Special to The Laker/Lutz News

12-year-old combines love of photography and outdoors

By Ashley Reams

News Editor

LUTZ — Rikianne O’Byrne will never forget the first time she saw a baby seal.

O’Byrne, a sixth-grader at Learning Gate Community School in Lutz, was visiting Oregon with her mother, Molly Miller, stopping at parks along the coast.

As they were driving across a bridge, O’Byrne looked out at the drift logs in the water.

“All of a sudden, one of them moved,” she said.

She made her mom stop the car, and the pair walked to the middle of the bridge where they realized they were observing seals.

“They were splashing around,” O’Byrne said, “and it was so cute!”

O’Byrne and Miller were able to get closer to another group of seals the same day, and O’Byrne took several photos of them. Now, one of those pictures is part of a 2010 Wild Child Pics calendar that she and her mom have created.

The 13-month calendar combines 12-year-old O’Byrne’s love of photography and nature. It features animal photographs that she has captured over the last two years.

“I’ve always thought that a lot of people … don’t really get to see a lot of what is going on in nature,” O’Byrne said, “and I’ve always wanted to capture the moment.”

O’Byrne began taking pictures two years ago, and she has taught herself most of what she knows. She started out using her mom’s camera, a Sony point-and-shoot. That was fine for a while, but O’Byrne said she wanted something better.

So, she organized a garage sale and earned $180 selling old books and baby items. She combined that with $400 she had saved up from allowance money for six years and bought a Canon Rebel Xti 40D.

Then, she went outside and snapped photos as much as she could. Deer, alligators, herons, cranes, ospreys and other animals became her subjects. John B. Sargeant Park, the Hillsborough River and Lettuce Lake Park became her backdrops.

“Riki’s always been artistic,” Miller said. “When she was little, she would draw and paint all the time on anything and everything.”

She is also fond of animals and has lots of patience.

“She’ll stand in front of her camera for a half an hour,” Miller said, waiting to get the perfect shot.

“I do usually have to wait for the pictures to come,” O’Byrne said. “You do have to be very patient… When I’m still, (the animal) just kind of sees me as an object.”

O’Byrne and Miller set up a business, Wild Child Pics, and began selling the calendar in September. They’ve sold a total of 51 calendars via the Lutz Shop and Stroll, Café Kili in Temple Terrace, the Tampa Street Market, and their Web site, www.wildchildpics.com. O’Byrne donates 10 percent of all sales to Metropolitan Ministries, and she has a $70 check ready to give the organization.

She has also been able to use the money from sales to pay for half of a new $500 camera.

O’Byrne said she sees photography as a hobby just like gymnastics, another activity in which she excels. She said she thinks she’ll continue taking pictures as she gets older.

“Probably not as a job,” she said, “but a hobby that pays for itself.”

Instead, O’Byrne said she wants to be a mechanical engineer. She said she’s always enjoyed being inventive. Her cousin is a mechanical engineer and works for a company that creates solar panels.

“I wanted to be a mechanical engineer before I knew he was a mechanical engineer, but he’s probably inspired me more,” she said.

In the meantime, O’Byrne said she plans to sell more calendars and take more pictures. She said she’s hoping to buy about $250 worth of equipment that will enable her to use her newest camera underwater. She and Miller are tentatively planning a trip to the Florida Keys during spring break, and she said she would like to take some underwater pictures then.

She said those pictures will probably end up in her next calendar.

What: Wild Child Pics 2010 Calendar

Created by: Rikianne O’Byrne, 12, a sixth-grader at Learning Gate Community School in Lutz

Cost: $14.95

Available at:

• Café Kili, 5731 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa
• Tampa Street Market, 4715 N. Florida Ave., Tampa
• www.wildchildpics.com

More information: www.wildchildpics.com or www.facebook.com/pages/Tampa-FL/Wild-Child-Pics/131072257917

By Diane Kortus

Staff writer

LAND O’ LAKES — Happy Tails Pet Lodge has added a water lagoon designed especially for dogs to romp in.

“The lagoon sloops in like a beach so dogs can enter and exit at their own comfort level,” said owner Leigh Anderson.” There’s even a real rock water fall for them to play in!”

At its deepest, the doggy lagoon is 2.5 feet. The large lagoon narrows to become a another lagoon designed just for smaller dogs. Waterspouts leap up from the ground and an old-fashion pump pours water into the smaller lagoon.

“The spouts and water pump generate streams of water that dogs try to catch and love to play in,” said Lorraine Ceglia, a pet counselor at Happy Tails.

Happy Tails groups together dogs of similar size, energy level and demeanor. These segregated groups of pets then play, exercise and relax within the Lodge’s three fenced acres that encompass large oak trees in a rural setting.

“My dog plays outside for hours and comes home just as tired as we are after a full day at work,” said Denise Drudy, who brings her dogs Mona and Crystal to Happy Tails for doggy daycare.

Pam Hardy of Lutz also brings her yellow lab, Bella, to daycare. Bella spends most of her day trying to catch the spray and rolling around in the shallow waters. Lisa and Jim Patterson of Land O’ Lakes bring their boxer, Chelsea, who often is found relaxing under a 25-foot oak tree watching other dogs play.

Customers tell Anderson that when they pull into Happy Tails Pet Lodge, their dogs become excited and run to the Lodge’s front door in anticipation of a fun day. “That makes me feel good because I wanted to create a place where dogs get the play time and exercise they need and miss out on when left alone at home all day,” said Anderson.

Happy Tails Pet Lodge offers pet boarding, doggie daycare, grooming and long-term care. Large boarding suites are available for big dogs and multi-dog families who want to house their pets together.

The lodge has a relaxing, home-style feel, perhaps because Anderson lives in a small house connected to the facility.

“Clients tell me that having me on site gives them comfort, knowing their furry family members are not left alone at night,” she said.

The Lodge also welcomes cats. Felines are housed inside, apart from dogs, in an open 10-by-10 foot suite with individual housing. A cat-sized, three-level tree fort takes up much of the feline house and offers cats lots of things to play with and perches to watch over.

Happy Tails Pet Lodge is located north of Land O’ Lakes on Ehren Cutoff, about a mile south of SR 52. Overnight dog boarding fees begin at $18. Daycare fees are between $7 and $18, depending on the number of hours a pet stays.

For additional information, call (813) 995-221 or visit HappyTailsPetLodge.net

John Hagen addresses Wesley Chapel chamber

By Steve Lee

Staff Writer

WESLEY CHAPEL — Unity, marketing and taking bold risks in a troubled economy were the highlights of remarks made by the new president of the Pasco Economic Development Council to about 40 members of the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce.

John Hagen spoke Jan. 5 during a breakfast meeting at Saddlebrook Resort. It was his first public speaking engagement since becoming president of the Pasco EDC in December. Hagen previously held a similar position in suburban Phoenix.

Coming off a year plagued by double-digit unemployment and painful declines in the housing and construction industries, Hagen fostered hope by outlining a new initiative called “New Pasco.”

He highlighted the initiative’s six-point plan, which uses strategies to develop leadership, talent, workforce and products that foster economic growth. Its overall theme is “locally united, globally competitive,” Hagen said.

“I’m here really to execute it, and hopefully add to it in some way,” Hagen said of the imitative. “I love things that are new — it’s almost as good as free. We’re trying to change our community here.”

As for the immediate future, the county’s economic outlook is expected to improve by two companies that can be defined as “locally united, globally competitive.”

T. Rowe Price is building a 450,000-square-foot financial planning facility for 1,600 employees on SR 54 near the Suncoast Parkway. Dias Analytic, a high-tech corporation that helps improve air quality and reduce energy costs, plans to hire 1,000 workers after landing a $200 million contract from a firm in China.

“We’re trying to keep the best (things) we’ve done here and trying to change the things that are new and make them better,” Hagen said. “There’s a lot of neat stuff on the drawing board and it’s going to change the way people look at us.”

While most of Hagen’s observations were general and countywide, he did offer some initial impression on the Land O’ Lakes-Wesley Chapel area.

“I actually am real excited about that corridor,” Hagen said. “We have a great transportation link there, and that is a great start. I’d love to see some of the newer developments.”

Residential and commercial developments line SR 54 and the newer SR 56. And though the intersecting I-75 is congested during peak travel periods, road expansions are under way at both exits.

Hagen said that road expansions, new and improved businesses and getting residential developments back on track are the primary objectives of the EDC.

“People are going to be attracted by the success that you have here,” Hagen told chamber members.

Those interested in sewing can share ideas and learn from each other

By Ashley Reams

News Editor

PASCO COUNTY — When Caroline de Fontaine-Stratton was 8 years old, she pointed to a dress in a picture and told her grandmother that she wanted it.

Within a few days, de Fontaine-Stratton had the dress, but it didn’t come from a store. Her grandmother had made it for her.

“I just thought it was neat that you could just do it yourself,” de Fontaine-Stratton said.

Since then, de Fontaine-Stratton, now 35, had always wanted to learn how to sew. The only problem was she never had the opportunity. That changed about a year ago, when a sewing club formed in Pasco County.

The club, which is sponsored by the Pasco County Extension Family & Consumer Sciences program, meets on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Women’s Building at the Pasco County Fairgrounds in Dade City. It’s not a structured class; instead it offers people of all ages the chance to spend time with others who like to sew and learn from each other.

“It’s open to anybody who has an interest in sewing,” said Betsy Crisp, Pasco’s Family & Consumer Sciences extension agent.

The Extension Office recently bought seven new sewing machines with donations from the community, and this equipment is available for use during the club meetings. Participants can also bring their own machines, Crisp said. There is no fee to join the group.

The club has about 14 members of various ages, and an average of six to eight people show up to the meetings. They practice sewing and other fiber arts, including: knitting; crocheting; quilting; cross stitching; felting; loom weaving; fabric painting and dying; and more.

“This group tries to address them all,” said Jim Dennison, who leads the group with Amy Greif. “We’re a fiber arts club, not just a sewing club.”

Dennison and Greif came up with the idea for the club while working together in the Pasco County Property Appraiser’s Office. They both shared a common interest in fiber arts, and people would ask them how to sew.

“We said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we had a club that taught people how to do these things?’” said Dennison, who is now retired.

“There’s something about being together in a group where you can mentor one another,” Greif said.

Dennison got into sewing when he was 9 years old. To keep him out of trouble, his grandmother would make him sit with her, balling up flour sack string or cutting out patches for quilts.

Eventually, Dennison’s grandmother showed him how to single crochet and double crochet. Once you learn those stitches, he said, you can make just about anything.

Dennison acknowledged that he is the only man in the sewing group, and he said he hopes that more men will join the club.

“People forget that all sewing — aside from decorative sewing — was done by men before the Industrial Revolution,” he said, pointing out that gender roles associated with the craft have switched throughout history.

Caroline de Fontaine-Stratton joined the group soon after it formed. She went from knowing absolutely nothing about sewing to threading and running a sewing machine, choosing the proper width of stitches depending on the material, using a serger to finish off ends so they don’t unravel, cutting and measuring, matching different fabrics, and quilting.

“From the first day, there was a woman there that showed me how to thread the machine,” she said.

de Fontaine-Stratton is now putting the skills she’s learned to practical use. She’s made pillowcases from hand-embroidered fabrics from the 1940s and 50s, and she’s started making quilts.

She said the best part about being in the group is sharing concepts with other members.

“There’s always an exchange of information and ideas from people,” she said. “We have a lot of fun.”

If you go

What: Pasco Extension Family and Consumer Sciences program’s sewing club

Where: Women’s Building, Pasco County Fairgrounds, 36702 SR 52, Dade City

When: second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

More information: Betsy Crisp, (352) 521-4288

Three years since Land O’ Lakes teen died in car crash

By Steve Lee

Staff Writer

LAND O’ LAKES — A few tears flowed at a cemetery gathering in remembrance of a Land O’ Lakes teen who died three years ago. But the mood on Dec. 30 was anything but somber when family and friends celebrated what would have been Krista Sellars’ 17^th birthday. They shared stories and plenty of laughs at the Trinity Gardens gravesite.

“We’ve spent enough down time,” said Cathi Schmidt, Sellars’ mother. “I can hear her now. ‘Oh, c’mon. Get over it.’ She would not want anyone to be sad.”

Friends of Sellars, who was killed in a car accident on Jan. 9, 2007, just days after turning 14, have gotten together each year since on her birthday to share memories.

Bags of food from Moe’s Southwest Grill — Sellars’ favorite — served as centerpiece of a human circle on the grass in front of her headstone. Schmidt and Felicia Greer, Schmidt’s mother and Sellars’ grandmother, smiled as they listened to classmates recount the good times they had with their departed daughter and granddaughter.

“It says to me that she made some great choices in her life,” said Schmidt of her daughter, her eyes scanning the circle of teens. “It makes my heart feel good. I have an angel and a million kids here.”

Best friend, Caty Logrono, looked at a portrait of Sellars and herself engraved in the lower left corner of the granite headstone.

“That’s probably my favorite one of us,” said Logrono of the photo of herself and Sellars taken when both were eighth-graders at Pine View Middle. “That was a fun day. We got all ready to take pictures and put on makeup and stuff.” Today Logrono is a senior at Land O’ Lakes High.

Some in the circle described the blonde Sellars as “bubbly and upbeat.”

“She was the kind of person that no matter what mood you were in, she’d put a smile on your face,” said Ryan Conigliaro, a freshman at the University of Central Florida. “And she was great at giving advice.”

Like dozens of teens, longtime friend Andrew Krouse, a freshman at Pasco-Hernando Community College, has come to Sellars’ annual “birthday” celebration every year since she died.

“She’s still here right now,” Krause said. “Look at the impact she had. We’re still here together because of her.”

…..

On Jan. 9, 2007, Sellars was a passenger in a Toyota coupe driven by boyfriend Joshua Parsons, traveling north on U.S. 41 just south of Land O’ Lakes High. The car smashed into the back of a pickup truck and Sellars, tiny at just 85 pounds, died at the scene. Parsons, who was never charged by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, suffered minor injuries.

Sellars was a popular student at Pine View Middle, a cheerleader and student council member.

“I have learned a lot through her,” Parsons said of his former girlfriend at the gravesite gathering. “I remember her telling me what doesn’t destroy you strengthens you.”

Former Pine View principal Dave Estabrook said teachers expressed disbelief when he told them of the fatal crash, especially Sellars’ favorite teachers, Tina Stavrou and the late George Bastable, who died last July.

“It was quite a time at Pine View as far as the ill effects it had at the school,” Estabrook said. “She was a great kid. She was very positive. She had great relations with everybody.”

For nearly three years, a memorial on U.S. 41 marked the spot of the fatal accident. Recently, however, it was taken down due to road construction.

“I don’t go by it,” Schmidt said of that painful reminder of the place where her daughter died.

The memorial was taken care of by Sellars’ many friends. Over the years it displayed white or pink crosses with wooden or medal signs in tribute to the much-loved teen. And always there were flowers and photos of the girl who would forever be 14 from friends who would never forget her.

The Krista Marie Sellars Memorial Scholarship Fund awarded its first scholarships last April to Shelby Smith and Melany Ospina. The Land O’ Lakes High graduates received full scholarships to a Florida college or university.

To raise money for the memorial fund, a golf tourney is planned for June 17 at Tampa Palms Country Club. To sponsor a hole, make a donation or to play in the four-person, best-ball scramble, call (813) 569-8697.

Poem

Krista Marie

By Caitlin Logrono

On wings of an angel, away she flies
Her smile forever in my head and heart,
Though she stays close, she is up in the skies,
Earned her wings and a halo, when we did part
Now free as a bird, through clouds she soars.
A glimpse of her face I sometimes will catch,
As she whispers, “Best friend, I’m always yours.”
My angel, the words could not better match.
My guide and my hope, she never has left me.
My dim light at the end of that long hall,
Keeps me thinking there is so much I could be.
Still she saves me when I’m ready to fall.
An angel for sure, her friendship I cherish.
Though she is gone, our bond will never perish.

DADE CITY — About 300 soldiers and their families enjoyed dinner and entertainment Sept. 11 at the Pasco County Fairgrounds to thank and send their farewells to the G Company 53rd BSB FSC Field Artillery National Guard Unit from Dade City that soon ships out overseas.

Charley Belcher of Fox 13 was master of ceremonies of the event, which took place on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite was among the dignitaries present, as were Pasco County Commission Chairman Jack Mariano and Dade City Mayor Scott Black.

“It is rather fitting that on 9/11 that we have this event,” Brown-Waite said. “We should never forget that there are terrorists out there who want to destroy our way of life. I can’t wait to welcome you home, each and every one of you.”

Unit Commander Travis L. Johnson made remarks considering the Sept. 11 attacks and the unit’s readiness. He presented plaques to the dinner’s host, The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce, and to chamber member Missy Lee for her leadership in planning the salute to the soldiers.

Sites, builders to be reconsidered

By Steve Lee

Sports Editor

WESLEY CHAPEL — Pasco County Commissioners planned on fine-tuning details for a multi-sport athletic facility in Trinity later this month, but things have changed with the recent pullout by Sportsplex USA.

Now, a one-site proposition could turn into two locations on each side of the county. Starkey Ranch in Odessa and New River Township in Wesley Chapel were among other initial proposals.

Commissioners also could seek new bids for a project to utilize up to $11 million in tourist development dollars earmarked for an athletic complex.

“I was surprised after the meeting we had,” said Pat Mulieri, chairperson of the commission. “I felt like (the Sportsplex project) was going to go.”

Mulieri planned to research Cal Ripken Youth Baseball, a national organization named after the Hall of Famer that promotes tournaments and builds facilities.

Commissioners will discuss the project’s future at its Jan. 12 meeting at 10 a.m. in Dade City. Mulieri said the county spent $60,000 for Sportsplex to return with a site analysis and appear at two public hearings. No contract was signed, she added.

Animosity was prevalent at the December meeting, with several county residents and proponents of competing sites speaking out against the Sportsplex project that called for four baseball/softball fields and a restaurant/pub.

Jack Mariano was the most outspoken commissioner, questioning several points of the Sportsplex proposal and pushing for an expansion of Arthur Engle Field in Hudson.

In a Dec. 28 letter addressed to Pasco County Administrator John Gallagher, Sportsplex Chairman Paul Berghoff wrote, “From the negative newspaper articles to the diverse individual efforts trying to impact or derail the project, it appears abundantly clear to me that we need to step back.”

In hindsight, Mulieri, who represents central Pasco as the District 2 commissioner, said she should have called for a vote at the December meeting.

“You have to make a decision and let it go,” she said.

The next decision could lead to revisiting sites in Odessa and Wesley Chapel, among others. Mulieri all but ruled out Starkey Ranch, estimating that it would cost about $1 million for land upgrades.

New River Township, just west of Zephyrhills, remains in the running primarily for its public-private partnership with developers of that residential community willing to fund a portion of the project.

“We’re still open to that,” said Eric Marks, the senior vice president of New River Partners who would not disclose how much money his company would invest. “We continue to be interested in a partnership with the county.”

“He’s a very generous man,” Mulieri said of Marks, adding that his firm was “willing, at one point, to building it and leasing it back to us.”

A potential drawback to the New River site is that an athletic complex would be built within the development rather than along its SR 54 frontage.

“One of the problems with that site is it wouldn’t be visible from the main road,” Mulieri said.

Unlike plans for a tennis center at Saddlebrook that fell though in 2009, commissioners are not ready to give up on the multi-sports project just yet.

“I don’t think it’s a lost cause, but I think it’s something where the board has to make a decision,” Mulieri said. “I think it’s time to fish or cut bait.”

Snake expert explains what to do if bitten

By Ashley Reams Dunn

News Editor

LAND O’ LAKES — Trent Spanos walked along a concrete path in his Ballantrae neighborhood off SR 54, his miniature lab, Minnie, on a leash ahead of him.

Minnie walked along the edge of the grass and stopped suddenly. She didn’t yelp, but Spanos said he could tell something was wrong.

As he took a closer look at Minnie, he noticed a bite mark on her snout. Something in the grass caught his attention. It was a 5-foot cottonmouth water moccasin.

“The moccasin also had ideas of striking me, as it stayed in the reared-up striking position,” Spanos said.

He quickly got himself and Minnie away from the snake, and then looked down at Minnie’s snout again.

“The blood just started flowing,” he said.

According to the Pasco County Cooperative Extension, cottonmouth moccasins are found throughout Florida in wetlands and waterways. They occasionally wander far from water, and have been found in bushes and trees.

The snake’s bite can be extremely dangerous, according to the Extension. Anyone — person or animal — who is bitten should get immediate medical care from a doctor or veterinarian experienced in treating snakebites.

“Immediate attention — that’s key,” said Jim Mendenhall, a Spring Hill snake expert, who owns Squamata Reptiles and travels around the state giving educational lectures on snakes. He puts on a snake show every year at the San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival.

A venomous snakebite is extremely painful, Mendenhall said. Anyone bit by a water moccasin would feel an immediate burning sensation and see immediate swelling and discoloration around the bite. Then, the tissue starts to dissolve.

If a venomous snake bites you, your child or your pet, the first thing you should do is stay calm, Mendenhall said. This will slow the spread of venom through the body.

“Keep them as quiet as possible, keep them relaxed,” he said. “Try to keep that adrenaline down.”

Then, call a physician or veterinarian immediately to see if they have anti-venom available. It’s the best way to treat a bite, but there’s currently a shortage, Mendenhall said.

Spanos rescues and fosters dogs on a regular basis. He’s had 3-year-old Minnie since she was a puppy.

“She’s a good dog,” he said.

But the 23-pound pooch was fading fast after being bitten on Dec. 21. She was bleeding heavily, and her face and head were beginning to swell.

Spanos carried Minnie into his house and called a local veterinarian, who referred him to an emergency room doctor. Fortunately for Minnie, anti-venom was available. She has also been taking Benadryl, steroids and an antibiotic. She couldn’t open her mouth for a while because it was so swollen.

“She’s doing extremely well now, but it was touch and go for a while,” Spanos said.

“I prayed hard for her, and that was like a little Christmas present,” he added.

Now, he said he’s hoping to raise awareness about the presence of snakes near local homes. He said his neighbors have also seen water moccasins around their houses.

“There’s certainly a watch out here,” Spanos said. “People in the neighborhood need to know, and it’s not just this neighborhood.”

What to do if you, your child or your pet is bitten by a venomous snake:

1) Stay calm. Keeping the adrenaline down helps slow the flow of venom through the body.

2) Seek medical help immediately. The sooner the bite is treated, the better the recovery.

Source: Jim Mendenhall, Squamata Reptiles, (352) 683-9827 or (352) 200-9611