Growing up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, Girl Scout camp was the highlight of my summer. Two weeks away from home living in the woods was a dream come true. It’s where I learned to sail a Sunfish, paddle a canoe, and never leave my sleeping bag unzipped after finding daddy longlegs taking a nap inside. Camp is also where I landed my first journalism “job” as a reporter for the little newspaper we published each week.

When an invitation came from the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida to visit Camp Wai Lani in Palm Harbor, enjoy some of the activities and sample this year’s lineup of Girl Scout Cookies, I jumped at the chance. … Read More

It must have been quite a sight to drive by the Museum of Fine Arts and see 120 Boston Terriers and their owners posing for a photo on the museum steps. Definitely a reason for a double-take. But this is St. Petersburg and we love our fur children so, it’s not really that surprising.

The occasion was the 4th annual Boston Terrier Pet Parade, held in December on the weekend closest to the anniversary of the Revolutionary War-era Boston Tea Party. Last year was the 248th anniversary of the infamous day when the ‘Sons of Liberty’ boarded a British ship and tossed a shipment of tea into Boston Harbor as a protest.… Read More

Stepping into Alli Arnold’s cozy bungalow in the Old Northeast feels like walking into a charming English cottage. It’s filled with artwork, a mix-and-match of colors and textures, comfortable furniture, lots of books and a menagerie of animals. Sophia, the Boston Terrier; Honey the Morkie (Maltese & Yorkie); George, the little Green Cheek Conure parrot; and two gerbils – Gronk (for Rob Gronkowski of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Tzatziki (for Alli’s favorite Greek-style condiment) are all eager to greet me.

“I’m happy my husband Ken is on board with all of this animal madness,” jokes Alli.

A native New Yorker and illustrator, Alli moved to St.… Read More

Disgraced ex-police detective Jane Byrne is on the run. After surviving a brutal excessive-force civil lawsuit that scarred her with PTSD, she blows into New Orleans on her Ducati motorcycle looking for a fresh start, never expecting to uncover a hate-crime serial killer targeting NOLA’s inclusive LGBTQ community.

After reading this description of the fictional crime thriller, Love Power, I’m intrigued to meet the author, Martha Reed, who lives in Crescent Heights and retired last year as a senior project consultant for a local financial services firm.

It’s hard to imagine working in the financial world by day and writing mystery and crime fiction by night.… Read More

From December to May, it’s not uncommon to see Hilda Neily with her easel and palette of paints on the sidewalk of one of Crescent Heights brick-paved streets. She’s an impressionist plein air painter in the style set forth by master impressionist painters like Monet and Renoir. Plein air is a French term for ‘in the open air.’

In fact, Neily invites anyone who enjoys painting outdoors to come and join her. “The Impressionists often painted together,” she says. “You can learn from each other, see something different.”

Neily has the distinction of being one of the most prominent painters today in the Cape School of Art tradition.… Read More

Sometimes a simple synchronicity can be life-changing in ways we couldn’t dream of at the time. That’s what happened for Barbara Rhode, a St. Petersburg licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of the Red Tent Women’s Initiative.

Barbara had just finished reading Anita Diamant’s book, The Red Tent – a compelling fiction about the ancient tradition of women seeking comfort in each other’s company while they spent time in the “red tent.” The book reinforced Barbara’s belief that for many women, having a safe space to share their feelings and experiences was very much missing in today’s society.

At an estate sale a few months later, she had the odd sensation that something was wrong from the minute she walked into the house.… Read More

In rural upstate New York where they live six months out of the year, Jim and Eva Tomlinson have an apple grove with 100 trees; a field with raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries; two large vegetable gardens, and a big pond. It’s peaceful. They can sit on the front porch of their 100-year-old cottage and see the fireflies and stars at night. Wildflowers like Queen Anne’s lace and day lilies grow everywhere. Oaks, maples, and other hardwood trees cover most of their 50-acre homestead.

But, they also have no electricity… which means no computer, no TV, no dishwasher, and no automatic coffee makers.… Read More

As a master in the Ichiyo School of Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, Jeanne Houlton’s arrangements are a study in minimalism, balance, graceful lines, space, and proportion. More than a simple decoration, Ikebana arrangements are three-dimensional floral sculptures.

“In Ikebana, the idea is less is more,” says Jeanne. “By taking away, a more powerful effect is achieved. Negative space is part of the art. It’s also transient, which is represented in our use of all stages of the plant, from seed to flower to the dried form in death.” Jeanne also points out that western floral design is symmetrical, but Ikebana uses asymmetrical balance.… Read More

It’s hard to say who enjoyed the attention more: Mindy, the white cockatoo at Sunken Gardens with the big personality, or the students from Bear Creek Elementary. Mindy ruffled the feathered crest on top of her head as the students crowded around, eager for a look at the exotic bird and hoping she’d say hello.

Back in February, before coronavirus social distancing guidelines, the students were there for the official launch of Sophie & Zack at Sunken Gardens, a colorful, interactive book published by the Sunken Gardens Forever Foundation. It’s part of a new innovative educational program in partnership with the Pinellas County School System.… Read More

My husband Mark and I weren’t sure what to expect when we attended the media preview of the new St. Pete Pier on behalf of the Northeast Journal. I wasn’t convinced the old pier needed to be replaced with something new. But when we saw the amazing transformation of our downtown waterfront, we were astounded. It took creative vision to make this new venue possible.

As Mayor Rick Kriseman noted, the new pier is so much more than a building that stretches out over the water. “This is one of the biggest projects the city will undertake. It’s an entirely new 26-acre development for the community, for everyone to enjoy,” said Kriseman.… Read More