Stories

10:00AM Tampa's Downtown on Ice Editor's pick Even in Florida, you can get in the holiday spirit by skating on an outdoor rink in the park. Each 90-minute session includes skate rental ... Price: $10. Curtis Hixon Park 600 N Ashley Drive, Tampa, 33602

5:30PM Holiday Lights in the Garden Editor's pick Stroll through a garden of tropical plants glowing with more than 500,000 twinkling lights. Dancers, musicians and choral groups make each night special. Visitors ... Price: $2, 11 and younger free. Florida Botanical Gardens 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo, 33774

6:00PM Christmas Town Editor's pick The park is transformed into a nighttime holiday wonderland with 80 miles of lights, real snow to play in, special food and treats, a life-sized ... Price: $39.99, $9.99 ages 3-9, 2 and younger free. Busch Gardens 3605 Bougainvillea Ave., Tampa, 33612

6:00PM Nights of Shimmering Lights Drive your vehicle through a light and sound show using more than a half million twinkling lights. Includes more than 600 larger-than-life lighted scenes, tunnels ... Price: $20 per car; tour buses/limos extra. Hillsborough County Fairgrounds Corner of Sydney Washer Road and Hwy 60, Brandon, 33567

6:30PM Holiday Lighted Boat Parade Tampa Watch festively decorated boats spread holiday cheer as they motor and sail around Davis Island, Harbour Island and through Garrison Channel. Best viewed from Channelside ... Price: Free. Tampa Convention Center 333 S Franklin St., Tampa, 33602

6:30PM Wild Wonderland Editor's pick The zoo closes at 5 p.m. and reopens at 6:30 for the annual evening winter festival with twinkling holiday lights, live reindeer and ... Price: $13, $11 ages 3-11, 2 and younger free. Lowry Park Zoo 1101 W Sligh Ave., Tampa, 33604

Electro-White For this premiere white party, dress in white and step into a snow-dripped winter wonderland of decorations. Drink specials, dancing zombies, fire dancers, acrobatic performances ... Price: Free (before 11:30 p.m.); $7 after. Amphitheatre 1609 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City, 33605

12/31/2006 - I saw the New Years Ghost

I saw a ghost this News Years Eve when I looked in the mirror.
It looked just like me.
After that, I started seeing ghosts all around me.
When you go out this New Years, look around at the people.
Picture them as if you watching them in a video filmed 100 years ago.
Notice how much we all look alike, how well we get along, and how we all seem to be related.
Don't look at our differences.
Look are how much we have in common.
Pretend you lost your long term memory?
Ever see a picture of a Great Great relative that looked just like you?
Ever talked to someone who thought just like you?
If you can think like me for just a moment
Imagine that when we die, we don't go anywhere.
Imagine the we are all reincarnations of our ancestors, without their memories.
Imagine that it goes much deeper than that. Imagine we are all the reincarnations of the dinosaurs and further back.
Is it just me, or doesn't life just seem too obvious?
Animals, birds, fish, insects, we all have the same organs.
We all must be related.
We were born with knowledge.
It came from someone. It probably came from our parents.
Nature could have populated our memories with that of our ancestors but for whatever reason, it didn't.
Who knows, maybe we'd still be arguing about how someone sacrificed our favorite lamb or something...
If you think like I do, you'll know that all life on Earth is related. Given enough time, we all come back.

From TBT: Saturday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.
401 Second St., Indian Rocks Beach FL 33785.
You could see motor boats, sail boats, canoes and even row boats in this boat parade with awards by division. It begins at the Holiday Inn Harbourside and heads north through the inner coastal canals and ends just south of the Belleair Causeway.
City of IRB - Boat Parade
For a great view, pull up a chair dockside at the Holiday Inn Harbourside for 26th Annual City of Indian Rocks Beach Holiday Lighted Boat Parade. The line up will begin at 6:45 p.m. and the procession will head north under the Walsingham/SR 688 Bridge and will follow the intra-coastal waterway finishing at Harbor Drive North. This judged event is always a crowd pleaser.

Why is it always that the most loving month of the year is also the most popular time to die. http://nebraska.obituaries.funeral.com/2012/11/10/calvin-james/

Clearwater High School has an amazing band and choir.
I was impressed.

Our favorite buffet in Largo.