Bird takes flight for Tampa Daily Photo

When I started my three blogs, all of them concentrated on Tampa, Florida. This blog, which is the only one of the three not a part of the incredible community of City Daily Photo bloggers, has strayed occasionally and often lagged behind my efforts to be true to its name. It has not always featured Tampa Bay or been daily. Because of the time and craziness of trying to faithfully post every day about the Tampa Bay region at three different but similar sites, I have decided to cease posting here...for now. It was harder than I ever guessed to post each day on all three sites.(I know some of you are saying, Duh! Could've told you dummy.) To those of you who regularly post on 2, 3 or more sites, I am amazed and congratulate on your talent and determination. I honestly don't know how you do it.

To my loyal Followers I offer a huge THANK YOU. I will be visiting your blog(s) and giving you this change and update personally. But I want to thank each of you here for visiting and leaving your comments over the past months. I sincerely appreciate your online friendship and invite you to come on over to Tampa Daily Photo HERE (and Tampa Florida Photo HERE) and rejoin me as a Follower. Regardless, I will continue to visit your site and look forward to continuing our online relationship and community of friendship, exploration and discovery. So for now, I leave you with this very fresh magnolia bloom and hope you'll continue to join me on the online adventure.

Bird of Paradise bursts with exotic form and color in Plant Park

Plant Park lies between the original Tampa Bay Hotel, today the home of the University of Tampa and the Henry B. Plant Museum, and the Hillsborough River. The Friends of Plant Park have spent many hours and years reproducing and nurturing the lush beauty of the walkways and gardens as Plant envisioned and offered his hotel guests when the fabulous resort hotel opened in 1891. This gorgeous Bird of Paradise is just one of many beautiful and exotic plants you can enjoy while strolling under moss-laden oaks and beside softly meandering streams. It's the perfect, quiet place to breath deeply and relax body, mind and soul.

This ain't Florida, #2

This cute fellow is an Agama Lizard, or Red-Headed Rock Agama (Agama agama), which can be found hanging out and sunning themselves all over sub-Saharan Africa. This particular guy was very comfortable in the 100 degree heat on a rock wall near the beach on the Gulf of Guinea in Ghana. Although he seemed friendly, and totally unafraid of me, the Agama lizard's diet of crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers, and locusts, does not mention that he could probably chomp down pretty good on our black cat. (The cat should be afraid. Very afraid.)

Old Morgan Street Jail Meets Its Maker

The Morgan Street Jail, which sat just south of the interstate, and beside Oaklawn Cemetery, is fast being reduced to twisted steel and rubble. Right now it looks like what some of our major hurricanes left behind in 2004-5. First opened in 1964, this facility had seen better days when it was closed almost 5 years ago. The Florida Department of Transportation now owns the land. I hope big plans are in place for this prime downtown location to replace it with something much better for the citizens of Tampa.

Play Nice in the Sandbox

We have a dog that, after a big meal of too-expensive gourmet food mixed with a bowl of dry food, weighs 20 lbs. Wet. We have taken him to the dog park but confine him to the small dog fenced area, which is very nice if you're a small dog. From there he can just watch the big dogs run and play. The few times we've let him venture in the big dog area, with the 80-150lb dogs, he's been OK. He goes about 12 feet, stops, and then doesn't move. They all run over to him, they have words, sniff, and then they turn and leave him alone. It cannot be that he bared his teeth, which are tiny and buried in his flat, smushed face, but something he says that clearly establishes his place in the pecking order. But, still, we take no chances and let the bigger, stronger dogs chase each other and try to see who's king of the hill. This wild, playful pack of lovable dogs, every breed imaginable, were having a great time trying to wrestle the other smaller dogs and take charge, rule the park. Our guy watched with royal disdain and disinterest. (We're almost embarrassed that he doesn't like to step onto the grass like every other dog on earth; he prefers sidewalks or oriental carpets....don't even think of messing with a Pekingese. He is perfect, you know, has the right size nose, and no, his eyes are NOT gigantic. What are you talking about, human??)

A Purpose-Built Boat

This boat belongs to the George F. Young company. They are consultants offering a range of architectural, engineering, and related services and specialize in land development projects including mixed use and master planned developments. One area of expertise is municipal engineering which includes water, wastewater, and sanitary sewer design and permitting. They are one of the largest surveying and mapping firms in Florida. That area includes hydrographic surveying and this purposeful boat. I watched it, with its twin Yamaha outboards, fly from this dock like a dragster after a top-fuel prize. So this boat and its crew are highly trained and very specialized experts in their field. They know what they are doing.

You reflect well on yourselves

The Suntrust Financial Centre, Wachovia and Verizon Buildings in Tampa's downtown are shown at sunset as reflections in the bay. To see them right side up visit Tampa Florida Photo HERE.

Down a pint of Jack the Quaffer London Porter at Tampa Bay Brewing Company

The Tampa Bay Brewing Company, on the plaza level on 8th Avenue in Central Ybor, is the place in Ybor City to find a really good burger plus a wide variety of handcrafted beers and ales. Located in the heart of Ybor's Historic District, you can enjoy outdoor dining while you watch the trolleys go by or sit comfortably inside and make friends with the bartenders. The place is perfect for meeting friends and enjoying a couple of cold pints. Tampa Bay Brewing Company is justly proud of their beer and ale and use some of the world's best barley, hops and yeast to brew great tasting beers. The atmosphere is warm and congenial brewpub, the food is delicious, even into the late night, and you cannot find a better beer - in my estimation - then a pint of their very own Jack the Quaffer London Porter. Yummm!!

This ain't Florida

So, if this isn't a scene of Florida's swaying palm trees, sailboats at anchor and breathtaking sunsets, where is it?

Falling Oaks, Moss and the Lazy River

These oak trees, laden with moss and age, are slipping into the Hillsborough River.

Ibis grabs a bite

The American White Ibis is one of the most common and numerous wading birds in Florida. They can found all along our waterfronts and very often in our front yards. When a bunch of them are moving across the lawn I have to wonder what poor insect is on their menu. This ibis is hunting for a bit of fish or a small frog in the saltwater shallows of Hillsborough Bay.

Sea Oats 'neath the moon and sky