The Saint Pete Pier is celebrating their 20th birthday this Saturday, August 29th, with free activities and cake (1pm) from noon-2pm in The Pier’s Dockside Activity Room. There will be the Surfin’ Raccoons, Raymond the Tampa Bay Rays mascot, hat making from newspapers, Fishy Bingo and more. The Pier is inviting everyone in town, so please drop by. Also, St. Petersburg Little Theatre’s Pizazz song and dance troupe will perform an original dance and teach the Baby Shark Dance around “the Tubes” in the Lobby at 2pm. The party continues 2-5pm with more crafts and sciences and Touch Tank (scheduled 1-4pm daily) in the aquarium (standard admission rates for aquarium admission).

On Saturday June 6, 2009, 9 am to noon, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, the Greater Florida Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America will present Walk for Lupus Now 2009, a charity walk to benefit people with lupus.

We are all familiar with diseases for which there are charity walks, such as breast cancer and AIDS, but we might not be as familiar with the disease of lupus unless a friend or relative has this difficult condition. Lupus is an autoimmune disease which is inflammatory and chronic. It ranges from mild to moderate to life-threatening. It is a remitting/flaring disease. It is not curable. The cause is not known but there seems to be a genetic predisposition. Here are some facts about lupus extracted from the the Greater Florida Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America brochure:

• 4 times more Americans have lupus than have multiple sclerosis.
• 1.5 million Americans have a form of lupus, 1 in 200, 90,000 in the state of Florida, about 5,000 in Hillsborough County alone.
• 9 out of 10 lupus patients are women.
• Lupus develops most often between the ages of 14 and 45 but can develop at any age.
• Lupus is three times more prevalent in persons of color (African American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American) than in Caucasians.
• Lupus can develop in any person regardless of age, gender or ethnicity.
• Many lupus patients are unable to work at all or can only work part time, and are therefore uninsured.
• Lupus is expensive to manage ($6,000-10,000 a year and up).
• November 20, 1958 marks the last time the FDA approved a medication specifically for the treatment of lupus.
• All of the medications used in the treatment of lupus have toxic side effects.
• Left untreated, lupus patients are at risk for permanent organ damage and even death.

Greater Florida Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America President and CEO, Michael J. Keefer, and Maggi McQueen, Chairman of the Board

This is a very real and catastrophic, incurable disease which I would never have heard of had it not been for the fact that a dear friend of many years has it. I have watched her struggle and I know the fight against lupus is one that deserves everyone’s best efforts. I encourage you to support this particular event because, although there are other events in the area that benefit lupus research nationally, this event helps fund local patient education and support through the services of the Greater Florida Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America (www.lupusflorida.org), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the diagnosis and treatment of lupus, supporting individuals and families affected by the disease and increasing awareness among health professionals and the public. Founded in 1978, this is the largest Florida chapter under the Lupus Foundation of America, Inc., serving more than 90,000 lupus patients in 47 Florida counties. Services include patient advocacy programs, educational seminars and support groups and funding for cutting edge lupus research.

The St. Petersburg walk is unique in that it is held indoors to prevent patients from exposure to the sun, photosensitivity being a common problem for lupus patients. Participants who raise $100 or more will earn an official Walk for Lupus Now T-shirt. Special guests include Master of Ceremonies Nerissa Prest, co-anchor of FOX 13’s Good Day Tampa Bay; Raymond the Rays Mascot; Big Nasty, the Bucs independent fan mascot; Sierra Minot, Miss Florida 2008; and members of the Bucs Cheerleaders. Walk for Lupus Now is a family friendly event with a moon walk, clowns, face painters, magicians and more.

How can you help?

• Register to participate in the Walk (this is non-competitive walk; you don’t have to walk a certain number of miles; you just walk)
• Support a walker by donating (you don’t pledge by the mile; you just make a flat donation for any amount you want)
• Click HERE to register to walk or to donate
• Download this flyer, print, and post where others may see it.*
• Download this brochure, print, read, and share with those who may be interested.*
• For more information call (727) 447-7075, visit www.lupusflorida.org, or email Linda Ruescher at editor@lupusflorida.org.

*Note: to download files, right-click above links and select “Save as…” from popup menu.

Linda Ruescher, Editor and Facilitator Coordinator for Greater Florida Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America

Hawaii, Waikiki Beach at sunset

It’s been one year, almost to the day, since I began the Inkwatu blog. I had no idea how much personal satisfaction writing the articles and taking the pictures would bring. Greater, by powers of 100, than I could ever have guessed. I recommend, wholeheartedly, to anyone, the experience of having a blog. It is a lot of fun.

In honor of Inkwatu’s 1-year birthday I’ve selected my favorite photos from the year’s posts and my favorite posts of the year. The pictures you see in this post are my favorites from the past year. Most were taken during that time, but several were taken prior to 2008. In honor of this birthday celebration, all the photos you see in this post link to full-screen photos suitable for printing if you wish. Just click on any photo you see here and it will open a new tab or window. And…if your cursor shows a little magnifying glass when you open that new window, then if you click on the new image, an even larger image will open. So…have fun!

Flamingos at Florida Sunken Gardens

For the longest time after I began Inkwatu I figured there were perhaps eight people who read it and I thought I even knew exactly who they were (certain friends, family), but I wasn’t even sure if all of them were reading it. Eventually, I decided to spring for the extra $3 a month to get statistics on readership. I was surprised to discover I was getting over 45,000 hits a month. This made me so nervous I stopped reading my reports. I just couldn’t deal with it. Entirely by accident, I happened to read another report recently. Somehow, it’d climbed to over 77,000 hits a month. I’ve stopped reading my reports again. I honestly can’t handle the anxiety of either failure OR success. I’ve learned that what’s best is for me to do what I do and not worry if anyone likes it or reads it.

New Orleans Street Cars at End of the Line

All I knew when I began Inkwatu was that I wanted to write about things I enjoy, primarily here where I live, but also places I travel to. I knew I wanted my focus to be about things I enjoy (not negative things) and about things out in the world (not about me). That’s how I came up with my tag line: “Delights, Near and Far.” The description, “Photos and descriptions of places, activities, cultures, arts, and foods that make our world a special place. Emphasis on Florida and the Tampa Bay area (St. Petersburg, Tampa, etc.), but also far beyond,” restates that in a less poetic, more explicit form. With those two principles in front of me at all times when I write, it’s easy to judge if I’m on track. All I have to do is ask myself if I’m focusing on what’s out there and if I’m focusing on what brings delight.

Statue of Liberty

So…I just keep trying to do what I’m doing: focus on delights, out there. The reason I chose those two things (other directed, positive) is that those are really the qualities that make for a good conversation, which is what a blog is in a way. If the focus is out there, then we both (the reader and I) can focus on it and have our opinions. If it’s about something positive, it makes it a little easier to deal with our day. Someone said―I can’t remember who–the purpose of art is to make life worth living. Blogs do that too.

Florida Seashell at Low Tide

My favorite Inkwatu blog post of the past year–some chosen for their texts, some for their pictures–are listed below. I’ve divided them into two groups: a group of eight for my favorite writing and a group of eight that are my favorites because of their photos. Each of the two lists are arranged chronologically, not in order of how much of a favorite they are.

FOR WRITING

• 2008/05/07: Mississippi Greens
• 2008/07/16: Silent Stories
• 2008/09/03: Cuzn Don’s Hoe Cakes and Hush Puppies
• 2008/09/06: New York Street Food
• 2008/11/01: Winter Light
• 2008/11/05: a bit of green
• 2008/12/17: The Meeting of the Waters
• 2008/12/31: Low Tide

Great Wall of China

FOR PHOTOS

• 2008/03/12: Mazzaro’s Italian Market
• 2008/03/31: Thai-rific
• 2008/04/06: Wat Mongkolratanaram — Palm River Thai Temple
• 2008/06/11: The Craftsman House
• 2008/09/10: New York Tugboats and the Little Red Lighthouse
• 2008/11/22: It’s not all palm trees
• 2009/01/21: Dubai Long Pier
• 2009/02/14: The Year of the Ox

Apricot Quickbread

Most folks read this blog via a reader, such as Google Reader, or they receive it by email. That means they never see the actual website for Inkwatu (inkwatu.com). That means they’re missing a few things. For instance, at the actual Inkwatu website there are columns on the main page that contain links to my favorite worthwhile causes:

• Kiva
• One Warm Coat
• Five and Alive
• Network for Good
• Heifer International
• Second Harvest
• Wikimedia Foundation

The River Strong, D’lo, Mississippi

At the actual Inkwatu website, in addition to the main page, there are a number of other pages that contain information such as:

• an index of all posts by category and by date
• a list of links to important Tampa Bay area resources by categories
• a list of some of my favorite restaurants in the Tampa Bay area by type of restaurant
• a list of links to my favorite blogs of other people by subject
• a list of links to the different Inkwatu Flickr photo sets
• info on my background, and…
• a “shop” where you can buy some of my music or make small donations to help defray the cost of having this blog

Pass-a-grille Beach, Florida

The biggest jump in growth of Inkwatu came when it was listed by alltop.com, an “online magazine rack” of popular topics. Inkwatu is also a “featured publisher” of foodbuzz.com, and a featured blogger on urbanspoon.com, a restaurant guide featured on iPhones. Very recently, Inkwatu has been made the St. Petersburg Community Examiner for examiner.com (it carries reposts of earlier Inkwatu posts for a whole new audience).

Kona, Hawaii, Sunset

It’s been a good year. Less than $100 income from Inkwatu, but that’s not why I’m doing this. I’m doing it because it’s proved to be one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. Part of that fun has been getting to know you through your comments–please keep those coming. I’m looking forward to offering you another year of Inkwatu posts and photos.

All the best…
Hilton

Peace

A PELICAN AT THE SUNCOAST SEABIRD SANCTUARY

Back in May, I posted an article and photos about the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary. They just sent me a request for a public service announcement which I’m delighted to publish. Here’s their message:

The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary is the largest nonprofit, wild bird hospital and sanctuary in the U.S. based on the admission of up to 10,000 injured birds annually. Open 365 days a year from 9:00 a.m. until sunset, hundreds of permanently injured birds live here in this beachfront sanctuary. Educational tours presented at 2:00pm Weds. and Sundays, and groups of 8 or more can call to schedule private tours. The Educational Center and Gift Shop are open until 5:00 p.m.daily. FREE Admission but donations greatly needed. Volunteers are in great need and are trained to assist in many areas including; beach monitors, bird counts, educational docents, hands on rescues and training. Located at 18328 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores, Fl 33785. 727-391-6211. (See Seabirdsanctuary.com.)

So…if you enjoy nature and the water’s edge and you want to be of service, please consider volunteering with the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary. They really need our help.

click here to see image on Flickr
the first hibiscus I ever grew

The update is complete. I’m amazed. There were absolutely no problems…that I know of. Please, everyone, look around the site, and if you find something that doesn’t work, just let me know via a comment or an email.

You’ll notice a couple of differences between this incarnation of Inkwatu and the previous one. Most notably, it’s more compact with a navigation menu across the top. You’ll also notice that, at least for now, I’m limiting the front page to only one post. Also, I’ve not yet integrated the Restaurants page. I plan to expand and improve that before I do. The side columns are now both on the right. That will make the site load faster in your browser and greatly improve viewing the site on a pda or smartphone.

I must say that I’m very impressed with how well the WordPress update went. (WordPress is the software that I use to “make” the blog.) Their instructions were very clear and worked as they said they would. How often does that happen?! I’m also very impressed with the Thesis theme which I”m now using. (A “theme” is additional software that formats how things look.) A special word of thanks to a friend and fellow blogger, Marty Marsh (author of Inner Success Circle and Marty’s Web Kitchen) who helped me through this transition with exploratory access to his own WordPress 2.7 Thesis installation and with much needed encouragement.

So…despite my saying in the last post that I wouldn’t be publishing a post this Wednesday, I will be after all!

Beginning Monday, December 29th, Inkwatu will be undergoing a major technical revamping: the installation of completely new blogging software. The address (http://inkwatu.com) will remain exactly the same. This transition won’t affect the reader in any way other than there being no post on Wednesday, December 31st. If I’m lucky, and the transition goes smoothly, Inkwatu will be back in operation in time for a post on Saturday, January 3rd. If the update doesn’t go smoothly, then the next post may be delayed a little more, but you never know…the upgrade may go even better than I anticipate. Wish me luck…!

Medical specialists, clergy, lawyers, morticians, and musicians are a particular group. (No, this is not one of those what-doesn’t-belong-in-this-list things, nor is that a list in descending order of social desirability, although some might think so.) These are professionals often involved in other people’s life transitions: births, blessings, weddings, funerals, etc. Because of that, we (I’m a musician in the real world) usually develop an emotional insulation that enables us to perform hundreds and hundreds of funerals (or even worse, weddings) in a life-time without going (too) crazy.

So it was that when I was the choral director on a church choir performing tour of the Vatican and Italy, that I wound up conducting a choral mass in a dark underground crypt, literally inches away from the entombed body of St. Francis of Assisi, and surrounded by the tombs of his first followers. Even emotionally immune, hard-hearted-me was greatly moved. This was one gig (musician talk for “engagement”) that was not just a gig.

If there was ever somebody who deserved the title. Saint (and in my opinion, not many do), it was Francis of Assisi. No use recounting his story. Everyone of almost every religion (or none) knows it.

The pictures in this post are from my visit to Assisi. It was definitely BDC (before digital cameras), but that’s what scanners are for.

Assisi is a small town in the middle of Italy, that looks out over rolling hills of farmland. Bees hum about trellises and window boxes of flowers and the air is warm and humid but fresh and unspoiled.

The Basilica of San Francesco Assisi which rests atop the crypt where we performed was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1997. Four people were killed and some important artwork was permanently destroyed. The building was eventually restored and improved but at a cost that was controversial (see this BBC News article).

That controversy aside, the values espoused by St. Francis have inspired many. One such inspiration is the Francis House (4703 N. Florida Ave., Tampa, FL 33603; 813-237- 3066) which “is an interfaith center designed to respond with compassion and justice to the spiritual, emotional, educational and physical well being of individuals and families infected, affected or at risk for HIV/AIDS.

“A day respite center for people infected or affected by HIV / AIDS, Francis House is the only respite program of its kind in the tri-city area of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater.” (Quotes from Francis House website.)

December 1, 2008 is World AIDS Day. As part of the group, Bloggers UNITE, I would like to encourage you, during this season of giving, to remember Francis House and give them a generous donation.

The Tampa Bay area has many excellent research and treatment centers for HIV and AIDS, such as:

• the USF HIV Clinical Research Unit and the USF Southeast Region STD/HIV Prevention Training Center (SEPTC),
• the Tampa Bay AIDS Network (combined Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services and the Tampa AIDS Network),
• Metro Charities (their thrift shop in St. Pete is one of my favorite spots for thrifting),
• the AIDS Institute, and the
• AIDS Partnership.

But none of those is more deserving of your help than the Francis House which provides “a safe place for people to come and experience a positive environment that is conducive to helping individuals help themselves. All services are free and confidential… One unique aspect of Francis House is that we offer programs for the entire family and not just the HIV / AIDS infected individual.” They “never lose sight of the big picture that people need the human touch.” Francis House “was founded in Tampa, Florida, in 1990 by Sister Anne Dougherty of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegheny.”

Please give to them generously of your time and/or money. Donations to Francis House are Tax Deductible.

The Inkwatu Store

Store is a subpage of my professional website, hiltonkeanjones.com. In the “real” world, I’m a musician. There are MP3s of some of my music available through Amazon.com as well as physical CDs, also available through Amazon. If you click on the Store link, you’ll find links to the proper Amazon.com pages. It is possible to purchase these selections as an “album” of MP3s or as individual tracks. What I like, particularly, about AmazonMP3′s presentation is that you can hear a sample of any track you want–just click on the little button just to the left of each selection.

Here’s what’s available now, listed as you’ll see it on the Store link. Whenever I’m able to expand the selections, I’ll post another announcement.

I’m the composer of all the music as well as the performer/producer. Hope you find something you enjoy in the store. If you’re a musician yourself, sheet music for all the above selections will be soon be available through the store. Can mugs and t-shirts be far behind?!

Pelicans at St. John’s Pass

I’ve lived in the Tampabay area since 1969. Most of the time, I was so caught up in day to day responsibilities that I didn’t notice where I was. Finally, after retiring and moving away for awhile and then returning, I discovered that This Was Home and I loved it here. I’ve seen it with new eyes, ever since. There’s a list of links on this page for St. Pete and Tampa of things I enjoy. And, bit by bit, I hope to describe, and have a snapshot of, the places and things and people that mean so much here.

Most of my life I lived on the Tampa side of the bay, but now I live in St. Petersburg. I believe St. Petersburg is a model city for the future because its downtown is so human friendly. Downtown has many shops and restaurants, few of which are national chains. The shops are not tourist traps. They include real business: architectural firms, galleries, furniture stores, antiques, bookstores, niche businesses of various sorts. And they are all close together in a pedestrian pleasurable core with many condos, old-style boarding houses, little B&Bs, boutique hotels, and single family homes. And parks! Parks hidden everywhere.

If you are a stranger who plans to visit St. Petersburg and Tampa, I hope you find some things here that interest you so you’ll seek them out in real life. If you’re a local, I hope you rediscover some things that will make you smile.

This blog will mainly be descriptions and photos of places, events, food, people, arts, and ideas in St. Petersburg, Tampa, and Florida. Occasionally, however, it will cover the same things in locations to which I travel.