I have always been fascinated by this building. It stands all alone in its marble magnificence, completely different from the modest houses that surround it. When I was younger it was called the Commerce Building, I believe, and as I remember it was vacant. Apparently it was saved from demolition in the mid-'90s and became a library in 1998.
Dave and I passed it on Wednesday morning when we took a drive out to Picnic Island, a public park on Tampa Bay at the southern tip of the Tampa peninsula. I used to ride my bike out to Picnic Island when I lived in Tampa and I have fond memories of that area.
There are always lots of horseshoe crab shells out there. I'm glad the crabs haven't all been harvested for their blue blood. You can see downtown St. Petersburg across the bay on the distant horizon, directly above the crab.
We walked around the park a bit, watching the tiny fiddler crabs emerge from their holes in the mud flats around the mangroves, and checking out the scenery along the beach. Here's a FloriVideo™ featuring the scenery and something that sounds a lot like a seagull but isn't:
We had a busy Christmas yesterday. Dave and I went to the hospital in the morning to visit my stepmother, who seems to be doing OK. She complained of pain so she got some medication and we left after a short time to let her sleep. My stepsister who went to see her later said she didn't even remember we'd been there! Oh well. I think she's going to be in the hospital for several more days at least. She's still due to have some more tests and another procedure.
We had Christmas dinner at my stepsister's house, with her, her husband and some of their friends. Dave was in charge of the roast beast, which he actually cooked in the oven in our guesthouse, which as far as we could tell had never been used. It's right next door to my stepsister's so we walked it over when it was done.
Today we're off to Bradenton to spend the rest of our trip with Dave's side of the family. They've been very patient while we deal with my stepmother and her unexpected illness. This trip has been so surreal.
We had a busy Christmas yesterday. Dave and I went to the hospital in the morning to visit my stepmother, who seems to be doing OK. She complained of pain so she got some medication and we left after a short time to let her sleep. My stepsister who went to see her later said she didn't even remember we'd been there! Oh well. I think she's going to be in the hospital for several more days at least. She's still due to have some more tests and another procedure.
We had Christmas dinner at my stepsister's house, with her, her husband and some of their friends. Dave was in charge of the roast beast, which he actually cooked in the oven in our guesthouse, which as far as we could tell had never been used. It's right next door to my stepsister's so we walked it over when it was done.
Today we're off to Bradenton to spend the rest of our trip with Dave's side of the family. They've been very patient while we deal with my stepmother and her unexpected illness. This trip has been so surreal.
The 'library' is a curious and interesting stand alone building. I don't suppose Dave cooked Yorkies to go with the roast beef. Honestly, why would you bother.
ReplyDeleteIt's a miracle they didn't tell that gorgeous building down and build something hideous! It gives a sense of history to an area that probably needs it.
ReplyDeleteTravel On My Good Man
ReplyDeleteCheers