Tampa, Fla.-(5/15/2013)-Have you noticed lately that just about every road and highway in the Tampa Bay area is under construction or repair?? I have.

If you take the Selmon Expressway, it goes from three lanes down to one (like a funnel) as you go through downtown Tampa toward Brandon.  There is also that Crosstown connector project that causes daily delays and closures.

I-275 is under reconstruction and many Tampa exits have been closed in the name of that work.  The Howard-Armenia exit was moved to the other side of 275.  There are delays there each day of the week.

With the slow pace of the repairs, we could be occupied with finding detours for years to come.  I see more workers leaning on shovels than actually working on most days.

I came to work the other day and one lane of a busy exit was closed down by construction cones, with no workers in sight.  It took three light cycles to get through and the backup was lengthy.

Florida's economy depends a lot upon tourism.  I can't see a lot of tourists wanting to visit when you hit construction or detours virtually everywhere you go. 

Why didn't the engineers properly predict how much traffic the roads will carry in the future? We could have done the roads right in the first place.  If constant road projects and repairs are the Florida Department of Transportation's idea of progress...FORGET ABOUT IT! 

Tampa, Fla.-(5/12/2013)-Tattoo Lady has being making handmade cards for charity.  She has been spending her idle hours working for something called the Gray Matters Foundation.  

Gray Matters helps people with brain tumors and their families.  The cards are used to cheer up the patients and the families who care for them. To find out more you can click the link http://www.graymattersfoundation.com/.

Tattoo Lady has the house a mess from all the card paper, ink, paint, rubber stamps and all the other stuff she uses to make the cards.  She mails boxes crammed with up to 80 of the cards every couple of months.

I've got to tell you, the Old Lady is pretty artistic. She draws the stuff freehanded. I've posted a few samples here to show you her work. Click Here To See Pics Of The Cards

Plant City, Fla.-(5/5/2013)-It has been slow going on my son's rebuild of his Harley Softtail.  He has been spending all of his spare cash to get the bike the way he wants it.  The big problem has been a lack of spare cash.

I am happy to report that his progress has picked up a little bit.  He has moved his project over to Dreamcatcher Custom Cycles where he has the tools, the bench and all the things he needs to get-r-done.

I mentioned recently that Craig been helping my old friend Louie at the bike shop. Louie has been kind enough to allow him to wrench on his own bike in his spare time.

I have been fortunate enough to be the recipient of some of the "old" parts Sonny has pulled off of his bike during the project.  I've already installed his nice handgrips.  This time, he installed his old highway pegs on my ride.  He even added some nice chrome hubcaps.  I'm so cheap! Click Here To See My Pics