May 30, 2008 Jerry Meets Mary Jane

Jerry's Drive-Thru was a great little convenient store located in Forest Hills for many years, until Jerry and his wife retired. The store remained open for a short time under new ownership and then it closed for good a few months back. The marquee out front read "For Lease" on both sides... Until this week when some very creative folks played a game of Word Scramble with the letters...

May 28, 2008 Put a Cork in It

During a recent visit with my friend Eileen Dover (and husband Ben), we were discussing wine (I know, shocking) and how we both like to keep and preserve sentimental wine corks (by writing the date and who the bottle was shared with, etc.). About this time, Eileen says, "I actually keep all of my wine corks. They are all over." and points up to her planter shelf in the kitchen that has several baskets full of corks. "That's cool" I say, as baskets full of corks are a great way to decorate  a kitchen. It screams, "We have had a lot of wine here!", which is good news because that probably means there is some there now. And sure enough, about this time, Ben hands me a glass of wine. Sweet! She goes on to say that she thinks she might actually have OCD when it comes to keeping wine corks...to which I am about to say, "No you don't."...when she shows me this...                                                  

April 24, 2008 This Tree is Happy to See You!

Located near the beautiful Babe Zaharias Golf Course in fabulous Forest Hills, is a newly trimmed palm tree. And as my friend Harriet Potter so eloquently put it, "That's awesome...it's tree shwing shwang!" 

April 26, 2008 Who Does Number Two Work For?

On my way to Jackson's one evening with Ella Mentry and Lou Tenant, we spotted some graffiti on the side of a building. Vandalism? I think not. And as I am sure you are aware, graffiti is considered by many (including myself) to be an art form, often seen in urban settings and used to convey social and/or political ideas and beliefs. As much as I would like to take credit for the lovely work you see below, I can't. However, I am paralyzed by its simplicity. It's beauty. Its depth of meaning. I think I need a moment... The artist that created this breathtaking work is unfortunately unknown to us. If you would like to see this spectacular, synergistic use of paint and aerosol in person, you may do so at the intersection of Nebraska Ave and E Walton St. in downtown Tampa.

April 30, 2008 That's Soopa, Bietch!

As I was taking some "real" pictures for my Tampa Letters project, I visited the Ballast Point Park, one of my favorite Tampa water spots off of Bayshore Blvd. This is a great place to visit for a walk on the pier, an amazing view of the Tampa Skyline or to collect old sea glass. While there, I use the ladies room...or should I say the "Soopa Woman" room. When I saw the writing on the door, I had to question whether the person who wrote it was just retarded or if I am just getting too old to understand the cool phrases kids are using these days. Please feel free to enlighten me on what the below means if you know....or just make something up to entertain me, either way works.

May 11, 2008 "Fun for the Whole Family"

My friend Jim Nasium pointed out this very inviting, Tampa entertainment facility....The C & R Recreation Center, located just west of Ybor City at 811 East 7th Ave.  Since it does offer "Fun for the Whole Family", I think I may take my friends' kids there the next time we hang out. "But, is it safe?", you might ask. Sure! Why look at all the bars on the doors! "Will my family get bored hanging out there?", you may also ask. No Way! They have pool (table not swimming), dominos and pin ball for goodness sakes! "Will my eyes hurt if I go there immediately following an eye Dr. appointment?", you might inquire. Not at all! As there are no windows, so your dilated pupils can adjust to the light as you kick back and watch your family having fun!

May 19, 2008 A Chip off the Old Fry

I hit the Webster Flea Market yesterday with two of my fiends, Cornelius and Veronica...and, although there was a lot to photograph and many things to report, the photos would have been horribly offensive to most...and it is best that I leave the reporting up to Tampa's very own, Mr. Funny Pants...you can read his blog about our experience here. So....with that being said, I will report on an ironic product (and by ironic, I mean the Alanis Morissette type) that I discovered at my very favorite convenient "center", the Coast to Coast at the intersection of Bearss Ave and Florida Ave in Tampa (this is where you can buy decent wine, Nicola's Donuts, all five different flavors of Combos, and delicious BBQ while playing an arcade game). The item? The "Burger King Ketchup and Fries Flavored Potato Snack". Yes, because if eating french fries and ketchup at a fast food chain wasn't bad enough for you, then eating fake french fries and ketchup made from preservatives' preservatives should do the trick. And considering that Burger King's french fries are just plain sad in comparison to a McDonald's french fry...you will be happy to know that the fake Burger King french fry treat is actually much more tasty than their real counterpart. Irony? Maybe. But they also sell the "Flame-Broiled Burger Potato Snack", so you decide. As a side note, it is also worth mentioning that at the Flea Market I found the original Little Mermaid VHS with the you-know-what drawn into the castle.

Scoooooooooooooooooooore!

February 7, 2008 Poobah

As most of you know, I LOVE the fair. I love everything about it. The mullets (check out my very famous, mullet mini-doc/music video here), the deep fried oreos (trust me, I have tried every fried item possible, and this is the only one worth the potential heart attack), the Tilt-a-Whirl, the Shoot Out the Star game, the Hot Wisconsin Cheese, but most importantly the Sideshows. I mean, where else can you see a REAL (but badly decayed) Chupacabra? A highlight of the fair for me is a quick visit to see Pete "Poobah" Terhune, the 78 year old, "fire-eating pygmy". I've been visiting Poobah since I was a kid. He and his buddy Ward Hall are legends at the Florida State Fair and around the country, as they are some of the last remaining, original sideshow performers in America that are still going strong. Cheers, Poobah!