A holiday sunset walk

On April 8, 2026May 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights6 Comments

We did not have family come into town for Christmas this year and the family that is local had gone out of town so after our late Christmas supper we headed over to the Dunedin marina for a sunset walk. It was a beautiful cool night and we were not alone. The marina area was packed although I was able to get the above pictures without anybody in them.

Going down behind the nearby dock. This dock was completely lost in the hurricane in 2024 and was just finished being rebuilt right before Christmas.

The marina with that pink and orange glow once the sun had gone down.

A sunny start to December

On March 18, 2026April 10, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights4 Comments

In early December Brett and I were back at Davis Islands for another afternoon walk. We were soaking up the cooler sunny weather.

It was a busy sailboat day and we sat for a while watching the boats go in and out of the yacht basin.

We found the perfect bench to sit and look for birds and dolphins.

This male grackle was showing off his pretty colors in the sun.

We also had a nice view of downtown Tampa from our bench.

A beautiful November sunset

On March 4, 2026April 10, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights5 Comments

Another beautiful sunset in late November. We decided to swing by the causeway at the last minute so we only caught the last of the sunset. It was a little chilly this night and we only got out of the car for a few minutes.

A 3 park walk and a little bit of history

On March 2, 2026April 10, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn flowers and plants, Tampa bay sights4 Comments

It was mid-November but you would think it was spring at the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo. It was still warm and butterflies were all over the butterfly garden. Brett and I were out for a walk through the gardens and then to Heritage Village next door.

Red things were still blooming.

The sun was coming through the holly tree.

The banana trees were loaded. I wonder if the squirrels eat them.

A soft shell turtle hiding under the duckweed.

A moorhen and turtles in one of the ponds. I’m sure there’s an alligator hiding underneath there.

Brett had never walked through Heritage Village which is a part of the botanical gardens here. The village is full of old historic homes from the Pinellas county area that were moved here to be preserved. You can read about the homes here.

The historic village had recently been donated a relic from the old Tiki Gardens theme park/restaurant on Indian Shores Beach back in the 60’s. Seeing the big statue brought back many memories of going there with my family when I was growing up. You can read more about the history of this restaurant here.

Our last walk of the morning was at nearby McGough Park to see the turtle pond. There are so many turtles that live here and you can feed them. On the this morning kids were already throwing in the pellets for them to eat.

Sunset walk before dinner

On February 18, 2026March 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights7 Comments

In early November we were at home trying to decide what to do for dinner (when you’re a kid you never thought this is what you would be doing every single day for the rest of your grown up life). The weather was perfect, sunny and 70. We decided to take the drive over to the causeway for a quick short sunset walk and then get something to eat on the way home. We could already see the full moon when we got to the causeway.

The sun was going down pretty fast.

Almost down as we walked by the kayak rentals.

Almost done.

The sun had gone down and the moon was getting bright as we headed for dinner.

A walk along the water

On February 9, 2026March 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights3 Comments

In early November Brett and I went for a walk along the waterfront near downtown St. Pete.

The old historic pink hotel (Vinoy) looked pretty against the blue sky as we passed by. Built in 1929, the hotel was taken over by the Army during WW2 and was used for training. It has been said that it is haunted.

Walking past the boats at the municipal marina.

As we walked out along the pier this sailboat came close to us. It swerved at the last minute.

Pelicans were diving along the pier.

The old pier pilings are still in the water and the pelicans like to sit on them. The inverted pyramid building and the pier were torn down in 2015 and the new pier was completed in 2020. You can read my post about the old and new pier here.

Watching the pelicans diving under the pier. The bait fish are plentiful under the pier so the pelicans are constantly diving around it.

Taking a break after climbing the back stairs of the pier building.

The view of St. Pete from the top floor.

Bees buzzing on the goldenrod that was blooming along the pier.

The orchid trees in the parking area were in full bloom.

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) at Image-In-Ing.

A walk on Davis Islands

On February 4, 2026March 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights4 Comments

The heat was breaking by early November and Brett and I were going out often for an early lunch and then a quick walk at different places around the Tampa Bay area. One of our favorite places to walk that we had not been to in a long time was the yacht basin on Davis Islands, near downtown Tampa.

This small island got completely flooded when the hurricanes hit in late 2024 and there was still a lot of damage with people waiting to get their homes fixed. It looked like the yacht club had been redone because there were a lot of people over there and it looked like a sailing class was going on.

Standing on the seawall I could see a blue crab in the water.

We could see downtown Tampa from across the small private airport.

We stopped by the Marjorie Park yacht basin before leaving and had a short walk around the small marina. There are great views of Tampa from the back side of this marina.

The crazy sunrise people

On January 28, 2026January 28, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights6 Comments

In late September I was at the Safety Harbor waterfront early enough for sunrise. My husband always thinks I’m the only one crazy enough to get up early to go see sunrise but when I got to the park there were a lot of other people. I managed to get a shot of a dolphin coming up on the far left in the above shot. I didn’t see him again after that shot.

Getting photo bombed by cute dogs. That one dog was more interested in what I was doing vs. watching the sunrise. He was ready to play.

Watching the sun come up as I walked along the waterfront. It was a warm morning and the water was calm.

I stopped at nearby Philippe Park to walk the stairs on the back of the Indian mound. The sun was still making it’s way up.

Halfway up and the view from the top of the mound.

Riverwalk in downtown Tampa

On January 12, 2026February 5, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights1 Comment

We were still in our “walking” training mode for our trip to Italy in mid-September so we decided to take a long walk along the river front in downtown Tampa. Riverwalk is a 2.6 mile walk each way that runs along the Hillsborough River. We parked far away so we got a 2 1/2 hour walk in that morning (we did take a 10 minute break at the other end).

The view from the top of the outside stairs at the convention center.

Downtown views along the water.

We saw a lot of rowers along the water and realized there was a rowing center across the water. It was a busy place. I’m not sure if they do lessons out of there or just host competitions.

Looking back at the city from Armature Works food hall.

We took a break in front of Armature Works on the other end of Riverwalk. By lunchtime this place will be packed.

Rowing in front of University of Tampa.

A laughing gull photo bombs my shot of the pirate ship.

Down at the other end of the walk you can rent boats, take a water taxi or a cruise on the pirate ship.

We passed by the home of the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team on the way back to our car. It was fun pretending to be tourists for the morning.

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) at Image-In-Ing.

A hot humid walk

On January 7, 2026December 26, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights9 Comments

It was a hot calm morning in late August when I was out walking along the waterfront. Not a puff of wind and not a ripple on the water. The humidity was high and it felt like I was walking in a shower. You could see the humidity in the clouds.

It’s been interesting to watch the pier being rebuilt. On this morning most of the posts had been put in and by now the walkway is done and they are finishing the end. I miss seeing the manatees at the end of the pier. Hopefully they will show up again when it’s finished.

I made a quick stop at the Oldsmar fishing pier before heading home. The end of the pier here is closed due to the hurricanes but you can walk about 3/4 th of the way down.