Photos Around Tampa/St. Pete

I thought I'd share a bunch of random photos from the past two and a half weeks. For geographic reference, please click on the map of Tampa here, when I describe each photo. You can click on any of the photos to get a closer look.

Here's me at MacDill Air Force Base, near CENTCOM, looking north across Hillsborough Bay at downtown Tampa.


Baseball fans, especially Jack, here are A-Rod at third and Derek Jeter at short at the Yankees-Rays game July 15th. With all the retired and relocated people here in Florida, the Yankees had more fans than the Rays!


The peanut gallery in row UU way back in right field. I'm with Ken Griffey Jr., who took a day off from his duties with the Cincinnati Reds. Kidding, that's actually Ken Lafayette, another temporary historian here from Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. Next time we go to stadium and pro shop, Ken has agreed to don a Reds hat for a picture. Uncanny.


If you find the "Dr. Meadows" pinpoint on the Tampa map, this photo is taken from the 16th floor looking SE down Bayshore Blvd. on the east shore of the Interbay Peninsula (I like geography so bear with me...). Dr. Meadows, a retired physician at the church I attend had some of us up for some fellowship and a great view. I do my morning runs in part along that sidewalk below. It's considered the world's longest at 4.5 miles. To view a short news clip on Bayshore, click here.





Here's Geek Boy 1 at Picnic Island, along the SW shore of the Interbay Peninsula, and directly W of MacDill AFB. (Again, bear with me...) I experienced skeeters and a view all the way to St. Pete while picking up some geocaching finds. [username herrforce1 for fellow cachers]


And the best... Locate Davis Islands on the map (SE of downtown Tampa) and find the tiny airport. I saw this looking directly west. I noticed the impending behemoth of a storm coming in while poking around the park near Peter Knight airport. Tampa puts on at least two to three magnificent storms per week all summer. As long as those hurricanes stay away, I can sit under the overhang and watch the natural awesomeness of these storms.

Geocaching Video Clip

I came across a one-minute video clip that describes the world of geocaching. Take a look, especially if you've heard of, but haven't seen it. Click here. HF1

Out And About

Geocachers among you, I got an opportunity to get out last Sunday and today to get some fresh air and hunt some caches. The Tampa area has quite a few and I've been doing about a 50% success rate. Neenah folks, go out and try to find my latest hide back home called "Neenah Riverwalk" beginning at Shattuck Park (Waypoint # GC13HT3). The photo shows me standing beneath the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway at the corner of MacDill and Bay to Bay (Just in case you want to plot it out). I had just found the "Free Parking??" cache.

Random Thoughts (The reader "Anonymous" should log off now. This will be boring):

People always on the lookout for good MP3 jogging tunes (Some of the audience just fainted at my having typed that statement), I have found a few more gems: the B-52s' Private Idaho, the Moody Blues' I'm Just A Singer In A Rock 'N Roll Band, and the Spencer Davis Group's (Stevie Winwood) or Chicago's I'm A Man. I'm always looking for new ones. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Have you seen the Geico Caveman commercial where he's minding his own business going through the airport? Every time that airs, the background music intrigues me. I searched it successfully on Google's first hit. FYI, the song is titled "Remind Me" by the Norwegian pop group Royksopp. I'll have to hit iTunes. Eccentric, yes. But I know at least Ray and O-Ring will use the info to its full value. HF1

One Year of Geocaching!

One year ago I rose at 6 and departed the Marriott in Middleton, Wisconsin to look for my first geocache. I'd just received the GPS for my birthday and had to check out this curious hobby. A year and 134 finds later, I'm thoroughly hooked. Thanks to all the other "geeks" like caching#??, bnssmith, nbmc_geocachers, nitwitmn, kpeddicord, catdaddyj, sagasu, and others who I enjoy talking shop with. And thanks to my own kiddies who sometimes get a thrill and sometimes get bored out of their minds on our hunts. If you care to, read about geocaching here.

HF1