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Tampa Bay

What’s the story behind this sign?

Sign: “Absolutely ALL PETS must be CARRIED not walked! Reptiles NOT ALLOWED in flea market””
Photo by Anitra Pavka. Tap to view at full size.

I saw this sign at the Oldsmar Flea Market on Saturday and had to laugh. Behind every oddly specific rule is an incident, and I want to know the story behind this one.

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Tampa Bay

Happy birthday, Brent Britton!

Brent Britton, tech lawyer and friend to the Tampa Bay tech community, celebrated his birthday at the Bulla Gastrobar’s Luna Lounge rooftop bar, and we were there to join him. It was a gorgeous afternoon and evening, we were at one of Tampa’s nicest places to have drinks and tapas, and it was wonderful to see friends in person again (and the open-air venue helped).

One of my missions with the accordion is to make people’s special days a little more special, and I was only too happy to do that for Brent:

(Last year, Brent provided me with an incredibly helpful suggestion for dealing with a notorious copyright troll who was nastygramming me, and it worked. Even in small ways, he’s a big help to Tampa Bay techies.)

Happy birthday, Brent!

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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay

Me and Anitra on Beach Drive

Joey deVilla and Anitra Pavka on Beach Drive, St. Petersburg, Florida, June 2021.
Me and Anitra, enjoying a lovely day in St. Pete.
Tap to view at full size.

As The Plague slowly recedes, we’ve been getting out more and more. Earlier this week, we were catching up with friends in St. Pete, where we took this photo when we arrived.

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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay

Last night in St. Pete

St. Pete’s Beach Drive, right by Paciuga gelateria. Tap to view at full size.

Last night, Anitra and I had dinner with friends in St. Pete at The Birchwood Inn’s rooftop bar, The Canopy. We were having such a good time that I completely forgot to snap some pics of the gorgeous view from the roof, which would include the all-new St. Pete Pier.

It was such a pretty evening out, and I remembered to capture at least one photo (the one above) before hopping in the car for the drive across the Bay and back to Tampa. The Beach Drive gelateria, Paciugo, was doing some pretty brisk business.

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Tampa Bay

Tuesday Tipplers at Southern Brewing and Winery

Accordion, Anitra, Jenn, Emily, Michelle, and Erinn. Tap to view at full size.

Seminole Heights’ seal, which depicts a two-headed alligatorLast night, Anitra and I were joined by our just-on-the-other-block neighbor Jenn, and local friends Emily, Erinn, and Michelle on Southern Brewing’s lovely patio, which Erinn has cleverly described as “Mr. Miyagi’s yard, if he’d opened a bar instead of a car lot.” It’s an open, yet comfy space, surrounded by a wooden fence for Daniel-san to paint, and lots of palm and bamboo. It’s one of the many reasons I love living in Seminole Heights.

Every Tuesday from about 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., the Seminole Heights locals hold the “Tuesday Tipplers” event, where we gather at Southern Brewing and Winery to have some good beer, good food, and most important, good company.

Tuesday night is Locals Night, which means that if you can prove that you live in a local ZIP code (33602, 33603, 33604, and 33605), you get a free beer with a purchase of a beer. Combined with happy hour, this turns into a really good deal.

Red Hat BBQ provides the food on Tuesday, and their ribs are excellent. They even have vegetarian options, such as vegetarian “ribs”, and their collards are cooked without meat to flavor them, yet are still tasty.

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Florida Stranger than Fiction Tampa Bay

When you move into Florida, a little bit of Florida moves into you

Tom Brady wearing a black suit, black hat, white shirt, polka dotted black tie, and pocket handkerchief. Caption reads “Tom Brady is dressed like he’d going to kill Roger Rabbit and the rest of Toontown”.
Thanks to Jeannie Cool for the find! Tap to view at full size.

But go ahead, Tom, you’ve earned it.

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Tampa Bay

Seminole Heights sights you might have missed: The 24-hour “Ice ATM”

Seminole Heights’ seal, which depicts a two-headed alligatorIf you’ve ever driven south on Florida Avenue past Trip’s Diner, you may have seen the structure pictured below on the south end of Trip’s parking lot:

The automated ice dispensing station on Florida Avenue, as seen from the sidewalk through some palm trees.
Tap to view at full size.

It’s the local “Twice the Ice” ice vending machine, run by Ice House America, which boasts a network of more than 3,500 ice vending machines around this world. It’s automated, open 24 hours, and a convenience that I’ve overlooked until recently.

This one is Seminole Heights’ very own, where you can buy filtered water for 25 cents per gallon (3.8 liters) or  dispenser, a five gallon (about 19 liters) bag of ice for a dollar, or fill your cooler with 20 pounds (9 kilograms) of ice for $1.75.

A closer look at the automated ice dispensing station on Florida Avenue, as seen from the sidewalk.
Tap to view at full size.

I moved to the neighborhood two years ago, and on the rare occasions that I’ve had to purchase ice, I’ve been paying way too much for too little at the gas station like a chump. Later this year, when it’s time to have guests over for cocktails, I’m going to have make use of this machine’s services.