Florida Trip blog: Skipping thru time & space Part 2 (Hindu Temple of FL & Henry B. Plant Museum)

Hey Ho~

Continuing the traveling stories from our tour south....

Our second adventure was to the "Hindu Temple of Florida" and it was wonderful to go and see the artwork and feel the vibes here at this most beauteous temple! Construction started in 1994 and was finished in the year 2000.  The folks there were very kind, hospitable and welcoming. We each came away with a banana that was given to us by the Priest. :) We marveled at the shrines, the artwork, the stories, the lavish colors. It was very, very kewl.

We couldn't take pics of the inside of the temple, (which is fine and we used our decorum) but there are a couple of pics posted on the web, that I did include.
See for yourself and surf here:
Hindu Temple of Florida

Check out the Osprey's nest on tip-top of the shrine!

(Ospreys are symbolic for The Osprey is a majestic Bird of Prey. ... The Osprey is a symbol of true power, with mastery over the sea, air and land. It is a true hunter, with speed, agility, power and precision. It is a symbol of keen vision, seeing its prey clearly and not being blinded by the sun as it dives towards its target.)

Ganesh, with his big elephant tusk to carry things is the "Remover of Obstacles"
I personally said a prayer to Ganesh for you, and for our country. <3
Hey, we need all the help we can get! :)

It was beautiful!

Our third adventure was to the Henry B. Plant Museum in Tampa. Talk about your gilded age in the day of robber barons! WOWSA. This building was previously a 500 room hotel in its heyday! So posh! Yet so HUGE! It never really filled....and started going into decline...but it was saved by turning it into another site for the University of Tampa.

The Henry Plant Museum was formerly known as the Tampa Bay Hotel, which was a 511 room resort hotel opened on February 5, 1891 by Henry B. Plant near the terminus of his rail line. The museum's exhibits focus on Gilded Age tourism, the elite lifestyle of the hotel's guests, and the building's use during the Spanish–American War. It was designed by architect J.A. Wood who also created the old Hillsborough County Courthouse and the Oglethorpe Hotel.

U.S. National Historic Landmark

The Tampa Bay Hotel was built by railroad magnate Henry B. Plant between 1888 and 1891. The construction cost over 3 million dollars.^[5] It was considered the premier hotel of the eight that Mr. Plant built to anchor his rail line. The hotel itself covers 6 acres (24,000 m²) and is a quarter-mile long. It was equipped with the first elevator ever installed in Florida. The elevator is still working today, making it one of the oldest continually operational elevators in the nation. The 511 rooms and suites were the first in Florida to have electric lights and telephones. Most rooms also included private bathrooms, complete with a full-size tub. The price for a room ranged from $5.00 to $15.00 a night at a time when the average hotel in Tampa charged $1.25 to $2.00.

The grounds of the hotel spanned 150 acres (0.61 km²) and included a golf course, bowling alley, racetrack, casino and an indoor heated swimming pool. In all, 21 buildings could be found on the hotel's campus. The Moorish Revival architectural theme was selected by Mr. Plant because of its exotic appeal to the widely traveled Victorians who would be his primary customers. The hotel has six minarets, four cupolas, and three domes. In the early 90's, all were restored to their original stainless steel state.

Click this link!
Henry B. Plant Museum on Youtube!

Gorgeous!!

Just LOOK at the SCALE of this place!
See me?
See the size of the window??

Look at Donna and I...
can you see us?

See how long the hallways are???

After all that walking and learning and adventuring....
Lunch was long overdue!

So a trip to Frenchy's Rockaway Grill, in Clearwater, right on the beach!!
Complete with a sighting of a PIRATE SHIP!
Arrrg!

We enjoyed the day to be sure!
And Rockaway Mules to drink washed down Steamed Oysters and Shrimp.
Mmmmmmmmm!
What a great treat.

 A very happy time of it!
Thanks to Donna Davenport for being our tour guide and driver!

<3

Fun on Absurdity Weekend!

Play weekend!

Yesterday early morning found us driving to Wellsville Library and we were set up, with backdrop, wireless sound system and in garb, as pirates at 10:30am! The kids were great and the library and its theatre were fabulous! Such a wonderful venue! I love teaching with story, costuming and song!

My new backdrop worked out great with a Jolly Roger pinned on it as well.
After loading out, we stopped in at "Texas Hot" (the local famous diner) and then headed home.

Harry has always wanted to stop at the Glenn H. Curtiss Aviation Museum, in Hammondsport,

so we stopped on our way back.......
and it was SO worth the stop and we highly recommend it!
Check this out....
This is the bike that won the award for "fastest man in the world" on a V-8 bike in 1907.

Can you believe someone RODE this thing?
138 mph!
in 1907!

It looked like this:

Can you imagine??
138mph on that thing???

Lots of the very first prototypes of planes, bikes, boats, cars, engines.

 They also had a Doll house and miniature display for this month and next.
Very kewl.

We also had a party this day for "Absurdity Day" here at Squirrel Haven with a bunch of grand friends, food, drink, laughter, music and silliness!
Let's see there were": Rum balls, edible penguins,

"Bacon Explosion", (bacon wrapped in pork sausage wrapped in bacon :) WOW...that was awesome! There was: bread boat, cheeseburger pie, bean stew, veggies, chicken riggies, pie, danish, pickles, hummus, brownies..homemade hard cider, wine, beer, rum, seltzer,

A FEAST!!

It's good to go on adventures, piratical or aeronautical, and to relax totally with friends, food and fantasy.

Here's hoping that you too, had friends around you to play with and enjoy close to your heart!

Pirates: "On Stranger Tides"

I have to tell thee, that I am indeed looking most forward to the upcoming "Pirates of the Carribbean" movie : "On Stranger Tides".

Some folks have sounded disgruntled with murmurs of: "good god, another Pirates movie? Won't they just let it die?" I say "Fie! Such words of malice! They must be black hearted devils with maggots in their unimaginative souls!"

I ADORE this story.

First off....there's Jack Sparrow.

A wonderful hero with his quirks and humor, his "issues" with his dad, his past many encounters with women (all of which he has taken slaps for) and his daring, life risking Errol Flynn moves. What is not to like?? You know, I don't have a tattoo. I am "blank" as some tattoo enthusiasts like to remind me. I have told them that I just "can't get that committed to anything for the rest of my life." But now, I'm starting to think I might get a tat. Or a brand. If I ever did, it would be the "Jack" sparrow bird or the Pirate brand. These are the only things I could ever commit too. I am a Pirate at heart. I trust no one, and yet am amiable and go with the flow most times to see where things go.

Then there is the fact that I am steeped in historical longings and adventures. The last three trips that Harry and I have made to Florida to play the faire there, we have been to St. Augustine (twice) and then to Beaufort, N.C. to the resting place of Blackbeard's ship, "The Queen Anne's Revenge."

These really aren't your typical "while in Florida" or touristy destinations.
No. No Disney World for us. Instead, we sought out the "Fountain of Youth", saw the Fort there in St. Augustine (the oldest city in the U.S.) complete with the cannons guarding the bay.
We even traveled miles and miles out of our way and went to visit our friend "Blackbeard" and learned all about him. It was BLISS.

While some folks want to be pampered, spa'd, wined and dined.....
Harry & I MUCH prefer a more rustic vacation where we dig, learn, experience history and have a few pints in a weathered, woody pub. Our pirate hat is never far away.

As some of ye know, I am a scholar.
I am always learning something new!
I've been taking courses at Grey School of Wizardry online. Am loving the learning there as well....I am currently finishing the first set of my first four courses and am looking to pick out the next four more. One of the ones I am VERY interested in is: "Merfolk". Why just yesterday, it occurred to me that this would be one of my next courses.....Mermaids have ALWAYS interested me....

So this morning....
I boot up my laptop and get some news and there is a trailer and info out for the upcoming Pirates movie: "On Stranger Tides'.
Damned if it didn't have ALL these elements in it!! HUZZAH!!!

I see there is the "Fountain of Youth", "Blackbeard" AND Mermaids all rolled into one delicious Jack Sparrow adventure.

The wonderful Geoffrey Rush (who in many of his films has built into his lines somewhere the words: "It's a Mystery"...  I look for it in all of his films)
There are also appearances from the incredible Judi Dench and the imposing Keith Richards.

I am indeed salivating for this movie!!

Check this out! A bit of trivia I found online this morning:
"While filming in London in October 2010, Johnny Depp received a letter from a local 9-year old schoolgirl, telling him her classmates needed help to 'mutiny' against her teachers. He turned up with almost no warning at the school in full Sparrow outfit in support."

Now THAT'S my boy! It totally sounds like something I would do....both as a 9 year old student...
and as a Pirate visiting a school, it's something I already HAVE done

I am off to dream, to plan and to scour the 7 Seas to seek out my new plan of adventure!

Until then I leave you with this quote from the movie:

Jack Sparrow (to his father, Captain Teague (Keith Richards)
"Have you ever been there?"

Captain Teague: "Does this face Look like I've been to the Fountain of Youth?"

Jack Sparrow (diplomatically): "Depends on the light"

A Pirate's Course on a Mystic's Voyage

 I am a crusty Pirate yet have been both blessed and cursed with a Mystic's heart.

I have sailed seas of life both tossed about and with a good chart

Knowing that Poseidon doth laugh when I am lost and that he stirs the waters of my discontent.

He doth also provide some occasional safe haven when my ship falters and my spirit is bent.

Begging for calm seas he gives it full well....

Until my adventurous heart craves movement and swell.

I have rescued sailors tossed up for dead on the rocks...

Some have been loyal working with me from deck to docks...

Others lie in sick bay, until their health returns

then they leave me on a quest for other adventurous yearns.

Some stay by my side through storm and through draft

Others jump ship saying "The Captain, she's Daft!"

I have directed my Pirate eye to distant shores and to bays

knowing not what lay there, but the journey's the way.

Once there and have docked to take my leisure

Of pleasures fair and passions without measure

Till my Mystic's heart says to dig deeper without jest

and my scantily clad pirate is off again on another quest.

Where will I take me? If I only knew....

I shall be responsible for my ship and my crew.

But me? Who will take care of the Captain?

She sits alone yet again in her cabin.

Pondering, plotting, measuring charts....

weighing out motives, balancing hearts.

The sea she calls me, but I know not where.

And I will go there, yes.....I may dare.

Tossed on a sea of my own making

leaving a trail of turbulent waking.