​Travels to Santa Fe, N.M. We arrived at the Santa Fe airport. It was no surprise that the airport was small since I had done my research. We exited the plane and walked download the outside ramp to the tarmac, crossed to the back door of the airport where we waited in a small cramped room to retrieve our suitcases from a conveyor belt. The belt resembled one at Sam’s Club or Costco for your groceries and was not any bigger. After retrieving our luggage, we proceeded down a hallway, turned, and went out the front door of the building to a tiny parking lot. Outside we viewed the uninterrupted sea of brown and orange barren land with mountains on the horizon.

After a 30 or forty-minute drive with our personal driver Lynn Arteaga (https://luckypigassistant.com/), who had been recommended by the hotel manager where we would be staying, we arrived at the Drury Hotel in downtown Santa Fe.

The “City Different” is appropriately named. I was smart enough to know when traveling to a desert city with wide open areas, that there is no quick and easy public transportation like taxis. Unlike when traveling to New York, where you only have to hail a cab at a curb. However, all my research gave multiple choices of transportation including tour buses, Uber drivers, and pedicabs. Unfortunately, we would soon learn that they did not exist. The common response was a collective, “No there is no transportation resources, not since COVID.”

​I had planned a non-walking, easy-going vacation, which was a new experience for us. Most of our vacations consisted of walking for 8 or 10 hours a day. We were looking forward to a less strenuous vacation but little did we know not all carefully planned trips go as arranged. The first sentence on our “trip-to-remember” which should have been a clue of impending doom was, “Don’t worry, Santa Fe is very walkable.” Hold on to your hats, folks, when you hear, “Don’t worry,” and understand that the time has begun to start worrying.

What remained to be our next surprise was the plans for traveling to other cities we planned to go to and were an hour or two drive out from Santa Fe into the desert. The results from two months of research led me to scratch the need to rent a car, and with my trusty list of tour buses and public transportation (the Blue Line and the Chili Line) as backup, what was there to worry about? Note to self: The travel publications were the same ones that listed Uber and Pedicabs. Still, we had made it to the “City Different” and I had faith and so, our adventure had begun. 

Stay tune for more about are adventures in New Mexico.

January is when we gaze back over the past year and remember family members, friends, and the people we have met. It is the time to reflect on the times and moments in the past. For many who have lost loved ones, the holidays can be difficult and the New Year may not be so welcoming. The year ahead may seem as if it is a burden filled with a year full of firsts. First holidays without someone, first birthdays, first everything. For each of us who has had to face loss, we know the journey is solitary and personal. Words cannot change your journey, but the reality is the pain will lessen with time. The void felt now will fill with happy memories of times spent, and new memories will follow. Happiness can be restored.

As we say goodbye to the people who passed away in 2022, I would like to share about a man I met a few years back, who is no longer with us.
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His name was David Troupe. He was an ordinary man and a World War II veteran. His life was not much different from others who touched the lives of many by serving in the U.S. military during that time. The warriors who without question answered the call to our country, not for glory or fame, but with honor, duty, and a purpose felt in their hearts.
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Journalist; Tom Brokaw was the one who dubbed our American heroes of WWII as the greatest generation that has ever lived. I had the honor to save the voices and stories of the seven WWII veterans in the book, ​Heroes: Voices of History. David Troupe was one of those seven and I will never forget him.
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I had the honor to save the voices and stories of the seven WWII veterans in the book, Heroes: Voices of History. David Troupe was one of those seven and I will never forget him.

His son-in-law called me after David Troupe had read a story in the newspaper about me putting together the book. I was told that David had never told his story, but he wanted to meet me and tell his story now.

I scheduled a time to meet and interview him. When I met David, he was in his nineties. He had a file full of letters from veteran families, his military records, newspaper clippings, and so many documents that he had started collecting, which he gave me the first day we met. He began to share his story and generously answered my questions. I was amazed at the details he remembered. He even could repeat the German words that he had learned to stay alive. He spoke some of those words before me, which he learned from a survival book, like the German words, I am an American. Can you help me?​

​David fought as a gunner in the war. One interview was not enough, so I returned two more times, making a total of three interview visits, six hours of intense reminiscing from him, and countless questions from me. He was intelligent, sharp-minded, caring, and humble.
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However, as I worked with the stories from family members of the other six veterans featured in the book and collaborated with many contributors, and interviewed both living veterans featured in the book, a common thread surfaced. None of the veterans thought of themselves as great or heroes.

I also recall my father rejecting any heroism title imparted to him. I was just doing my duty, he would say, even after I commented that he had rescued one of the men in his unit. He would claim no praise, no hero’s glory for him. Other men were heroes, he would argue.

I heard the same refusal of a hero title from David and every one of the men I spoke to who fought in WWII and the Korean War, with whom I came in contact while writing and compiling the book. They would say, I didn’t do anything important enough to be called a hero. One man even refused to have me share his story in the book.
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I must share why I wanted to produce a book about World War II. My goal was to capture the first-hand stories of the men and women who fought in the war. The purpose was to have the greatest generation's words and emotions documented, so they would not be lost or forgotten. War is not just about battles, power, leadership, and territories gained documented in textbooks. It is about people, like David Troupe.
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David’s plane received gunfire in battle, and the plane was so damaged that it went down behind enemy lines. The plane crashed, and David and the crew had to escape and hide from the enemy. Just like in the movies depicting the war and the Underground Resistance, they helped David move from place to place while he tried to return to the American-occupied countryside. His story was captivating because it was about a real person and not a mere page in a history book.

David fought just like all our American warriors, and he was not wanting glory. However, he understood that in his nineties, his time was limited. He felt his story needed to be told, and for that, I will be eternally grateful.

The book was about seven American heroes’ stories, not just David Troupe. The book creation was in the third year when I met David and because of many elements and contributors’ life problems, there had been multiple delays. Six hours was all the time I had to spare for interviewing David. I couldn’t delay any longer to elaborate more on just one veteran’s story. I needed to continue with the book’s production and go to print. I was committed to the contributors and each featured veteran to complete the book and document their stories.
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My vision was for a book of unsung heroes that could connect with the younger generation. As the years move forward, many people may not have known a WWII veteran to hear their story, a human story direct from a veteran or a family member who had lived through the war. More than a textbook chapter.

Heroes: Voices of History was printed in 2018. Several months ago, Linda, David Troupe’s daughter, called me to say that her father at ninety-nine had passed away in August 2022.
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Today, at the beginning of the new year, I wanted to reflect on David Troupe, share part of my meeting with him, and bid a final farewell to him. He touched my heart and made a difference for many people, even ones who might not have ever met him.

While reading this, I hope you will realize how we all shape the world in some way. Take time out of the busy year to talk with a stranger or neighbor. Listen to their stories. Their story might not be as great as fighting in a world war, but each person makes a difference in the world. Don’t miss moments to connect with people. Live each day to the fullest and cherish each memory.
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I treasure the time I had talking with David and regret I could not have spoken with him more. I forever will be grateful for meeting with him. David Troupe, an American hero.

I had been lost in what I call my creative world when I pushed my shopping away from the cashier and almost rammed into this bigger-than-life man wearing a Texas-style cowboy hat.
Being an author, I multitask when dealing with real-world tasks like grocery shopping. Those times are used to plot story lines out using the right side of my brain. My left-brain deals with the mundane things like whether to buy peas or corn for dinner. 
    Multitasking is an efficient use of time. I can decide where the next body will appear in my WIP (work-in-progress) or how my heroine will meet the handsome stranger in chapter three. An efficient system except when the two worlds (my fictional world and my real world) collide into each other, like today.
   Unfortunately, Mister Texas transplant had not yet gotten the memo that warned him that he was now in Florida and to watch out for “Your Author Friend” when in the grocery store. 
   I pulled my cart out from the cashier, still plotting my story and not looking where I was going, he zigged, I zagged, and we managed to avoid a shopping cart disaster.
   Snapping out of my writing world and back to the here-n-now world I mumbled, “Sorry.”
I have to pay attention.
   The towering cowboy spoke over the top of my apology in a smooth Texan drawl, “Sorry Ma’am,” strode toward the front door and disappeared outside.
   When I reached outside the grocery store the cowboy was standing by the curb, waiting as cars breezed by, never slowing down for him to cross. I sheepishly pulled my cart next to him and waited, too. I looked over his way, sizing up his purchase. Inside his cart were three gigantic 30-pound size bags of dog food.
   “My that’s a lot of dog food,” I commended. Wanting to show him I could be civil by making light conversation.
   Why I’m compelled to have complete strangers think good of me, I don’t know. It’s silly, but it has always been part of my makeup.
   “What kind of dog do you have? He must eat a lot.” I said. I love dogs and figured he must, too, and I thought I could change the image he must have of me after my rudeness earlier. A dog lover must be a good person, don’t you think?
   “I have five, their hunting dogs.”
   Living in Florida, most people do boating, skiing, or hang out at the beach for fun. Floridians usually have little interest or time for hunting. However, his answer had piqued my curiosity and ignited my crazy author mind again.
   Accept for the statewide alligator-hunting season, which begins sometime in August and goes until November first, hunting is not a typical topic of discussion. Of course, there is a short time when hunting pythons in the everglades are permitted and announced on the evening news—but my mind went to gators. Then I thought, people don’t take dogs to track gators.
   So you can understand, I just had to ask, “What do you hunt?”
   He nonchalantly answered, “Humans.”
   Humans! I was Shocked. I responded, “Oh, really.” True to form as an author, my mind went to the obvious, he’s a serial killer. No, he’s into human trafficking.
   All right, I might have overreacted. Without missing a beat, my mind raced again. Maybe, he is like that guy in the show, “Dog, the Bounty Hunter.”
   I took a breath and exhaled. “So, are you a bounty hunter?”
   My mind still raced with options. Perhaps he was like the character in the television series, Dexter. Of course, Dexter only kills “bad” people who had escaped legal punishment for heinous crimes. His character originated from novels written by Florida author, Jeff Lindsay and I’m familiar with the story. The character, Dexter, also lives in Florida and gets rid of his dead bodies by dumping them in the Gulf Stream. My Texan seemed too pleasant and nice to be a serial killer, even one who kills only bad people.
   “No, Ma'am. I track missing people. My best dog, Max, is too old now so I don’t take him out anymore, he’s retired. Although before, when he was younger, he found a 2-year-old who wandered off in the New Mexico desert. Max found him, I put that boy on his back and he carried that baby back to the campsite.”
   “Wow. What a wonderful job that you are doing with your dogs.”
   “Yep, well this is my truck. Nice talking to you, ma’am. Have a good day.”
I walked to my car, my mind now at high speed, but this time, I was casting Mister Texas in a future story.
   Often, my readers will ask how I get inspired and I answer, “Inspiration is all around, you just have to look for it.”

  ​Tina Turner sang that she never did anything “nice and easy.” As authors, we know nice and easy can be a boring read. People want confrontation, tension, and battles-of-wills between the characters in books. Even Cinderella had to deal with three mean stepsisters and an evil stepmother.
   So how can you tell if a book has just the right amount of tension? As a reader, how do you choose? Books are put into a category but often the style of the writing makes it difficult to cast the book in only one classification. Is it a thriller? Mystery? Romance? Crime story? The problem is most books have a bit of all these genre types. Even the typical cozy, which is intended to be a fun and comfortable read, has crime elements at the core of the story.
  
   You say that you don’t read cozies. You might still recognize the style. Ever heard of Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and Agatha Christie? These books are classified as cozy mysteries. Cozies can also be found on television, Murder She Wrote, or The Aurora Teagarden Mystery series on the Hallmark channel.
 
   So, what do you like reading? Romance, murder mysteries, thrillers, cozies. It can be a daunting task to know what your likes are in books. All genres need confrontation, suspense, and tension, even romance novels. Think about the scenario of boy gets girl, boy loses girl, and then boy gets the girl back. No romance goes perfect. Perhaps, there is a dead body or two that comes between the couple getting together. Nothing can cool a romance like murder. Who can the protagonist trust? Is the murderer her boyfriend?
 
   Maybe, you like a challenge of a mystery and want to try to solve it before the answer is revealed. Then, mystery and crime stories might be for you. Was the murder premeditated or a crime of passion? Crime and mysteries books are considered to be an intellectual read but hardly ever like the machete-wheeling, slasher thriller movies.
 
   For me, I love to read (and write) plots with a love story and a mystery both. A crime or murder is a twist that interrupts the romantic couple’s story. Sandra Brown has become an internationally known author of romance and suspense novels. Her books have a mix of love and crime.  Brenda Novak writes in multiple genres. I love The Evelyn Talbot mystery series, which are romantic thrillers about a psychiatrist who studies serial killers at a remote facility in Alaska.

   It is very hard to classify a book to cover the writing style of an author. I once had a relative say that he could not buy one of my books for his wife because she was too sensitive to read, “books like that.” I was so floored that I failed to ask what kind of book he thought I had written. I can only guess that since murder was in the title he had the misconception that it was filled with bloody details of the crime. It does not. There’s no gory description of the crime scene anywhere in the book.
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   This got me thinking of categorizing books and the misunderstandings that some of these classifications give to many people. Books can be very different from what you watch on television on the crime channels, or in a forensic program. Some books might zero in on the details of the crime, however, many authors who write mystery or crime story novels, often mix love and crime in the storytelling. The crime is a tension-building device for storytelling.
Not to mention buzzwords in titles like murder, killing, and die can mislead. The publishers choose these types of buzzwords to catch the attention of readers browsing books to buy. These are attention grabbers, not warnings of what is inside the book.

​​The master of films, Alfred Hitchcock, used crimes to create intrigue, much like many authors do today. He pulled the viewers into the story as participants with his method. He didn’t rely on shocking his audience with special effects of a bullet piercing through a man’s chest. The movies, Rear Window and The Man Who Knew Too Much, are good examples of this. Both centered on a crime, without any bloody close-ups. I love studying his films and his style has influenced my writing.
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When I write, I don’t give graphic details of a crime scene unless absolutely necessary for story plotting. The crime is to add a suspenseful escape for my readers from the everyday stress of life and to entertain them. Who would want to read about a boring life of a person who has retired, sits all day, goes to bed, wakes the next day, and only to start over again? 

The sun was bright with a crisp, coolness in the air. My group of photographer friends and I had journeyed to a tucked-away community park and small butterfly garden in the town of Safety Harbor.

As we ventured in, it appeared as if we were the only people in the cozy park. I noticed that this garden park was not like most, not big nor commercially kept. It had much more appeal than the larger and perfectly manicured gardens. It had the charm of loving touches that usually are found in private gardens.

 I saw more than flowering blossoms and small dirt pathways leading around individual flower beds but among several of the flowerbeds accented jewels of multi-colored wind-spinners complimented nature’s beauty. Secrets were everywhere to be uncovered, hidden treasures like a miniature Nome carefully placed in a hollow of a tree stump.
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All of us scattered to find what each of us envisioned as the best photographic story. A caterpillar on a leaf, or the sun pushing through the petals of a brown-eyed Susan. You see, photography is not just about the mechanics of the camera; a truly great photograph involves the eye of the beholder, the camera, and the soul of the artist behind the lens.
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I absolutely love going on my camera club field trips because I am never pressured to hurry along. Each person in the group is also discovering their next best picture and they, too, need time to capture it.

You see no matter how many photographers take a picture of the same subject, all of them will be a little different. What makes it different is the vision of the artist behind the camera. Club members love sharing how they saw a subject and why the subject touched their hearts. That is the beauty of photography.

The garden was magical; however, little did I know that the true treasure was yet to come when I would meet a man on a pathway walking his dog.                                                                                                               
​I had just finished shooting a hibiscus and I thought I would follow a dirt pathway toward a naturally growing area of shrubs and trees. I saw one of the club members taking a photo of a fallen tree that looked interesting. I waited for her to finish, and then I approached it, as I circled it, I noticed an older man with a small dog coming toward me.

“Good morning,” I said. “Beautiful day isn’t it.”
“Yes. Are you enjoying the park?”

“Oh, yes,” I answered. By now, the little dog was at my feet, loving animals as I do, I asked what the dog’s name was and if I could pet him. Max was his name, and although my first thought was it was way too big and strong of a name for such a little dog, I soon realized Max fit this dog’s personality to a tee. Then, I asked if I could take Max’s picture.

After getting permission, I bent down, drew my camera up, and focused. Max moved forward but when he heard the click, he backed up—but only for a second. Then he moved forward to investigate. Another click and the small dog backed up, again. This dance between subject and photographer went on as long as I took pictures.

When I stood to thank the man and he extended his hand, “I’m George. I’m glad you are enjoying the park, I donated this land for the park to the city.”

“Really," I said shaking his hand. "Do you live here in Safety Harbor?”
He answered no, in Clearwater, but he told me that he comes most mornings with Max for a walk.

We moved over to a bench where I took a photo of George and Max. This quiet, polite man asked me about myself. I told him I was an author and a lifetime artist, that in-between writing and traveling, I still followed my passion for photography. As an author, I’m never at a loss for words, or questions when meeting new people. So, I asked for some details and he answered. He donated land to “give back to the community” as he said. To conserve green space and preserve that this little spot of heaven would never be paved over with housing or commercial builds. The intent was to provide a place of beauty for visitors and residents to enjoy the park, butterfly garden, and included was a common ground area for community gardening.

The name was Folly Farms so of course; I had to ask if that was his last name.
“No, Weiss,” George answered.
“Why the name Folly?”

He shared that his wife and he in their early years of marriage had bought land and wanted to raise chickens. Their friends laughed at their plans and said it was just a folly idea. Many years later, he decided to donate his land as a way of giving something back to the community. His wife had loved gardening and the butterflies that the flowers brought—the butterfly garden was for her.

When I got home, being an author who always checks sources, I Googled, George Weiss. He was not hard to find. I found that after his wife, Lucille’s passing, George gifted 8.6 acres of the farm to the City of Safety Harbor in 2014 with only three wishes: The property was to be dedicated in honor of his family, that it be rezoned, and there would be a five-year plan to create a natural, passive, park-like preserve.

By 2017, a 90th birthday party was planned for George in the park that he made happen. Not a Folly idea anymore.  
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Sometimes an opportunity will present itself, like when I sat and chatted with a kind and wise man walking his dog. In our busy world, we must make time to enjoy the beauty around us, and if you do, you too just might find a treasure as I did, and meet someone memorable.    
 
    

​Are you tired of hearing the question, “Is the printed book a thing of the past?”
The debate started with the advent of the digital industry and the arguments will continue for decades to come. However, just like the beeper that everyone wore on their belt years ago, new and better technologies exist and could make the printed book disappear. The publishing industry is not immune to progress. What was once the only way to offer the written words to the public is now being replaced digitally. Technology brings us many choices. Still, many people claim that the printed book will remain with us for a few more years.
The good thing that digital publishing has brought to the table is it has opened more doors for authors (and readers) than anything else in the history of books. It does not have to be the grim reaper of reading but a new opportunity. However, with the start of Google and cell phones at our fingertips, we have become accustomed to reading in small sound bites. The smartphone, which is just another mini-computer at has allowed us to spread our wings to newfound ways of reading and getting instant information. This could be a slippery slope to the annihilation of the printed book and a restful mind.
I venture out to say that the more important question should be, “Will pleasure reading exist in the future?” This is a valid question, which intrigues me greatly.
Tweaking the original question even more, “Will technology do away with the printed book and eliminate the need of reading for pleasure?” This question scares me because, in my journey as an author, I have found that many people are doing less and less reading for pleasure. The public is becoming more stressed, sleep-deprived, and over-worked becoming walking, intelligent-fact-base Zombies.
The average professional does not unplug at five o’clock. With the mini-computer disguised as the cell phone, the professionals and even the blue-collar worker remain accessible to their job 24/7. This has cut into their much-needed personal time and created the diminishing freedom of choice. The cell phone has become the shackles of the American worker. The worries of the world are just an Amber Alert or a text message away, turning any leisure moment into work time in an instant.
The X-Generation and the Millennials of today are changing the way the world operates. They are creating a more efficient and stronger world. But at what price?
Another important question is, “Can sociality return to moments for enjoyment? Will the printed book become outdated, and then go on display in museums? Maybe, but it does not have to happen.
Perhaps, the global pandemic we have been facing will change things and help people to remember to stop and smell the roses (sorry for the cliché). Only the future holds the answer. As for me, I’ll read both digital and paper books, and remember that escaping reality by reading is a good thing even though it requires an investment of my time. Reading is good for the body, soul, and mind. That is a lot! Work and play are equally important.
For me, there is something about holding a printed book, and turning its pages, that makes me feel part of the story, which allows me to escape the world for a short hour or two. And that’s worth my time. Stay safe and remember to hold loved ones dear and Carpe diem (seize the day).

​Amazon is a horse of a different color but unlike the Technicolor horse in the movie, The Wizard of Oz, Amazon is real, and here to stay. However, dealing with the largest online bookseller can be problematic.

Perhaps this has happened to you? Scenario: You buy a book from an author at a presentation at a local bookstore, or at a club or network meeting. A few days, or maybe weeks later, you see the same book on sale on Amazon for less.

Were you ripped off? Do you feel betrayed and a bit angry with the author? After all, why didn’t she tell you it was going on sale?

The answer is simple, she did not know Amazon was going to put it on sale. Amazon is the largest marketplace in the world; so of course, the publisher and author are compelled to list books there. However, Amazon is in the driver’s seat after they list it. They set the rules for selling and they do not negotiate the terms. To make matters even more cumbersome, their rules (behind the public’s view where each book is listed) can change, and often it does, which makes working with the giant bookstore a challenge for publishers and authors, alike.

Amazon is an independent business, just like Sears or Walmart. The author is the creator of the story, and the publisher is the director and producer. Both author and publisher carry copyrights, one on the creative work and one on the publishing rights (copyrights laws are complex and often are misunderstood, so I will not get into the nuances of copyrights now).

The publisher will list books on Amazon and the publisher sets the retail price. The publisher also adds in the descriptions of the books, lists outside reviews, author interviews, and things like that, however, just like with Sears and Walmart, Amazon controls the business of selling the book on its online store (website). Amazon can decide, or not, to run a sale. They decide how much it will be, when it will go on sale, and for how long the sale will run. If Amazon chooses to run a sale on a certain book on their site, they do not consult with the publisher or author, nor do they give them any advance notice of the sale.

Amazon is an online store; there are some nuances between them and a brick and mortar store. Amazon does not buy the books outright from the publisher and how they pay for the books after the sale is handled uniquely, too. The payment that Amazon pays to the publisher is called a royalty payment. Royalties are calculated as a small percent of the retail price, which is even less than a wholesale price, and what is left over after royalties are paid belongs to Amazon. For any of the books that do not sell, neither publisher nor Amazon will make any money on them. Therefore, Amazon often decides to run a sale on individual books and any loss of money due to the hefty sale price is absorbed by Amazon as part of doing business. The publisher’s royalty payment is calculated from the original retail price and not the sale price since the publisher did not create the sale. 

This is only fair since the publisher did not implement the “Special Sale Price” but this can present a problem when the author is actively marketing and selling her books. It can develop a misunderstanding between the author and her buying fans.

After reading about the complexities of online selling with the leading bookseller (Amazon), I hope you will not feel betrayed or deceived by your author when you see the book you bought selling at a lower price on Amazon than what you paid. The author you know has no control over sale prices on Amazon any more than if her book sold at a different price through Target or Walmart.

So, please continue to support your local authors by going to book release parties and author presentations. Enjoy listening to the author’s journey and buy a copy of the book. She has put her heart and soul into writing a story or compiling a great non-fiction book for you. 
Authors appreciate your support and your purchase because writing is their livelihood.

I know, as Your Author Friend, I will do my best to announce as many Amazon sales on my books that I know about, so my reading fans can take advantage of the limited savings offers promoted by Amazon. Sometimes, those sale prices can even be less than what I pay for printing my books, thus that sale which Amazon is offering is called lost leader sale.

In closing, remember, those Amazon sale prices are not set by the authors and she or he cannot match the price for a book you already purchased from her.
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I hope you will love reading what I write and please leave an Amazon review, no matter where you purchase my books. Reviews help readers discover new authors they do not know. So, relax, enjoy, and take time to read a book for yourself, you deserve it. 

When my husband and I had decided to take a walk around downtown Tampa to soak up its history, little did we know that we might stir up some hostile ghosts.

First, I had shot photos of Tampa’s artistic murals, next we would move several blocks over near the Tampa Theater, one of my favorite historical buildings to photograph. Tampa’s downtown landscape has changed a lot over the years.

Our city now is a thriving community with a river walk and high-rise condominiums. However, with growth, unfortunately, often historical buildings disappear for new ones. Historical societies work hard to save our history and fight to save old buildings from being torn-down, but alas, progress is inevitable.

I wanted to get photographs of many of the old buildings left standing as a photographic journal of the past. I had heard about Tampa’s Kress building, an impressive Renaissance Revival style structure, and its long battle to save it from developers wrecking ball. I especially wanted to photograph it, however, I did not know much of its history at the time. I would research it later.

We walked toward the Kress building block and positioned ourselves directly across the street from its doors. I held my camera up to frame my shot and within seconds, we were attacked. A small tornado-like wind with whirling debris and dirt slashed at our faces like a whip. It felt like stones and sticks pelting us from all angles. I tried to ignore the pain as I aimed my camera and focused but the violence increased. I could barely open my eyes to take a shot. I clicked my camera once, twice, maybe three times before my husband yelled, “We have to get out of this”. We ran, crossing the street catty-corner from the Kress building with the wind following us. Once across, and a few feet along, the wind slowed and finally stopped altogether. An eerie calmness draped us.

Was it just a dust devil? Maybe. Or perhaps, the ghosts of the past who thought we were taking pictures for a developer to schedule the building's destruction.

Here’s what my research found: The block of buildings where the Kress building still stands has an interesting past connection to an event in national history.
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In 1960, many five and dime stores across the nation allowed African-Americans to shop and buy hundreds of dollars' worth of merchandise at their stores but they were not allowed to sit at the lunch counter and be served, including the F. W. Woolworth’s in Tampa, next to the Kress Building. The civil rights movement was at its peak and it had scheduled a “sit-in” at lunch counters in many states; lunch counters the same as the one in Tampa. Our city did not remain idle during this time, teens from Blake and Middleton high school marched on the scheduled day, walking for twenty minutes from St Paul AME church to the store on Polk Street between Franklin Street and Florida Avenue for a sit-in. Unlike many cities across our nation where protestors met opposing violence, our fair city of Tampa had a peaceful protest.

​Had my husband and I experienced a violent weather phenomena, or was it a ghostly encounter? I will leave it up to you to decide.