Drove my Chevy to the Levee

OK, that's not a levee at all, but the north end of Anna Maria Island, where the City Pier extends 678 feet, and the wharf at the end juts another 58 feet into Tampa Bay. But that is my Chevy, and on a Sunday afternoon a great place to park and walk on this historic structure, built in 1911 and 1912. The pier was created to serve ships coming down from St. Petersburg and Tampa, and it has withstood hurricanes and lesser storms in 1918, 1935, 1974 and 1988, always being restored to its rustic look.

On this Sunday, I was taking time away from reorganizing all my stuff at the new house, and a buddy of mine thought there was a car show on Pine Street in the town of Anna Maria. There was, but it was Friday night and Saturday - nonetheless we did the road trip all the way up Anna Maria from Longboat and took in the sights.

We grabbed a bite to eat at the restaurant, watched any number of folks catching Amberjack off the wharf, and ended up grabbing an ice cream cone across the street at the Two Scoops shop. There's a poem posted on a sign near the beginning of the pier - it reads "Beneath the Roof of this City Pier is the Place to Sit with Shrimp and Beer, While Lightening in the Distance Plays and Thunder Rumbles Across the Bays". That about says it all............well, except explaining that one surreptitious shot of the hot blonde with fishing pole. Use your imagination there.