Mardi Gras on Pass-a-Grille

This morning we went to visit a golf course community on Isla del Sol just across the bridge from St. Pete Beach. The original idea was to look at a possible new vacation rental next year, but of course Bob ended up finding properties for sale. I really don't foresee a property purchase in our future, but it was kind of fun to look.



Land's End

We spent half an hour or so at my favorite spot in this area, Land's End at the tip of Pass-a-Grille, where Boca Ciega Bay meets the Gulf of Mexico. Shell searchers were out looking for treasures while fishermen (and birds) tried out their luck in the surf. I took a few pictures and simply sat on the bench looking out over the Gulf.

We had lunch at The Wharf and sat outside, after a short wait for a table. An older dad with his young, very blond son sat nearby. I thought the dad was a little strict with the child, but they seemed very connected and happy together.

Bob ordered the pulled pork sandwich and I had the fish special, Not great, but reasonably good. The afternoon was warm and sunny, but the sky was overcast after about  5:00 p.m. so we didn't cross the street to watch the sunset.

It's very dark now, shortly after 7:00 p.m.

John's Pass Watercraft Rentals

Personal watercraft have no brakes

The vehicle seems to find its way to Bob's favorite people watching boardwalk at John's Pass, Madeira Beach.

Walking along the boardwalk, I scanned the water for dolphins but other entertainment was nearby.  We watched renters return personal watercraft to a location on the dock. A guy on the dock shouted instructions at approaching renters, while another stood in water up to his shoulders, ready to catch the machines after they stopped.

The first rider followed instructions well, turning off the gas as instructed and pointing the little boat toward the shore. The second panicked a little as he approached the dock and either jumped or fell off, leaving the watercraft unattended for the JetSki guy to catch. The attendant on the dock yelled that he had never seen anyone fall off like that. Even I was too embarrassed to take a picture.

Making matters worse, the female rider followed her partner a few minutes later and made a perfect landing.

Dockside Fish Processing

Red snapper packed for shipping

We stopped on the boardwalk near to watch red snapper and grouper advancing on a conveyor belt from a fishing boat to a small packing operation on the shore. First, the fish were sorted and tagged, then moved to large cardboard boxes, similar in size to ones that would hold a major appliance, packed with ice.



Fish are packed between layers of ice

The fish were carefully placed in a tidy layer, followed by a layer of crushed ice, 
such that many layers of fish could be packed neatly in each box. Some containers were heavy plastic and packed the same way.

Several refrigerated trucks were loaded as various officials watched and signed paperwork. Fish manifests? I couldn't help thinking of scenes from various mafia movies, the kind with grappling hooks and body parts packed in ice.



Fresh frozen fish

New Construction

A lot of construction in the Tampa-St Pete area, one of many signs of an improved Florida economy. A decade or so ago, in the few years after 9/11, I saw a gradual decline in new construction each year in Florida, and the local impact seemed perilous, as old businesses closed and weren't replaced by new ones.

Most interesting to me  is the new  Pinellas Byway Pinellas Byway Bridge just north of historic Pass-a-Grille Beach. It's almost completed now, but yesterday eastbound traffic was rerouted most of the day.

I'm looking forward to taking my own pictures this week.