Fort De Soto Park, Pinellas County Park System, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

From the southeastern tip of the Fort De Soto Park, in the distance, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge (I-275) stands tall and spans the entrance to Tampa Bay connecting St. Pete to points south including the greater Bradenton/Sarasota areas. The main span of the cable-stayed bridge is 1200 feet. Contrast it with the 750 feet cable-stayed Zakim Bridge in Boston spanning the Charles River as it meets Boston Harbor.



It is a stunningly beautiful park with sculpted picnic areas, recreation areas, and lots of undisturbed dense Everglades-like swamp growth. The largest park within the Pinellas County Park System, Fort De Soto consists of 1,136 acres made up of five interconnected islands (keys). These keys are home to beach plants, mangroves, wetlands, palm hammocks, hardwoods and scores of native plants.



A pleasing visual arrangement.



Local birds........



... digging for good bugs in the sandy soil (American White Ibis).

One of many ospreys sighted throughout the park area.



And over at the beach, humans are enjoying rest and relaxation and shade and sun.



Fort De Soto was named America’s Top Beach for 2009 by Trip Advisor, and, in 2005, “Dr. Beach,” named Fort De Soto the nation’s #1 Beach. It's easy to see why. Restrooms and parking are offscreen right nearby.

It has been a wonderful visit to the St. Pete area over the past two weeks.  I have enjoyed sharing my observations with you through these blog posts.  Only one more to come.......

Around Town, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

A slow night at the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, perhaps the world's largest club - in business since 1924. (I did a little post-processing enhancement to create a brooding old timey look - notwithstanding the new cars visible in the lot). This is one of my favorite images of this trip.



One of hundreds of outdoor building murals throughout St. Petersburg - this one on the side of the Hollander Hotel.



The pair of old banyan trees at the downtown waterfront area in early morning light.



The sun rises behind the downtown marina. Another lovely, sunny day in St. Pete.

"One City Chorus," Palladium Theatre, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

One City Chorus is a community group with 120+ singers who performed at the downtown Palladium Theatre.



A wonderful sound of human voices raised together in song.

What a great show!

Beach or Park?, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

If one gets tired of the beautiful beaches in the area.......



......then the equally delightful green and lush parks are an alternative.



You can play or sit still.



And a beautiful sunset is available away from shore, too.



Yep, this Sunshine State has a lot to offer. During my two-week stay in early February, temperature was in the upper-70's to mid-80's every day, sunshine at least part of every day, it rained on only one day with a morning shower and an early evening shower.

House Concert - Listening Room Network (LRN), St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

The Listening Room Network is "the leading promoter of concerts in people’s homes, and we also support great coffeehouses, clubs, and remarkable listening rooms around the world. When you attend our concerts, we want you to have an enjoyable experience, without distractions or noisy patrons during the show." Tonight's show was "The Whispering Tree," in St. Petersburg, Florida.



Vocalist and instrumentalist Eleanor Kleiner.



Vocalist and instrumentalist Elie Brangbour.



The "Whispering Tree," is a Franco-American folk-rock duo. I had the pleasure of attending a wonderfully intimate house concert in St. Petersburg, Florida, along with about 25 others, to hear and experience their delightful craft and artistry and musicality.



These two met while music students in London.



They now live in the Hudson Valley in New York State and travel often to share the beauty of their music.

Such a wonderful evening of music!

Note: for you curious photographers, lighting was a challenge with just the overhead fan light and a secondary source in the ceiling to the right. Most settings were 1/30 shutter, widest aperture possible and, highest ISO possible (6400). Camera was a Sony point-and-shoot, RX100M6.

A Typical Saturday Morning, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

I took a wander along the harbor-front in downtown St. Pete enroute to......



.... the weekly market........



....with thousands of like-minded folks. It was 7 degrees F at home this morning when I was at this market. Hmmmmm?

"Kokopelli," St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

The captains of the vessel "Kokopelli." They were good sports posing for a pic on our jaunt out on Boca Ciega Bay .



A beautiful low 80's degree F, high humidity day for a trip on the bay.



I guess if one Mercury 400 motor is fast enough, then three of them must be even better for this random boater.



This tourist boat is cruisin' around looking for dolphin.



Other folks out for a pleasure romp enjoying the day.



One of the very many waterfront homes throughout the bays and channels in the area.



The captains at the helm doing what they love. Pretty nice living here in the greater St. Pete area.

Pass-a-Grill Beach, St. Petersburg Beach, Florida, USA

A formation flight of gulls along Pass-a-Grill Beach in St. Petersburg Beach is crusin' for something to swoop down and eat. (They were not photoshopped in, I just had lucky timing).

Pass-a-Grill is the southernmost stretch of the nearly unbroken 20-mile string of  Gulf of Mexico beaches stretching south from Belleair Beach just below Clearwater.



The gulls are relentless in their search for unattended human food.



I told this man he gets the award for the darkest tan in town. His woman friend got a chuckle out of that.



There's even a snack bar and restrooms right there nearby.



And a bench or two and wooden chairs to relax.



Lots of metered parking along the street and just up the beach is the Don Cesar Resort.



The Don Cesar's grand and dramatic pink structure makes a great landmark and hearkens back to another time. I enjoy stopping to ogle it every time I pass by. (Looks like a great place to stay but, it's above my budget).

"Blue Hour," St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

After a February day in the low 80's F, folks fill the downtown for outside dining.



Some folks were "dressed to the nines," and some in t-shirts and shorts, all appeared welcome.



I see how one can get comfortable with this lifestyle compared to the cold and dreariness of the north.



All is quiet at the 1927 Flori-de-Leon, former winter home of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

I viewed an available unit for sale with a realtor.  Frankly, if I was at the point of ready to buy, I would  jump at the chance right here. I really like the history and ambiance of this building and its location downtown. 

I still am trying to sort out the ideas of snowbirding vs. moving vs. visiting vs. traveling to different locations each year vs. single family dwelling vs. shared walls vs. condo vs. coop vs. stand-alone. Living here in Florida is not without its drawbacks. Almost to a person with whom I spoke, folks leave during the hot and humid summer months if they can.  It is the reverse side of the winter/summer coin. New Englanders leave in the middle of winter, many here leave in the middle of summer. And of course, the biggest question: do I really want the expense and work (and can I afford) to maintain two homes in distant locations or, should I just leave New England altogether? Oh well, more thought and analysis to be done.........