Matt & Jess come to Tampa

After many invitations to friends and family, we've finally enjoyed some weekend guests :-) ...Matt and Jess  came down from Rhode Island on Friday. After some grilling and a few tropical libations on Friday evening, we trekked over to Busch Gardens on Saturday and hit the coasters. I'd been thinking that it might be a bit crowded, what with it being a Saturday and a holiday weekend. Nope. The park was not crowded at all, so we rode SheiKra a couple of times before moving on to the other rides (the pic shows - from left - Ben, me, Matt, Jess ...Shirley's broken foot and ribs are close to healed, but not enough for coasters). Saturday afternoon we splashed about in the pool back home, did some more grilling, then headed on down to The Hurricane for a rooftop drink, a look at the Gulf, and back home for some shut-eye before bidding adieu Sunday morning.

Thanks guys for visiting; we really enjoyed having you here (Matt, I'm still finding fruit stickers plastered various odd places :-) ......ok, who's visiting next?

Beer Me

This evening we joined fellow liberal beer lovers for Tampa's August edition of Drinking Liberally. We gathered 'round a couple of outdoor tables at New World Brewery
and enjoyed some good beer, great company, and engaging conversation.  Plenty of the
discussion, of course, focused on the devastation in Louisiana,
Mississippi, and Alabama from Hurricane Katrina's passing. Liberals
care, and liberals act. We talked about the need for everyone to dig
deep and send money to aid organizations. Cash is what's needed most
right now, and you can donate online to the Red Cross. With the inevitable mounting medical needs, it's also a huge help if folks can donate blood -- you can also find a location to donate blood by calling 1-800-GIVELIFE (1-800-448-3543).

On a much lighter note, the picture above (click on the thumbnail image
to see the larger pic) is of the license plate of a vehicle that was in
front of me on the way home from work this evening. Knowing that I'd be
joining some folks for a pint later, this seemed like a very
appropriate sight.

We need to learn from history

Naturally, the common people don't want war, but they can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. Tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and endangering the country. It works the same in every country.

- Herman Goering, Hitler's Reichsmarschall, at the Nuremberg Trials

Support BayWalk for peace

Every Saturday evening there is a protest for PEACE at BayWalk in St Pete (for non-locals, that's in St Petersburg, a little west and south of Tampa ....very beautiful!). Some folks have complained about the protesters ...who, by the way, have been quite peaceful. Some of the local merchants also have complained.

So here's my suggestion for anyone local who supports PEACE. Go down to BayWalk on Saturday evening (or anytime) and patronize the local merchants. Spend some money at one of the restaurants if you can. And be SURE to tell them that you are there specifically to support the PEACE movement and the businesses nearby. If enough folks will be vocal about this and let the merchants know that we are supporting the businesses AND the protesters, we may be able to help everyone get along a little better.

Peace.

10 on the Too-Cute-Ometer

Here's a shot of my niece, Makayla, who is apparently really loving her dance classes :)