Wealthy Northerners settled
this region in the late 1800s, as a winter retreat. Once known as “the Venice of the South”, the
area is surrounded by lakes, rivers, and bayous and to the west, the Gulf of
Mexico. Thousands of Greeks immigrated
to this area in the early 1900s to work in the sponge industry. This has left a strong imprint on the community. Walking along the sponge docks, there are
dozens of little shops selling Greek souvenirs and foods, and local
sponges. Greek restaurants and bakeries
line this street and are dotted throughout the town. Tourism is now the primary income source for the
vicinity.
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Tile mural in the downtown area |
Visiting Tarpon Springs a few
weeks ago, we had vague remembrances of sponge-laden boats along the downtown
waterfront and the rich, subtly spiced Greek food, memories from our other
trips to the city. Previously, we had
not explored beyond the touristy strip along the sponge docks. This time was different.
We traveled here to
participate in the Tarpon Springs Art Association Plein Air Paint and Photo
Event. At the sign-in, we received a map
and general information on the town and the event. Alan’s watercolor paper was stamped, to
insure his paintings were completed within the set time frame. After registering for the event, we took a
short tour of the town to get oriented for the following few days of creativity.
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Howard Park |
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Parrots at Sunset Park |
Surrounded by so much water and so many parks,
it was easy to find inspiration for our work.
Over the next few days, we explored the area extensively. Howard Park was one of our first stops. This 155-acre park is located along
the Gulf with a 1-mile causeway connecting the beach area with the inland portion
of the park, which consists of longleaf pines and oak trees laden with Spanish
moss. The nearby and aptly
named Sunset Beach Park juts out into the Gulf of Mexico and provides not only fabulous sunsets but monthly music concerts in a pavilion, as well as beachcombing, fishing and picnicking. This was the home of dozens of parrots I photographed for a couple of days.
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Craig Park |
Inland we visited Craig Park,
which is located on Spring Bayou.
This is the site of the Greek Epiphany Celebration each January 6, in
which young divers (age 16-18) dive into the chilly water to recover a wooden
cross, thrown by a church official and are rewarded with a blessed year. The celebration
is a 3-day affair, which is continued at the sponge docks with food and
music. The Bayou is also a winter home
for manatees. Further west of town, we
visited Anderson Park. The 135-acre park
consists of gently rolling hills and overlooks Lake Tarpon, a popular bass
fishing site.
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Pinellas Trail |
For bikers, joggers or
walkers, the Pinellas Trail is a rails-to-trail project, which runs from Tarpon
Springs to St. Petersburg. The 34-mile
paved trail attracts an estimated 90,000 users each month, but we saw only a
handful of people on the trail the day we walked through Tarpon Springs. Wall Springs Park, just south of town, is a
former recreational area developed in the early 1900s. It was well known as a health
destination because of the supposed benefits of the alkaline water in the
springs. Since 2005, the 63-acre park
has been open as a Pinellas County Park for fishing, picnicking and bird
watching.
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My entry, taken outside St. Nicholas
Greek Orthodox Cathedral |
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Alan's entry-an old Sponge House |
The reason we
traveled to Tarpon Springs was the Plein Air Paint and Photo Event. The first 3 days were filled for Alan with painting and for me with photography. Alan would hunker down with his easel and paints, in a new site (or two)
each day, as I dropped him off to drive around the area and shoot hundreds of
pictures. Selecting what we thought would
be considered not only our best but the most appropriate for the competition,
we framed our works and submitted them for judging. Unfortunately, the judges were not as excited
by our works as we were, but it was an educational and creative experience for
both of us.
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Fort DeSoto Park |
Departing Tarpon Springs, we
made a side stop at Fort DeSoto Park outside of St. Petersburg, to visit with
friends and to enjoy the offerings of the park.
Having camped here on several occasions in the past, we are familiar
with the beaches, the waterways for canoeing and fishing and the large peaceful
campsites; and we are never disappointed.
I’m not sure what our next trip will be, but we'll be sure to bring you
along!
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Walls Spring Park |
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Sunset at Ft DeSoto Campsite |
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Canoeing at Ft. DeSoto |
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Along the Sponge Docks |
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Pelicans near a fish house |
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Along the Fishing Docks |
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At Howard Park |
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N. Anclote River Nature Park |
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Parrots at Sunset Beach
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Inside St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral |
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