May I Get That Florida Sunshine In A #10 Can?

Day 240  |  St. Petersburg  

What a difference a day makes. Heavy clouds rolled in overnight and the temperature plummeted. Out came the jeans and sweatshirts from storage and we bundled up for our continued walking tour of the city. Our first stop was the St. Petersburg Museum of History, located just across the parking lot from the Municipal Marina. This was a small facility with wide-ranging and eclectic exhibits. The first thing we saw was a display celebrating the world's first commercial flight that occurred on January 1, 1914, traveling from St. Petersburg to Tampa. A replica of the Benoist Model 14 (serial number 43) hung from the rafters in the atrium.

Another gallery wing was dedicated to the World's Largest Collection of Autographed Baseballs. Each ball was displayed in its own acrylic cube and then neatly stacked in endless wooden cases. There were balls signed by Hall of Famers, but also many signed be celebrities and former presidents. A common issue between their collection and mine is the disappointing fading of some valued signatures. Additional areas were dedicated to the long history of baseball in Florida, from Al Lang's era as the "Father of Spring Training" to the current Tampa Bay Rays.

Odd farm animals were well-represented with both a two-headed chicken and a two-headed calf. There were pictorial accounts of both the history of St. Petersburg and a large exhibit on the Korean war. As we exited the museum through the small gift shop, the cans of Florida Sunshine caught our eye. We wondered, however, if we could get it in larger cans. We departed and headed back into town, taking in more of the cheerful street art along the way.

The Nickelodeon meets Disney mural was the only one we sought out. The little green mouse was inside Central Melt where we found a tried-and-true, cold-weather lunch: gourmet grilled cheeses.

The sun peeked out a bit by the time we returned to Crossroads. I read for a while on The Beach, albeit still in jeans and a sweatshirt. I eventually retreated to the pilothouse to finish my book in the warmth of the sun shining through the windows. We had dinner onboard and then I settled in to await the 8:00 tip-off of the #4 Virginia vs. #9 Virginia Tech basketball game in Charlottesville. With strong wifi, I was able to stream it live and enjoy the Cavaliers' impressive victory. Wahoowa!