Category: Tampa Bay

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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay The Current Situation

It’s Small Business Saturday!

With Thanksgiving having come and gone in the U.S., we’re now in the holiday shopping season, which starts with Small Business Saturday!

Small Business Saturday is an annual event whose purpose to encourage people to support their local small businesses. Instead of going to a “big box” store or chain, we’re asked to support local businesses, either by going to their local brick-and-mortar shop or shopping online. This event takes place every November and represents a significant opportunity to increase sales for small businesses during the holiday shopping season.

Seminole Heights’ seal, which depicts a two-headed alligatorI live in Tampa’s Seminole Heights neighborhood, where we’re fortunate to have a number of small businesses that do provide goods, services, and those less tangible “neighborhood-y” things that chains and big box stores can’t or won’t.

The day is young, but we’ve already picked up some goodies at Gott Glass, the local glass-blowing studio and shop.

If you’re in the area, check them out! The shop is a lovely mix of indoor and outdoor, Susan Gott and her staff are nice, and they do glass-blowing demos and even have classes (which I plan on signing up for).

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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay

Scenes from this morning’s bike ride

Seminole Heights’ seal, which depicts a two-headed alligatorI do a 10-kilometre (6.2 miles) bike ride as often as I can — typically 4 or 5 days a week:

At least once a week, I stop by the Seminole Heights branch of Spaddy’s, which is a coffee truck in an open-air courtyard:

The place is decorated with all manner of tchotchkes. Here’s the newest one:

I took a perch on the picnic table at the back of the courtyard, where I took this wide-angle shot…

…and while enjoying my Heights Cold Brew (cold brew with a dash of condensed milk), I worked on a proposal for my next article for the Auth0 developer blog. While writing, I noticed this rather cute grafitto that someone left on the table:

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Tampa Bay

Photos from Pickford’s Sundries

I need to stop by Pickford’s Sundries (2606 W Hillsborough Avenue, a half-block east of Habana) more often.

Pickford’s Sundries is a 1950s lunch counter that somehow travelled to the 2020s and somehow found a comfortable home on a typically dull stretch of Hillsborough Avenue, one of Tampa’s major “stroads”. Part “lunch counter” style restaurant, part quirky novelty gift shop, part local attraction, it’s a place I always check out whenever I’m passing through.

Pickford’s opened in 1949 and operated as a general store until the mid-2000s, and under normal circumstances, it would’ve simply vanished.

Instead, the Seminole Heights café Urban Bungalow (which used to be on Florida just south of Sligh), collaborated with Pickford’s original owners to give it an update.

The place kept its 1940s/50s furniture and vibe…

…and a lot of accoutrements from that era…

…but the menu’s been updated.

They still carry classics like the classic “eggs, bacon, fries, and toast” breakfast, the grilled cheese, steak sandwich, Chicago dog, and so on, but I’ve also see things like some interesting fried rices, as well as vegetarian and vegan options.

The “dry goods” are also definitely from this century:

I often check out this place for little gifts.

They have a killer selection of socks…

…and they have an excellent selection of prayer candles:

Want to know more?

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Florida Tampa Bay The Current Situation

In honor of tropical storm and/or hurricane Nicole

Photo: Loose dirt “held down” on a flatbed truck with a strap.
That’s not how it works, but we’ll give you an “A” for effort.

Tropical storm and/or hurricane Nicole is coming. Prepare appropriately.

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Accordion, Instrument of the Gods It Happened to Me Music Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway 2022 (or: Birthday stretch 2.0)

Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway banner with added photo of Joey deVilla on accordionLast year, the Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway (TBUG for short) took place on my birthday. The 2022 edition happens this weekend, and we’re going to be there!

Anitra wanted to go, and I thought it would be a fun birthday activity to try my hand at a stringed instrument, which I’m normally terrible at playing. (My “keytar” period, and later the accordion, stem from being a frustrated attempted guitar player.)

TBUG takes place at the Sirata Resort on St. Pete Beach, right next door to where we got married:

Joey deVilla and Anitra Pavka on St. Pete Beach.

It turned out better than expected. For starters, Anitra won the grand prize at the raffle…

Anitra Pavka and the ukulele she won.

…I found a very reliable local purveyor of high-quality aloha shirts in Emily and Mike Stehle (my old go-to had closed up shop…

Joey deVilla in one of his new aloha shirts.

…and I also found Tom Hood, who invited me to join him and his band, Tom Hood and the Tropical Sons, on a number of local gigs!

Joey deVilla playing accordion on a pier with Tom Hood and Tropical Sons.This year, I’m not just an attendee, but part of the lineup of evening performers. I’ll be playing originals and classic rock/blues covers with Tom Hood and the Tropical Sons, as well as helping out with the special ’80s jams — mostly on accordion, but maybe a little ukulele as well.

Best of all, I’ll get to be on stage on Saturday, which happens to be my birthday. For me, that’s a great birthday treat.

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Accordion, Instrument of the Gods It Happened to Me Tampa Bay

I’m playing at Bayou Bistro in Tarpon Springs tonight!

Collage of photos of Joey deVilla and Tom Hood and the Tropical Sons playing on the dock at Bayou Bistro
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I’m playing with the house band — Tom Hood and the Tropical Sons — for open mic night at Bayou Bistro in Tarpon Springs from 5:30 to about 8:30 or so tonight! If you’re in the area and like seafood, beer, and great live music, come on over! If you want to play with us, bring your instrument!

If you’re curious, here are photos from last week’s gig.

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Tampa Bay

The official 2022 Halloween costume of Tampa Bay is…

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…Newly-Divorced Un-Retired Gulf Coast Quarterback!