Tampa Bay’s Big Cat Rescue

by Adrienne Wilson on

It was an easy breezy Saturday morn when I set out from my home with a close friend of mine to check out Tampa’s Big Cat Rescue. The animal attraction is only a good five miles away from my place and after three plus years of living in the area the perfect opportunity finally presented itself and I took the bull by the horns or in this case I should say the cat by the tail, or wait whiskers… Bad joke, guys. In all seriousness, please don’t grab any cat by the whiskers.

The Big Cat Rescue is a sanctuary for wild cats and I believe one of the worlds largest. The BCR provides a permanent retirement home for more than 100 lions, tigers, leopards, cougars, servals, caracals and sand cats to name only a few exotic felines. Most of the cats come from a turbulent past of cross-breeding, circus stages, and other sad tales which I’ll touch on later.

When we pulled up into the unpaved lot of the rescue leaves were blowing everywhere and there were several cheery volunteers up early waiting for each visitor’s arrival. Before entering you have sign off on a few simple rules. For instance teasing the big 400 lb. tiger is not advised and getting too close to the smaller servals could result in a nice bath of feline perfume. Follow the rules and you’re bound to have an enjoyable trip through the grounds. Our guide for the day was Denny, a volunteer who had been with the BCR for quite a while and a passionate animal lover. He jumped right into leading us through the path of the sanctuary. He described each cat like they were one of his grand-children and told the rest of us how we could get involved volunteering with the organization.


The group walks down the path to check out the next big kitty on the property.

If I’m not mistaken this would be Nikita and if I have the right cat then Nikita’s story is just the beginning of several horrific animal abuse tales Denny shared with us. To say the least, Nikita was found chained to a wall in a crack house during a drug bust in Tennessee.
I’ve never been a huge cat lover to be honest. I’ve lived with cats on occasion, but never by request really. Seeing all these beautiful animals, I could easily understand why someone might want to own one for show, but would imagine they’d be hell to take care of once they gain three times my weight and their teeth and paws grow into mighty fangs and claws. Denny revealed that a good many of the abused cats came from wealthy homes with owners that didn’t know what to do once the cats got a little bit bigger. There were some stories of cats being starved to keep them from growing so that they could be used in photographs with people and children. Our guide was also packed with information on what happens when animal and man interact when they very well shouldn’t. Most stories ended in a human being killed and the animal accused of murder though it was only doing what came natural. I could go on here, but I wouldn’t be nearly as good as our guide Denny or any guide leading the tours at the Big Cat Rescue, which is why I suggest if you’re in the Tampa, FL area to pay a visit to this attraction and sanctuary. Here are just a few more photos from my adventure in and out and details below on how to make your own day trip down.

Meet Cloe, a snow leopard with a very unusual away of saying hello or perhaps she is warning us to get away. My friend found her behavior very, very odd.

This African Lion, Cameron relaxes with his back turned to our group. He turned his head occasionally so that we could get a glimpse of his beautiful side profile, but otherwise stayed put.

Zabu is far to lazy to strike a pose for us during our visit, but after hearing the story of this white tigress I can happily excuse her for being so bored with our presence and cameras.

My memory fails to remind which bobcat this is exactly. I want to say Raindance, but in any event check out the BCR site to read the stories of this bobcat and the others. From escaping being slaughtered for their fur to departing owners that couldn’t tolerate their urinating on the floor they are as heart-wrenching as the rest.

Again, I can’t recall the name of this tiger. There are many at the BCR that come from the circus.

If you can’t make it to the Big Cat Rescue in person, start by paying a virtual visit to their website. It is loaded with pictures, information and more importantly ways to contribute to the organization and how to adopt one of the cats. Join them during one of the feeding tours or experience the animals during a night tour when almost all of them to come out. The night tour is one that I’m hoping to take part in one of these days on my next visit and sounds like a real treat as mentioned by my day guide, Denny. To find out more about the various tours, programs, hours, prices and how to get to the Big Cat Rescue click here.

Lake Worth’s Amazing Streetpainting Festival (A Photo Essay)

by Willy Volk on

This weekend, Lake Worth, Florida held its 13th Annual Streetpainting Festival. With the 2 major roads downtown closed to traffic, well over 200 artists got down on their knees, broke open their cartons of chalk, and painted the roads.

My wife and I attended and shot lots of photos. What follows is a photo essay of the event. I think you’ll agree that the results were pretty amazing.

On the first day, people were busy trying to get their plans laid out. Almost everyone worked from photos or drawings they had brought with them and covered in plastic (to keep them chalk-free). Amazingly, lots of people drew freehand.

Meanwhile, others drew a grid and developed their scenes rather methodically.


Some of the artwork didn’t seem all that impressive…

…until you took the time to read the label. They’re only in 5th Grade!?

There was, of course, a dedicated Young Artist’s section, which gave “emerging artists” the chance to show off their skills.

And there was also a Featured Artists’ Gallery.

Check out the artists’ names on the painting! No relation, though.

Most of the images were sponsored by local business that had retained an artist to create the art. Some images were drawn by residents who paid the negligible entry fee and joined the fun. Still other images were created by art clubs from area high schools. There were so many good ones, it was tough to say if the Featured Artists were better than the high schoolers.

The couple that drew this are my neighbors. They’re selling their house, and they thought this would be a good way to advertise that fact. Clever.




The Aurora Borealis.

There was also entertainment at the Festival.

And lots of street-vendor-food. Man, I love sweet nuts.

This guy, Randy Orwig, is something of a local celebrity. He paints himself in gold and sits completely still. It’s pretty amazing. I wonder how long it took him to train that dog to sit still, too.

Somebody even painted Orwig!

This was my favorite piece. I love the Florida theme.

Probably the biggest “buzz” at the event surrounded the “anamorphic art image.” The caption reads, “Anamorphic art is an image created on a 2-dimensional surface that looks 3-dimensional when viewed through a lens from a fixed point (developed in the Renaissance).”

Here it is:

Since the weather was beautiful, there was a great turn-out. We really had a good time, and we can’t wait to go next year.

Baseball Travel Guide

by Jonathon Morgan on

Many sports fans were at a loss this past weekend. With football on hiatus for another off-season, it’s time to get psyched about America’s national pastime: baseball. For the serious fan (or the person married to a serious fan that just wants to get away from the cold), it might be time to consider a trip your favorite team’s spring training camp.

The most popular destination are Florida and Arizona, where you’ll find just about every team gearing up for next season. You can see the stars in exhibition games from seats way closer than you’d be able to afford at your local stadium, and it’s far easier for autograph hounds to get your baseballs, jerseys or other memorabilia in front of your favorite player in the laid-back atmosphere of training camp.

Check out Ben Walker’s very thorough article to get a full down on who’s playing where.

Detour Worth Making: Florida’s No Name Pub

by Willy Volk on

Last summer, my wife and I treated ourselves to a long weekend and hit the Underwater Music Festival off Big Pine Key, Florida. While the Festival, itself, was pretty cool, the highlight of the trip was dinner at the No Name Pub. Claiming to serve the “greatest pizza in the known universe,” I was a bit skeptical, since it was so far out of the way. Nevertheless, we bellied up to the bar, and we ordered two draught beers and one Key Shrimp Pizza. The verdict? I haven’t been to the entire known universe, but I can pretty safely say that it was the greatest pizza in Florida.

Located at the end of North Watson Boulevard, 1.5 miles north of US1, and just before you cross the bridge to No Name Key, this off-the-beaten-path hideaway is the oldest bar on the island. Built in 1936, the brothel that existed during the early days was exchanged for a killer pizza recipe. Visitors to the Pub are encouraged to decorate a dollar to hang on the walls or ceiling; there are tens of thousands of doodled-on bills covering them today. Dimly-lit, built entirely of wood, and featuring a sturdy bar to sidle up to, No Name is the pub pirates would call their own – except they’d demand, “Arrr, Matey…can we get some music in here?”

In short, no road trip to the Lower Keys is complete without a side trip to the No Name. You just gotta go.

[Photo: WavArt]

How Was the NFL Experience?

by Willy Volk on

On Saturday morning, I dragged myself out of bed, threw on some clothes, and made the hour-long drive to Dolphin Stadium. My wife and I had company in town, and we wanted to be among the very first people through the gates for the NFL experience. For those of you who don’t know, the NFL Experience is an interactive theme park offering football fans the chance to buy merchandise, participate in football-related games, attend free autograph sessions, and browse the largest football card show ever. For true football fans, this was nirvana.

Entry cost us $15 each, which I thought was steep until I saw all the booths and events inside.

The first hall we passed through was for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a mobile museum showcasing jerseys and other memorabilia. Small children stared, transfixed, as grown men whimpered nearby.

While some of the event was a bit cheesy, it really gave visitors a sense of what being a football player felt like. It sure seems like returning a kick for a touchdown is easy.

In addition to the “silly stuff,” there was also a lot of tradition involved. I seriously felt as though I were participating in something sacred.

The first “fun” thing we did was participate in the Field Goal Kick.

Essentially, you try to kick a field goal while large rubber defenders rush at you. Unfortunately, this photo makes it look like we were playing inside a spider web. However, all that rigging was necessary to support the safety nets and lights. See the uprights?

Although I made a valiant effort…

…I didn’t get the ball through the uprights. See my disappointment?

My friend nailed the kick, though. He didn’t win anything, although we did get a Snickers bar for waiting in line. (Don’t tell anybody, but I grabbed two candy bars!)

The NFL Experience was very kid-friendly.

They had special sections set up for kids, which included timed races and other games.


Later, under cover, we strolled among the memorabilia and checked out the goods. These framed, signed prints ran from several hundred dollars to several thousand. Jeez, I thought the $15 entry fee was hefty.

These hand-painted designer helmets were beautiful, although they looked a little small to me — but I’m no expert. They cost $595 apiece.

There were also reasonably-priced souvenirs on site. Select figurines were only $5. Moreover, Topps was there, and they were giving trading cards away by the hands-full.

My favorite bit of memorabilia was the full-sized helmets, signed by all the members of each of the teams.

It was a fun time. However, after kicking the field goals — er, trying to kick the field goals — buying some caps, and chilling with the Silver Bullet girls (sorry, no photos of that!), it was time to leave the NFL Experience. After all, it was time to see what was going on at South Beach.

It was easy to find our car, as we were parked near the world’s largest football.

In summary, the NFL Experience was a lot of fun, and I’m glad we went. When the Superbowl is in your hometown, I highly recommend swinging by. Be sure to get there early, though, because when we left, the parking lots were full, and the lines were loooong.