1. Hilton Hotel Carillon Park, St. Petersburg, April 30 - May 4, 2007.
2. The Hilton is next to this lake and bell tower, but the meeting rooms are our destiny.
3. The dining room, bar & lounge is called Luna. Bring your sunglasses!
4. The hotel was nice enough, but there weren't any restaurants nearby. Photos 4-12, Roger Britt.
5. The boardwalk around the lake was an unusual treat.
6. There was even a floating walkway right across the lake.
7. The the Carillon Tower was the center piece of this wildlife reserve/industrial park.
8. The view from the Hilton.
9. A photogenic place at least.
10. Sometimes the pool was empty.
11. And sometimes it wasn't, but it only got the sun in the morning.
12. Joanne is busy looking for the catch of the day.
13. What did it taste like Joanne? "Chicken!" Photo, Tommy Kee.
14. One area in particular was teeming with wildlife. The red billed birds are Moorhens. Photos 14-19, Roger Britt.
15. Joachim guarantees me that this a pike.
16. Some of the turtles didn't have any moss, but these guys must not get out much.
17. The Blue Heron was always interesting to watch.
18. The guck in the water looked a lot worse in person than in this photo.
19. King of the castle.
20. But the Cormorant was the center of attention, because... Photo, Tommy Kee.
21. ... it had a nest only ten feet away from the boardwalk. Photos 21-28, Roger Britt. Photos 29-30, Joanne McMillen.
22. They were very entertaining at feeding time.
23. But then there was nappy time!
24. Stephanie assures me that this too is a Cormorant.
25. Al Baum, Uniden, got an award as Editor: TIA-1083. TIA-1063, TIA-571-B & TIA-470.110-C-1 also received awards.
26. Joanne McMillen, Avaya, got an award as Chair/contributor: TSB-146-A. TIA-912-B & TSB-160 also received awards.
27. On Sunday, Joachim Pomy, Roger Britt & Joanne took a Segway tour of St. Pete's waterfront. What a hoot!
28. Opened in 1988, The Pier is a landmark in St. Petersburg. A half mile from shore, there are shops & restaurants.
29. We also drove down the west coast, which is a continuous white sand beach. This area is called Indian Rocks.
30. How does Joachim fund his standards travel? By selling sand on eBay, of course. He certainly comes equipped!
31. I 275 crosses Tampa Bay with this spectacular bridge. Amar Ray stopped to fish at one of its piers. Photo, Amar Ray.
32. Clearwater Beach has lots of stuff to do. The Sea Screamer is billed as the "World's Largest Speed Boat".
33. We are headed into the Gulf. Clearwater Beach is on the left and Sand Key on the right. Photos 32-39, Roger Britt.
34. Joachim, Joanne & Roger. The Sea Screamer goes about 45 mph & has a very smooth ride.
35. There are lots of water sports.
36. Even pirates.
37. But the main objective is to find some dolphins & get them to ride the wake.
38. They can jump pretty high & they put on an entertaining show (voluntarily).
39. Finally, on the way back we see the the Michael Jackson & Lisa Marie Presley estate on the Clearwater mainland.