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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay

Get outside!

Joey deVilla in biking gear, with the sky and tall palm trees in the background.

It’s a lovely day — or at least, it’s a lovely day here in Tampa. Get outside!

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funny Tampa Bay Work

Once again, another reminder to double-check your work

Parking spots, where one is labeled “Delivery area” while another is labeled “DELIRYVE area.”

The place I go to for car maintenance has great service, but they need to work on their spelling.

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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay

A snapshot from my daily bike ride

I try to do a 10K bike ride most weekdays and on at least one of the weekend days, and I manage to fit in most of my grocery runs on these rides (unless I need to buy stuff that won’t fit in my backpack).

As a result, I’m not as tubby as I could be, I’m lowering my risk for lots of health problems, I get to catch up on a lot of podcasts and audiobooks, my mind is clear for the day’s work, and I have to gas up my car once a month or even less.

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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay

A sneak peek at “Big John,” the triceratops at the Glazer Children’s Museum

Joey deVilla and Anitra Pavka stand beside a “triceratops” (actually two museum employees in a pretty realistic costume) in the lobby of the Glazer Children”s Museum.

Anitra is on the board of the Glazer Children’s Museum, the home of the world’s largest triceratops skeleton — lovingly known as “Big John” — for the next three years. Big John’s exhibit opens to the public this Friday, May 26th, and we got a sneak peek at the VIP party last week.

Joey deVilla and Anitra Pavka on the balcony of the Glazer Children’s Museum.
Side view of “Big John,” a triceratops, on display at the Glazer Children’s Museum.

I wrote about Big John back in January, in a post titled The world’s largest triceratops is moving to Tampa Bay! Since then, the museum has been hard at work getting this 66 million year-old beast and his room ready for the public in time for the Memorial Day weekend.

Front view of “Big John,” a triceratops, on display at the Glazer Children’s Museum.

The museum’s CEO, Sarah Cole, gave us a quick welcome speech and thanked everyone involved in bringing Big John here, with a big special “thank you” to the Pagidipati family, who purchased Big John in late 2021 and have arranged for him to be publicly displayed instead of being tucked away in a private collection.

Glazer Children’s Museum CEO Sarah Cole speaks beside “Big John” in front of an audience.

Since the occasion called for it, I brought my triceratops sunglasses…

Joey deVilla wearing triceratops sunglasses.

…which came in handy with the viewing domes underneath Big John:

Joey deVilla, smiling and wearing triceratops sunglasses, “pops up” in a clear plastic dome located underneath “Big John.”
Joey deVilla, smiling and wearing triceratops sunglasses, “pops up” in a clear plastic dome located underneath “Big John.”

If you’re downtown and driving down Ashley Drive or in Curtis Hixon Park, you’ll be able to see an inflatable triceratops atop the museum:

The front of the Glazer Children’s Museum, looking upward. A large inflatable triceratops is visible on the roof.

If you’d like to see Big John, he’ll be available for viewing at the Glazer Children’s Museum for the next couple of years, starting this Friday!

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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay

Hey, Tampa people: Who rents out this palapa boat? (Updated)

Tap to view at full size.

I saw the “palapa boat’ pictured above on the Hillsborough River from my vantage point on the balcony of the Glazer Children’s Museum, where I was attending a pre-launch party for Big John, their new tricertops exhibit (which opens this Friday!).

I couldn’t read see the sign on the boat from that distance. Can anyone tell me whom to contact to rent this boat? I might want to do so for…reasons.

The answer

Leave it to none other than Daniella Diaz, local tech person and cofounder of High Tech Connect and HireUp Florida to give me an answer within a couple of minutes of my posting this!

It’s the Tampa Bay branch of Cruisin’ Tikis, who provide the boat with a bar. You bring the drinks (including booze), food, and music. $300 for 90 minutes.

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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay

I’m in “Made in Tampa!”

There’s an unexpected, growing tech scene here in Tampa, and Made in Tampa is dedicated to covering it. Their latest installment is about an accordion-playing techie whom you might know.

My thanks to Amanda Kern for the wonderful interview and write-up, and to Jason Allen for setting this up!

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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay

Anitra, me, and a Ford Model T

Anitra Pavka and Joey deVilla in a 1916 Ford Model T, seen from the car’s left side.
Seminole Heights’ seal, which depicts a two-headed alligator

Last Sunday, Anitra and I went on the annual Old Seminole Heights tour, which gave us the chance to see the insides of some of the houses in our neighborhood. One of the houses on this year’s tour belonged to Susan, our neighbor across the street, whose house turns 100 this year. She and her tour assistants dressed up in 1920s clothing and a local antique car enthusiast brought his 1916 Ford Model T to display in her driveway.

I was chatting with the car’s owner for a little while when he asked if Anitra and I would like to sit in the car. We’ve seen Model Ts before, but we’ve never been in one, so of course we said “yes!”

The 1916 Ford Model T, as seen from the front in Susan’s driveway.
Interior of the 1916 Ford Model T, showing the dashboard and front seat.
Anitra Pavka and Joey deVilla in a 1916 Ford Model T, seen from the car’s right side.

You can find out more about the Old Seminole Heights Home Tour here: