The seventh annual Teachapalooza launched today, opening with David Farenthold of the Washington Post who won a Pulitzer Prize for his work reporting on President Donald Trump’s charitable giving.

Lots of old friends and smart people, including Poynter’s Kristen Hare and Eastern Kentucky University’s AJ Randolph.

This is my seventh summer coming to St. Petersburg, Florida, to teach teachers at the Poynter Institute. I’ve developed a close friendship with several other professors, this year some of us decided to come in a day early and spend part of it on the beach.

It was a very good decision.

Summer is construction and detour season on campus.

At the end of day on campus, you sometimes find things left behind.

I have no idea why I still have a battery vent tube for a car I sold in 1994, but I do. Anyone need one?

The heavy lifting is done, now just tweaking chemical levels to make it swimmable.

With travels and graduations, plus a pump failure, we’re a little behind in getting the pool operational. Almost there.