Tampa Taxi Shots

The pemier episode of   Florida Bigfoot Investigators aired last night on Tampa Bay Great 38 and it was a hit. The TV station has ordered 13 more episodes which should keep Kevin and the gang very busy. Central Florida saw a quality Bigfoot show that was about research and investigation. It was about a team of researchers that go into the Green Swamp in the middle of the night using thermal imaging under mostly "lights out" conditions. I thought the show was great and I was honored to be  part of it. When Kevin contacted me in 2011 about this project, I knew it would require long term dedication. We did the work, and now we can see the results. I am very proud of Kevin, George, Mike, Rob, and Terri. They have done an excellent job. Spike TV did not want us but if you want something done right, do it yourself. Below are three videos outtakes of the show giving you a flavor of what was went down.

Having fun much? Not everybody that attended Tampa's pirate festival had the best of times. I saw many examples of girls passing out. Forget about ruffies, these chicks were doing it to themselves. I hope they recover and learn to party in a more civil way. I have tons of photos of litter and trash, beer cans, and half naked people everywhere. That is the face of Tampa the Mayors office does not want you to see.

This was just taken on a cloudy day crossing the Howard Franklin coming back from St. Pete/Clearwater airport.

This video sums up some of my observations from today.  Good money, but bad behavior.

I have collected two medallions from this awesome Krewe...live post are from the field, live, current time, andimmediately put up with androidconnection.c

I was the first one sitting on the deck at Tampa International Airport when Mack, the starter, called me down to pick up my fare. There is a lot of anticipation when you are rolling down. You have no idea where the fare is going and is the time spent waiting going to justify a short fare, which drivers hate. I know people have to get places but most of the time when they are going long, they find another way. When they are going short, they apologize by saying "they told me its real close." Thanks for rubbing it in guy. This fare today was not analogizing for nothing. He had to get south of Sarasota and he had cash in hand! Lets go. I'm your man. It seems he works for an auto dealership out of Ohio and needed to pick up a truck and drive it back to the Buckeye State. The estimate Mack gave him was $180. He did not bat an eye (its only short fares that complain). All I had to do was figure the fastest way to get there. That's when it hit me....I would have to cross ...

I ran into Patrick and Tammy this morning at United Cab. They have both been driving for decades. Tammy and I have been camping many times, including her famous birthday party camp out. The only reason I mention this is because cab drivers participating in recreational activities is rare. They don't want to get out of the cab, such is the subculture of a taxi cab driver.

Rictor Riolo (star of Spike TV Bigfoot Bounty and Las Vegas radio personality) found the "big furry guy!" Rictor is a gay artist who does erotic art. He included me in one of works. Look below. Tim, Rick, Tom, and Sharon Rick Dyer is a big game hunter and a long time friend of mine (we talk daily on the phone and he even came to Florida to visit me with his wife and kids) He also lives in Las Vegas and is now making the rounds on CNN, FOX, and other world news outlets about his team killing Bigfoot. The shooting was filmed by the BBC with the eminent British director Morgan Matthews while filming a documentary. All is on HF video. You can look this up on Google

More sunrise pics over Bayshore. See more Tampa images here 

This is the pirates ship used in the Gasperilla Children's parade Saturday afternoon. This event is getting bigger each year, and was even broadcast on TV. It was then followed by a spectacular fireworks show.

I hear they want the old Floridian hotel reopened by the RNC in August. They were working on remodeling it in 2008 before the economy collapsed. Then, it sat idle. Its claims to fame are that it once was the tallest building in Florida and that Elvis stayed there in the 1950's.

This is Shoe - no doubt The famous former dispatcher "Shoe" was found on another blog about jogging. A blogger who takes images of where he runs was photographing this Jamaican restaurant, and the United Cab was parked out front. The driver loading the trunk is without a doubt Shoe. He has had the owner as a special account for years. Specials are good deals if they put real money in your pocket.

This was 100 feet from a homeless camp along the railroad tracks. The parking spaces for sale were on city property. Did I mention nowhere near the parade rout. I guess, in this Obama economy, capitalism looks good. I hope they made a bundle.

Stacy Brown Jr is one of the stars of Spike TV Bigfoot Bounty. Stacy is from Florida and he is a friend of mine and we have worked in the field together. This is Stacy and I. The other is Kevin with Stacy at the townhall meeting in Myakka.

I saw this at Tampa airport this morning. Good, another hack thinking transportation is their way out of the trailer park. This is just a fact. The Tampa Bay area cannot support this many vehicles for hire. What is Express Taxi anyway?

The image below is a 2005 TBT article I still have about the Tampa blogger scene. The big boy was Tommy Duncan. He stopped blogging around 2008, and was never seen again. Here is what Creative Loafing said about that era: "The 40-something blogger founded the most-often-cited independent Tampa Bay news blog, Sticks of Fire, in Feb. 2004, and the site, without much financial assistance from advertising, is still going strong today with a stable of more than a dozen regular contributors. In 2005, Duncan was featured in a tbt* story about the young lions of the local Internet. Today, about half of them have fallen by the wayside or (in the case of famous sexy blogger Rachel Moran) moved to New Jersey. Duncan keeps on posting. The local digital scene has grown, but he's not sure it has improved in quality."

Tiffany of the Bucs was voted #1 among the NFL. Read more

This weekend sucked. And there was a reason why...the computers not working properly. The photo shows how few miles I actually drove, and the number of cabs checked into stand 23. Instead of working, the guys were just sitting around. The company did the right thing and made it up to us with credit. I'm glad they admitted there was a problem. I thought we had lost our customers, which we will with more of this.

I am hopeful in the next few months to be able to get back to my photography. I need some equipment upgrades, and life is good again. Remember, I don't just shoot girls. I shoot nature and landscapes and wildlife. I also do portrait. What I really need right now is a new laptop. Mine is dead.

I saw this cab bum sitting at a supermarket. It seems to be an off brand cab company. Geez, don't these guys understand that we have too much transportation in Tampa. There is no need for them. There is no money in this unless you work around the clock like this bum probably does. I really hate guys like this.

Working on Paul (the drunk guys) patio As you can see, I have been working hard driving the taxi and working on what version of this blog I want. I believe I will settle on the Blogger platform. Do not be fooled by this photo. I do not have a computer. My computer died about six months ago and I am using an android phone. That is all I have. Most of files and photos were backed up. So, no big deal. I do have a mobile version of Chrome that I use at the library. That is getting me through.

NOTE:this goes back to the 2008 Olympics in China. I have been getting many search hits on Google for Darra Torres Nude. Amanda Beard is the one that is nude! She has gotten nude for several photo shoots and took it off for Playboy Magazine. The irony of all of this is that Amand Beard's swimming days may be over, while the old girl Dara Torres keeps swimming along and setting world records and making Olympic and USA national teams...wow. Speaking of wow...check out the very naked picture of Amanda Beard. Not the little girl in Atalanta Olmypics anymore.

There is a nice little beach park on the extreme west end of Cypress Boulevard in Tampa. There is actually a beach with sand dunes. Those things you don't often see in Florida. I was dropping off a fare at the office center near Reno and Cypress, and pulled in here to take a little nap. It was very quit and peaceful and I really don't know if I had ever been here before. After a little nap, I even took a walk on the beach. I did notice some guys out fishing. The beach is not in the best of shape, but there is an awesome view of Tampa Bay. Bring a towel or blanket for the beach does have sea weed on it. The park is on the direct flight line to Tampa International Airport and they will fly overhead by only a few hundred feet.

This photo demonstrates that there is no excuse for losing your cell phone in a public taxi cab. I was out on Clearwater beach recently and they were having a bikini contest at Sheppard's Beach Resort and I thought I would check it out. I could not believe all the semi-nude women that were walking around, and all of them had cell phones! This young lady in a black string bikini had a unique way of holding on to her phone (note the front of her bikini bottom). The reason I mention this is that people often lose their phones in the taxi cabs. That creates a problem for the driver because we have to waste time returning the phone and people don't always give us a tip, so, we lose a fare. All cab drivers have this problem with phones. If we do return a phone, please understand that we have just missed a call and take care of us. Now people, you can see there is no excuse for not having your phone on your person when you exit the taxi cab. Just leave some plastic gloves so w...

Bill Clinton wanted Kendrick Meeks (D) Miami, to drop out of the Florida Senate race against Marco Rubio. Rubio is an extremist who had senator Mike Fasano (R) New Port Richey, kicked out of the Republican party because he supported Charlie Crist. I met with Meeks in Tampa (I ran for congress in 2008..look it up) and urged him to defy Bill Clinton and stay in the race. Independent polling showed the race getting tight. Crist screwed Meeks by running as an independent and now we are stuck with Rubio.

Yget his shit back You can see the swanky joint This poor guy was trying to get his stuff back from one of the run down motels on east Hillsborough ave Tampa. This place was a dump. He had been taken away by the cops a few nights ago after he went on a drunk, drugs, and hooked binge. He gets a crazy check the first of the month and blows it fast. Now, he will spend the rest of the month out on the streets. He has been doing this fir years. People say they care, but do they? From what I have seen there must be millions like him. The problem is they make poor decisions that keep them down. He said he would take real help if he could get it. He did pay me with the last little bit of money he had. He walked off after getting his stuff back and has no idea what he will do.

Some of the best glamour images can be shot in Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. The lighting and heroic scenery is conducive for this kind of work. This is the beautiful Kendall, shot by Jerry at the AZ shoot. I have photographed Kendall many times.

The sidewalk on Bayshore streatches for miles.Downtown and Ballest Point can be seen from there. The barista is what gives theworld's longest sidewalk itsunique look. Joggers and exercisers are a common site for the south Tampa fitness crowd. Unlike most of the year when it is extremely hot, you can get in a good run/walk and enjoy the view. I find this time if year in Florida to be very enjoyable and I was out walking and getting in some cardio on my off day from Weight training. I could see the herring bone fish sky which means very cold air is in Florida now. That is the extent of my meteorology knowledge. These are the sabel palms. They are actually the state tree. These trees are nursery grown. However, I come across the wild variety often in my backwoods adventure. I find wild citrus, as well. You see all kinds of things when you get out in the woods.

These is this guy from New York who does a taxi blog called Return Cabbie that actually tried to look me up when he was in Tampa two years ago. Unfortunately, it was at a time when my site was down and the email was not in use. I was unaware of his coming by. I just now found this blog post. Whats crazy is that I WAS THERE when he came by. In fact, he took a photo my van parked across the street and he had no idea it was mine! I am one of the few United Cab drivers that park off lot. It seems he came by in the afternoon - right at the time I would be there. I really would have liked to have met him. I don't get many visitors and would have been flattered to know he came from New York to visit me. How cool is that! I wish he had asked Paul Hinto. He would have contacted me by cell. Now that I think about it, there was a commenter who moved to Tampa and drove taxi for a month. He wad from australia! This is what RETURN CABBIE had to say: "I knew he drove for United Cab, and...

I once did a post about "Motel row and Florida dreams." Many people come to Florida for a new life, but soon find out low pay won't pay the rent. This lady at the motel seems to have learned sunshine won't pay the rent either. I have seen her before. She has been staying in motels while they "work on her condo."