Gallivant BLOG

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Gallivanting is fun....and I'm writing about my latest here....fine photos sometimes included....
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DOG DAYS OF SUMMER...  

The summer circus spectacular at the Ringling Museum's Historic Asolo Theatre was a wonderful way to spend a hot summer afternoon with friends:  Check out Scooby and Christian:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?=Christian+Scooby+agt&FORM=VIRE3#view=detail&mid=1C721B2943BC126076ED1C7s1B2943BC126076ED


Sure to make you smile     
 Here I am kissing the star...he really liked me!


Last fall my girl dog, Ladi'lee, motivated me to enter a contest to win a $500k dream dog park to be designed and built out by celebrities.  We placed in top 14 in the USA...not bad...so 3 monthes of our life were spent out "stomping" around for the cause:  meeting and greeting, handing out cards, etc...   had to make a video also.  It was a lot of work and fun although we did not win.  We are happy for the winners and for their good cause...
http://www.beneful.com/Dream-Dog-Park/Finalists-2013


 Out and about in Sarasota at the peak of the Ringling Bridge we came across a nice guy writing a fun article...what a job...he has the best job ever and here is his end result: http://interactive.orlandosentinel.com/bridges/#header    I am quoted in it:) 




Gallivanting is fun but since acquiring pets my gallivanting has calmed ...




These two lovely creatures showed up on my front door step just after I was done re-doing my entryway....very snychronicious...well, how could I not adopt them?????

My gallivanting has changed now that I'm usually walking or blading around the Suncoast with a dog in tow or sometimes she's towing me but either way it's all good...

Our first road trip was an East Coast adventure as we drove to PA to visit family.  We stopped in Savannah.  Here's a couple of standard photos:





Recent events that we've attended:  Thunder by the Bay for the Marshall Tucker Band and sunset, Nic Wallenda High Wire Walk by the bay, we went to see the Lynx(a 6 million $historic replica of some 1860 vessel) off as she sailed out to Tampa Bay from Safety Harbour in downtown St. Pete, Mardi Gras at St. Armands, and the Cortez Fish Fest.  Good times all around with Suncoast beauty as a back drop and some cool weather it's all good.

A lot of walking.

My feet hurt so much that I started shopping for more comfortable shoes...it's now an on going quest.  My latest "try" was the Nike Lunar which has some kind of foam used by NASA thus the name which of course made it pricey.  They did great at first but now even my fat foot swims in the width of the front of the shoe and the front striking area just doesn't seem thick enough for long walks so I can't imagine who could run in these shoes.  Maybe someone much lighter than I am....?   But they're better than what I had.   With summer on the way I'll be shopping for some kind of walking sandal because FL's summer heat really necessitates it.  It's been the hottest, dryest winter on record so far and I'm feeling the aggravation associated with this.  I'm thinking of heading to Seattle for the summer....


 

The employees at the home improvement stores are probably tired of my returns as I boggle my way thru some diy projects that I probably shouldn't be d.i.y.ing but it saves money and time in the long run (or it's supposed to)  so I'm off to three stores today to do my returns and purchases of necessary items to wrap it up as I prepare my happy hovel in the hood for summer weather.  I'm almost done with my front entrance re-do and then just a little more work on the back patio's ramada and I'll be back to my regular gallivanting pleasures with these projects done! 

I'm trying to get my chores done, and then it's taxes and then... time to play  
http://waneefestival.com/  celebrate

I'm a sailor and I know the weather forecasters are  WRONG a lot of the time.  So,  why did I believe their sensationalized warnings about last weekends weather????   It was a bad call on my part and led me to for-going the Wannee.   So,  to soothe my wounded spirit I wandered over the the Half Oyster Restaurant on Main St.   Everything was perfect.  My deliciously cold restoration beer(s) the Orleans oysters ...wow!   and the Gumbo was ok. 


Ok....

.......

* This conjures up a whole new mindset regarding "ladies" and "poles".... ;)  go Dana* http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/sports/autoracing/danica-patrick-wins-pole-for-nationwide-series-race.html?_r=1

Danica is really getting a reputation with those poles.... She does it again in 2013!  and she has a beau who is younger:)http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nascar--danica-patrick-flying-high-personally-and-professionally-011648185.html


http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/Danica-Patrick-versatile-in-life-as-well-as-racing


and on the note of fast cars...  the St. Pete Gran Prix takes place in downtown St. Pete along the Bayfront.   Hey hot guys, fast sexy cars, perfect weather and a primo location....   yeah,  my dreams were powered alright!!!   yeah those were some nice dreams too :) 
Warning:  you might want to turn your volume down before clicking on the following link...
http://www.tampabay.com/components/video/sites-sounds-of-honda-grand-prix-of-st-petersburg/1529515042001/2652468001/

And the fastest or most expensive car in the world was cruising around the Suncoast, and orange Bugatti valued at something like 2 million $...  check it out... http://www.tampabay.com/features/media/tampa-bay-segment-of-top-gear-show-features-bugatti-veyron/1275514 probably not the best photo.

and it's the Exotic Car show in St. Armands Circle which happens every February.  Life is good on the Suncoast despite being one of the hardest hit in the Real Estate Meltdown.  Saw a gorgeous red Ferrari parked by the Bay just the other day as a photographer with a really big lens took photos of the gleam machine.  St. Armands Circle is where I fell in love at first sight with an orange Fisker Karma  http://onward.fiskerautomotive.com/en-us

and on the theme of going fast....


It's good to dream...
 
 
First and Foremost....
* * * * An award winning rose in Mable's Rose Garden at the Ringling Museum***
*the rose garden is about to "peak out" in blooms the first two weeks of March.**
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The New Year....

I'm off to a great start.  New Year's Eve 2012 was great. The fireworks were really awesome and the sweet spot for viewing did not disappoint. 

The first day of 2012 provided a gorgeous opportunity to "splash" my new boat.  My favorite Christmas present.  An avon inflatable dinghy which I bought for a dollar and a scratch off lottery ticket.  No joke!  I rowed and floated around  Sarasota on a calm sunny day.  I wished everyone Happy New Year,  called my friends on the cell, blew some bubbles, smiled, and repeated until I washed up on the shore.  I love my dollar dinghy!  I love Sarasota Harbour and I love Sarasota! 

 Hey now that it's 2013 things have changed because of the pets.  My lovely pet dog thought the dingy looked like a very large chew toy and ate a very large whole in it...oh well.  It's now heaped in the back yard and probably not worth attempting to repair. 



Keep Smiling

...I'm trying despite the circumstances of the "holiday frenzy" kickin' in and the migration of the snowbirds to the suncoast that have doubled traffic, lines, etc....  but hey they bring $$$$$$and we all know it's all about the $$$$$  just ask any of my neighbors who have been out and about tryin' to get theirs'....  or as the Reggae band Hor!zen sings...  it's all about the cash flow...   that's a nice thug oriented reggae tune but I suppose it relates to capitalism in general and the holidays also because this is when most of the money is spent in this country.

so as I'm trying to keep smiling I've been out and about:  I checked out a coupla of holiday parades and especially enjoyed all the dancin' and music on the boats in the Sarasota Holiday Boat Parade...yea there was a lot of dancin'  on those "lit up" boats.  

so as I'm trying to keep smiling I journey across the Sunshine Skyway to downtown St. Pete to do a walkabout and take in all the holiday lites and festivities.  The first thing that made me smile was the free parking on Central(it was Sunday).  The next thing that made me smile was the perfect weather.   Next a brisk walk  to the Gelato Shop had me winding thru the decorated trees along the Bayfront where many families were chasing happy kids who were in general running around gleefully shouting and smiling and laughing.   The Santa set up is quite extravaagent and I wanted to take a photo to post here but honestly did not think I could get a photo that would do it justice.  You just have to go.... 

A brisk walk around a couple of festivally decorated blocks led me to a nice vegetarian restaurant where I indulged in a fine glass of spanish wine and was given some lovely chocolate medallions to enjoy(which I did then and throughout the night) on my way to Jannus Live for a free Reggae show.  I caught one act that I thought was great for many reasons, one being there were a couple of girls in the act.   You really don't see many girls in live music any where.  I've been very curious about this but it is fact.  I've gone to music festivals where there were a 100 acts and not one woman amoung the performers - so I'm happy to see some chicks representin!!!!!!  


A cold beer, ice water and more chocolate with herb wafting thru the air in the courtyard under the beautiful live oak tree decorated with twinkling white lites helped me keep smiling....   I noticed there were many people smiling, dancing, hugging, kissing, loving and enjoying the fesitvities.  An almost full moon was risin' above it all, yeah!

And in the same vicinity of downtown St. Pete on another occasion  I caught Ziggy Marley singin' under the "super moon" out on the Bayfront ...nice....
 
The drive home over the Sunshine Skyway always keeps me smiling.

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Yesterday a "mac DaddY' bike ride that took in Sunset along the Sarasota Bayfront and then after dark holiday lites and decor throughout some of the finer neighborhoods including Siesta was helping me to keep smiling...

Now that there's a dog in the household the bike riding is nil and the walking is supreme but I miss the speed and flow of the bike everyday.  Oh sweet sacrifice...I guess she's worth it...
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The newer animal documentary that's very cool and heart warming is "Animal Odd Couples"...check it out...

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg5YcEBUGz4

It reinforced my new found belief that dog's/animals have emotions. 

 And it starts out on the Suncoast at Bush Gardens where a dog and cheetah have been raised together quite happily enough to be show cased daily as they play together in their domain with onlookers in awe.


It seems as tho' a whole new world is opening up to me.  - Joe Hutto


Happy "Turkey Day"

Sometimes sitting at home in your happy spot in front of the tv, remote in hand , can lead to something profound...sometimes.

I'm grateful that i 'surfed' upon a wonderful film that features beautiful natural Florida flatlands in cinematic glory.  But wait, there's more....it's a film about a man who becomes a mom...to a clutch of wild turkeys AND it's not fiction....  simply sweet yet deep  http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/my-life-as-a-turkey/full-episode/7378/  worth watching 45 minutes.

here's what some other folks thought of it....http://www.carlsams.com/inthewoods/2011/11/my-life-as-a-turkey-pbs-nature-documentary-is-outstanding/

Surrealism is destructive but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision-Dali

Substitute Yoga Instructor, Eric, read this quote as a beginning for our Yoga class at the new Dali Museum in downtown St. Pete, FL.  Yoga Class every Sunday.

Full Moon Yoga-Siesta Beach #1 Beach in USA according to "Dr. Beach"

Beautiful.  Instructor Alicia Stevenson http://aliciastevensyoga.com/index.php  and her musician friends provided a great class under a full "Aries" moon rising.  Hey, I'm an Aries....    The sunset beach walk preceding practice and the moon beach walk after practice added to the depth of gratitude for being there.  Namaste.  yeah.

Clearwater Jazz Fest....

Trombone Shorty and New Orleans Ave.  really "brought it".   There was a lot of booty shakin' and smilin' .  I heard many exclaim "wow" at the end of that show.  Now that's Jazz!!!!!   To the left and to the right...  Weather was perfect. 

Winter in Fla....

Winter the dolphin.  The dolphin star in "Dolphin Tale" a movie that was shot in Clearwater last year and recently released in theatres.   It was crowded around the Clearwater Marine Aquairium where Winter lives.  We rode bike by to check it out but didn't stop in because of the crowds of kids.  A crew of guys worked diligently to construct more parking to accomodate all the fans.  

And locally here in Sarasota we have a world acclaimed organization:  http://sarasotadolphin.org/index.php







If you've ever looked at a dolphin in the eye(s), you must wonder.....
http://paulapeterson.com/dolphin_human_connection.html

Bad Bad Cougar(s)...

There are a couple of restaurants/bars directly on Clearwater Beach.  I found one of them on my bike ride as a dread locked musician with a bunch of Key West stickers on his gear began setting up.  It was time for lunch which turned out to be a pina colada.  While enjoying lunch and listening to the guy singing some Cat Stevens a lady next to me struck up a conversation.  She's also the one who recommended drinking my calories for lunch which led to ordering pina colada #2....anyway she brought it to my attention that Matthew Mcanoghay, the actor, was in town since there was another movie being shot in the area.   Hmmmm we daydreamed about him for a while and chatted about his wonderful "personality" and "acting skills"...mmmmmm... i mean hmmmmm...   while reading the Sunday St. Pete Times I learned the movie is about male strippers or dancers or something like that.  Well, I'm looking forward to seeing that movie for sure!  http://www.vevo.com/watch/damian-jr-gong-marley/all-night-live-vh1com/USUV70603340  The movie was Magic Mike and I have not yet seen it.  Still love those guys' abs tho'.

Last night while sewing a beta bliss eye pillow I was listening to and kinda watching a sitcom on tv where a young 20-someting character decided his friend's constitutional law professor was a cougar and thought it would be great to hunt her down.  And he did.  So fast forward to a shot where they're lounging in bed after the "bag" and she say's "you get a B-"  and he is appalled and says "but I just pulled an all-nighter!" to which she elaborated on various elements of how she arrived at his "grade".  It made me think of this song and also Billy Idol's, Rebel Yell (which will forever remind me of one morning during fantasy fest in KW when I awoke to a neighbor at our campground playing that cd with that song on it over and over).  I know I heard that cd at least 3 times that morning and didn't mind at all as my new "hot"Cicilian UM student "friend" lounged around and prepared for another day of fun and adventure at Fantasy Fest:)  - may I digress for a moment as I bask in the lovely memory of him rubbing fruit on my tummy while we laid on the beach and he invited me to Miami.  I played hard to get and said I'd have to think about it...right!  I was definately M.I.A. bound. - oh the good ole days....oh yeah back to the present.


Scientology has a large home in downtown Clearwater.  It's controversial to say the least.  http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/

        "A fool and his money are easily parted." - p.t. Barnum

 

 

Good Vibrations....

One morning I went rollerblading around the park next to my hotel in downtown Clearwater.  It's a great way to start the day.  Like many parks there were a few people hangin' around that looked like they were down on their luck.   I bladed past a guy in a wheel chair and thought, hey why not push him around the park.  I circled back and asked him if he was up for it and  yes he was so off we went.  I couldn't go as fast as I would've liked because when we hit a certain speed his chair vibrated and cautioned us of bad possibilities.  Even so it was fun.  I put my mp3 head set over his ears so he could enjoy the music as we zoomed around the park.  He asked if i did this a lot and said it must keep me pretty happy....at the end of the lap we both smiled with a bit more radiance...

ok. Orgone opening for Galactic at the State Theatre in downtown St. Pete now that makes me smile just thinking about.  A nice stroll down Central Ave while window shopping on a crisply cool January Eve is a nice thing to do.  Despite some logistical challenges I made it inside to hear the last few number Orgone performed.  They had some serious funking music taking the audience into universal love.  I think that was the name of their last song.  Wow. It was hot and crowded but happy but during the break it was time to head over to the local bar because the lines for the restrooms were shorter.  Then a stroll around the block to get "right" and get some fresh air before returning into an even more crowded theatre for Galactic.

Galactic is something else.  They're definately a "jam" band as they blast out some crazy mixes of fused music which often comes out sounding like funky acid jazz that makes me want to dance.  They slowed it down a few times as their vocalist Cory Glover sang some 70s standards but then cranked out some more intense music that I believe could only come from Nola.  You feel the love of the music for sure. 

I'll never forget the time I saw them at an outdoor festival when the trombonist climbed the scallfolding and managed to toot out his notes...  I just shook my head and laughed and danced. This night they ended in a torrid instrumental of a Led zep song that was just tight and crazy and ????  Galactic sometimes leaves me speechless,  that's ok, just smile and dance and it'll be ok.  It was late when they "burned" down the house since they must've played until about 1:30 am....   yeah!

Tampa traffic....

Tampa traffic is never nice.  It's one of the reasons I don't go there very often.  The roads do not make me happy and there's always some congestion and construction.   But good things do happen in Tampa....  this is my idea of a cruise - //www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu-Od4g7fOw&feature=related  from Tampa/Cozumel.

Finally made it to downtown St. Pete for some Italian Gelato and mixed it up with my own designer combo named Kind Mind Design:  It's viola(made from real violets), coconut and pumpkin pie.  Looking at the wall mural of the Amalfi Coast coaxes even more enjoyment and seems to make delicious even better.  Yum does not do justice to these flavors.  The person who develops their recipes is from that area of Europe and really seems to hit "the spot".  mmmmm to the nth power.  If you are a multi tasker take a walkabout on the Bayfront while savoring. 

There was an occupy wall st. "gathering" in downtown St. Pete.  so  I made a sign that said "Critical Mass ?"  on one side and on the back "W.T.?".  ...got a coupla laughs.

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Bike riding....

Bicycles that is....Clearwater is a great place for riding bike.  The bridge connecting downtown to the Beach is a must do and the S.E. side of the bridge adds a real delight as the design is a 10' wide spiral ramp.  Going up is interesting and provides many great vantage points to take in the view but it's no thrills for the cautious as those that dare speed down this "trail" which at this point is more like a roller coaster.  Really you've gotta check it out!

http://www.sarasotacycle.com/
  http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/collections/gary_fisher

interesting facts:
http://bikecommutetips.blogspot.com/2008/02/sierra-club-magazine-features-bicycles.html

while on the topic of bikes i enjoyed the documentary Go Further by Woody Harrelson.  nice sound track.
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Transport happiness....

Getting around on the Suncoast involves many options for happiness.  The drive from Sarasota to St. Pete over the Sunshine Skyway always makes me happy and helps me clear my mind.   Going topless always adds to the pleasure ... that is top down on convertible.  Sometimes driving out to Myakka is heavenly other times it's just great.

Riding bike or roller blading around Sarasota or St. Pete always increases my happiness quotient.  Biking to happy destinations like Lido Beach or Selby Gardens amps it up.   

Rowing around the harbour is a nice meditation. 

If your capabilities and options allow it,  a sail around Anna Maria Island can be an ultimate experience especially if the wind is perfect and no engine is required and there is a nice person of the opposite sex with strawberries and other refreshments and ..... :) yeah!   If you happen to be blessed with a warm gentle rain I would dare say it would be difficult to not remove some article(s) of clothing. 

On the note of sailors...a smart sailing acquaintance once told me that hugs are great because they transport happiness.  Maybe we should all hug someone or two or three today.  and tomorrow. and.... :) yeah!

Invitation...

http://www.bearcreekmusicfestival.com/   .....! WARNING !....may cause overdancing, overdrinking, overindulging, over ?????  , etc.... 

To nourish your spirit....if you love nature and music there's a place in Florida you should explore.  It's called the Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park in Live Oak, FL.  They have many great festivals.   again...WARNING!..may cause overdancing, etc... It's fun.

 http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34394-d566092-r104643060-Spirit_of_the_Suwannee_Music_Park-Live_Oak_Florida.html   

I won't make it this year since my "homies" aka gal pals fromt he 'PA Wilds' are Southbound for a wild woman rendezvous at St. Pete Beach.

Wild Women Rendezvous,  Tampa Bay

A good time was had by all on Tampa Bay aboard an old beat up pontoon boat that even we could not "mess up".   I.C. Sharks rents boats and my "homie" used a "groupon" to get us a great deal.  It was a great group on Tampa Bay as we explored the coastline of downtown St. Pete.  A dolphin came by to welcome us as we headed out on a nice paced ride down the bay and around the bend by the big waterfront homes.   
 ....Nice

 We got into some "skinny" water and were somewhat alarmed but prudent skippering by Julie and a little trim of the engine cleared us into the deeper water so we could relax into the beautiful afternoon.  However there in the shallows of the sea grass we saw a stingray.   There were plenty of sailboats out enjoying the breeze and luckily for us there wasn't too much wind to make our ride uncomfortable.  We docked at the St. Pete Pier to use the restrooms and then puttered around the Bayfront to listen to the live music at the Ribfest Celebration.  We all stood at attention as the "Star Spangled Banner" was belted out by some lady blues singer.  And to top it off we puttered up close to a large gorgeous yacht with the name "Carol Ann" artfully emblazened in gold leaf on the stearn for some photo opps since one of our Wild Women shared that name.   There are a few other things I could mention about our trip but i don't want to embarass any of the crew.  On the ride home we saw a pickup truck along the Gandy causeway that must've been trying to get wild but ended up getting stuck in the sand and as the tide came in they were in trouble.  We turned around for some photo opps just as the tow truck arrived.  Later in the weekend while shopping I overheard a fellow shopper say "do you know the last thing a redneck says just before doing something stupid....hey wait til you see me do this..."  how appropriate ....  check it out..... 

this photo is not photoshopped...honest!....

Keep Smiling...

That's the Tube Dude's motto.  There are Tube Dude's all over Sarasota being that it's the Tube Dude's home town and place of origin and the studio happens to be near my home. 

Last week I was surprized to see a TD in downtown Ft. Myers as I drove on Rt. 867 to the Edison House.  It made me smile and I thought, wow those tube Dudes are really multiplying. 

On the drive home via the Tamiami Trail I stopped for gas and to use the restroom.  When I came out of the store there was an entire trailer full of Tube Dudes :)




Interestingly enough I ended up at the Tube Dude's Studio last night for a community meeting regarding a mural by MTO that was recently painted on the side of their building  so I had the opportunity to get a photo of the dude behind the tubes or in this case in front of .....  

He said he'd just shipped 16 TDs to Paris, France.  TD Intl.  :)   www.tube-dude.com


Who is this guy?
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120120/ARTICLE/120129929/2076/NEWS   - Click on this link -


Below is a photo of the controversial mural painted by the muralist MTO on the side of the Tube Dude's studio on 10th/Central in Sarasota, FL.    Supposedly, as MTO was creating this he said "this is the f***ing ghetto"......

:(
And here are other examples of this muralist's work.... http://www.coolpicturegallery.us/2011/07/graffiti-street-art-by-mto.html

I'm not smiling about this................................
I realize art is subjective but this is the LAST thing I want "welcoming" people into my part of town, really!!!!

Here's what a local newspaper columnist has to say....  http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20111203/COLUMNIST/111209836/2416/NEWS?p=2&tc=pg

And I must say I LOVE  his idea of having the artist return and paint the same mural on the side of someone else's building.  I think there must be enough space for a similar mural on the building owned by the Kowals(the folks this mural is dedicated to and the organizers of the Chalk Fest and the one's who brought this artist to town and the one's who "lined-up" mural work around town and the one's who loudly and adamently defended this mural in particular....), oh wait they did get a couple of murals on and around their structure in downtown Sarasota on Pineapple Ave.  One outside mural was of palm trees and pelicans, how nice!!!
  :) GOOD RIDDANCE !!! ..   .  They painted over that mural!  It's gone.  thanks.  I'm smiling again :)

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