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Archive for the 'things to do' Category

A day watching the Bucs win

I’m from Maine, which is not exactly a football paradise. But once we moved to Florida we got into the swing of things and got Bucs Fever, even before theteam got sold to new owners and began winning.

We have some friends who have season tickets, and sometimes if we are real nice to them they invite us to join them for a game. So that’s where we spent yesterday — at Raymond James Stadium, watching the Bucs edge out the Cincinnati Bengals 14-13 for their first win of the season.

Before the game we tailgated in the parking lot, feasting on burgers, chicken and other goodies with Rick and Joanne, other friends Brian and Debbie and assorted other friends and family members. It was a great day.

There’s a picture of me here enjoying the game, along with an action picture of the game as well as a picture of the Bucs pirate ship in the end zone. Raymond James Stadium is a fun place — they fire cannons on the ship whenever the Bucs score, or when they get within the 20-yard line.

You know all this already if you live here. But if you are thinking of relocating to Tampa Bay, following the Bucs is something you might really enjoy.

Tags: buccanneers, football, Tampa Bay

Boston Cooker restaurant

By the time we got over to the Boston Cooker stand, they were running out of food, but they still had some fine lobster bisque and some shrimp in a light batter that we enjoyed. Boston Cooker is located on the corner of Tampa Road and Forest Lakes in Oldsmar, directly behind Chili’s in the Forest Lakes Plaza. They fly in seafood every day from Boston — the food is fresh and very good.

Tags: restaurants

Cody’s Steak House

Cody’s was on hand with ribs and a number of other offerings. Cody’s is a very good steak house that offers good food at moderate prices — a great place for the family. There are a number of Cody’s locations in the Tampa Bay area, but the closest one to us is in Tarpon Springs, at 39870 U.S. 19 N.

Tags: Palm Harbor, restaurants

Eagle from the Lowry Park Zoo

 
This American Eagle looks so perfect that he almost doesn’t look real in this picture, but he was very much alive and regal looking. The Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa sent this fine eagle over to the Taste of Palm Harbor, and he got quite a reaction from the crowd.

Tags: taste of Palm harbor

Taste of Palm Harbor

Here’s another view of the crowd that showed up at the taste of Palm Harbor event this afternoon (Sunday, Oct. 1)

Tags: Palm Harbor

J.J. Gandy’s pies

J.J. Gandy’s Pies was on hand, offering up samples of their famous Key Lime pie and other flavors. We tried the chocolate cheesecake pie, and it was great. We’ve written on the website before about J.J. Gandy’s — they are a Palm Harbor company that makes some of the best Key Lime pie anywhere. Many of the best restaurants in the area don’t even try to match J.J. Gandy’s quality — they just buy their pies from J.J. Gandy’s and sell them to their own patrons. You can also buy pies over-the-counter from the J.J. Gandy’s location at 3725 Alt. 19, Palm Harbor. Look for more about J.J. Gandy’s in the “Local Partners” section of my website at www.bethfrederick.com

Tags: j.j. gandy's pies, key lime pie, Palm Harbor

Taste of Palm Harbor

One of the most enjoyable local events of the year is coming up this Sunday — the annual Taste of Palm Harbor, which will be held from noon to 6 p.m. in historic Old Downtown Palm Harbor, which is centered around Florida Avenue between Alt. 19 and County Road 1.

This year, 20 local restaurants will be taking part, offering samples of their best dishes in exchange for tickets that you buy for 50-cents each. Most of the dishes cost three to six tickets, but a few are a little more.

Half of the money raised goes to the restaurants; the other half goes to the sponsor, the Palm Harbor Women’s Club, which dispurses the money to such charities as the the Humane Society of North Pinellas, Hospice, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and a number of others.

This year a second event is piggybacking on the Taste of Palm Harbor. Palm Harbor Fire Rescue will be celebrating 50 years of service to the community at the same time. An open house will be held between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at Station #66, 1123 Illinois Ave.

A fish fry will start at 11:30 a.m. and there will begames, rides, exhibits and an antique fire truck exhibition.

Tags: North Pinellas County, taste of Palm harbor

Take a walk on the Pinellas Trail

The Pinellas Trail is one of Pinellas County’s greatest assets. It is a walking and biking trail that runs for more than 30 miles from south Pinellas County to North Pinellas County. It gets lots of use in Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Tarpon Springs and throughout the northern part of the county, but South County people love it, as well.

The trail began in the early 1980s, when the CSX Railroad didn’t know what to do with a 34-mile right-of-way that ran north-south through the county. The line was no longer viable for train service.

That led to the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization and then to the Bicycle Advisory Committee and the Pedestrian Safety Committee, groups which thought the railroad right-of-way would make a great recreational trail.

The Pinellas Trail started out as a five-mile section in Largo and Seminole. It grew rapidly from there.

Now, the trail is hugely popular and is used by about 90,000 people every month, linking parks, coastal areas and residential neighborhoods. There are eight overpasses that allow walkers and bikers to avoid busy intersections. There are refreshment stops and strategically-placed bike racks.

Like most things, there are rules. Here are some of them:

– Alcoholic beverages are prohibited
– Pedestrians and handicapped have the right of way
– Bicyclists must obey all traffic controls and signals, and are not permitted to wear headphones.
– Under 16 bikers must wear helmets
– Motorized vehicles and horses are prohibited
– Pets are allowed, but must be kept on a 6-foot leash.

To learn more, visit http://www.pinellascounty.org/trailgd/about.htm

Tags: pinellas county, pinellas trail

Jill Mulry’s photos at Clearwater Fine Arts Festival

Jill Mulry is a photographer who lives in Seminole, and she will be one of the artists whose work will be on display at the Clearwater Fine Arts Festival at the Harborview Center this weekend.

Here is what her website has to say:

“A self taught photographer embracing a wide variety of interests, Jill Mulry is pleased to present her refreshing visions to the world of art.

“Arriving late to the art scene after a full time career as an educator, Jill has combined a lifelong passion of photography with her love of travel. Jill introduces us to the inspiration and surprises of nature through her pictures of flowers and animals, distant mountain and rainforest trails, architecture in its elegant and simplistic forms, and the emotions expressed by her people of character.

“All photographs, some of which have been slightly enhanced through the digital process, are printed by the photographer. To ensure the highest archival permanence of her prints, Jill uses the finest quality archival inks and papers.

“Jill Mulry’s photographs are on display in galleries, botanical gardens, fine shops and tea rooms on both the east and west coasts of Florida.”

You can see examples of Jill Mulry’s work on her website, www.jkatchcreations.com.

Tags: art, Palm Harbor

Take a dog to lunch

I guess Gov. Jeb Bush likes dogs, because late in June he signed Florida’s new “Doggie Dining Law,” which allows dogs to accompany their owners to restaurants that have outdoor dining areas.

Now, there is a lot going on in Florida right now — issues like offshore oil drilling or what to do about skyrocketing homeowners insurance rates — but a lot of public attention has been paid recently to whether people should be able to take their dogs out to dinner.

I have a Golden Retriever, Max, who likes to eat everything in sight (see the accompanying picture of Max begging for a lobster shell), but I guess I don’t have a strong opinion about whether dogs should be allowed in outdoor eating areas. I do believe that I’ll be leaving Max at home when we go out to eat, though.

Here’s more details on the new law: It is a three-year pilot program that lets local governments decide whether to exempt restaurants from rules forbidding dogs from entering restaurants, as long as the restaurants have outdoor eating areas.

Officials in both Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties say they have other work to do that is more important, so they have no immediate plans to adopt the new state law.

Tags: dogs, pinellas county