Every Christmas season the H.B. Plant Museum hosts the Victorian Christmas Stroll. The museum is located in Plant Hall which is the old Tampa Bay Hotel. The hotel was built in 1891 by Henry B. Plant. It is a grand building today even though it is 123 years old
The many rooms off the main hallway are each decorated differently and a stroll through the rooms is a great Christmas experience
Christmas carols add to the atmosphere
At the end of the hallway is this beautiful tree
The minarets are a familiar view on the Tampa skyline
The Christmas Stroll was a great addition to the holiday season
Today marks the one year anniversary of my blog...but it's a much more important day..Today we salute and remember our Veterans. Because of the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform our Flag is a symbol of freedom and flies over the greatest country on the face of the earth.
I visited Veterans Memorial Park in the little town of Oldsmar.
It is a beautiful park on the upper end of Tampa Bay and it remembers the soldiers this small town has lost
Granite stones like this one filled with the names of heroes lost
The park is beautiful...very quiet with places to sit and think
A magnificent osprey keeping watch over the park
I sat here and thought about how many brave soldiers have died so I can sit here
One last reminder that freedom isn't free
An empty stone where more names will surely be added...Thank you to every man and woman who has served or is serving this great country...the United States of America
One of the many benefits of living on the coast here in Florida
A short and scenic drive across Tampa Bay puts you here on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico
Beautiful white sand as far as you can see...the grand old Don Cesar in the background
MK...pretty as always and never far from a phone
My way of relaxing...Buffett on the Bose..a Randy Wayne White book..and a cooler
As good as it gets
Not as crowded as the Summer...snowbirds haven't arrived yet
Champagne shore...so long from the fabulous Gulf Coast of Florida
In this blog we visit Tampa's Picnic Island Park. The park is located on the southern end of the Tampa side of the bay. It is a little off the beaten path located in an area of town known as Port Tampa City. This is one of the city's oldest neighborhoods. It was formed in 1865 at the end of Henry B. Plant's railroad. A blog entry called The King of Florida tells this story.
Plant established a port at the end of his railway line so you pass sights like this on the way into the park
The park has a boat ramp and a canoe/kayak launch along with a fishing pier
Looking north towards the Gandy bridge....some wade fishermen and a guy throwing a cast net
Spectacular views across Tampa Bay..this one looking across at St. Petersburg...the white dome is Tropicana Field
The views are outstanding and what I enjoyed the most on this weekday was...the quiet...
I sat under the shade of one of the many shelters with a cooler, some music and a book...for me that's a great day
In this pic...if you look real close on the horizon over the red buoy you can see the Skyway Bridge
I'll be back to Picnic Island...one of Tampa's hidden gems...check it out one day and enjoy the quiet
