What a great restoration of faith!

The soft opening happened last night.  I found the performance of the twenty-some workers, who were well under twenty five, to be an inspirational bunch of team players.  I viewed each of them as I do my own children who have a wonderful ability to know how to work and, even more so, to perform.  To all of you who were there, "Congratulations!"

When I find myself in such a group, I become much more relaxed and comfortable.  I gladly receive their observations and input, and, I think more enjoyably for me, they are apparently  happy to take some guidance about interaction from me.  The local people have been waiting patiently for this and have come forward with a good deal of excitement to endorse it.  I particularly enjoyed meeting a customer from a condo in which I had done some work. She and her friends quickly became "our friends".

There is a strong sense of community in downtown St. Pete.  I don't agree with the politics of it.  To put it more simply, I don't agree with politics, PERIOD!  If I had to live somewhere, and had only one choice, I'd choose right here in Saint Petersburg.

I really enjoyed the folklore and true history of the founding of this area.  I encourage all  of you who might read this to look further into the same.

I laughed at myself today trying to explain to one of the eighteen-year-old employees as we were driving the equivalent of twelve city blocks from the roof of the parking garage to the ground, how marvelous it was that a cartoon character named "Dick Tracy"  had all these amazing devices such as the "Two-way wrist radio"!  What a crazy idea!

I'd like to explain the garage thing.

The parking garage is one block long.  To get to the top, you must traverse one block each way for each floor.  So, to get to the seventh floor, you must drive, in reality, allowing for the first, retail-floor, twelve blocks.

I often wonder what any retailer could offer to any consumer who could probably buy the same thing in many other places, that would cause them to pay extra to park.

I begin to think of the tax.  Tax, Tax, Tax!

If there were none, we would gladly spend more!