Swimming at Lithia Springs, Florida

There were a lot of people at the park. The water was pale blue with a white sand floor. The setting around the water looks like a beach, but walk a few paces and you're in the woods.

Blue spring water peeking through the woods.


I put on my mask and snorkel, quickly got in the water, and jumped back up just as fast. Brrr! The spring water was really cold. I was determined to snorkel in the clear water, but it took a while to acclimate to the cool temperature. The first three tries I went under I found my body involuntarily coming back up. So, I took off the mask and swam around to get used to the temperature.

When I got back underwater the visibility was great. Despite all the screaming kids splashing around there were schools of fish by outcroppings of rocks. They weren't concerned about sharing space with people unless they were chased. The sand was full of small snail shells. I had heard that this was a good place to look for shark teeth, but after sifting through the sand with my hands for a while I gave up. I looked around the rocks for life and swam with the fish. It was quiet underwater. As soon as I came up I heard the noises of kids at play.

Water flowing from Lithia Springs major to the Alafia River.

The big spring is a 2nd magnitude spring, which means that a lot of water can flow from the aquifer. The flow from Lithia Springs major can go up to 50 cubic feet per second. There's a cave with a grate over it in the deep end where the water comes out of the ground. As I swam closer to the source the water got colder and the current became stronger. It felt like swimming in place. I tried to get as close as I could to the cave and got a look at it, but the current was too strong to touch the grate.

If I get a chance to take scuba lessons, a Florida spring would be a good place. The water is sweet and doesn't sting your eyes. Getting a mouthful isn't as unpleasant as a mouthful of seawater. Scuba diving isn't permitted at Lithia Springs, but there are plenty of first magnitude springs in Florida for scuba diving. Weeki Wachee is closest to where I live. Ginnie Springs may be another good spot for learning how to scuba.

Florida springs are beautiful, fascinating settings. The water is a refreshing break from the summer heat.

More photos of Lithia Springs, Florida.

Related links:
Florida Springs Database
Ginnie Springs
Lithia Springs
Weeki Wachee Springs

Lighting a cannon on the 4th of July

It's really hard to keep your hand on the cannon after the sizzling starts.  It's the anticipation of the BOOM that gets ya.

Alfonze is ready to take pictures, and Ehrin is about to pack the cannon.

No, we didn't shoot cannon balls. Everybody asks me that. I don't think the neighbors would have appreciated holes in their houses. The cannon was packed with a wad of foil containing gun powder.  The dog ran into the house after the second BOOM.

Who needs fireworks when you have a cannon?  We answered the neighorhood fireworks with BOOMs from the cannon.  Baking soda was added to the gun powder mixture after dark to make sparks.

The view from The Hurricane restaurant

After a great day at the beach, we went up to the roof of The Hurricane to enjoy the view.

Pass A Grille beach with Egmont Key in the distance.

The water was a clear turquoise blue.  I like this beach in the summer, because you can park close to the beach, set up camp, and the water is right there.  That makes a big difference when you're walking in the blazing Florida sun.  There are no buildings directly on the beach and it's a beautiful setting.

The pink palace on the right on the horizon is the historic Don Cesar hotel at St. Pete Beach.  To get to Pass A Grille, keep driving south past the Don Cesar along Gulf Boulevard.

After taking in the scenery from the third floor roof we went down for a walk on the beach.  The colors in the clouds became more vibrant after sundown.

Boogie Boarding at Madeira Beach

It was great to get up in the morning and go for a walk on the beach. The wind was still whipping up waves. After we left the hotel in St. Pete Beach we went out for breakfast and went to Madeira Beach. The waves were even bigger than the night before.

This man was fighting the fish and the waves.

We had so much fun that we stayed most of the afternoon.

Staycation at St. Pete Beach

I needed to get away from it all and booked a hotel on the beach for one night. The Rainy Season has just begun and off season rates are in effect. The day before going to the hotel I checked the weather and it was supposed to rain all weekend. Drats!

It's very unusual for us to have non-stop rain all weekend. Usually small thunderstorms blow around the area. They can dump torrential rain in 15-20 minutes and then the sun comes out again.

When we got to the beach it was overcast and windy. The waves were perfect for body boarding! We had a great time.

We watched the sun go down over the Gulf of Mexico from the steps of the hotel.

Here's my view from the porch.  The sunset was beautiful. I think I have about 100 pictures of these palm trees with the sunset.

The colors became even more brilliant after the sun dipped below the horizon.  We went for a walk on the beach after sunset.  I felt like I was far away, even though I was less than an hour away from home.

Blue Sky for Last Launch of Shuttle Atlantis for STS-132

We got lucky and were able to get tickets to the NASA Causeway to view the shuttle launch from about 6 miles away.  The sky was blue and it was a beautiful day for a launch.  This was to be the last launch for Shuttle Atlantis.  The crew of mission STS-132 is delivering a Russian module for the International Space Station.

People at the NASA Causeway before launch.  The Vehicle Assembly Building is on the horizon.

Everything was go for launch until the last meeting before launch called the 9 Minute Hold.  A small 1/8" ball bearing was discovered in the payload bay.   The bearing had come loose from a camera.  They were discussing whether or not it created a "No Go" constraint for launch.  When it came time for rollcall, everyone responded, "Go."  The flight director wished the crew of Atlantis godspeed, and the commander made a short speech.  We saw the access arm and fuel tank beanie retracting.

There were sparks from main engine ignition, and smoke began to rise around the launchpad.

Shuttle Atlantis silently rose above the launch tower.

The space shuttle ascended into the sky on a long orange flame.  It was beautiful.  We heard a rumbling sound about 30 seconds after liftoff.

The rumbling sound built up to a loud roar accented by pops, bangs, and claps.

Three pinpoints of light show Solid Rocket Booster separation.

The wind started to blow apart the contrail very quickly.  The top part of the cloud formed into a loop.

Here we are with the dissipating contrail on the left side of the photo.

This could be our last time at the NASA Causeway.  There are only two more space shuttle missions left.

More photos of the launch of shuttle Atlantis for STS-132

Full Moon Tide at Fort DeSoto Park

The tide was so far out that the water was only ankle to knee deep. The water was clear and there was a lot of sea life to see. It was like snorkeling without having to swim in the water.

A spring tide happens every month at the full and new moon and has nothing to do with seasonality.  That's when the tides are at their highest and lowest levels.  This evening's tide is about the season.  It's a springtime low tide and sea creatures have gathered to mate.  Walking at Fort DeSoto Park tonight was like walking through an aquarium.

The trail of a tulip snail was easy to follow through the clear water.  Once springtime is over we'll only find remnants of their striped shells.

We found all sorts of starfish.

There were crown conchs everywhere.  At low tide the smaller animals gather to find their own kind.

At high tide the predators come out to feast. We found a small octopus clinging to a pen shell.

The octopus was in a pool of water around an old stump.  It must have been left behind when the tide waters receded, because we rarely find them at the beach.  There were a lot of other creatures around tree roots in the water such as sea urchins, fish, conchs, and tulip snails.  We nicknamed this area the habitat.  It was teeming with life.

A nearby crab was hunting for munchies.

The pink ruffles on the pen shell are tulip egg casings.  The little pink spots are embryos.

Sunset colors reflected on the water in tiny waves and ripples.  The ultraviolet light reflected as deep blues and purples.  Yellow, amber, orange, and red contrasted against the blues.  The colors flickered in the water like a psychedelic festival.

People continued shelling after sunset.  We laughed when a woman screamed when a fighting conch suddenly emerged from a shell she was carrying.  As we drove home we saw people shelling in shallow areas with blue flashlights.  It looked like blue fireflies hovering over the dark water against a sky still dimly lit with sunset colors.

More photos of April 2010 Full Moon Tides

How to Clean Sea Shells

Predawn Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-131

Space Shuttle Discovery lights up a dark sky just before dawn on Monday morning at 6:22am.  The seven member crew of Mission STS-131 is set to resupply the International Space Station and complete 3 space walks.

I arrived around 4am.  The temperature was 59 degrees F, little wind, some fog in low lying areas, and not a single cloud in the sky.

Closer to launch time, people were pressing together, sort of like at a rock concert (except without the booze, drugs and foul language). They were all trying to get as close to the fence as possible, which is at the edge of the Indian River.

At about half an hour prior to launch, a technical glitch created a NO GO situation.  They were working feverishly to fix it, and had less than 30 minutes to do so.  It sounded something like, the flux capacitor wasn't communicating with the disgronificator, so the converginator was disabled.  Who knew?!

About 20 minutes prior to launch, under a totally clear, constellation filled sky complete with waning moon, something happened that has not happened in the prior five night launches.  The International Space Station passed overhead!  Oh Yeah!!!  It eclipsed the moon.  It was one of those times when you truly had to be there.

All of the people that pressed around me had never seen a Space Shuttle launch before.  Most of them had heard that there was a launch attempt this morning and they changed their plans and came over to witness the event


At nine minutes before launch the countdown clock stopped for the Nine Minute Hold.  NASA personnel at Mission Control in Houston and at Launch Control at Kennedy Space Center in Florida have one more meeting before launch to work out last minute details.  The technical glitch was resolved.  Everyone responded "GO!" during roll call, and the Flight Director wished the crew Godspeed.  The countdown continued.

Liftoff is silent from 9 miles away.  The entire area is overwhelmed by light and then the sound builds.  It was so loud that the ground shook.  Car alarms went off.  All sorts of sea creatures surfaced out of the water in surprise.  There were turtles, dolphins, and alligators, to name a few.

As the Space Shuttle sped down range, there was a separation in the contrail. I've never seen that before. There was a huge gap as if the engines had stopped for 15-20 seconds and then came back on. After the gap, there was a trail behind the Space Shuttle that looked just like a huge comet!  It looked like a picture of a comet that you would see in a schoolbook; something like the ancients would have painted.  It was phenominal!  My pictures do not do it justice. One day, perhaps I'll be cool enough to capture a moment like that!

As the dawn painted a rainbow on the horizon, the top of the contrail was brightly illuminated by the sun. We packed up our camp and headed to the car taking glances at the sky as the sun rose.

As we sat in post launch traffic, we continued to watch the remnants of the contrail change colors in the sunrise. I've never seen anything like it.

Plant Hall at the University of Tampa

The domes and minarets of Plant Hall are the iconic architectural symbol of Tampa.  The building was completed in 1891 as The Tampa Bay Hotel.   I've only gotten glimpses of the place when driving by, and wanted to visit. 

The hotel was built by railroad tycoon Henry Plant when there wasn't much else in Tampa.  It was at the terminus of the western Florida railroad line.  There weren't many passable roads through the swamps of Florida in the 1880's.  The railroads would have been the first Dixie Highway in Florida.

The Victorian facade and portico are awe inspiring.  The Tampa Bay Hotel was open seasonally from December - April.  Famous people such as Sandra Berhardt, Clara Barton, Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders, and Babe Ruth visited the hotel.  It was the beginning of Florida's tourism industry.

The railroads created not only new winter retreats for the rich, but also created opportunities for the orange farmers to reach new markets.  The Port of Tampa grew from the connection of steamship to rail transport.  Local businesses flourished.

This fountain inscribed with the name Henry Bradley Plant is across the street from the main entrance facade.  You can see downtown Tampa in the background.

Henry Plant made his fortune in the North when as a railroad employee he saw an opportunity for express parcel service, which was nonexistent at the time.  He worked his way up to becoming a high profile executive.  After the Civil War he purchased bankrupt Southern railroads that were devastated by the war.  The restored railroad lines went to major cities of the South and connected them to the Northeast.  Florida was still a new frontier.

Fletcher Lounge is a large space used today by the University of Tampa as an auditorium.

Here's a detail of the dome inside Fletcher Lounge.

 

The large Victorian windows of Fletcher Lounge.

I climbed a narrow spiral staircase to explore the area above Fletcher Lounge and felt a little like Alice in Wonderland.   I wasn't sure what I might find around the corner.  This curved hallway on the second floor runs along a rooftop.  It connects the offices near Fletcher Lounge to the classrooms of the Science Department.

Grandiose staircases can be found throughout the building.

There's a lot to see here, including the Henry B. Plant Museum on the first floor, and a park along the Hillsborough River. Parking is a challenge, as it is on most college campuses.  If you visit give a little extra time to find parking.  It's a great place to photograph.

More photos of Plant Hall in Tampa