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Post by htmb on May 20, 2013 2:35:03 GMT
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Post by mossie on May 20, 2013 7:33:06 GMT
I'd be very wary of walking under that verandah with that monster lobster poised to pounce ;D And did that girl have to scratch her arse just as you snapped her ;D
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Post by htmb on May 20, 2013 16:39:18 GMT
And did that girl have to scratch her arse just as you snapped her ;D I prefer to think she was modestly adjusting her bathing suit, and didn't think anyone was watching.
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2013 18:57:37 GMT
Looks so nice and sunny. What a pretty area.
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Post by htmb on May 20, 2013 22:25:22 GMT
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Post by htmb on May 20, 2013 22:39:32 GMT
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Post by htmb on May 20, 2013 22:56:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2013 5:40:14 GMT
I think it's great of you to document all of these places in Florida that are not on the tourist radar of people on other continents. As you probably know, for most of the people in the rest of the world, Florida consists basically of Miami Beach and Disney World. Oddly enough, except for the Everglades, most people in Europe never even think of nature when Florida is mentioned.
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Post by bjd on May 21, 2013 6:22:20 GMT
I think it's great of you to document all of these places in Florida that are not on the tourist radar of people on other continents. As you probably know, for most of the people in the rest of the world, Florida consists basically of Miami Beach and Disney World. Oddly enough, except for the Everglades, most people in Europe never even think of nature when Florida is mentioned. We have heard of the snowbirds migrating for longer periods, as well as the notorious spring-breakers.
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Post by mossie on May 21, 2013 7:10:30 GMT
You keep opening my eyes to a different America, thank you. As a total aside, I notice that someone in Tampa has won a colossal lottery prize. Any chance of a share out on APIAS
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Post by htmb on May 21, 2013 10:15:52 GMT
You have to play to win, Mossie. I've never, ever purchased a lottery ticket.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 21, 2013 18:02:35 GMT
You're certainly bringing back memories for me with your fabulous coverage of this area, Htmb.
I'm positive I ate at that Crabby Bill's with my dad & well know the Intracoastal Waterway, and of course I've marveled at the mangroves and their niche in the ecosystem. Speaking of which, the sign on the boardwalk about the Tampa Bay oil spill is not only informational, but a reminder of how easily natural treasures can be ruined.
Wonderful photos!
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Post by htmb on May 21, 2013 18:12:38 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2013 18:21:21 GMT
Once you get real palm trees instead of palmettos, everything is more expensive.
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Post by htmb on May 21, 2013 18:23:11 GMT
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Post by htmb on May 21, 2013 18:39:57 GMT
You're certainly bringing back memories for me with your fabulous coverage of this area, Htmb. I'm positive I ate at that Crabby Bill's with my dad & well know the Intracoastal Waterway, and of course I've marveled at the mangroves and their niche in the ecosystem. Speaking of which, the sign on the boardwalk about the Tampa Bay oil spill is not only informational, but a reminder of how easily natural treasures can be ruined. Wonderful photos! Thank you, bixa. Crabby Bill's is apparently quite an institution now, though I've never eaten there. I'm glad to help jog some memories. Hope they were good ones.
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Post by htmb on May 21, 2013 18:42:51 GMT
Once you get real palm trees instead of palmettos, everything is more expensive. So true, Kerouac! The Bellair Beach area used to have gates at the entrance. When I was a kid I imagined they opened and closed them to keep us riff raff out.
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Post by htmb on May 21, 2013 21:02:54 GMT
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Post by htmb on May 21, 2013 21:05:51 GMT
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Post by spindrift1 on May 21, 2013 21:13:33 GMT
Florida looks very pretty with the sun shining and bright colours. I immediately thought how drab England is by comparison. I see that you have banyan trees - I imagined they were only to be found in and around India! No wonder so many people want to visit Florida..
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Post by htmb on May 21, 2013 22:14:30 GMT
The banyan trees would not grow up in the north part of Florida where I live, but from central Florida south you can find a lot of tropical plants and trees.
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Post by htmb on May 23, 2013 2:38:50 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on May 23, 2013 5:26:56 GMT
SO pretty! This is a really enjoyable thread, Htmb. I see that you have banyan trees Hope the one at Bay Pines Veterans Hospital in St. Pete is still there. It could have housed a village! Anyone know what this is called? It has a pretty little flower. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carissa_macrocarpa
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2013 5:46:24 GMT
I'm enjoying the blue skies because we have forgotten what they look like in Europe.
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Post by nycgirl on May 23, 2013 15:19:26 GMT
Good capture of the bird that was hiding from you. He's a beauty. Mangroves are so fascinating and wildly beautiful, aren't they? My husband and I just got back from a kayaking/fishing trip in the Everglades and we loved it. By the way, we also saw one of those dolphin mailboxes. Cute.
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Post by spindrift1 on May 23, 2013 21:33:34 GMT
I love mangroves too. I've seen them all down the coast of East Africa and some on the west coast of Zanzibar.
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Post by htmb on May 23, 2013 22:26:40 GMT
Looking forward to hearing about your Everglades trip, Nycgirl.
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Post by htmb on May 25, 2013 13:36:49 GMT
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Post by htmb on May 26, 2013 15:14:24 GMT
For this trip I spent one night in a resort owned and operated by Holiday Inn. It can been seen in several of the pictures, particularly the fourth one down from the top. Since the resort was convenient to where my aunt had lived before she died two years ago, I had stayed at the hotel before. I doubt I will ever stay there again.
The hotel is quite expensive due to its location. It was also the only place I could get that didn't require a three night minimum stay. When I checked in I was asked to sign a form stating I would not have any late-night parties in my room. Hmm. My room was super nice with two queen sized beds and a kitchenette area; flat screen TV and lots of space. It also had a connecting door that could be linked to the next unit on the waterway side. The hotel is shaped like a big barn, with a huge open court in the middle and rooms on two sides of the court. My room was super clean and everything was in order.
Arriving back at my hotel after attending a memorial for my cousin, I came across two young teenage girls physically fighting each other on the hotel grounds just outside the pool. They were punching, scratching, and slapping each other around while screaming every vile curse word they could pull out of their limited vocabulary and yelling at each other about some guy who had been flirting with one of the girls. I felt sorry for the two younger kids, who were looking on like this was nothing new. I actually started to take a picture of the girls, but they were both bigger than me ....
Needing to get up fairly early the next day, I had hoped to get to sleep at a decent hour, but as I was going to bed the seemingly hoards of inebriated people who had been partying in the bar at the other end of the hotel passed in front of my door on their way to the guest parking lot. I hope the loud, staggering revelers I heard were not the designated drivers.
Eventually it all quieted down and I went to sleep, only to wake in the middle of the night to the sounds of a drunk woman somewhere outside my door. I was very glad to leave the next morning and surprised to think that the Hampton Inn in Spring Hill, Florida where I stayed on my drive down, costing about a third as much, had actually been the better choice of lodging for the weekend. The visitors there were also much better behaved.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2013 20:05:06 GMT
My brother and sister-in-law stayed in that Hampton Inn when my parents refused them hospitality due to generational incompatibility (and insufficent savoir-vivre). And my brother stayed there again when I obliged him to come and pick up all of the things that I had salvaged from the house and put in storage after my father's death.
But frankly, the best lodging I ever had in the area after passing through with no parents to visit anymore was at a cheap motel near Crystal River (perhaps $35) which had excellent wifi and a fully equipped kitchen, which was perfect for me since the Winn Dixie strip mall was next door. I really hope to return to that place some day.
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