Saturday, May 30, 2009

Your Funnel Cakes are served my lady.

Ybor City's wonderful fresh market is held every Saturday, rain or shine, in Centennial Park. Vendors offer gourmet foods & sauces, fresh baked breads, fresh eggs, prepared foods, orchids, herbs & plants, pet treats, honey, gifts, photography, artwork, jewelry, woodworking, soaps and body products, candles, and

tons more. Plus, terrific people. Creative. Caring and all hardworking. The place is a delight and worth the visit to Ybor. The Funnel Cakes are in the plaza not far from the statue of Nick Nuccio, an important mayor of Tampa in the 1950s and 60s.






Friday, May 29, 2009

Even a grand oak will come to the end of its grandeur and shade.

After 80 or so years it was long past time the huge oak tree that stood in front of our neighbor's house come down - sad but necessary. It took several hours and with each cut of the chainsaw it was lowered to the ground. I caught this cut just as a severed limb slipped away.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Tampa's Seddon Channel and the glorious clouds over the city

The day, weather and sky could not be more beautiful. This view looking north from the Marjorie Yacht Basin on Davis Islands is a perfect spot to watch the boats and rowers on the water, the Harbour Island homes and shops at Knights Point, and the city's downtown basking in the sun.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Justice is quite the looker

Veritas et Justitia is the name given to this magnificent bronze statue installed in 2007 at the entrance to George E. Edgecomb Courthouse, 13th Judicial Circuit, in downtown Tampa, by the internationally-known artist, Audrey Flack. A contemporary interpretation of classical sculpture in the ancient Greek and Roman traditions, the artist created a classical figure but her presence is modern, forceful and incredibly alive. Very powerful. The statue, ten foot tall and weighing 2,000 lbs., is cast in bronze, patinated and gilded. Audrey Flack is a pioneer of Photorealism and a nationally recognized painter and sculptor. She holds a graduate degree and an honorary doctorate from Cooper Union in New York City and a BFA from Yale University. She has taught and lectured extensively. Her work is in major museums around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American. Notice as you click and enlarge the photo (and you must to appreciate this fine work) that the lady does not hold the scales of justice, as do most other statues of this kind, and is wearing a most interesting blindfold, not solid so her justice is truly blind, but has tiny slits for her eyes. The greenish cast to the bronze is intentional and is set off handsomely by the gold leaf and crown of stars. I hope you agree that Veritas et Justitia is a magnificent sculpture.





Sunday, May 24, 2009

Tampa's Union Station: A Proud History















































































Tampa's Union Station was designed by J.F. Leitner in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. In 1974, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its architectural and historic significance. By 1984, the station was closed and the passengers who still road the rails used a temporary building. But, the public and dedicated preservationists recognized that a tremendous part of our history was represented in the station, a history worth restoring and reopening. Union Station was acquired in 1991 by the non-profit Tampa Union Station Preservation & Redevelopment Inc. After millions of dollars in restoration funds, it re-opened in 1998 and was one of the first buildings to be designated a Tampa Landmark by the city’s Historic Preservation Ordinance. The station reopened to Amtrak passengers and the public that same year. (Visit Tampa Daily Photo for the complete story and photos.)

Friday, May 22, 2009

I'm not just a clock repair man: Mr. Stan Good and his world of clocks, fans and music



















Visit http://www.tampadailyphoto.blogspot.com for the entire story on Mr. Stan Goof of Tampa, and his amazing, even magical clock shop and antique fan museum.
























































































































































































































































Saturday, May 16, 2009

Mural celebrates Tampa's Diversity - Kaleidoscope: A Heritage of Color

Macfarlane Park Mural Celebrates West Tampa Pioneers

Tampa, FL November 1, 2007 - Citizens and community leaders will join Mayor Pam Iorio to unveil a new mural at Macfarlane Park in West Tampa. The event will take place on Monday, November 5, 2007 at 2 p.m. The mural, titled Kaleidoscope: a Heritage of Color, can be found at the south end of the park. Macfarlane Park is located at 1801 North Lincoln Avenue, Tampa. L
ocal artists Edgar Sanchez Cumbas and Guillermo Portieles were selected as the team to create the West Tampa mural through a national call to artists. The mural was commissioned by the City of Tampa Public Art Program, in celebration of Arte 2007. In their initial concept, Cumbas and Portieles wanted to represent the hard working individuals in West Tampa “who embraced a thriving a social and cultural community through its broad mix of nationalities and religions.” From this concept and through much input from community leaders and historians, Kaleidoscope: a Heritage of Color was created. Individuals depicted in the mural include: Robert “Bob” Saunders, civil rights activist, NAACP Florida director (late 1950s – mid 1960s); Luisa Capetillo, women’s rights activist (early 1900s); José Martí, leader of Cuban independence from Spain, poet and writer (late 1800s); Hugh Macfarlane, Scottish immigrant and attorney, founded West Tampa (1892); and Fernando Figueredo, first Mayor of West Tampa, (1895).

For additional information, please contact Art Programs Manager Robin Nigh at (813) 274-8531 or robin.nigh@tampagov.net.