TOYS AND GAMES: Farewell to The Colonnade

Good for the owners of The Colonnade, who just sold their iconic restaurant for $6.2 million. Just the same, I’m sad about the news.

I have many memories from that place, ranging from the days they had curb-side service in the back to when they gave the place a makeover in the early 1970s.

Many of my Tampa favorites have gone by the wayside like Mexican Burro, Mullet Inn, and Spanish Park.

I’m happy Patti and I chose to eat at The Colonnade last weekend. We sat at a window seat looking out onto Bayshore on a rainy afternoon and dined one last time on grouper sandwiches.

A fitting finale.

Recently I got to see former Rays pitcher Andy Sonnanstine’s golf game and what he did made my jaw drop.

Sonnanstine swings left-handed, so after hitting a drive, he borrowed a right-handed driver. I thought he would hit the thing from the right side. Wrong! He simply assumed his left-handed stance, turned the head upside down, and whacked a drive about 290 yards right down the middle.

Professional athletes are a different breed.

Have you seen the advertisements for a handcuff escape key? Yep, you too can own a handcuff key that you can keep with you at all times — and it won’t be detected — just in case you ever get handcuffed. What will they think of next?

bchastain19@gmail.com