Chief, winner of Most Beautiful Boat in 2023.

With its waterfront lined with masts bobbing in calm water, ropes clinking against metal like wind chimes, St. Petersburg has a rich sailing tradition. The bay offers a large, protected playground for experts and beginners alike. World champions and Olympic medalists have called these waters home. But not all winners are the fastest. The St. Petersburg Classic Regatta is a beloved tradition that is about more than sailing.  

In a world where technology is rapidly changing the sport, a group of dedicated sailors has created a unique way to hold on to traditions.… Read More

It seems like all the fun plants that grow wild in summer are invasive. Good news on the Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) – despite its name, it’s actually a Florida native. It’s not here to destroy us! This vine can be found covering ground and climbing just about anything, from trees to fences to houses, and is common throughout the eastern United States, from Canada to Mexico. Birds enjoy eating its berries, but humans shouldn’t indulge. 

Often confused with poison ivy due to its look, the plant’s leaves are relatively harmless to humans. And, unlike invasive vines like kudzu and wisteria, which Floridians are programmed to quickly remove, Virginia creeper has a few redeeming qualities.… Read More

In 1972, Hurricane Agnes skirted the Tampa Bay area and made landfall near Apalachicola. Newspaper accounts of the flooding Agnes brought to Shore Acres might be mistaken for stories written about the impact of Hurricane Idalia, which followed a similar path at the end of August 2023. In both Agnes and Idalia, residents scrambled to find high ground for cars, appliances, and belongings. The high tide crested seawalls, came up storm drains, filled the streets, and then made its way into homes. 

There are important differences between Agnes and Idalia, however. On the June night that Agnes swept past us toward the panhandle, city and county officials thought impact would be minimal.… Read More

They say gardening takes patience. Old Northeast resident Rick Miller knows a little about that. He emailed the Northeast Journal to tell us about the bromeliad growing in his yard. It’s called alcantarea imperialis, and the plant rewards growers with blooms stretching up to eight feet high. However, you might pay off a 30-year mortgage and never see the awesome display because this plant can take at least eight years – and sometimes up to four decades – to send up its tower of flower. The flower can last up to a year, but when the bloom is done, the show is over. … Read More

Slugger Babe Ruth, the Iron Horse Lou Gehrig, Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio and… best-selling author Dennis Lehane. Three are Yankees and the fourth is “a Yankee.” All are part of the Old Northeast lore of colorful characters and notable people who’ve passed through the neighborhood. However, separating fact from fiction is tricky. 

The Great Bambino is referenced so often HONNA could sell signs saying “Babe Ruth Slept Here.” It might be a real moneymaker, given the number of places he’s said to have hung his cap over the course of fifteen springs in St. Pete. From the Flori de Leon Apartments (where he and Gehrig rented dualling penthouses) to the Jungle Country Club Hotel to the Snell Isle Apartments, the Babe got around.… Read More

A century ago, St. Petersburg was in the midst of a massive real estate boom. Empty lots changed hands multiple times a day and developers took large groups of visitors on bus tours to inspect the newest neighborhoods. Snell Isle was taking shape, but the area beyond Perry Snell’s development was considered a wild and distant place. The first house in Shore Acres sold in 1923, and on March 4 of this year, residents celebrated their neighborhood’s centennial with the dedication of the new Shore Acres Rec Center followed by a 1920s-themed block party. Attendees clamored for seats on a historic trolley tour, highlighting the lesser-known, but fascinating, history of Shore Acres. … Read More

Sometimes the most common plants can do amazing things. You’ve probably seen places where bright green grass grows in the thin cracks in between our Augusta Blocks, while a nearby lawn struggles to grow in rich irrigated soil. Oak tree saplings often find rain gutters to be a fine place to begin their life. Fruit trees are known to emerge where its ancestor was removed many years ago. 

This edition’s yard oddity is actually one of the most popular house plants in America. The golden pothos (and its sister, the heartleaf philodendron) are loved for how easy they are to care for.… Read More

There are almost 7,000 public school teachers in Pinellas County. Each year just 10 are named finalists for Teacher of the Year. That’s .001% of teachers in the county, and this year, one of them is Old Northeast resident Dana Ingebretsen, or “Ms. Ingey” to her students. Originally from Port Charlotte, Ingebretsen has spent her entire 13-year career teaching science at Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport.

While some teachers might change roles a few times before finding their niche, Ingebretsen found a home right away as a young teacher at “Bogie.” As she honed her craft early in her career, she took the opportunity to build relationships with student leaders as a student government advisor.… Read More

This edition’s plant oddity is another airborne fern – only this one is hard to miss. A staghorn fern in your yard guarantees compliments and conversation. These epiphytes (air plants that don’t require soil to grow) can be found growing on the sides of trees, but more ambitious gardeners hang them aloft from great oak branches like floating plant planets. 

First, we dispel a common misconception. Astonish (or admonish) your friends by correcting them with this bit of trivia: Most of the staghorn ferns we see hanging around St. Petersburg are actually elkhorn ferns. Staghorn ferns are bigger, usually singular plants with a large, shield-like frond at the front that collects water.… Read More

An impulse changed Carol Poulson’s life and she’s ready to do the same for others. In 2014, while teaching school, she had a sudden realization, “I need to get on an airplane and go somewhere.” And it wasn’t because her class was driving her crazy. Poulson realized something was missing. As a stay-at-home mom, she loved taking care of her sons, planning birthday parties, volunteering at their school, and driving the carpool. But carving time out of her busy day for a little self-care or “fun” made her feel guilty. 

“As moms, we really do need to put our oxygen mask on first,” Poulson says. … Read More