In what some might call a debilitatingly single-minded passion that seized me somewhere in the first wave of the pandemic, I’ve grown increasingly local-minded. This has little to do with the plague and more to do with having a lot more time in my head. But this one grand idea had many rippling repercussions, not the least of which was my fascination with pollinators: specifically, bees. More specifically, Florida bees. According to the University of Florida researchers, of the 4,000 different types of bees that call the United States home, more than 300 of those species make their home in Florida (and who can blame them; despite our sometimes-sensational press, Florida’s pretty great).… Read More

Back in the summer of 2020, a group of pre-teen boys in St. Petersburg were absolutely cooped up, unbelievably bored, and itching for something to do amidst the pandemic. 

Seventeen-year-old Jonathan Shield’s little brother called a friend to organize a casual basketball workout, headed by Shields, a St. Pete High School student who played for the school. A friend called a friend, and another, and eventually Shields found himself at the head of a team of 12 younger kids at Denver Park in Shore Acres. 

“It was just something to do,” Shields said. “My 10-year-old little brother had a ton of energy, so my mom had the idea to put together an outdoor workout with nine of his friends.” It… Read More

The Coffee Pot Turkey Trot 5K is back for its sixth year, and with it comes the energy and excitement of several thousand runners and walkers on our neighborhood streets on Thanksgiving morning. Produced by North Shore Elementary and sponsored by local realtors Kirby Bryan and Georgia Janas of Northstar Realty, the 5K race is a homegrown success story, growing exponentially in size and visibility since its humble beginnings in 2017. 

The race is the brainchild of a group of dedicated North Shore Elementary parents who knew that bake sales and car washes would never raise enough money to support the in-school and after-school enhancements they had in mind.… Read More

It was a dark and stormy night when Ian came to town. High winds of 75 mph and rain gusts buffeted the Bay area, after laying to communities in the southwest. Wednesday night, September 28, was a long one for those who chose to stay put, many in light of the adjusted forecast slightly shifting the storm’s projected landfall to Lee County. When the worst had passed, and the weather slowly cleared on Thursday, residents began assessing the damage to their homes and property.  

The rumble of chainsaws, the whining of leaf blowers, and the screeching of metal rakes against concrete began early Thursday.… Read More

In this hot housing market, many Zillow listings for the Old Northeast mention the beautiful old trees, the proximity to downtown, the waterfront parks. But there’s something important home-sellers often fail to share. Frankly, it should be in the “Disclosures.” But if you’ve moved to Old Northeast recently, perhaps you’ve heard some version of, “You know about Halloween, right?”

Like it or not, in ONE, Halloween is a part of your life now, and you have three choices: You can embrace it and turn your home into a haunted mansion, a pirate ship, or a spooky orphanage. You can turn the lights off and hide.… Read More

Since we moved to our new home in Old Northeast, a persistent discussion between my wife Ellen and me has involved the inadequacies of our little kitchen here. We should have seen this problem coming. Our Long Island home in New York had a great kitchen. It was big enough to have couches and a television along with a nice fireplace. There was no better place to be snuggled up looking out through the French doors at the winter snow, a fall sunset, or to watch the spring cherry blossoms wafting down onto the deck. When we entertained, the kitchen was where everyone would hang out.… Read More

Tucked between the Coast Guard Station on one side and the Army Reserve Training Center on the other, the Polish-American Society of St. Petersburg is a throwback to a different era. Monika Smolarczyk, the club’s secretary, tells me that at one time, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Italian, Hungarian, and Polish clubs were all located within a few blocks of each other on Beach Drive SE in St. Petersburg’s charming and eclectic Old Southeast neighborhood. That was back in the 1950s and ’60s, when from January through April, St. Petersburg was a mecca for snowbirds escaping the cold. The private social clubs offered camaraderie, networking, music, dancing, and great food.… Read More

Can I do this? The thoughts of self-doubt crept into my mind as I pulled up to take my first boot camp class. I’ve always considered myself to be in good shape. Nearly a decade of working outside in the resort industry, teaching sailing, doing waterski shows, and being on my feet six days a week kept me pretty lean. But then again that was nearly eight years ago, in my twenties, my “former” self if you will. The current version is less lean, more tied to a desk job… and the joys of a few beers and too much barbeque.… Read More

Thursday, February 19th, was a busy day for Jerry Robinson. After provisioning his 40-foot-long, 50,000-pound, 8-wheeler bus for a week, he and his wife, MJ, hit the road in the stainless steel vintage WanderLodge for a rally in Fort Meade, Florida.

“It’s not an RV,” Robinson is quick to specify. “It’s a bus. It’s the same kind of bus that rock bands used in the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s to crisscross the country. They’re built so durably that that’s what they all used.”

Robinson’s vintage restored bus is indeed a relic from the late 1980s. The bus itself was made in 1988, and has since been retrofitted inside to mirror a luxury late ’70s interior, complete with marble tile in the kitchen suite, vivid colors, double closets, a full bedroom with a queen-size bed, a full bathroom, and three AC/heating units.… Read More

We’ve gotten that first nip in the air! And it’s all we can do to get out of our air-conditioned caves. With all those September rains and warm October days, the flowers and greenery abound. The hues of nature make an eclectic backdrop for entertaining in our backyards.

Most of us have odd-shaped backyards thanks to the diversity of the neighborhood. And if you have a small backyard to boot, count your blessings. It’s less work in the summer and creates a better sense of intimacy with your guests. So those of you sandwiched between a back alley and your neighbor’s garage really have the best location.… Read More