Now, how can I resist talking about this little wiener of a dog who came into my life 3 years ago in 2007 and brought joy into my life then and continues to bring joy everyday. Woody was my mascot for my hot dog stand. I would have a picture of him with me and displayed it on my cart. Talk about conversation, you bet there was!!..How can you not ask about Woody, the picture stared in their faces!. I would tell people that my love for hot dogs is true..I even have a little wiener of a dog at home!.

When Woody and I would go for a walk, I just get a kick out of the way he is walking. His behind would wiggle and his head would be bopping up and down real quick and his long ears would be flopping back and forth. I would laugh sometimes and just tell him how cute he is, but did Woody care?…Naaahhh!!..he was looking for that squirrel he could chase up a tree. Woody was just too busy to worry about what I was thinking or saying!

Why is his name Woody you ask?  Well, it is because of his brown wood color.  He was already named by his last owner..and after we all had our laugh, I decided that was a good name for him.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.   Now that I had a little dachsy in my life, I went looking for anything that had a dachsy figurine, picture, anything.  Then I found one that looked a bit like him and it was a hot dog in a bun and ofcourse, I just had to name him Woody 2. Why do we fall in love with our dachsy? The answer is simple…Woody is so funny and he makes me laugh all the time. He is loving and cuddly and when I sit on the couch or recliner, he jumps up and snuggles right next to me. He is my alarm clock. He knows when to bark to wake me up and he times it pretty well before my alarm clock goes off. He is always wagging his tail and wants his belly rubbed. We were quite happy we thought, until one day a friend of mine, her daughter needed a new home for her cat Scooby. Scooby was not welcomed by Woody. “How dare he come into my home!” Woody says. Scooby decided to stay and stay he did..away from Woody. Woody is not a jumper or dasher off of anything, but when he saw Scooby peeking in the doorway, he dashed right at him. That went on for quite a while until one day they made a truce and became great friends. If they are sniffing each other and touching with their noses..they are buddies. Now, I failed to mention that Woody joined Sebatian, the cockatail. Sebastian came to live with me when he was only 6 weeks old and that was in 2001 and he does not like what is going on around his world. Sebastian has already seen the inside of Woody’s mouth and he managed to escape (poor thing). Sometimes Sebatian would climb out of his cage and spread his wings. You can hear the little paws running to see what is going on with Sebastian. Woody is ready to take the dive if he has to..looking up at Sebastian and waiting patiently without even twitching his eyes, focused completely on the bird, waiting for him to drop.Oh!!..what a painful look in Woody’s eyes when he sees Sebastian climbing back in his cage..even then waiting for him to loose his balance. Scooby is sitting right next to Woody, salivating over a meal he can’t have.

So that’s how it goes in a day of a dachsy’s life, but wait, we are not done with this yet. We have a new member who joined Woody and the gang. Her name is Tiffany (Tiffy) and she is a beautiful beagle. Her owner needed a new home for Tiffy and she found her way into Woody’s home and into our hearts. It was not the same as it was with Scooby, infact, Woody and Tiffy smelled each other right away and fell in love. Yes, they fell in love. They are inseparable. Woody and Tiffy both sleep in the same cage and are snuggled next to each other. One will not walk without the other. Tiffy and Woody are both hunters and are very hungry..constantly and when Tiffy is done with her food, she sometimes steals Woody’s food and being a gentlemen as he is, Woody steps aside and watches her eat his food. Now, THAT is love!.

Tune in next time for more of Woody, the wiener and his adventures!

Here’s a little clip of a breakdancing dachsy..this is not Woody!!

May of 2003 and 2004

In 2003-2004 Tampa Downtown hosted the Elvis Presley Festival and the Antique Car Show which started from the Tampa Theatre on Polk to Jackson Street.  There were many antique cars whose owners traveled as far as Pennsylvania just to be part of the show.  I (Sodie’s Inc) was fortunate enough to be the only vendor invited to be there.  It was alot of fun and everyone had a good time.

These past few years, other areas in Tampa are now hosting the Elvis Presley Festival but not with the ambience that we experienced here.

One of the earliest and most widely seen performance photos of Elvis Presley was taken right here in Tampa, during a 1955 concert appearance at Fort Homer Hesterly Armory.  A tightly cropped version of the photo was used on the cover of Presley’s first album.  That much, at least, seems to be accepted as fact by most of the King’s archivists and biographers.

Connections To Tampa

Elvis Presley was just 20 years old when he hit the stage in Tampa on Sunday, July 31, 1955. Presley already had cut a handful of singles with producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tenn., but those original Sun Studio recordings had not received wide distribution. He was still primarily a regional act, although word of his wildly energetic shows was spreading through the South.

It was not the first time the future pop idol had performed for a Tampa audience. Presley had appeared at Fort Homer Hesterly Armory once before – on May 8, 1955, as the closing act in country singer Hank Snow’s All Star Jamboree tour.

Five days after his first Tampa appearance, Presley caused a minor riot in Jacksonville by closing his show with the announcement, “Girls, I’ll see you backstage.” In their 1999 book, “Elvis Day by Day,” Peter Guralnick and Ernst Jorgensen write that fans pursued Presley into his dressing room, where they tore off his clothes and shoes.

Col. Tom Parker, a music promoter with longstanding ties to Tampa, was impressed by Presley’s potential and had begun looking for ways to work more closely with the young singer. Steve Rinaldi Sr. of Tampa, whose parents were friendly with the Colonel, recalls hearing Parker talking enthusiastically about ‘the kid’ in early 1955, confidently predicting he would become ‘the biggest thing in show business’.

By the time Presley returned to Tampa in July, Parker had forged a deal to handle all his booking and long-term planning, according to Guralnick and Jorgensen. Parker also was working to move Presley from Sun Records and onto a major record label.

On The Road To Stardom

Presley performed two shows in Tampa on July 31, 1955, both of them at Fort Homer Hesterly Armory on North Howard Avenue.

The shows, fundraisers sponsored by the Sertoma Club of Tampa, featured folksy comic Andy Griffith as headliner, along with Ferlin Husky, Marty Robbins and other Grand Ole Opry stars. Presley’s name was listed near the bottom of the bill in an ad that appeared in The Tampa Tribune. Guitarist Scotty Moore and bass player Bill Black shared the stage with Presley. General-admission tickets for the shows, a 2:30 matinee and an 8:15 evening performance, were $1.25 each. Children younger than 12 were admitted for 50 cents.

Below are pictures of the event of 2003 and 2004.  Since then downtown Tampa has gone through some changes. Streets have been paved and restaurants have closed and new restaurants took their place.

History of Florida Estates Winery

Following a twenty-five year history of involvement with the wine industry and the viticultural research activities of the University of Florida, Florida Estates Winery opened its doors to the public in December 2001. Florida Estates Winery is Florida’s premium winery, producing world class wines from the best of Florida’s fine bunch wine grapes, combined with wines from the world’s finest wine producing areas. The winery is open to the general public for conducted tastings and sales. Picnics are welcome.

I have been their vendor/caterer for 4 years on and off and have enjoyed meeting all the different crafters who come to show off their handmade designs. It is a great time of year to stop by and see all the crafts that are on display for purchase. You will also love their wine tasting demo which is pretty awesome. You do get to taste different wines and that can be alot of fun.  Join Florida Estates Winery’s Vineyardist, Cellar Master, and tasting expert, Ron Hunt as he shares his experiences and educational knowledge of wine in a detailed wine class.

Check out their website Florida Estate Winery for details on times for wine tasting and their calendar of events.  You can also join their newsletter to see what is going on at their events.

Established in 1989, America II Electronics, Inc. is one of the world’s largest independent semiconductor distributors of semiconductors and electronic components. Headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, America II has one of the largest inventories in the industry with over 3 billion parts in stock and is available for sale.  America II has offices in the UK, Germany, Asia and Mexico, America II stocks active, passive and electromechanical components from over 1,400 manufacturers. With over three billion components in stock and valued at $1 billion, America II has one of the largest inventories in the industry.

In addition,  they are also involved as the title sponsor for America II Corporate SportsFest for the past 15+ years
and we are proud and excited to have been taking part in these annual event.  We have served them from 2005 and looking forward to serving them in the future.  Here are some pictures that were taken by others in the American II Sportsfest of 2005 I will be posting more pictures of this event.

These events were held at Sandy Keys, Clearwater, FL.,  and I had the pleasure of being their private caterer from 2005-2009.  As of 2010, the event has been moved to Sirata Beach Resort, St. Petersburg, FL., and unfortunately, we cannot remain being their private caterer since the beach has their own and outside vendors are not allowed to enter.  But I was and am happy to serve them at any event in the future.

The next event for 2011 will be held again at Sirata Beach Resort.  America II Sportsfest 2011 event