Mini Me Goes to the Pub

Sunrise out my front door - over the Bay

The British Expats of Tampa Bay celebrated St George's Day at Jack's London Grill.  Mini Me joined in an evening of roast, Yorkshire Pudding, and a sorry excuse for Spotted Dick, capped with a Sing Along.

Back on the beach ...

Yes, despite common misconception (and Island Time), I do get up in the mornings!

On the 20th we went up to Clearwater Beach to be 'Sand Ambassadors' at the 3rd Annual Sand Festival using the 'sugar sands' of the beach.  Halfway through our shift a massive thunderstorm cell blew in from the Gulf with 50-65 mph winds, strong enough to close the Skyway Bridge which transverses the mouth of Tampa Bay. Motorists had to find a new (and much longer) way home.

It looked like pictures of a hurricane outside our large white tent covering the sand sculptures. Poor mini me, whilst prepared for rain in her Ziploc wet weather gear, she

Mini Me's raingear
(yes a ziplock baggie!)

was a bit frightened to be in the large shaking tent during the storm which blew large umbrellas and crowd crusher gates across the sand. Worse still as the tent was closed up, we couldn't see if anything lethal was blowing towards us.

Clearwater Beach Explained:
seen on a guy seeking
 leggy blonds!

The sculptures were created with 1,000 tons of sand from the beach which took 3 days to move to a large mound, a day to water the pile down and ten days for ten master sand sculptors to build their creations.  No molds are used; it is just water, compaction and sand sculpting skill.

The boaters are out the following day, with a black military looking helicopter dive bombing the jet skiers & the beach just outside our window- quite a sight.  Like the sight of the the osprey with the wrack in his talons flying to the nest, I wasn't quick enough with the camera to capture either the bird or the dive bombing helicopter.

To top off the 'different' lifestyle in Florida, Tampa residents are in an uproar about a proposed CSI style Body Farm.  And no I don't think this is the sort of body they mean . . .

PS.  It's time for the Blueberry Festival this weekend in Plant City (home of the Strawberry Festival).