Robert Payne

I’ve lived in Tampa for nearly two years now, and I must confess that during that time I’ve never taken the initiative to go to a Tampa Bay Rays game. So, when I got the invite from a friend it was the only push I needed. It was a good game, and the Rays walloped [...]

If you look carefully at this mural (click to enlarge) that is painted on the side of a building in downtown Tampa, you can see that it embodies much of the personality of the city. I hope the artist does not mind that I took a picture of it and posted it here.

Within the [...]

Lately, I have been exploring the different personalities of particular places I frequent. Here are two pictures taken in a 24-hour period along Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa, Florida. They go along with this shot of a Dolphin and Jack playing Cat and Mouse, Horses Resting, and this Bird On A Light.

Based on a tip from Tampa I Am, I decided to take a little stroll out at Brooker Creek Preserve this past Saturday. It sounded nice enough, and with its close proximity to downtown Tampa there was hardly any cause to consider it a huge commitment (even if it meant sacrificing precious weekend hours). [...]

My guess is that the city of Tampa offered up Picnic Island as a concession to give a large amount of oceanfront land over to industry. They also built a bunch of lifeguard towers, but later realized they would have to pay trained people to sit there. No matter, a lifeguard tower is a great [...]

Yesterday evening I took my regular bike route along Bayshore, also known as the Boulevard of Dreams, to Davis Island and back when I came across this dolphin corralling fish. I pulled out my little Powershot A620 and shot some video. At one point he or she leapt from the water with a fish at [...]

If you are going to go sea kayaking in Tampa, Florida you better bring lots of gas, a big outboard engine, and your racing stripes. We take sea kayaking here seriously people! Personally, my paddle converts into numb chucks just in case I get pissed off, which is a lot. To get ready I [...]

What can I say, there has been a lot of this lately. But being new to Tampa, Florida, it is nice to at least be making some friends that are encouraging it.
A few places that I enjoy around Tampa for hanging out, grabbing some food, and tossing back a few are:
Mangroves: A hip little joint in the [...]

It is hard to believe that it has been almost 3 months since I left Reno-Tahoe, but time flies when you are busy getting on with it. What is even more surprising, however, is that I have not yet done a real blog post on my new locale. But first a word from the Florida Gators.
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