drawbridge for us! Maybe because we were standing with our hands raised above our heads?

This is the bridge we normally travel over to Sunset Beach on Treasure Island.

We landed back at the dock just after 4:00 PM. What a great way to spend a winter sunday in Florida! And what a great first day of complete retirement!

Another Milestone!

2012-01-21T08:34:00.000-05:00

Today marks my last day with Grow Financial FCU. I am surrendering that HQ badge today. That photo was taken when I was in orientation in October 2007, shortly after moving here to Florida.

We were all dressed like Charlie Chaplin this day. I just couldn't trim down my moustache.

A "pirate" for Halloween one year.

This was taken at my manager's house for our Christmas party. My introduction to holiday parties in Florida, in the back yard!

I think this one was from Christmas Eve 2007. After we got out at noon, I headed to the beach.
I first "retired" in 2004, but continued to work part time and full time off and on. Now it's time to do the full time retirement. Looking forward to it!!!

MMMMMM! For a cool chilly winter night . . .

2012-01-18T20:46:00.000-05:00

Discovered that feta cheese was BOGO at Publix this afternoon. Didn't realize I already had 3 and a half packages at home already! Hence, a tomato basil feta omelette with bruschetta, and tomato parmesan soup (new Progresso [also on sale] flavor). Had a side of lupini beans. Now all I need is some espresso and biscotti.
Good for a chilly winter night in Florida. OK, so 65 degrees isn't too chilly, I admit.

Tradition - Maybe a New One?

2012-01-16T21:38:00.000-05:00

I put my tree up in early December. My tradition is to have "It's A Wonderful Life" playing as I decorate it. I've decided that I need a tradition movie for when I take the tree down. I was thinking of something having to do with the beginning of the year, or new beginnings, or something like that. The movie that came to mind is one that I don't own - "You Can't Take it With You". I like watching it whenever I can when it's on TCM. Like Wonderful Life, it was also directed by Frank Capra and it won Best Picture and Best Director in 1938 (8 years before Wonderful Life). But, because I didn't have it, I watched second best: Big Business!

And I'm not sure what was going on this year. Either my tree was the freshest of any I've ever had, and didn't shed a single needle, or all the needles dropped and disintegrated. Anyhow, my tree is down and so are all the holiday decorations. 2012: bring it!

Treasure Island Kite Festival

2012-01-15T19:59:00.001-05:00

On Saturday Wayne and I headed over to Treasure Island to check out the annual Kite Festival.

The weather was a little chilly, in the upper 50s, but, hey! it's January!

Celebrating at Universal Studios Orlando

2012-01-13T22:10:00.000-05:00

I met up with Adele and Gina at Universal Studios on Thursday to celebrate Gina's 21st Birthday which was on the 9th. It's hard to believe my baby is 21!

We had a great day . . . perfect weather, sunny, not too warm, not too cool.

Studio girls. All that's missing is Mia! (And Joe and Joy and Ruby!)

When Gina saw this, she said Mia would love it!

Minion spotting on the fence around the soon to be new 'Despicable Me' attraction.

We stopped at Richter's Burger Co. where you have over 100 combinations of soda to drink!

My veggie cheese burger.

This is the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. Shortly after eating, we headed over here. We LOVE roller coasters! You get to select the music you want to hear as your careen around and up and down, and flip and flap . . .

It even zipped thru some buildings.

Next, we headed to Hogsmeade and Hogwarts.

First stop: Hogs Head Pub for some frozen butterbeer!

Cheers! It IS good!

And to Ollivander's to look at wands.

Saw some Hogwart's students.

The sky provided a dramatic backdrop.

Adele just loves Hogwarts!

I was surprised to see Universal is advertising my blog!!!

The sky at dusk was amazing!

Then on to the Marvel Super Hero Island for some cotton candy!

Gina said she had never been in the World of Harry Potter when it was dark, so we went back to enjoy the night life there!

On the way out, we stopped at the Latin Quarter in CityWalk for dinner. It was amazing! Our waitress Esther was sweet and friendly!

Our appetizer plate . . .

My coconut tilapia with yellow rice and mango cream sauce. I was in heaven!

Adele and Gina both had the chicken paella. They had enough for two more meals!

"What am I gonna do with all this paella?!!!"

And that's why you always leave a note!

2012-01-11T07:49:00.000-05:00

My family is addicted to Arrested Development. Can you tell? Mia gave me this mug for Christmas and Gina gave me the plate (There's always money in the banana stand. [click! click!]

Happy Birthday Gina! 21!!!

2012-01-09T00:05:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday Gina Bean!!! WOW! 21! I love you!!!

I'm looking forward to spending the day with you later this week!!!

Gina's amazing voice! I'm so proud of you!

Ruby Visits G-Pa

2012-01-05T21:13:00.000-05:00

Ready for another celebration of Christmas with a visit from Adele, Joe, Joy and Ruby!

Here I am!

Time to open some more gifts!

And what else? More headdresses!

Modeling a new hair flower and band.

Frosty the Snowman meets Ruby

Adele finally got to visit! Adele loves Lucy!

Playtime

Ruby loves her toes.

It's fun reading to Ruby. She studies the pictures and the words too.

Auntie Adele and Ruby. Adele got to spend the night and headed to work at Disney the next morning.

Ruby was studying the star, but as soon as a camera is aimed . . . she puts this face on.

Breakfast Panettone, some toasted and some dipped in egg/eggnog batter.

Fighting going to sleep.

G-Pa walking Ruby. She fell asleep on my shoulder.

Modeling her Long Island outfit.

Ruby loves all the lights.

Ruby took a bath in my kitchen sink. Wrapped up in towels.

Modeling her new PJs.

Modeling her traveling outfit. Ready to airplane it home.

Smile for G-Pa.

Welcome 2012!

2012-01-01T22:41:00.000-05:00

Said goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012 in a quiet manner. Champagne toast, and pizza by Wayne. Toggled back and forth between Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin and Dick Clark's RNYE.

Greek pizza . . . as good as it looks!

Pepperoni and fresh mozzarella.

We went to a New Year's Day party at Alan's. Loving the ability to party outside.

January 1st turned out to be a beautiful day!

Happy New Year 2012!

2011-12-31T14:15:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year 2012 from St. Pete Florida!!!

Mia and Gina Visit - Day 2

2011-12-27T20:21:00.001-05:00

I woke up feeling pretty bad this morning. Not able to do too much. Mia and Gina took right over. They made French Toast using the chocolate chip Panettone made with egg and eggnog. To die for!

Then they made our annual corn flake wreath. Going to have some of that tonight!

This afternoon we watched "Midnight in Paris". The girls loved it! How nice to be stretched out on the couch and watch a movie!

And tonight they made Fries Quatro Queso Dos Fritos . . . Sooooooo good!

So yummy!

After dinner we took a walk around the neighborhood in the cool air (got down to around 63 degrees!) Was nice to see the Christmas lights and Christmas trees in many of the homes.

We cut into the Corn Flake wreath, then played a few rounds of "Shut the Box". It can be addicting! Shut the front door!

Mia and Gina Visit - Day 1

2011-12-26T23:26:00.001-05:00

I met Lu half way between Tampa and Orlando to pick up Mia and Gina for their annual Christmas visit today. Traffic was extremely heavy, especially for them, with almost a standstill passing the Disney properties.

A mug from Mia that she painted for me . . . "And that's why you always leave a note" (you Arrested Development fans will know that one!)

And Gina made the "There's always money in the banana stand . . . " (Another AD reference)

Opening one gift before we headed down to the Vinoy for our dinner.

Mia's new Christmas DVD collection.

Gina's new ear buds.

Delicious parsnip soup!

Wayne and I had the roasted beet salad.

Our waiter snapped this pic for us.

Mia, Gina and I picked the duck . . . and we were all disappointed. It sounded good, but a disappointment for us. Gina's water glass slipped out of her hand midway thru the main course and our waiter was right there, and cleaned it up . . . and brought her a replacement . . . we joked that she should have said to him, "remember, I had the sirloin . . . "
And Wayne had the sirloin . . .

Mia, Gina and I had the pot de creme . . . a great choice. Wayne had the chocolate mousse slice of pie.

Doing the best "Mad Men" poses in the new seating areas along the main hallway.

Partial family portrait in front of the tree in the lobby.

Lighted boat docked downtown. After dinner we strolled around downtown St. Pete.

The sleigh did not glide too well without the snow cover.

Whoa! Rudolph!

Peek-a-boo Christmas trees

Ta Tee A Mum Mum. Notice the small snowman hands . . .

Lighted torch in front of Tryst

Lots of pretty lights.

Wayne made some homemade cookie candy. YUM!!!

And some gifts from the girls.

Modeling their bracelets that Wayne gave them.

Gina loves her penguins!

Another set of stockings hung by the chimney with care.

A collection of Italian items, dear to my heart, from Joe and Pete. They know me well!

Christmas Eve and Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T22:25:00.001-05:00

Christmas Eve Wayne and I went to dinner at Bonefish Grill. We passed these lights on the way. Nothing like Christmas in Florida!

Who needs snow???

Bang Bang Shrimp, White Winter Cosmo, Black Cherry Guava Mojito

Pork chop w/ Fontina, pototoes, squash

Santa delivered gifts while we were out.

The stockings were hung by the electric fireplace chimney with care . . .

Biscotti on Christmas morning.

Christmas dinner courtesy of Mazzaro's: spinach sun dried tomato lasagna, veal w/ sundried tomato and tomato salad.

Wine decanter from Wayne . . . he added the glass stones and wire . . . love it!

Dessert tonight: cannoli cake, eggnog with Bailey's Mint Chocolate.

Merry Christmas Eve!

2011-12-24T13:23:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas Eve Bedford Falls!!!

And Merry Ruby Christmas!

A Special Christmas Card

2011-12-20T19:01:00.000-05:00

I am just a proud G-Pa!

Historic Old Northeast Candlelight Tour of Homes

2011-12-11T22:20:00.002-05:00

Today was the 14th Annual Historic Old Northeast Candlelight Tour of Homes. It was my fourth year attending. Every home on the tour this year was not disappointing!

And, since St. Petersburg has recently won the 'distinction' of being the saddest city in America, it's nice for us po folk to have something to bring joy into our humdrum little lives.

We gathered at my place for wine and snacks before heading out.

Tree at the hospitality and checkin location.

Home 1 - built in 1925, renovated in 2010.

The smaller structure on the right was the original garage . . . now a guest house.

Wayne feeling at home in the outside bar and grill!

Home 2 - this one ranked number 2 on my list. Beautifully furnished and decorated for the holidays! Built in 1938.

Home 3 - 1924 Craftsman-style

Outside at Home 3

The side garden at Home 3

Home 4 Built in 1932, traditional Colonial-style. Renovated in 2010. This house has an elevator in it!

Home 4

Homes along the walk . . .

Met up with the Peanuts gang

Home 5 - Built in 1913. Wrap around porch had a group of bell ringers for entertainment.

Home along the tour path . . .

Home 6 - Built in 1924. Traditional Colonial floor plan with a wide central hall on the first floor.

Home 7 - 1918 Craftsman-style bungalow, completely renovated in 2010.

Home 8, my personal favorite. Built in 1925. Two additions were added to this home after it was purchased shortly after I moved here 4 years ago. This home has 5 fireplaces . . . one in the back courtyard.

Home 8 - side window view . . .

This home is always brightly lit for every holiday.

It's a major award! Two blocks from my apartment.

Lighted porch. A block from my apartment.

It was a good Tour this year! All of the homes were beautiful!

Saturday Morning Ecstasy!

2011-12-10T10:38:00.000-05:00

Biscotti and coffee (with Italian sweet cream flavor).

'Tis the Season

2011-12-08T10:46:00.000-05:00

Warm and fuzzy.

Fireplace aglow.

I can't stop myself sometimes. Had to add some button lights to show off the photos and frames.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-12-07T06:00:00.001-05:00

Boy, these years keep going faster! I got out of work at noon on Tuesday and decorated my tree, which I put up on Monday night. And I love traditions. A more recent one of mine is to play "It's a Wonderful Life" DVD while I am decorating it. This tree is a far cry from the ones I grew up with and had when my own family was growing up. I learned how to put on the lights from my father. He had a method. I put tons of lights on the tree, all sizes and shapes and colors. It would take me hours!

The tree would sit in the middle of the "new" room. (We never came up with any other name for this addition.) We had an electrical outlet placed in the center of the floor for this reason.

And you can see from this picture of my son Joe, he was paying attention!

And Ruby is watching and learning . . . her first Christmas!

So, on this day, Dad's birthday, I want to say thank you Dad, and Happy Birthday! Thank you for our traditions and for your love! I miss you!

A Tour of The Vinoy

2011-12-06T17:00:00.022-05:00

My BFFs Pete and Joe gave me a gift certificate from The Vinoy for my birthday last July. And recently, the three of us cashed in the certificates for a tour and dinner. The Vinoy has an amazing history. [Note the new rugs. See my remarks below.]

The Chihuly chandelier in the main ballroom. Not a favorite of mine. *GASP*

There have been some very recent renovations and "redecorating".

Included in the tour was our lunch. Thanks to Joe for the lovely pictures!

My veal and pasta

Joe's chicken.

Pete's salmon.

These next few pictures are little seating areas along the main hallway. They are very nice, look like they are from an early 1960s movie. But, in my opinion, do not belong in the Vinoy.

Thanks to Shirley, our tour guide! What fun!

Florida Botanical Gardens and Heritage Village

2011-12-04T23:33:00.003-05:00

Wayne and I spent Sunday afternoon visiting the Florida Botanical Gardens and Heritage Village in Largo, Florida. It's a well kept secret. We toured the gardens and then the Village. We were surprised at how much is there. The grounds are beautiful, and during December the gardens are lit with lights. Each night there is different entertainment also.

We hadn't planned in advance to visit, so I didn't have my camera with me. These photos were taken with my cell phone. (I refer to it as a "dumb" phone.) Some of the photos at the bottom of this post were taken by Wayne.

These 'glass' flamingos were lit at night.

Time to relax.

The Village is amazing! Each building was transported there from someplace else!

We had a tour guide in the House of Seven Gables. Living history, and he was funny!

Baby's high chair.

And carriage.

Someone thinks he's Santa . . .

We took a break for dinner and went back for the lighted displays. So pretty!

Looking a lot like Christmas.

Charlie Brown! Can't You Do Anything Right?

2011-11-27T15:15:00.000-05:00

OK. I started.

Thanksgiving Feast 2011

2011-11-25T08:09:00.002-05:00

Linda and Louie celebrated their first Thanksgiving in Florida in their new condo. Wayne and I joined them. And Sandy and Mike came up from Marcos Island. So the six of us had a fun time!

[Thanks to Linda for this picture!]

My plate . . .

Sandy and Mike

Lou and Linda

Wayne.
Desserts - pumpkin pie, ricotta pie, and chocolate fudge pie.

We had a fun time playing "Shut the Box" We played a dollar for each round. I'm glad I won one game so that I was able to pay the $1 toll to get home over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge!

We got to Skype with Ruby and Lucas and Gabriella! Fortunately for them, there were moms and dads and grandparents and aunts to get them logged on. :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T06:00:00.010-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving 2011!

One huge (pronouncing the 'h') change in my life that I am grateful for is RUBY!!!

And I am thankful for all of my family and for good friends! Thank you for being in my life! I am truly blessed!

Here's to giving thanks!

And to spending this Thanksgiving with Linda and Louie!

A Day With Adele

2011-11-21T20:17:00.000-05:00

Adele came to visit on Sunday night. She surprised me with an early Christmas gift . . . a framed poster of one of my favorite movies!!! And a perfect spot for it!

We went for a walk shortly after she arrived, up to the Bayou and over to the Bay and back again. A beautiful evening for a walk.

On Monday morning we headed down to Bradenton to visit Louie and Linda. It was Adele's first visit to their new condo.

We went to the Beachhouse restaurant on Anna Maria Island for lunch. It's right on the beach.

Adele will use this to shade the sun . . .

My coconut shrimp salad

Adele's seafood salad

After lunch we walked down to the beach at the Moose Lodge.

Historic area along the beach. We hung out at Linda's and Louie's place for a while before heading back to St. Pete.

To avoid hitting the rush hour traffic in Tampa, we watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving before Adele started back to Orlando. It was a quick trip, but we had a blast!!! Love you Adele!

YUM! What a fantastic Thanksgiving feast!

Saturday Night on the Town

2011-11-20T21:19:00.000-05:00

I've had this coupon for Primi Urban Cafe in my hall chest for a while now. One of those Groupon type coupons. It was to expire next weekend, so thought it was about time to use it! I've eaten there at least a half dozen times, several with O&A and several with my book club. Joe, Pete, Wayne and I met up for dinner at 6!

Every dish I have ever had here has been delicious. No question about it. Was there this past Tuesday night with my book club, so made reservations for Saturday night with our waitress.
For an appetizer, Wayne and I split grilled prosciutto wrapped mozzarella with pesto sauce. I had the lasagna . . . yummmmm!

Wayne had the Puttanesca Romana. I had a piece of ricotta pie for dessert. After it was gone, I realized I hadn't taken a picture. It was that good!

After dinner, we headed over to Beach Drive to try out the new "lounge" that opened a couple of months ago. Downtown was awash with people. The Chillounge event was going on in the park. This is the entrance to the lobby of the Ovation condominium.

Tryst was hopping!

We camped at one of the front windows. Great spot for people watching.

Cheers!

Cool fire towers.

Cheers!

Spotlights in front of the Chillounge.

Lounging in the park.

Lou and Kevin Tie the Knot

2011-11-13T18:57:00.001-05:00

I guess this was a weekend for weddings! Friends Don and John got married today up in New York, and on Saturday Lou and Kevin got married here in St. Pete.

Wayne made a blueberry croissant bread pudding to share.

Kevin's dog was a little nervous with all the people there. The poor thing was shaking and looking up with those big eyes. He was retired to his room and peace!

The Wiccan ceremony was held in Lou's back yard. It was a beautiful afternoon!

The ceremony was interesting and contained many elements one would find in other marriage ceremonies.

Exchanging vows.

Bound together.

The kiss! At one point after they were wed, they jumped over the small open fire behind them.

Cutting the cake.

I wish Lou and Kevin, and Don and John, a very happy future together!

Autumn Harvest

2011-11-08T18:56:00.000-05:00

With thoughts of autumn in New York, I was feeling all "fallsy" when I was at Publix after work this afternoon. Wayne had told me about this Deep Dish Apple Pie ice cream. Sooooooo . . .

Yes! It's great!

Sarasota Chalk Festival

2011-11-07T08:30:00.003-05:00

Wayne suggested we take a ride down to Sarasota (about an hour south) to check out the Chalk Festival. It was well worth the trip! It was fun finding a parking spot. We just drove around the area near the festival and followed some cars into a 'field' and parked on the grass there and walked the couple blocks back to the festival.

There were some amazing drawings! This was the sixth day of the seven day event. The theme this year was "Pavement Art through the Ages".

Spotted this Italian flag

Adding to the ambiance . . .

We drove over to St. Armand's Circle for dinner. We had this amazing pizza at Le Colonne.

Capricciosa

Prosciutto, artichoke, egg, mushrooms, fresh mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce.

For dessert we stopped at Ben and Jerry's. Wayne is enjoying his Schweddy Balls.

Coconut Seven Layer Bar was my selection.

Spotted along the road on the way back from St. Armand's Circle.

Aerial view . . .

Heading back to St. Pete over the Skyway Bridge.

Maybe because of it's 'openness', this is one bridge that kinda scares me!

Another beautiful day in November!

Segway Tour of St. Pete

2011-11-06T21:07:00.000-05:00

Pete and Joe organized an outing for us to take a Segway tour of St. Pete. It's a popular thing with tourists, but even homeys want to see how these contraptions work.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous when our guide Vincent was demonstrating how it worked and how to ride (?) it. I think I was almost as nervous as when we went for that full moon dude ranch horseback ride last year.

Otto got to ride the "white stallion"

Taking some practice turns around the parking lot. But once we practiced a bit, it was great! I found it very intuitive. It's amazing how simple it works! I definitely would do it again!

Gathering in front of the 250 year old kapok tree downtown. The tour is a great way to see some highlights of the downtown area. We went up to Vinoy Park and North Shore Park, and down as far as the Dali Museum.

There were a lot of activities going on. We had to pause for this family walking by before we could catch up with our guide.

First rest stop. Funny how your feet were 'vibrating'. Felt a lot like the moments after taking your roller skates off.

Playing chicken.

Went to the Acropolis afterwards. My falafel and spanakopita.

All Hallows Ball Tampa 2011

2011-11-03T01:31:00.000-04:00

Our frolic at the All Hallows Ball at the Tampa Convention Center last Saturday night. The theme was "Up in the Air". It's a huge private party. It's a night of frolic where kids wear costumes and run amok.

Old Northeast Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T19:53:00.000-04:00

Slide show of last night's frolic . . .

Another Old NE Halloween 2011 Style

2011-10-31T23:16:00.000-04:00

This is my 5th Halloween living in Old Northeast. Linda, Louie and Regina came to experience it for the first time. After walking all around the neighborhood, they decided that next year they will come back in costume and crash at my place afterwards!

Friends Frank and Linda constructed this on their front lawn. Frank as 'student pilot', Linda, as flight instructor.

And look who was piloting the plane! F and L's friend looked very much like Todd . . .

It was a horrific scene!

And just up the next block, this house was preparing for a country hoedown.

Guests of honor.

Pink pumpkin pig and piglets

Welcome!

Prepping for the evenings performances.

Stay in line, please.

I am not afraid . . .

Anyone hungry?

They must have kissed and made up. Funny, though, Snow White had a tattoo on her arm.

No one leaves this place alive.

To the lifeboats!

Love the cotton candy machine!

I wish we could have spent Halloween like this up north!!!

For the first time since I've lived here, one of my neighbors sat out front and handed out candy!

Stopped by to see the boys. Lucky us, they had some adult chocolates!

Early evening street scene. As the night progressed, the streets and traffic got worse and worse.

Business was picking up at the hoedown.

Stopped by again at Frank's and Linda's.

Colorful evening.

The doughboy was still going strong. These neighbors were showing "Ghostbusters" on the side of the house.

Not quite sure about this one . . . decorated for Christmas, and young guy was sitting there playing his drums. Huh?

Crowds building for the circus shows.

Dirty birds

I stopped back at Frank's and Linda's with Pete and Joe and Evan and Lonnie. They offered us some lady fingers, but we politely declined.

All Hallows Ball Tampa 2011

2011-10-30T17:02:00.004-04:00

Last night was the 35th Annual All Hallows Ball in Tampa. For the third year in a row, it was held at the Tampa Convention Center. It was my fourth time attending! [See 2008 and 2008 2009 2010 ]

It has been a busy weekend. I found these limited edition "candy corn" M&Ms. They are white chocolate with a hint of candy corn flavor. As we were trying on our costumes for the party, we snacked on these. There were eight of us in our group. This year's theme was "Up in the Air".
After the fittings and later in the afternoon, we gathered at Pete's and Joe's for pizza and wine before heading over to Tampa. And what could be more fitting than Blue Nun?

Here we are getting dressed in the parking garage. These sisters were none too shy.

Dressed and ready to roll . . .

Greeting us as we headed in.

Our entrance . . . sort of like the rapture . . .

Sister Wayner constructed this portable wind contraption which gave us the lift we needed to get off the ground.

Gary and Billy

Sisters Wayner, Otavia and Petronis

Lots of cool costumes

These two paratroopers won one of the prize medals.

The cyclone that lifted Dorothy's farm house.

Sister Mary Pee Wee

Tornadoes in a bunch

Diva Airways Hostesses and ground crew

Spotted these impostors!

Wind blown. He stood too near to the portable fan.

Lucy in the sky with diamonds. One of the prize medal winners.

Twisted sisters.

Good / Bad angels

These balloon heads won one of the prizes too.

As did these hot air balloons, chatting with Joe and Pete.

Scene as we were heading out of the convention center.

An exhausted Sister Mary Wayner . . . a job well done!!!

Happy Birthday Mia!!!

2011-10-30T15:44:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Mia! I love you!!!

Ah! Nothing like Autumn and that Chill in the Air!

2011-10-27T21:07:00.003-04:00

My brother and sister-in-law sent me this picture. I stayed with them for two days last week. And it's still October. Reminds me of the snowfall on October 5, 1987, when tons of tree branches and trees and power lines rained down. We awoke that Sunday morning to loud "cracks" from outside, and looked out to see the paperboy dodging falling branches. Our house lost power for 2 days, and my wife was 3 weeks shy of delivery our third child.

From my post last week ----->

And how ironic! My electric fireplace was delivered late this afternoon. I think I'll pour a glass of wine and soak up the ambiance in honor of my family and friends up north. [BTW it was somewhere around 80 degrees here in St. Pete today.]

New York City - A Tale of Two Plays

2011-10-25T21:18:00.002-04:00

I happened to catch Trey Parker and Matt Stone on the the Daily Show last spring when John Stewart interviewed them about their show on Broadway, The Book of Mormon. Because of my history, having been a Mormon for 22 years, joining with my family when I was 34, I was caught by surprise. I can't say I have ever been a big South Park fan, but have enjoyed some of their episodes. Crude, crass, gross, at times, but made some good points. Listening to the interview, I knew I had to see this show!

My granddaughter Ruby was due to be born sometime near the end of July, so I was making plans to visit NYC in October. when Ruby and her parents were a bit more 'settled'. So, I figured I would get a ticket to the Saturday matinee when I was in town.

I think the show tended to be a bit gross at times, as South Park often is. But I think the creators captured the innocence and enthusiasm of the missionaries to perfection. I found their portrayal spot on, from choice of words and cadence. The songs flowed beautifully, were catchy and upbeat and fun! The audience really got into this show. It was the first Broadway show that I have been to, where from the first seconds of the curtain call, the audience was on their feet cheering, whistling, and applauding with great enthusiasm. It was amazing, and I would see it again!

After the show, I headed through Times Square to get the subway on 42nd to head back uptown. The area was jammed with people, so much so that the sidewalk was like a parking lot! Moving was extremely slow! Turns out, the Occupy Wall Street crowd had headed up to Times Square. Lots of barricades and police all over.

I finally made it to 42nd Street!

Look who I ran into on my way to Priscilla, my Sunday matinee! I really think Joe (R.) was in there. Pete reported him missing . . .

On Sunday I headed back to midtown to see Priscilla. I wish I had seen this before I saw Book of Mormon, because I think BOM is a hard act to follow. I did enjoy it though . . . just seemed to me a string of flashy disco numbers (which it was). I loved the way the bus "performed", with it's movement and lights. The musical numbers were amazing with performers coming down out of the ceiling, soaring over the stage. I found the curtain call to be a bit confusing with the audience not sure if it was just another musical number. It was well into the number when I realized the cast was bowing in turn. Fortunately, they did a more traditional call afterwards. (Or maybe I was just hallucinating???) I very much enjoyed the show, but think I would have liked it even better if I had seen it first on Saturday.

I hung journeyed across the street to the bleachers set up in Times Square to people watch.

I went into the Starbucks in that building in the center there. A Japanese tourist took my cup of coffee from the counter before I got there. And I had to wait behind him at the sugar/creamer stand while one of his traveling companions took pictures there with his camera with a huge lens.

It was nice to get back uptown to no crowds and serenity!

Friday Night Porch Party

2011-10-22T13:11:00.000-04:00

There is nothing like the Hallowe'en season to cheer one up! I've been missing my daily Ruby fixes, so the Old NE neighborhood "Porch Party" last night sure was a fun escape! The pictures are kind of dark, taken with my low end 'smart' phone. I've attempted to lighten them up enough to see some detail.

The living room

Side table in the living room

The dining room. This fella was laid out on the dining room table. I guess the meal didn't agree with him.

Mantle in the living room.

Ghost in the television room.

Boo!

In the kitchen area

Porch poltergeist

Do Wa Do Wa Do Wa Diddy I Went to see Ruby in New York City

2011-10-21T14:29:00.007-04:00

On Friday morning Louie, Linda and I headed down to New York City to visit with Ruby and Joy (Joe was working).

Ciao Aunt Linda and Uncle Louie!

Ruby has LOTS of smiles!

Joy made a delicious chicken stew, and apple spice cake for dessert. To die for!

Hey Mr. Monkey!

A Ruby's eye view . . .

Chatting with Mr. Monkey

Heading downtown to Soho.

Waiting for Joy's turn in the salon chair.

During the wait, we took a walk up the block to this little bakery shop, and who do we see? Lucy and Ethel!!! Go figure!!!

I'll have some hot chocolate and a muffin, please.

Well, because the salon was running late, poor little Ruby went into separation anxiety when I started strolling with her around the block. So, back to the salon. Mom attempted to soothe her, nurse her, but she was ready to settle in with Mommy. That trip downtown wore her out!

And poor Mommy . . . even looking beautiful with wet hair! So, what to do? Make lemonade out of lemons . . . shopping and lunch!

Ruby sporting her new winter hat . . . This gurl has style!

And a tasty lunch on the patio!

Then we headed up to midtown. I had a ticket to see The Book of Mormon, so I was off to the theatre while Joy headed back uptown.

Always busy.

What an amazing show! Great audience reaction, and as soon as the curtain call started, everyone was on their feet, cheering, whistling, and applauding like crazy! I'd see it again in a heartbeat.

Heading back to the subway after the show . . . Times Square was so jammed some people were commenting that the sidewalks were like a parking lot. Seems that the Occupy Wall Street crowd had migrated up to Times Square.

Checking in with Ruby. Wearing her G-Pa shirt.

Am I distracting you from Mommy's reading?

Play time again! That silly Mr. Monkey!

Sporting her new pink bow.

Ain't I just the cutest thing?

Joe was originally scheduled to work on Monday, but got a call about an hour before he was going to leave, informed that the shoot was postponed until Tuesday. YAY! A day with Joe too!

Getting gussied up before heading out to brunch.

And some time with Daddy!

Love in an elevator.

Our destination . . . Upper West Side.

Kind of like those floating candles in the great hall at Hogwarts.

MMMMMMMM! My pumpkin bread French toast.

Joe had the bacon waffles.

Some more chillin'

Over the entrance. My father-in-law worked for Agriculture and Markets and every time he'd pass a pasture with cows, he would say, "There's my girls!" This made me think of him and smile!

We stopped at Crumbs to pick up dessert for the evening's dinner.

Our selections . . .

My 'milkshake' cupcake.

Time to head back uptown!

We passed a commercial shoot location.

Playtime!

Dinner . . . ginger pork, pickled cucumber with jalapeno and side salad. Delicious!

Tuesday morning . . . hanging while Mommy folds some of my laundry.

Me and G-Pa.

Play time again!

Watching those butterflies overhead in my swing.

It was a beautiful morning and we went to the park.

George Washington Bridge.

Getting close to my departure time. :-(

Ruby and Joy walked with me to the subway station. When I kissed her goodbye, she gave me this big grin. I didn't want to leave! I'll have to plan another trip soon!!!

Visiting Albany and Meeting the Twins

2011-10-20T23:37:00.003-04:00

At this time of year, there are certain things that I miss about the Northeast. The crisp, nippy air; the smell of cider, cinnamon, warm just baked pumpkin and apple pies. I visited Albany for the first two days of my trip and the last two days, with my trip to New York City sandwiched in the middle. I stayed with Linda and Louie for the first leg of the trip.

And, first things first . . . a piece of homemade apple pie!

One thing that I've been missing is cider donuts! Last year I asked around at some bakery departments, and all I got was a blank look, and a remark, "Oh, you must be from up North?" So on the morning of my first day, Linda and I took a ride out to Altamont Orchards.

Oh, my! Sooooooo good and fresh from the oven!

After savoring the donut, we headed over to pay a visit to Andrea and to meet the week old twins. This is Gabriella . . . so sweet!

And here I am with Lucas. So alert!

After hanging with the Lucas Gabriella Kids for a while, Linda dropped me off at Chipotle to meet up with Gavin over lunch. It was good to see my dinner / movie / concert buddy! Been way too long! Hoping to get Gavin back down to St. Pete for a visit!

And since I haven't had tacos in a while, what else?

Then later in the afternoon Linda and I stopped over to visit Uncle Al, my Godfather. He celebrated his 89th Birthday this past Monday!

For dinner I met Dr Ray at Moscatiello's. It was fun to catch up in person and chow down on some delicious Italian food!

My veal marsala with a side of angel hair pasta with olive oil, garlic, tomatoes.

And what's a meal without dessert? I mean, c'mon!

On Friday morning we headed down to New York City. I had originally planned on taking the train, but Linda and Louie wanted to see Ruby before they headed back down to Florida.

I had really wanted to see the colors of the autumn leaves. As pretty as they are, I still got that old sinking feeling of the premonition of what was to come . . . cold, gray, dreary and lots of that white stuff!

After spending a wonderful five days with Ruby and Joy and Joe, I took the train back up to Albany. I snapped these photos from the train window.

What a scenic ride!

Okay, so now we jumped ahead to leg 3 of my journey, back to Albany. Louie and Linda picked me up at the train station and we headed right over to Ray's and Iz's for dinner. Andrea and Taras joined us with the new twins.

The older twins!

Iz made rigitoni. I haven't had it in a long time!
And meatballs, sausage and pork.

Dad Taras holding Lucas. Lucas must have had a rough day!

Aunt Linda and Gabriella.

I wonder how this flamingo got all the way up here from Florida? You never know what color you will see in the local autumns! I spent the last two days of my trip with Ray and Iz.

The tree in a neighbor's yard.

A colorful 'Welcome!'

In the morning on Wednesday, Iz and I headed up to Lollipops in Latham to browse around the baby store. Then had a lite lunch at Brueggers. My panini with pumpkin coffee.

On Wednesday afternoon we visited with Aunt Gloria and Uncle Tony. What a fun time we had!

And on Wednesday night I visited Jeffrey and Sean. I enjoyed seeing their new home in Center Square. After chatting for a while, we headed up to Lark Street for dinner at DeJohn's. It was nice catching up after not seeing each other for over three years!

I ordered greens and beans, and crab cakes. I could have died and gone to heaven after the G&B.

On Thursday, my last day, Ray and Iz took me to breakfast at Grandma's Pie Shop. I love that place! It has always been one of our family favorites!

My breakfast! It was sooooo good. I hung out with Ray and Iz until it was time to head over to the airport. Two full planes, a headache, a little turbulence, and waiting a half hour in the wrong place for the economy parking shuttle. Other than that . . . the trip was wonderful! I have lots of new memories!

Next post: Hanging with Ruby (and Joy, and some with Joe too!)

Ruby and G-Pa

2011-10-17T10:27:00.001-04:00

Having a ball with Ruby in NYC

AWiP Gets Published!

2011-10-05T10:44:00.002-04:00

Thanks to David who posted about a site where you can get your blog printed in books. I figured it would be nice to save a hard copy for posterity (or just thrown in the trash when your stuff gets cleaned out).

I've been blogging since September 2006, so figured the best way to go would be to put each calendar year in a different volume. I also chose the 'compact' versions to cut down on the number of pages, and I also eliminated the table of contents.

2006 is my smallest book at 48 pages. 2007, the year I moved to St. Pete clocked in at 171. 2008 is my largest at 246 pages. And the other two are just over 200 pages each. So far, for 2011, I've reached the highest posts of any year. I'd better trim back for the next volume!

It's all not perfect (some text strayed from it's original position when the photos were rearranged to compact space), but it will do!

Back covers of 4 of the books. The 2007 orange book has a picture of my Jeep in deep snow on the front cover and my VW in front of my apartment building on the back cover. My favorite. Says a lot about that year!

I'm glad to see my "journal" in print.

It's in the Air

2011-10-03T23:38:00.001-04:00

When I left for work this morning, it was 74 degrees and sunny. Seems like the beautiful fall weather is finally here. It's definitely in the air. And not only are the stores full of Halloween candy and decorations and costumes and props, but Christmas stuff has also begun to take over some aisles.

I picked up a couple Halloween soap dispensers the other day. This one is in my kitchen and glows in the dark! I love it!

Farewell Robert

2011-10-02T19:47:00.001-04:00

To live in hearts we leave behind
Is not to die.
~Thomas Campbell, "Hallowed Ground"

I received some terrible news this morning. Dr. Ray called me from Albany to let me know that Robert Jaquay had died on September 21. He read to me from the obituary in the local media. In seeing the news, he knew that it was the Robert that I had spoken to him about many times in our phone conversations. Robert was the leader of our book club. To quote from O&A on Facebook:

Robert was passionate about books, theatre, opera and all the arts. He joyfully provided us with theatre and performance reviews and was the thought provoking leader of our Book Club. Our condolences go out to all those he touched and especially to his partner of 42 years Bill Leone.

Robert and I met through social activities with the Outings & Adventures group here in the Tampa Bay area. I was surprised to learn that Robert was the Director of the William K. Sanford Town Library in Loudonville, NY for 29 years before retiring and moving to Florida. I lived the first third of my life in the same town (Colonie). This 'connection' led to us becoming instant friends.

I will miss him at our monthly dinners and book discussions. I will always think of him when I attend a performance at the American Stage Theater in St. Pete. Although our journeys only intersected for a very short time, I consider myself fortunate and richer for having had him as a friend.

Farewell Robert . . . I will miss you . . .

Welcome October!

2011-10-01T23:16:00.003-04:00

And so . . . October begins. This is a picture of the Hudson River Valley. I will be up there in less than two weeks and am so looking forward to seeing the autumn colors!

Wayne and I headed out to check out some props for our Halloween outfits for the All Hallows Ball coming up at the end of the month. After checking out some places, we went to The Twisted Cork Grille for dinner. My grilled mahi mahi

Wayne tried the Pulled BBQ Pork Lasagna

For dessert we had the Fried Key Lime Pie and it was scrumptious!

A nice start to October!

Goodbye September!

2011-09-29T19:48:00.001-04:00

It's hard to believe that September is drawing to a close! This marks the fifth September that I've lived in Florida. And Autumn in Florida is a LOT different than autumn in New York. Lots of outdoor events are coming alive, like the Saturday Morning Market which begins again this Saturday and runs thru the end of May.

Folks around here sure do decorate their houses up for fall and Halloween. We don't get the cool crisp (OK, freezing) evenings like up North, and don't witness the beautiful colors of the changing leaves. We just have to make do with the year round constancy of flowers in bloom. But, lucky for me, I will be heading up to New York in two weeks to spend a few days in Albany and more few days in NYC hanging out with Ruby!

I snapped this picture of the bridge to Snell Island on my walk along Coffee Pot Bayou and Tampa Bay tonight.

AWIP 5 - Oh!

2011-09-26T10:20:00.001-04:00

My 5th anniversary of blogging came and went this past weekend, yesterday, to be exact. I never would have thought of it if Sean hadn't posted about his 5th yesterday on his blog. His post was somewhat bittersweet. It is his last post. He's decided to stop blogging.

Gavin introduced both of us to blogging. His posts have dwindled.

For me, sometimes I seem to post frequently, and at other times, hardly at all.

Maybe blogging runs it's course, whatever it may be. I learned from D@vid, another blogger, about a service that will print out your blogs and I've been thinking about doing that somehow, for a long time. So, I went ahead and ordered a volume for each (calendar) year of blogging. They are scheduled to arrive by the end of this week. When this year ends, I will order another volume.

I'm not sure how long I will keep this up either. Putting thoughts and feelings and images into electronic "print" has helped me in many ways. It has helped me feel connected when everything in my life seemed so scattered. Social sites have had an affect on the blogging world, I think. The keeping up with family and friends works well there. Despite that, for now anyway, this work is still in progress.

Photos were taken around the time I started blogging.

I Cut The Cord

2011-09-21T23:48:00.001-04:00

I did it. As of tomorrow my cable TV is no more. My Apple TV and my AirPort Extreme arrived today and I couldn't wait to hook them up. I also opened a Netflix streaming account. Hopefully, that will satisfy my craving for a good movie. My favorite channel to watch on cable was TCM, so I don't think I will miss much. And commercial tv drives me nuts so I haven't been watching much of that at all.

So far, I'm liking how I have access to my iTunes library and iPhotos. All of the sideshows that I've created are stored as movies on iTunes so I can even screen them on the tv.

I'm off tomorrow so will have time to explore and play with it!

Slideshow of Universal Visit with Adele

2011-09-18T23:00:00.000-04:00

Slideshow of our visit.

Doing Universal - Hogwarts With Adele

2011-09-17T22:21:00.001-04:00

Today was a day of escape to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventures with Adele. First order of business: To Islands to visit "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter". Both Adele and I bought annual passes, so we decided that this visit would be relaxing and we would only do several attractions. Harry Potter was our primary goal!

Meeting up with some friends.

It was a bit warm in the sun, but a beautiful day at the parks.

Entering Hogsmeade. Our timing was great. The wait time on the "Forbidden Journey" ride was only 15 minutes! As we walked onto the ride, Adele pointed out the rows and rows and rows of waiting line queues that they had to walk through on their first visit. The ride was AMAZING!!!

See! Florida does have a winter season!

Heading to Hogwarts.

Shops along the way.

Headed to Hog's Head for some butterbeer!

Frozen Butterbeer for breakfast!

Mmmm

Got butterbeer moustache?

Cleaning out the mug.

This beats the mall!

Now off to Hogwarts!

Impressive! Nothing like my high school.

The sorting hat.

Adele finds some pink in Honeydukes Sweetshop.

A kid in a candy store!

Eavesdropping . . .

Lunch at Margaritaville. Coconut shrimp!

Yes . . . it was good!

Adele loves her shrimp!

Volcano eruption . . .

After a relaxing lunch, we headed over to the Universal Studios park.

Met up with my Minion friend.

Adele had a nice chat with Lucy.

I'm tall enough to ride!

This ride was so much fun! We enjoyed hearing the other people in our car laughing!

We stopped in this place for a cool refreshing drink. It was fun the way you selected your soda from the self serve machine.

Just in time for the Beetlejuice Revue.

Back to the Future again . . .

A what?

Come to Adele . . . !

It was an amazing day! Looking forward to many more visits this year!

View as I was driving across Tampa Bay on my way home. I love it here!!!

A Suitcase Returns to Wellesley

2011-09-13T23:51:00.000-04:00

Well, Hurricane Irene postponed my trip up to Wellesley and NYC two weeks ago, but sunny skies returned for my re-scheduled trip this past weekend.
Snafu at the Tampa Airport saw my original flight via Philadelphia delayed, so when I noticed that and realized I would miss my connecting flight, I went to the gate station and the attendant said they were paging me. Either I didn't hear it, or didn't recognize my name, since it is mostly mispronounced. But Southwest had rearranged everything and booked me on a flight that was just finishing boarding, so I was off, only this time via Baltimore.
Everything went smoothly from that point. I booked a rental car with Enterprise and was amazed at the service and speed. There were lots of agents, meeting us in the line, giving out bottled water, and before I knew it, I was being escorted to my choice of cars. And no "I'm sorry but the car you reserved (compact) is not available, but we can upgrade you to this SUV monster for the same price" push.

I drove to my hotel, checked in, then headed over to Wellesley to meet up with Gina after she got out of her class at 4 pm. As I walked into the student center, I heard, "Hi Gina's Dad!" It was Ellen, Gina's roommate from last year. We got to hang out for a while until Gina got there.

I brought the suitcase that got left behind when Irene changed my travel plans to Gina's room and then we headed out to do some shopping for toiletries, and other essentials.

We ended up having dinner at Panera. I set the camera on a nearby table to snap the obligatory blog dinner photo. Afterward, the girls in the background asked if we would like them to take a picture of us. They were laughing and saying they were going to be in my snapshot, so they were smiling for the camera.

Since we were leaving early the next morning for NYC, Gina packed a few things and came back with me so that we could leave right from the motel to drive to the bus stop.

This picture if of the front of Gina's dorm. Her window is located at the left of the lower roof section. This picture was taken Sunday morning.

We had breakfast in the dining hall.

This is the road leading up to Gina's dorm.

While Gina was getting ready for church, I waited in this area at the student center.

Gina's room is above this archway on the top floor.

Looking in the dining room.

Sunday night, looking up at the almost full moon.

We had breakfast on Monday morning at Mel's Commonwealth Cafe. Fun place and good food!

We headed back to Gina's room to hang out for about an hour until I needed to leave for the airport. We hung the Disney poster and the lights.

Then it was time for me to leave. Parting is such sweet sorrow. I won't see Gina until Christmastime now. :-(

There were lots of these "Kennedy" rockers near the gates, looking out over the landing strip. Nice to relax and read!

So, home to St. Pete and Gina proceeds with her junior year. Sunrise. Sunset.