March Morning in Vinoy Park

It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down. I had the radio on. I was drivin'. The trees went by, me and Del were singin' . . . wait, I got carried away. (I know, the waiting is the hardest part.)

Anywho, I have today off, so after having coffee and a wrap at Starbucks, I headed over to Vinoy Park to relax for a few. There was this sailboat race going on, very near to the Park. I raced home to get my camera, but when I got back the sailboats were down near the Pier.

Since I love palm trees so much, I decided to take some more (OH NO!) pictures of the view from my park bench. (YIKES! Have I become an old man sitting on a park bench? Just call me "Tyrone F. Horneigh" I do keep looking for Gladys Ormphby.)

Coming soon!

Rib Fest 2009

This past weekend was the annual Rib Fest in Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg. I went last year and loved the food! Wayne and I walked down from my apartment to meet Mike and some of his friends there on Saturday afternoon. There were musical groups playing all weekend, and Blue Oyster Cult was there on Saturday afternoon, and I thought I'd like to catch them there.

We got there around 2:00 pm, before the crowds got so big. Vinoy Park is right on Tampa Bay. Lots of boats were anchored nearby to catch the music.

There was also an auto show there too.

A choice of vendors: we ended up getting the Desperado Platter, same as I got last year!

These guys were eyeing my ribs!

Blue Oyster Cult about to take the stage. By this time it was getting crowded and we were getting old. All the loud music was getting to us! So, as they were singing their first song, we started heading back to my apartment.

Father's Day Weekend

On Saturday and Sunday there was a Caribbean Festival in Vinoy Park. These shots are from Saturday evening. Only spent about 20 minutes there. Not well attented, maybe because of the economy? There were a slew of bands playing on a schedule.

I would have loved to hear these steel drums being played. Not sure when this was on the schedule.

On Father's Day Wayne suggested we go to Anna Maria Island to check out the beaches there. It was my first trip over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The bridge is being painted, so it has this golden yellow color for now, I guess.

I also got to talk to all four of my children . . . that was the icing on the cake!

The old bridge was hit by a ship in 1980. See some pics and a brief history here. This is the South Pier, once the approach to the old bridge from the south.

This is one of the walkways to Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island, west of Brandenton. It's a nice relaxing beach with beautiful white sand and azure water.