To Here. To There. To Align. Sign.

Don't ask me for any more about it. This sign is on the side of a sturdy brick warehouse-looking building in our artsy Channel District. I just know it's very cool and means something, to someone, but I'm not sure what. It's worth investigating. Some day. In the meantime, use your imagination and invent your own story. Make it good.

Black Cats will bring in the 4th with a bang. Maybe they'll scare away my black cat, too. (Only kidding little guy.)

As the 4th of July celebrations grown nearer, colorful can't miss-them tents are springing up on every lot and street corner. Who buys all of these fireworks anyway? I must admit that as subjects for the camera lens they are hard to beat. I'm not sure where the fireworks are made - China? -but the American flags could not be in greater numbers or more prominently displayed. Along with OPEN flags so we don't think these places were set up but are just for show. The only places that try to show their American spirit more boldly are the car lots that must own a factory that produces flags by the hundred of dozens. And, the more giant the flag the better. Hey, maybe there's a tie-in with the fireworks banner manufacturers and car lot managers who also love the bright, bold colors (!) and garish displays. I bet they go to the same school of advertising. Black Cat tent managers could give any car manager a run for his money when it comes to stopping traffic. (Now I must go apologize to my black cat before he misreads this post.)

CAUTION: This LARC vehicle is FAR bigger in person then it appears

I remember when this nearly unidentifiable vehicle was sitting in a dirt field at the eastern end of the Gandy Bridge just after crossing Tampa Bay. It stood there, solidly parked, as though it was the premo cream-puff on a used car lot. No bunting or streamers but it did scream take me home every time I drove past. Believe me, it towered over the passing cars and trucks. It disappeared and I hadn't seen it or thought of it for years. I just remembered it was a huge, hulking thing, way, way out of its element as it sat, high and dry, alongside the highway. Talk about lost and forgotten, this was it. Lo and behold, as I stood today taking a few shots of the boat slips and docks, it appears out of the heat and hazy sun right across the channel, parked behind a warehouse building and definitely not in the water. I snapped a couple of shots of it, and now that it had found me again, I promised myself I would find out exactly what it was. So, after a few minutes on the Internet, and after trying every combination of descriptions I could think of, I found it. Or I should say I found its sad and forlorn brother for sale at YACHTWORLD.com and located in Louisiana. Here is their online ad: "The Ultimate 4 Wheel Drive Vehicle, LARC LX AMPHIBIOUS LANDING CRAFT. This unit has been totally refurbished by the military and is in bristol condition. Hull #20 was the only unit in the fleet to get a total restoration. It was disassembled, blasted, painted inside & out. Everything in this unit has been updated, from new 48 ply sidewall tires and flared wheel wells to reduce drag. All systems are new including engines. Pilot house & Crews quarters are air conditioned. All overboard bilge plumbing has been routed to holding tank for regulated discharge. Extensive set of spares with sale along with full set of blue prints & tec. manuals... [length] 62.6 ft. [width] 26.9 ft. ...HEIGHT-19.6 ft ... capacity 50,000 Lbs. ...Top land speed 12.75 mph. to 20.5 mph depending on load. Water speed 6 to 10 knots depending on load & sea conditions." With a little editing for length, this is the seller's complete description of this unbelievable vessel/vehicle in Louisiana. But it is a twin to the one I found here today. And to think I was sure i could the words, one-of-a-kind. Obviously there are at least two. Almost TWENTY FEET TALL. Try to guess the tire size. Try filling them with air at the convenience mart. Built in 1952, it is selling for the blowout price of $245,000. Now I wonder if somehow we could get a deal for the two...and have LARC races on and under the bridge. Now that would be a sight.

Pierrot-Court Jester entertains Tampa at Anime Convention

I found this wonderfully costumed court jester at Tampa's Metrocon Anime Convention. Hundreds of costumed characters, from the anime cartoons, descended on Tampa for the three day celebration at the Tampa Convention Center. I featured a close-up of the jester yesterday but this different full-length pose is worth seeing. I was not prepared for the variety and creative inventiveness of the folks who attended the convention. Today's crowd was dressed equally as colorful. Visit my posts from Saturday to see more of the participant's wild costuming and more detail on anime and the convention.

This Fine Golden Lady Graces the Bow of the Pirate Ship Jose Gasparilla

This is the bow of the pirate ship Jose Gasparilla that invades our city each year carrying hundreds of blood-thirsty, swashbuckling pirates of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla. The ship spends most of its year quietly docked in the channel on Bayshore Boulevard across from Tampa General Hospital and the Tampa Convention Center. But it will silently diappear come winter and reappear in February to carry its invading Krewe as they take over the city of Tampa and parade through the streets. If you read my post at Tampa Florida Photo about the Bead Barn, I mentioned that each year this citywide invasion draws hundreds of thousands of spectators and probably millions of beads are thrown and collected around everyone’s neck. It's a fun celebration that we look forward to each year.

You're Invited to Experience ART-Symphony Galleria

The Art-Symphony Galleria, which has a very informative website, is located on South MacDill Avenue just north of Bay-to-Bay, in the heart of the Palma Ceia arts and antiques district. Several popular restaurants are nearby including one of my new favorites, Datz Delicatessen. The gallery's owner, artist Marc De Wade, specializes in canvas works, metal sculptures, copper fountains, trompe l’oeil and wall murals. Born in Belgium in 1962, De Wade worked throughout Europe including having a part in the restoration of the paintings at the Royal Palace in Brussels, Belgium. His work is in several private collections. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Eeklo, Belgium, took courses in Paris and exhibited widely in Europe. Since coming to the United States in 1999, he has accepted commissions to create trompe l’oeil orders, restorations and wall murals - and furniture restoration - for private clients throughout the Tampa Bay area. In 2008, he began to restore and convert this wonderful two story building on MacDill Avenue into Art-Symphony Galleria. The front is filled with large, bold examples of his work. Plus, you may have seen his sculpture, The Harp Fountain, on downtown's Franklin Street Mall. De Wade created this fantastic piece for the artLOUD Competition sponsored by Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW). The artLOUD installations are designed to promote culture and the arts in the downtown district. It features eleven yearlong installations of which De Wade's is very prominent and incredibly interesting. You must see it (the small photo doesn't capture its intricacy, beauty and design. Click on it to see it much larger.)

Tampa Fireboat to the Pool Party Rescue

I like that the classy fireboat, the same one that I featured at its dock in my Tampa Daily Photo post of May 27th, is out patrolling the channel between Davis Islands and these homes on Harbour Island. Do the girls in bikinis beside the pool of this million dollar home look like they need rescuing? They might just be rushing out to the seawall to bring ice water to the men working in the midday sun. Your guess is as good as mine. I just enjoy the close proximity of the fireboat to the poolside party the men are, sadly, missing out on. Someone has to work and patrol the waters for fires and rescues.