Being back on the island is always fun. We've been treated to a couple of really nice sunsets, enjoyed going on morning beach walks and bike rides and I've been getting back out on the paddleboard almost daily. The first time I took the board out I had a dolphin come up about 10 yards from me and hang around for a couple of minutes. I took it as a welcome back!
We have purchased a pretty neat deal called "The City of Tampa Pass". It's pretty inexpensive and gives admission to five different attractions in the Tampa area over a period of nine days from the date you activate the pass. Yesterday we kicked it off by first going to the Chihuly Glass Collection at the Morean Arts Center in Downtown St. Pete.
http://www.citypass.com/tampa
http://www.moreanartscenter.org
It was a fairly small display compared to ones we had seen in Seattle and Dallas but very impressive nonetheless. One of the cool things they offered was a glass blowing demonstration which was both informative and interesting. The heat generated by the kilns and the attention to detail and patience required made me quickly realize that I wouldn't make a very good glass blower!
St. Pete has really reinvented itself into a pretty vibrant and hip town which is a far cry from what it used to be when it was known more for being where folks went to live out their last few years before moving on. Central Avenue had some very cool looking shops and restaurants. We found a nice little pizza place with outdoor seating for a quick lunch before heading on to our second stop, The Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium serves primarily as a rehabilitation facility for injured sea critters such as dolphins and turtles. It was made famous for one of it's residents "Winter" a tailless dolphin who was the star of the movies Dolphin Tale and Dolphin Tale 2. The dolphin couldn't survive in the wild so he (or she) is the permanent star of the aquarium.
Beth convinced NaNa to pet one of the stingrays as they swam by in the stingray display. Now Beth wasn't encouraging illegal behavior, touching was not only allowed it was encouraged. It took a little convincing but on about the 4th or 5th pass she did touch it. Afterwards she confessed to Beth that this wasn't on her bucket list!
http://www.seewinter.com
We've got three more places to check off. Tomorrow we're hitting Lowry Park Zoo and the Florida Aquarium and will be finishing off the City Pass with Busch Gardens over the weekend.
I'm looking forward to seeing Lowry Park Zoo tomorrow. It'll be my first visit in about 50 years. It'll be another walk down memory lane. Long before all the big attractions that now cover the great state of Florida Lowry Park was about as big as it got. In reality back then it was just a small zoo with a few rides and displays but for a kid from Mulberry it seemed larger than life. It's going to be fun to see it again!
http://www.lowryparkzoo.org
One other thing, I was having a hard time posting pictures and unable to post captions while we were on our recent trip. I've been going back and adding some additional pictures and captions. I'm working my way back and about half way through so far. Take a look if you're interested.
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| NaNa and her stingray friend |
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| Two Priceless Pieces of Art.........and some nice glass too! |
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| Glass Blowing at the Arts Center |
