Stampfest By The Bay

Yesterday I drove 85 miles to attend Stampfest by the Bay in Clearwater, FL.  It is a Rubber Stamping, Scrapbooking and Paper Craft Convention.  I have not been to a stamping convention in about five years and it was good to be able to attend and see all the new projects, techniques and products that are out there.  It is also good to be around other people who enjoy rubber stamping as much as I do.  I learned a lot and saw some great new products.  It was fun, very crowded and busy, but fun.
Clearwater is a city in Pineallas County nearly due west of Tampa and rests on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico to the west and Tampa Bay to the east.  The population is 108,787 with a median income of $36,500 and a median age of 42.  It is part of the a tri city metropolis with Tampa and St. Petersburg with Clearwater being the smallest city of the three.  Clearwater was originally the home of the Tocobaga people.  In 1835 the US Army built Fort Harrison in Clearwater.  It was an outpost during the Seminole Wars.  The area population grew after the Federal Armed Occupation Act of 1842 which offered 160 acres of land to anyone willing to bear arms and cultivate the land.  Clearwater got its name from clear water that flowed near the court house.  The town really began to develop late in the 19th century prompted by the first passenger railroad line into the city in 1888.  Clearwater was incorporated in 1891 and became a popular winter home area for many Northerners who would come to Clearwater to get out of the harsh winters in the north.  It was so popular that the population would more than double in the winter months. 
Clearwater is a pretty area and has a great location surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay.  The beach was beautiful but very cold due to the wind blowing at 25 mph with gusts about 40 mph.  Tampa Bay was very rough with wind blowing from the north.  It was a nice drive and I will have to visit Clearwater again some day.