TAMPA/SAINT PETERSBURG

Tampa is very different from St. Petersburg.  Tampa seems to be all business, with an international airport and a highrise downtown and freeways woven around them.  St. Pete is more laid back.  It used to be known as a haven for retirees but seems to be reinventing itself, with a thriving downtown featuring restaurants and other nightlife that attracts younger people these days.  The buildings are lower and older than Tampa's downtown, but they have a charm that Tampa lacks.


Christal and Josh in front of a classic post office featuring accessable outdoor PO boxes

All St. Pete's seems to be bike country.  I envisioned touring and examining the city on my bicycle, but I didn't give myself enough time.

My niece Christal and her significant other, Josh, were my gracious hosts in town.  Their driveway is long enough to park my RV (and then some), so I left it there for a few days.  Christal is a helicopter pilot for a private firm that does charters, scenic flights, and government work. 


Christal at the manned helicopter

One of her jobs is to fly unmanned helicopters under a government contract.  She sits in front of a computer monitor in a cushioned chair, in a modified van at the airport in St. Pete, and flies the helicopter wherever it needs to go.  Cameras on various parts of the copter allow her to see what the copter pilot would see, and she sends it where it needs to go.  Kind of spooky to me; I would be afraid there was something I'm not seeing.  She is quite laid back about it.


Unmanned helicopters being refitted

Josh is also certified to fly helicopters but works instead for a charter air company at the same airport.  He teaches people to become pilots (he taught Christal to fly) and also flies passengers, for scenic tours, photography, etc.  One of his coolest assignments was delivering a plane to Brazil.  He and Christal talk about moving to Brazil to fly someday.  Josh is also exploring the idea of taking over ownership of the charter company someday.

We hung out at the house and slandered our relatives for a few days, and also went to downtown St. Pete's to an excellent Indian restaurant.  One of the great things we did, which caught me completely by surprise, was to stand in front of the Princess Martha Hotel.  When my father was in the army in World War II, he was in basic training at a camp in the south that suffered a massive epidemic of pneumonia due to squalid conditions in a rainy winter.  Hundreds died, and thousands had to be hospitalized; so many, in fact, that the hospitals were overwhelmed and began sending soldiers to hotels.  I had heard the story from my dad but didn't know the details.  Christal had taken the time to find out which hotel and to locate it.  Certainly brought home the reality of that incident and that period of dad's life.

My brother Michael made it a point to drive from Orlando to Tampa to spend a couple of days with me.  Michael is a true extrovert, and loves nothing more than entertaining anywhere from one to four hundred people.  Since his job for NetApp entails exactly that, he is living the life that suits him.  He gave me the lowdown on Tampa while we were there, and we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner out, for two days.  Whoof!



Mike is at the right

Over the weekend I had a chance to spend a couple days with my friend Lon in Tampa.  Lon was a camper in a sleep-away camp that I worked at as a counselor in the early '70s.  The campers would spend eight weeks in the mountains near the Delaware River, and Lon, who was 8-10 at the time, enjoyed it enough to hunt me down on Facebook nearly 40 years later.  He and his wife Sally welcomed me and we spent two days visiting the mangrove and oyster locations on the bay, playing basketball and Spoons (a card game) with Caleb (10) and Lindsey (8), and going to the racetrack.
I'd never been to a racetrack.  This track is very family friendly and I enjoyed the hell out of seeing the gorgeous, athletic horses up close, and getting a quick rundown on how handicapping and betting works.  I lost eighteen dollars, but it was worth it.  I also had my first grouper sandwich, and I assert that grouper is the best tasting fish in the world.



Me and my close personal friend, Eddie Jurado

My horse; came in dead last

 Michael also arranged a surprise for my sister Pat.  Pat was flying into Tampa on Monday the 30th of January, and expected my mother and my aunt Joan to pick her up.  When I showed up at arrivals in the RV she did a classic double take.  We had a great ride down to Lake Placid together, only missing two or three turns while we gabbed.  Arrived at my Mom's house in Lake Placid on Monday January 30th, and will be heading up to Sebring Intenational Raceway on Wednesday.  More on that next.