photos and descriptions of what makes our world a pleasure
emphasis on Florida and the Tampa Bay area but also far beyond

favorite articles

Philfest 2010

March 31, 2010

Can there be any doubt that the mix of family, friends, and food is one of life’s greatest pleasures? One look at the pictures accompanying this article should be proof. Those smiles are deeply felt. Joined in common cause, these families and friends celebrate their Filipino community while preparing their culture’s foods. “Backstage” is where [...]

Tagged as: ACTIVITIES, Asian food, events, favorite articles, Florida, Tampa

Tampa’s Phap Vien Minh Dang Quang and the Jade Buddha

March 10, 2010

Every week/weekend in Tampa Bay has a lot of activities, but this weekend has more than most that fit my tastes. One you don’t want to miss is the enormous Jade Buddha for Universal Peace at the Vietnamese Buddhist temple in Town and Country (that area of Tampa on the west end of Hillsborough Avenue). [...]

Tagged as: attractions, Buddhist, churches & temples, favorite articles, Florida, SPIRITUAL, Tampa

Mount Dora, Florida

February 25, 2010

OVERLOOKING LAKE DORA FROM LAKESIDE INN Mount Dora is a small town in central Florida on the edge of Lake Dora. As you can see in the map below, Lake Dora is just one of dozens of lakes, large and small, scattered throughout this area adjoining the Ocala National Forest. View Larger Map This [...]

Tagged as: antiques, attractions, birds, boats, crafts, events, favorite articles, fishing, Florida, galleries, HISTORIC, lakes, Mount Dora, NATURE

Vietnamese New Years at St. Petersburg’s Phat Phap Buddhist Temple

February 16, 2010

Two of the most popular posts at Inkwatu over the few years of its existence are Wat Mongkolratanaram — Palm River Thai Temple and Songkran at Tampa’s Wat Mongkolratanaram and memories of Thailand. Wat Mongkolratanaram is a Thai Buddhist temple, but there are many other Buddhist traditions represented in the Tampa Bay area, many [...]

Tagged as: attractions, Buddhist, favorite articles, Florida, HOLIDAYS

The New St. Pete Dali Museum and politics

February 9, 2010

New Dali museum under construction The new Dali Museum The new Dali Museum being constructed right next to Mahaffey Theater looks exciting. I hadn’t driven down that way until just recently and what I saw took me by surprise. I’m not sure if this is the front or the back of the new museum–that fits [...]

Tagged as: attractions, favorite articles, fine arts, Florida, museums, St. Petersburg

Behind the scenes at the Arbors Records Invitational Jazz Party

January 24, 2010

Gary Baldassari, Incorporated Magi audio engineer, instructing Full Sail interns on microphones Teachers and students The tagline for Inkwatu is “Delights, near and far.” Less poetically put, that simply means that this blog is about things that I find delightful: people, places, things, food…and also the good I see some people do. One such [...]

Tagged as: ACTIVITIES, Clearwater, favorite articles, fine arts, Florida, jazz, MUSIC

Gulfport Trolley Day

January 17, 2010

Gulfport Hideaway Apartments A good friend recently bought a home in Gulfport, Florida. Attached to this home, in which she will be resident, are four apartments. She calls her complex the Gulfport Hideaway Apartments. Her target clientele are seasonal visitors from abroad. She wanted to confirm that her visitors would not need a [...]

Tagged as: attractions, favorite articles, Florida, Gulfport, Indian Rocks Beach, Pass-a-grille, Redington Shores, restaurants, St. Pete Beach, St. Petersburg

Who’s your favorite Scrooge?

December 21, 2009

click for larger image I know, I know: regardless of your specific religion, the winter holidays are all about sweetness and light. BUT…if it weren’t for Charles Dickens’s unforgettable Ebenezer Scrooge, would there be a Grinch? A Scrooge McDuck? Or, Bill Murray’s wonderful character, Frank Cross, in the 1988 film, Scrooged? Could there even be [...]

Tagged as: favorite articles, HOLIDAYS

Adam’s Nursery & Water Gardens

December 12, 2009

all pictures in this post taken at Adam’s Nursery & Water Gardens multiple waterfalls greet newcomers Who do you call if suddenly you find yourself the owner of a professionally constructed koi pond? That’s the question a friend of mine recently faced after she bought a home in Gulfport, Florida. interconnecting ponds In her new [...]

Tagged as: favorite articles, Florida, NATURE, SHOPPING, shops, St. Petersburg

Sunday Morning in the Dog Park

November 21, 2009

Daisy Grady Last weekend, I visited my son and his fiancé up in Atlanta. Sunday morning, their two dogs (Daisy and Grady–both pictured above) and my son and I went to a nearby dog park for some fresh air and fun. Anyone who thinks dogs are not sentient beings fully capable of emotions including [...]

Tagged as: ACTIVITIES, Atlanta, dogs, favorite articles, Florida, NATURE, parks

2009 St. Petersburg International Folk Fair photos

November 14, 2009

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH FUNNEL CAKE SPIFFS (the St. Petersburg International Folk Fair Society — www.spiffs.org/) “is the only independent multiethnic organization of its kind in the United States. It was founded in 1975 as an umbrella organization of ethnic groups who joined together to present a festival during the US Bicentennial Celebration.” In addition to their [...]

Tagged as: ACTIVITIES, favorite articles, Florida, St. Petersburg

Thai Orchids at St. Petersburg International Folk Fair 2009

November 6, 2009

Click on any picture in this post for larger image. SPIFFS (www.spiffs.org/), the St. Petersburg International Folk Fair Society, is one of the beloved institutions of St. Pete. I’m honored to be their official photographer this year while their regular photographer is in the hospital. This year, the fair has been moved from the spring [...]

Tagged as: ACTIVITIES, attractions, crafts, favorite articles, Florida, flowers, FOOD, NATURE

TC Choy’s

September 26, 2009

A FEW KITCHEN SPECIALS: (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) SALT & PEPPER SHRIMP, FRIED TOFU STUFFED WITH SHRIMP PASTE, CHINESE BROCCOLI IN OYSTER SAUCE, EGGPLANT STUFFED WITH SHRIMP PASTE I’m proud to announce that the September 2009 issue of Asia Trend Magazine carries my first article and photos as one of their contributing food writers. Asia [...]

Tagged as: Asian food, dim sum, favorite articles, Florida, FOOD, restaurants, Tampa

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →