Linear view vs. Masonry View

Spectacular Day!

I had a plethora of things on my to-do list yesterday but instead I spent the entire day exploring Fort DeSoto Park. My 9am arrival coincided with low tide which, combined with the recent full moon, meant there was a lot of exposed sand.

Which in turn led to some fun finds; Small Spine Sea Stars (Echinaster spinulosus), Atlantic Purple Sea Urchins (Arbacia punctulata), Keyhole Sand Dollars (Mellita tenuis), Atlantic Horseshoe Crab molts (Limulus polyphemus), a Giant Red Hermit Crab (Petrochirus diogenes) occupying a Horse Conch (Triplofusus giganteus), and a vibrant crimson sea pork (the most colorful one I’ve yet seen).

This was my first visit to the park in awhile, the gulf waters around the park had suffered a late-in-the-year outbreak of red tide last month. Thankfully, that seems to have subsided, though the evidence remains.

The swashline was littered with fish carcasses, I didn’t spend much time up there (though I was excited to find the mouth plate of a drum fish). You can imagine the stench (thank goodness for the strong breeze). A large flock of Turkey Vultures (nature’s cleanup crew) was on hand, happily dealing with the mess.

My friend Alyssa joined me about noon and we spent the early part of the afternoon wandering the bayside of the park. The calm waters surprised us with several large Lightning Whelks (Sinistrofulgur perversum) and some juvenile Horseshoe Crabs.

They were the smallest I’ve ever seen and one had a translucent shell, which meant it had recently molted (an indicator that the eating is good in that area since they molt as they grow). Though once prolific in this area it is now a species of concern in the state. I reported our sightings to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to help with their monitoring efforts.

Afterward we took our chairs to the beach to enjoy the last of the daylight, what a spectacular day!
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First Time for Everything

For various reasons, the majority of the beaches along this stretch of the Gulf Coast do not allow dogs (not going to wade into this controversial issue right now). There are informational signs posted at beach entrances listing the prohibition but the signage fails to say anything about other pets.

This week I met a sweet rabbit named Daisy. Her owner claims she loves getting sand in her paws. She certainly seemed to enjoy all the attention. Reminded me of the time I saw someone’s pet duck out there. Spend enough time on the beach and you’re sure to some interesting things…

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Thief!

I’d like to report a theft. I met little Robin Hood last week and he certainly lives up to his name since he stole my heart and refuses to give it back.

I tweaked his name to Westley Robin (Princess Bride fans will understand). For his derring-do, he is also known as Westley the Brave.

His favorite toy is a ping pong ball but he does love snuggling with his mouse. He staked a claim to my Florida room where he takes frequent naps in the sun. A smart boy, he listens well, though he is not fond of the word “No” (who is?).

He certainly livens things up around here…
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A Comedy of Errors

‘Tis the season for festive events and the Tampa Bay area celebrates in colorful style, with holiday light shows and decorated boat parades. There are so many options, that it actually isn’t possible to attend them all.

Many of the events are long-standing traditions because they are well-planned and attendees have a wonderful time. Unfortunately, not all events work out. I recently read about one that was an unmitigated disaster*.

The eight day extravaganza was held in downtown Tampa back in 1958 and it’s so infamous that it is still discussed to this day. Howard Hilton (of the Hilton & Gray Advertising Agency) pitched a winter wonderland to downtown business leaders and they eagerly hopped on board.

Snow Show would feature the nation’s tallest Christmas tree, a 5-story ski slope with toboggan rides, an ice rink with skate performances throughout the day, a world record ice cube, “reindeer”, and, of course, Santa.

What transpired reads like a script for a National Lampoon movie. The troubles began with the tree. The governor of Minnesota enlisted a logging company to scour the North Woods for a massive specimen. They bulldozed a road in order to haul it out and then strapped it on a train bound for Florida.

The tree was so immense that it snapped in Indiana when the train rounded a curve. The logging company attempted to get another tree but their equipment bogged down in the mud. Finally, a second company shipped a suitable tree.

Upon arrival, engineers took extra precautions and dug a hole in the middle of Franklin Street. The towering conifer was carefully lifted into place but its weight broke through the sewer line below and raw sewage gushed forth.

Florida’s typically warm weather also played a role, it was almost impossible to maintain the ski slope, even with 3 million pounds of shaved ice. The Norwegian ski jumper brought over to open the venue crashed on his first run down. As did the first few toboggans before the slope was closed due to unsafe conditions.

The ice rink didn’t fare much better, during the first performance a skate flew off and gashed a young attendee’s face. The show ended early and the girl was taken to the hospital. A few nights later, one of the performers was caught making extra money by putting on an “after hours” show for men in the dressing room.

But surely nothing could go wrong with watching an 8 ton ice cube melt? Well, in an effort to win the “guess when it will melt” contest somebody doused the base with salt which created a top heavy shape that fell over on a little girl.

The borrowed deer which were to serve as reindeer were so traumatized by their handling that one died trying to escape and another molted (huge chunks of fur fell off leaving behind raw, red skin). After protests by animal rights activists all the animal exhibits were closed.

One might think finding a suitable Santa would be the least of the problems. But just like in the original Miracle on 34th Street, the first Santa had to be fired for drinking on the job. One of the replacements, hid in the department store until it closed and cleaned out the jewelry department.

Needless to say, though memorable, Snow Show was never reprised. Personally, I think it would make a great movie!

*Kudos to the Tampa Bay Times for reprinting the article.

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Part of the Plant System

The beginning of Florida’s resort industry can be traced to the vision of railroad magnate, Henry B. Plant. He brought his railway to Tampa in 1884, utilizing the town’s port to offer his customers steamship travel to Mobile (Alabama), Bermuda, Jamaica, and even Cuba.

His grand vision required an equally grand hotel so in 1888 he hired architect J.A. Woods to design a massive structure in the Moorish Revival style (mostly). Plant insisted on a few distinctive design elements – the finished building was certainly unique with minarets and gingerbread trim.

Plant’s 511 room hotel took three years to build and cost $2 million (which does not include the $500,000 in fine furnishings that he and his wife sourced from Europe). When it opened on February 5, 1891 the six-acre hotel offered top of the line accommodations: every room boasted a telephone and electricity while most even had a private bath. The hotel also offered a billiard room, barbershop, shoeshine service, beauty shop, flower shop, telegraph office, formal dining room, Grand Salon, Reading Room, and a Music Room with orchestra.

At 150 acres, the grounds of the hotel were no less grand, encompassing a 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, bowling alley, racetrack, baseball field (where Babe Ruth is said to have hit a home run of record length), casino, card rooms, exposition hall, flower conservatory, a croquet greensward, shuffleboard courts, boathouse, hunting and fishing grounds, stables, kennels, and an indoor heated swimming pool.

Sadly, only a small portion of the grounds remain but surprisingly, the massive building still stands, though the majority of it has been repurposed into the University of Tampa. The south wing now serves as a museum to the hotel’s founder, which I had the pleasure of touring a couple months ago. Tampa is fortunate to have this remnant of the Gilded Age.

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