Ruby, Floyd and Paul

 

...for that was what was writ on the slide.

Who am I to disagree? I travelled the world and the seve...Ahem.

I could be wrong, that that does look the Miami Dade County Courthouse.

Bonus : 

Bring On Contestant Number 3

 

Representing Wayne County, we have Agatha von Thursburg 34 - 20 - 36.

Agatha is a trainee chicken therapist, who's hobbies include shouting at pigeons, wearing too much make-up, and playing the zither.

Yes, the 1974 Miss St Petersburg Beauty Pageant brings all the perves in.

Bonus - 

Beach-Lounging Time

 

As promised, time to move on from the Christmas / New Year / Winter slides.

So, here's someone sunbathing on a beach.

The slide has no info on the location, but that appears to be TARPON SPRINGS FLORIDA: SPONGE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. The remains of the collapsed Battery Bigelow

Bonus -

Beauty Pageant Queens in Swimsuits

 

Well .... Hello!

As promised, some of the Miss St Petersburg 1974 contestants, pose in their Swimsuits, just for me.

And what a lovely gaggle of fillies they are. 

Bonus - George Melly: Sounds That Saved My Life (homage to K.S.)

Bonus 2 - 

"And our next contestant... a little lady from..."

 

A return to the "Miss St Petersburg 1974" box of slides.  Maybe if you're good, you get one of the Swimsuit Round slides tomorrow. Maybe.  (Edit. Damn. A duplicate.)

I can find nowt about Miss St Petersburg competition in 1974, but googling did remind me of America's obsession with Booty, sorry Beauty Pageants, such as this page.

Anyway.... the fashions .... wow.  And it appears that the chap in the centre is Dave Miller. OK.

Bonus - Institute of Illegal Images in San Francisco, California, and their collection of Blotter Acid.

Misery and the South Sea Waterfall

 

Nothing written on this slides, but ... SPOILER AHEAD...

.... it's from Cypress Garden, Florida.

And someone is disgusted to be here, and being photographed.

Sometimes pictures of this turn up on eBay

Bonus - What Happened to Cypress Gardens ?

A Priest On Points Duty

 

Well, that's what it looks like to me.

If you want a challenge, starting just with that image, and nowt else, see if you can figure out who, what, where.

For the rest of us, the info is below the cut.

Where Pole-Dancers Retire

 

They say that "Birds of a feather, flock together". 

And in the case of former pole dancers, they retire to the Floridian Community of East Bonitaville. Over 43% of the community is made of of former Pole-Dancers and Exotic Dancers.

Here, we have "Tina Tremendous", now living under her stage name of Molly Smith.

Bonus - 

Midge and Nancy -- Cruise Cougars

 

Every cruise has them, or so I am informed. Cruise Cougars: rich widows who go on endless Caribbean cruises, hoping to pick up some young male flesh.

In the unlikely event that an unattached hetero male does come aboard, the pack of cougars might tear him to shreds in an effort to get them. Thus, the background to the preponderance of gay male stewards on-board makes more sense.

Bonus - 

The Coney Island Grill (recently closed.)

(Beware, the full size image is larger than normal.)

The Coney Island Grill, and neighbouring shops, which is obviously located in ... St. Petersburg, Miami.From just this slide, I have managed to track down the location, and while the are has been extensively redeveloped, that building is distinctive. There is an image of the place from 

I love slides like this - real social history, so I've left this slide as full sized and un-cleaned, so enthusiasts can grab all the small details for themselves.

The slide is undated, but seems to be from the late 1950s, and the diner / grill survived until recently, but closed in March 2021.   
 

Bonus - 

Fish on a Plank

 

Apologies for the quality of the slide (tho' not my fault). Sorry that the exposure is iffy, sorry that the horizon is slanted (tho' that might be real), sorry that there's mold growing on the slide.

However, the slide is of historic importance - How many other slides have you seen with the Layton Nailing Fish To A Plank Champions of 1960?  This might be the only record of husband and wife team Veronica and Herbert Basham, who stormed to a famous victory with their innovative "Bulgarian Teacup" technique, which was outlawed in future years.

Bonus - America had "Ugly Laws"

Bonus 2 - 

Downtown Miami, Nov 1959.

 

The only thing on the slide was the Nov 1959 Processing date, but with a little bit of Google-Fu, I am 99.9% Certain that this is Flagler Street in Miami, Fla. (Jackson/Byrons, Lili Dior, Woolworths, etc)

And the car advert for The Big Fisherman does rather confirm the 1959 date.

Bonus - The strange race to track down a missing billion years

The Throne of Citrus Royalty

 

Featuring the Dowager Queen Orange, and Princess Clementine.

From Cypress Gardens in Florida. Trust America to come up with an impressive yet lame tourist attraction based upon fruit. 

Bonus - The Feces Problem on Everest Needs a Solution.

Bonus 2 - 

Lock Up Your Grandsons

 

When these three Saucy Snowbirds hit the road, you'd better lock up the young men on their route. Florida does seem to be home to some horny grannies.

Bonus - Yes, 22nd Nov.

Bonus 2 - Squirrel Tits.

USS Dwight D Eisenhower CVN-69

 

Hurrah !    A slide with some information on it.

USS Dwight D Eisenhower CVN-69

(Which I could have guessed)

Mayport 1978

So... there you have it.

Bonus -  What?  You want more information on The Ike, Mayport, Gangplanks or 1978?

Bonus 2 - Quiz.   Which country covers the most timezones ?   Answer here

Band On Parade

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

Americans Love their Street Parades.

Bonus - Whatever Next

Anna Maria's Foggy Oyster Bar

Same Bar, Different Weather.

It's not always sunny in Florida.

Bonus -  Kevin The Duck - He's not like the other ducks.

Bonus 2 -

Anna Maria Oyster Bar

Saw this slide, and immediately thought of my sister who is holidaying in the Maldives.

Too Damned Hot for my liking.

( Anna Maria's still seems to be in business, but the current locations look a lot less inviting than this.)

Bonus

Oldest Schoolhouse in the USA

Yes, the sign above the entrance is a very useful starting point for any research.
Yes, this appears to be St Augustin in Florida.
The area seems to be rather commercialised now.

Bonus :

I Say !!!

...and a Big Florida smile for the camera, please.

Say "Wisconsin Cheese !"
PS : Nice Fins

Bonus - Inside the bloody cartel war for Mexico’s multibillion-dollar avocado industry
Bonus 2 - Sign at Uyghur dentist office,  Xinjiang Province, China, 2002.