Sunset photo taken with the Raspberry Pi.
tags: sunsetraspberrypistpetebeachflorida
photo posted by matt in Saturday, August 12, 2023
Sunset photo taken with the Raspberry Pi.
tags: sunsetraspberrypistpetebeachflorida
photo posted by matt in Saturday, August 12, 2023
We're having breakfast at one of our favorite spots this morning — The Seahorse in Pass-a-Grille, St. Pete Beach. Great diner food. The tables have postcards, news clippings, and other items under a layer of epoxy. I noticed this gem, which was right in front of me, after reading an article about Gene Shalit getting hit by a car down the street...in 1994.
The Aquatarium was an aquarium and performance center that literally occupied the ground on which our condo stands now. I went there as a kid with my grandparents.
Gene Shalit was ok, btw. Broken leg.
tags: stpetebeachpassagrilleaquatarium
photo posted by matt in Wednesday, August 9, 2023
We had a thunderstorm roll in just as we were eating dinner. Heavy cloud cover and rain made it look like the sunset would be washed out. Then the rain stopped just in time and the clouds broke to reveal a real beauty.
tags: sunsetstpetebeachflorida
photo posted by matt in Monday, July 31, 2023
We were finally able to have dinner at Salt Rock Grill in Indian Shores tonight. It's one of our all time favorite restaurants, but it's been a few years since we've been there. Not surprisingly, Salt Rock reminded us of why it's a favorite for all of us. Phenomenal food, a great room and view, and a wonderful experience overall. Hopefully we'll be back again soon.
Here's a self portrait of sorts in the reflection of the glass-walled wine cellar just inside the front door of the restaurant.
tags: restaurantstpetebeachselfportrait
photo posted by matt in Tuesday, April 4, 2023
Teddy loves the sunsets, too.
tags: dogteddystpetebeachsunset
photo posted by matt in Monday, April 3, 2023
I could not be more proud of Jake. He's kind, compassionate, smart, thoughtful, generous, and considerate. And, at 18, he's got big dreams...and the skills and plans to make them happen. Keep moving it forward, Jake.
tags: sunsetstpetebeachjake
photo posted by matt in Monday, April 3, 2023
Teddy loves the people watching from our balcony in St. Pete. He still barks quite a bit, but he does seem to have controlled it a bit more on this trip. Progress.
tags: dogteddystpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Monday, April 3, 2023
Dude 1 (packing up beach supplies from the trunk, seemingly surprised with what he found): "Dude...spike ball!"
Dude 2: "I'm totally down for spike ball."
Dude 3: "I'm getting a little drunk first."
Dude 1. "Hundred percent."
tags: stpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Saturday, April 1, 2023
St. Pete Beach has a distinctive Midwest vibe to it. There's no shortage of vacationers from Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, etc. Residents often hail from the breadbasket, too. I think this has been true for a long time. I remember my grandmother noting essentially the same thing, forty plus years ago when I first started visiting the area with her and my grandfather. Our vacation stays at the Howard Johnson hotel on Gulf Boulevard are treasured memories for me (the HoJo is now a Hilton Garden Inn).
There seems to be more folks from the East coast in the area, lately. Not a bad or a good thing, just a thing. An observation.
We've met a few vacationers from New Jersey on this trip (retirees) and I've noticed several license plate frames touting Rutgers and other East coast schools. Maybe that could be viewed as a Midwest thing, though, with Rutgers now in the Big Ten. Maybe not.
Home prices have shot up dramatically over the last few years. I think Covid forced a wave of people out of NYC and other big cities permanently; perhaps vacation attitudes changed, too, as part of that.
St. Pete Beach has a character that, I think, is distinctly its own, unique among the Gulf Coast beach towns. It's down to earth, diverse, and vibrant. It's not pretentious at all. No one cares what you do (or did) for a living, or even what your last name is. People would rather talk about the early bird special at Leverock's than hear about how important you are (or were). It's fun and interesting and active and safe. It's wonderful, and I love it.
Like all cities that are lucky enough to have a defining personality, St. Pete Beach knows itself, too. It has confidence. Not arrogance; not even swagger. Just awareness and comfort in being true to itself. Confidence.
An influx of new folks won't change that.
Not overnight, at least.
As I just finished writing (and editing) this post, I watched a guy walk across the street as he headed to the beach. He had a pool noodle in one hand and a caged bird in the other, and was wearing an Ohio State t-shirt.
Go Bucks.
tags: stpetebeachflorida
postposted by matt in Saturday, April 1, 2023
We made it home from the Rays game in time for dinner and a beautiful sunset. Now preparing for the Guardians night cap!
tags: stpetebeachfloridasunset
photo posted by matt in Thursday, March 30, 2023
I love being greeted by the sunrise over the Maumee River when I get into the office in the morning. This morning was twice as nice as I was finally able to view the livestream from the condo on my computer—our patio camera there is slowly (and surprisingly) coming back to life after Hurricane Ian.
This is truly a great way to start a day…and a week. Happy Monday!
tags: sunrisetoledomaumeeriverstpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Monday, October 10, 2022
We caught an absolutely beautiful sunset this evening after a brief storm rolled over the beach and out to the Gulf.
tags: sunsetsilhouettebirdstpetebeachflorida
photo posted by matt in Monday, August 8, 2022
Thunderstorms rolled toward us tonight, coming into St. Pete from the Gulf of Mexico. Another opportunity to catch lightning on the iPhone.
tags: stpetebeachfloridastormlightning
photo posted by matt in Sunday, August 7, 2022
Here's to thunderstorms and sunsets, in that order. A hastily-made old fashioned.was the perfect end to this day.
tags: stpetebeachfloridasunset
photo posted by matt in Friday, August 5, 2022
The timing of the storm was perfect, leaving great cloud cover in its wake for a beautiful sunset.
tags: stpetebeachfloridasunset
photo posted by matt in Friday, August 5, 2022
This is my second favorite shot of the storm.
tags: stpetebeachfloridastormlightning
photo posted by matt in Friday, August 5, 2022
We had perfect thunderstorm conditions tonight–one rolled over us, heading northwest out over the Gulf, right before sunset. It had quite a bit of lightning activity, too. I didn't have time to setup my full frame camera, so I grabbed the iPhone 12 and attempted to catch lightning.
I shot for about twenty minutes, capturing about a hundred images, each right after I saw lightning. This was frustrating and fun at the same time–I kept probably seven. I'm posting two.
It gives you a real sense of the time it takes to process what you see and turn it into action. Frustrating to watch a lightning strike and then feel your finger hit the button a millisecond (or more) too late. Seven out of a hundred plus is decent, I think!
tags: stpetebeachfloridastormlightning
photo posted by matt in Friday, August 5, 2022
A few more clouds would have made for more interesting skies after the sun sank below the horizon, but this sunset was damn near perfect.
tags: sunsetstpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Monday, August 1, 2022
I might have a new favorite selfie of Renee and me.
tags: sunsetstpetebeachselfie
photo posted by matt in Monday, August 1, 2022
Our crew for this trip–Me, Renee, Jake, and Harry.
tags: stpetebeachsunset
photo posted by matt in Monday, August 1, 2022
I love this photo of Jake and Renee. Casual, unposed, and perfect light. We've walked this beach so many times, watched so many sunsets here, but, still, it never gets old.
tags: sunsetstpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Monday, August 1, 2022
Caught some crazy light coming through the garage as we headed to the beach for the sunset.
tags: stpetebeachsunset
photo posted by matt in Monday, August 1, 2022
Beautiful morning for The Drive to St. Pete Beach.
tags: roadtripstpetebeachtravel
photo posted by matt in Sunday, July 31, 2022
Sunrise, two hours or so into our drive home. So long, St. Pete. See you soon.
tags: sunrisefloridastpetebeachtravelroadtrip
photo posted by matt in Sunday, June 26, 2022
Last night vibes—chilling with Teddy on the patio.
tags: stpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Saturday, June 25, 2022
Renee and I had dinner at the Middle Grounds tonight, a favorite of ours that we've been going to for years. The boys are usually with us, so I've always avoided the mango encrusted grouper, since Jake is allergic to mangos. He's not with us on this trip, so I decided to give it a try, and realized on closer inspection of the description that it's actually Jake's worst nightmare—mango and pistachio in the same dish (he's allergic to both)!
It was delicious, by the way. ;-)
tags: dinnerstpetebeachtreasureisland
photo posted by matt in Saturday, June 25, 2022
It's a wedding day on St. Pete Beach!
tags: beachweddingstpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Saturday, June 25, 2022
Visiting a favorite of mine for dinner tonight—Ted Peters, which is famous for its smoked fish. Renee has never been a fan but was willing to go. She got a hamburger, but tried my smoked salmon. She actually liked it, and vowed to order the smoked Mahi next time we go. And she loved the German potato salad.
tags: stpetebeachdinner
photo posted by matt in Wednesday, June 22, 2022
We took a quick walk along the beach after dinner. You can't really see it in this photo, but Renee was gradually building a pile of trash in her right hand as we went.
She always does.
I love that.
tags: stpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Tuesday, June 21, 2022
The Mexican restaurant at the end of the street — Agave — has become one of our favorites over the last several years, but you have to go early because it always gets crowded. Renee and I were ready for an early dinner tonight after rolling into town early this morning, so it seemed like a logical choice.
Salsa, tacos, and beer. And a bit of ice cream for dessert. Perfect dinner.
tags: stpetebeachdinner
photo posted by matt in Tuesday, June 21, 2022
Deets for the day. It's a roaster, but no humidity.
"It's a dry heat."
tags: stpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Tuesday, June 21, 2022
Free EV charging at the Chamber of Commerce in St. Pete Beach.
tags: teslaevstpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Tuesday, June 21, 2022
Occasionally I find myself in St. Pete Beach without Renee. It's not the same without her, of course, but one perk of the solo trips is having smoked fish at Ted Peters. It's just not her thing, so we never go when we're down here together.
Well, I've been down here for work the last couple days, and I'm heading home tomorrow. So smoked salmon, German potato salad, and Miller High Life in a frosted mug was an easy call.
tags: stpetebeachdinner
photo posted by matt in Wednesday, November 10, 2021
I think this is a first — I've got the entire pool to myself.
tags: floridastpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Wednesday, July 28, 2021
Well, we didn't miss it. Caught the sunset at nearly the last second possible, as we pulled into the parking area under the condo. It was beautiful, even with this limited view.
tags: floridastpetebeachsunset
photo posted by matt in Tuesday, July 27, 2021
The sunsets have been nice so far this trip, but not spectacular. Tonight's was a step in the right direction.
tags: floridastpetebeachsunset
photo posted by matt in Monday, July 26, 2021
Went to the Farmers' Market in downtown St. Pete Beach today. The crowd is relatively light this time of year, with the heat. But I still enjoy going. Renee and Denny stopped to peruse some real estate listings — "looking at houses we can't afford" according to Jake. A listing for an empty lot on Pass-a-Grille caught my eye. He's not wrong.
tags: floridastpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Sunday, July 25, 2021
Shane, Kaylee, and Lindsey enjoying a little pool time.
tags: floridastpetebeachpool
photo posted by matt in Saturday, July 24, 2021
Noticed some pretty cool lines and colors when I looked out and saw Renee and Pat watching the sunset on the patio tonight.
tags: floridastpetebeachsunset
photo posted by matt in Thursday, July 22, 2021
It was quite hot out today, even into the evening. Ice cream with the whole family was a great way to end the day. Teddy even got his vanilla pup cup, free on Wednesday's.
tags: floridastpetebeachicecream
photo posted by matt in Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Mornings are a little atypical on this trip as we have to check the air for the smell of dead fish and red tide toxin before heading out to the patio for coffee. Red tide happens from time to time, but it feels like the "to" part of that expression is getting a little shorter lately.
tags: floridastpetebeachredtide
postposted by matt in Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Denny and Pat closed on the sale of their Gulf Winds condo the other day, marking the end of their 46 years there. An end of an era for the family for sure.
tags: stpetebeachflorida
photo posted by matt in Monday, July 19, 2021
Giuseppe's asked Jake if he wanted to "vandalize" their wall. Not really vandalism if you're invited to do it, but it's cool nonetheless.
tags: stpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Just a couple of guys waiting on our pizza. And calzones.
We decided to try a new (to us) pizza joint on our last night–Giuseppe's on Gulf Boulevard. Jake and I walked there and took this photo outside while we waited for them to finish the order. Pretty good pizza, and the calzones were huge.
tags: stpetebeachselfiestreet
photo posted by matt in Wednesday, March 31, 2021
We hadn't really been to the beach during this trip—water was still too cold! We decided to dip our toes tonight though, thinking it wouldn't be a complete trip without doing so.
I caught this shot of Renee and Pam as we headed out. Sisters, headed to the beach. Not sure why, but I like the black and white treatment on this photo.
tags: stpetebeachfloridabeachsisters
photo posted by matt in Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Spending a little extra time at the pool today before heading home tomorrow. Weather is absolutely perfect.
tags: poolstpetebeachflorida
photo posted by matt in Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Relevant data points for the day.
tags: poolfloridastpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Wednesday, March 31, 2021
There's a storm sweeping across the route home today, so we'll stay another day. Darn. ;-)
tags: weatherstpetebeachroadtrip
postposted by matt in Wednesday, March 31, 2021
We enjoyed another perfect sunset here tonight. I love this casual shot I captured of Renee and Jake watching it over the railing on the patio.
tags: sunsetstpetebeachflorida
photo posted by matt in Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Another photo, from the Florida Memory Project.
Required notice: This work is from the Florida Memory Project hosted at the State Archive of Florida, and is released to the public domain in the United States under the terms of Section 257.35(6), Florida Statutes.
tags: floridastpetebeachaquatarium
photo posted by matt in Monday, March 29, 2021
And to prove that progress isn't all bad, here's another shot from our balcony looking over the preserve at Upham Beach. In the Aquatarium photo above, you can see the beach is only...a beach. At some point they established a preserve between the beach near the water and the street. Now it's lush, green, and full of birds and other wildlife. It's a beautiful and functional buffer.
tags: floridastpetebeachuphambeach
photo posted by matt in Monday, March 29, 2021
To complete the walk down memory lane, here's a shot from our balcony, looking straight down Beach Plaza. In the picture of the Aquatarium above, this is from inside the parking lot looking through the entrance to the parking lot at the bottom right of the photo, down the street.
tags: floridastpetebeachaquatarium
photo posted by matt in Monday, March 29, 2021
The story of the Florida Aquatarium is short and sad, but I'm sure people all over the world have fond memories of that place. I've always viewed it as an "in between" attraction—bigger than a roadside attraction, but not quite the destination attraction that Disney ushered in.
I think my grandparents took me there once as a kid, likely after it had become Shark World based on the dates and my age at the time. Weirdly, my dominant memory is of the distinctive radial parking lot.
Renee has memories of walking along the sea wall you see in the picture posted above.
The Aquatarium is old school, beach town Florida, for sure. I miss the simplicity of it a bit, and I say that as I sit on our balcony in the air above that old parking lot in the photo above.
tags: stpetebeachfloridaaquatarium
postposted by matt in Monday, March 29, 2021
Bill De Young's article on St. Pete Catalyst has the most detail on the Aquatarium I've been able to find online.
tags: stpetebeachfloridaaquatarium
posted by matt in Monday, March 29, 2021
Wikipedia has some details on the history of the Aquatarium, too.
tags: stpetebeachfloridaaquatarium
posted by matt in Monday, March 29, 2021
This article gives a brief history of the Aquatarium, and includes a couple of decent photos.
tags: stpetebeachfloridaaquatarium
posted by matt in Monday, March 29, 2021
There aren't many good photos available of the old Florida Aquatarium that used to sit on the property our condo is on now. I've found a couple over the years but not many. Tonight, we stopped in the "library" in the condo to find some good beach reads and I noticed this photo hanging in the corner. It's been there all along, I'm sure, but I've never noticed it before. I love it!
tags: floridastpetebeachaquatarium
photo posted by matt in Monday, March 29, 2021
We ended our morning adventure with a trip to the St. Pete Beach Farmer's Market. It felt good to be outside, with other people. It's probably the biggest crowd I've been part of in a year. It was all outdoors and it was easy to stay socially distant, and most people were wearing masks, so we felt comfortable. It really made me appreciate the mental benefit that comes with being fully vaccinated—it literally frees your mind.
We took Teddy with us and he did really well. Stayed calm, visited with a few of the people that wanted to pet him.
Great adventure!
tags: farmersmarketstpetebeachflorida
photo posted by matt in Sunday, March 28, 2021
A detail view of the Corps of Engineers survey mark.
tags: markrockcorpsofengineerspassagrillestpetebeachflorida
photo posted by matt in Sunday, March 28, 2021
There's a second mark on the rock at Pass-a-Grille, this one a bit more recent and detailed.
tags: markerrockpassagrillestpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Sunday, March 28, 2021
Here's a detail view of the George T. Ward Poppas Point marker in Pass-a-Grille. I can't find any detail on either Ward or Poppas Point online. Ironically, there seems to be no permanent reference to Poppas Point or George T. Ward. Sort of weird, actually.
tags: rockmarkerpassagrillestpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Sunday, March 28, 2021
At first I was a bit frustrated with this couple because I couldn't get them out of the frame as I tried to snap a pic of this marker. Then I realized how much I liked the composition.
tags: couplepeoplerockpassagrillestpetebeachmarker
photo posted by matt in Sunday, March 28, 2021
Some of the rocks on the pier have carvings in them. You couldn't miss the giant PAM carved into this one. Made me think of our Pam, of course, so I snapped a pic and sent it to her.
tags: rockpassagrillestpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Sunday, March 28, 2021
I found a perfect sand dollar–no chips or anything. Unfortunately, I put it in my pocket and forgot about it. It was crushed to bits by the time I got home, maybe the seatbelt in the car or something. Lesson learned for the next time I find one.
tags: oceanbeachshellssanddollarpassagrillestpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Sunday, March 28, 2021
After breakfast at the Sea Horse in Pass-a-Grille, we went shelling on the beach for a bit.
tags: oceanbeachpassagrillestpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Sunday, March 28, 2021
Well, this is probably the strangest sunset photo I've ever taken. We had a traffic incident happen on the street outside our balcony tonight. It seemed like a bit of road rage when it happened, but I actually think it was an accident. Coincidentally, we got our patio cam back online this afternoon and caught the entire thing on video.
The guy on the right in the orange ball cap ran over the island in the middle and hit the white car. His tire had ran up on the island as he approached the end of the street; he overcorrected in response and then shot over the island to avoid a car in front of him, hitting the parked white car. Crazy sequence of events. Luckily no one was hurt (including a pedestrian who was walking right for the white car and, had it happened 10 seconds later, might have been directly in the path of the oncoming car).
Meanwhile, the sun did its thing, in somewhat spectacular fashion.
tags: sunsetstpetebeachpolicetrafficaccident
photo posted by matt in Saturday, March 27, 2021
We went for ice cream after dinner tonight. Our usual (and favorite) Larry's was bit crowded, which gave us a little pause, so we opted for the less-crowded Sprinkles, which we haven't visited in probably over a decade.
Good ice cream and, bonus, they gave Teddy his own scoop–a vanilla pup cup! It was his first experience with ice cream. No surprise that he loved it; he even licked my cup clean after I was done.
Bringing Teddy on our trips down here might force us to rethink our ice cream routine a bit.
tags: stpetebeachicecreamdog
photo posted by matt in Friday, March 26, 2021
Great sunset on St. Pete Beach tonight, but the sky reminds me of Missile Command a bit. Looking at this photo I feel like the hotel on the right is my last base and it's about to go under!
tags: sunsetstpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Friday, March 26, 2021
The rendering of the coming Hilton Garden Inn is beautiful, of course, and I'm sure the hotel will do fine. But, that space will always be the HoJo to me, and I'll always remember it as my first exposure to my beloved St. Pete Beach.
tags: stpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Thursday, March 25, 2021
Well, it's a bit of a sad day in St. Pete Beach. The Howard Johnson hotel, which sits just a few blocks down from our condo, is gone. The structure is still there, but it's being refurbished and rebranded. The distinct orange roof is gone and construction is well underway. The Hilton Garden Inn will arrive soon.
The HoJo was my first exposure to St. Pete Beach, probably 45 years ago. My grandparents brought us down here. When they traveled, they would only stay at a Howard Johnson. So, each time they brought me here, we stayed at the HoJo (and ate dinner at the Brown Derby next door).
Sad to see it go. Progress sucks sometimes.
tags: stpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Thursday, March 25, 2021
We took Teddy on a quick walk today as we were a little behind and it was actually hot outside. He and Renee did some window shopping along Gulf Boulevard.
tags: dogstreetstpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Wednesday, March 24, 2021
I'm not sure what this statute did in its former life, but I kind of dig it sitting atop the front door of this house down the street. The pool balls on his vest might be a clue.
tags: stpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Tuesday, March 23, 2021
We didn't get much sun today, but it finally showed up just in time to set.
tags: sunsetstpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Monday, March 22, 2021
There's a new bar/restaurant going in down the street from us–going to be called 82 Degrees, maybe? Their new "Wish You Were Here" in St. Pete Beach mural is pretty cool.
tags: stpetebeachfloridamural
photo posted by matt in Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Datelining this post made me realize—it's the first post I've datelined from St. Pete Beach in nearly a year and a half. Man I've missed this place.
tags: travelstpetebeach
postposted by matt in Monday, March 22, 2021
A great birthday memory - placing all of our handprints in the sand on the beach!
tags: beachbirthdaystpetebeach
photo posted by matt in Saturday, December 31, 2011
I watched these two fishermen cast their lines into the Gulf of Mexico several times while catching the sunset one evening. After the sun had slipped beyond the watery horizon, I heard one say to the other "this is our last chance."
Then I took this silhouette shot.
tags: fishermanfishingfloridasilhouettestpetebeachsunset
photo posted by matt in Saturday, July 30, 2011