Christmas Stroll Preview

Since Ugly Betty was a repeat tonight, I decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood to snap some shots of the holiday decorations. I decided to walk up two blocks and concentrate on that street tonight. Most of these shots were taken there, some on Beach Drive and some on my street. I had fun walking around in my shorts and t-shirt and flip flops. It was a bit humid out there and I even worked up a slight sweat. Whew!!!! It's a lousey job but someone has to do it!

These flowers are huge! There were bushes on both sides of the house. You could smell their fragrance from a good distance.

I took a pic of these flower beds because I still find it amazing to see this when it's almost December.

This was cool....they must have a dog! The picture below shows some of the lighting along the fence and sidewalk on the side of the house.

I liked the way this house looked with the dramatic lighting. Not Christmasy, but nice!

This house is beautiful, although it doesn't really show it too well in this picture. I saw the guy putting these lights up, wearing his shorts and t-shirt. His little kids were running around ooohhing and ahhhhing. I'll keep checking to see if more lights are added.

These palm trees are amazing!

These giant bells were hanging on the wall around the front of the house.

Afternoon Relaxation

I will be working this coming Saturday morning, covering for another teller who needs the morning off, so I had Wednesday afternoon off. After making some telephone calls, I packed a quick lunch and headed off for the beach. I'm seeing how far I can go with this! It was very relaxing. The temperature was in the upper 70s and the water temperature was around 70 degrees. Only went in up to my ankles as I walked along the beach. There was hardly anyone there (maybe a couple dozen at most). I snapped the pelicans just as they were diving for fish. I'm working on getting a boffo shot. By the time I left the beach, I was about the only one there.

Looking south.

Looking north.

Sunday Outing

Otto called me this morning to see if I wanted to go to the jewelry show being held this weekend at the Coliseum. He picked me up and we drove over, about 10 minutes from my place. The Coliseum. What a cool place! Built in 1924, it's had quite a history.

It was a first for me. Never have I seen so much bling! It was fun walking around and looking at all the stuff. I did manage to pick up a few things for Christmas gifts for the girls.

See?! Bling in every color! I knew I should have left my wallet home!

Across the street was this place... Otto said it's where the snow birds come to roost and play shuffleboard. Maybe I should check it out?

We made a stop to see a panoramic view of downtown. These couple of shots were taken on the top of a parking garage downtown. I have more and will include in a later post.

But, you can see that the pidgeons from up north have come down to roost! The way they were looking, I wanted to shout, "Don't jump!"

Afterwards we went to lunch at Beaks (speaking of birds) Old Florida. I never knew this place was here either! Fun place, good food. It was all open air and I was still saying to myself, it's November 25th!

These displays were under glass on our table. Lots of interesting old stuff there!

Tonight just before dusk, I went for a walk down by the Bay. I sat on a bench overlooking the beach area, just soaking it all up. The picture below was taken last March in my apartment in Albany. Russ, the gentleman on the right, top row, is leaving for the Canary Islands in a couple of weeks, and our friends were having a farewell get together for him this afternoon. I gave him a call and got to talk with everyone there. I really do miss them all!

Funny thing I noticed when I put this post together....I have the same shirt on in this picture and the one up above at the show!

Thanksgiving Saturday in St Pete

I vow to try and vacuum once a season whether it needs it or not. It was too nice a day out there to be inside, so I decided to postpone it a little longer.

And off I went to the Saturday Market. Being Thanksgiving weekend, and the "official" start of the Holiday (Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa) Season, the place was even more busy than usual. There were more vendors and more shoppers and more dogs (on leashes, that is).

I actually did a little Christmas shopping. Picked up some little things for the girls and something that I just had to get for my brother

The parks and streets are beginning to look a lot like Christmas, except for those palm trees and the people in shorts and the sidewalk cafes and the convertables. Well, anyhow...

I went a little crazy with my camera again. So, my first Thanksgiving weekend outdoors in shorts and a t-shirt, and back to my flipflops!

But look at Frosty!!! ---> Who says we don't get snow? Looks like we're expecting a snowstorm around December 1st!

Kind of looks like Bethlehem...

Thanksgiving 2007 - Part 2

There were five of us who went to dinner at Savannah's on Central Avenue in St Pete. In a previous post, I mentioned how this space used to be a car showroom years ago. The food was excellent and we had a great time.
Pina, Chris, Otto, Rich, John.
The dining room had high ceilings with tables lining the balcony along the back.

Butternut Squash soup.

Everyone ordered the turkey: I opted for the ham!

Side dishes.

Even had some leftovers!

I still can't getover the holiday decorations with the palm trees!