Although this was again a beautiful day weatherwise we chose to make it a "domestic day". While Jean went to be frustrated by endless waiting at the License Branch Peter and I replaced both a deadbolt and a full lockset on their primary outside door, then investigated the inoperative one on their front door, concluding that it was not fixable & would eventually have to be replaced. We also worked on the lawn tractor/mower, including running cable out to the shed to put the battery on charge. Later in the day I mounted their kitchen fire extinguisher in a strategic place and also mounted a hangar on a stucco pillar on their enclosed patio.
In the afternoon Peter went for his extensive physical therapy session and after dropping him we filled the van, or almost filled it as I was again cut off at the $75 mark! Jean & I then went for our brisk two laps around the same large pond as before before going to pick Pete up. I raised the subject of length of stay and was firmly told (later reiterated by Peter) that I would be welcome to continue staying in the house after they leave for Cincinnati sometime next week - I won't of course, but I am going to stay on for a while.
Peter is capable of many things but is much too easily distracted, not only by something that catches his eye, but equally by something that catches his ear which may result in him wondering why, two hours later, he has a tool in his hand! Jean is very appreciative of my ability to keep him focused on the task at hand and the both of them are enjoying revisiting places in this area that they enjoy but without a forcing excuse somehow never get around to seeing
In the evening I acted as a second pair of eyes and supplier of encouragement (having done similarly myself) while Jean fought her way through renewing the van, camper, and trailer license plates, making them legal again. This was not a day for photo opportunities, so there is no link to this edition.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Spring Fling 2011 - Day 11
This was yet another beautiful day and tempted us to a third straight "day out". I had noticed yesterday that the Emery's Honda Odyssey minivan was wearing license plates that expired two weeks ago, so this was a good opportunity for me to be the driver and show off my van!
We went down to Sarasota and to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. MS had been a wealthy wife with a deep love for gardens and exotic trees and plants and bequeathed the estate on her passing 35 years ago. We basically spent the whole day there, seeing all that was there at a gentle pace. After doing the conservatory with a variety of less-common orchids on display we bought salads and sandwiches for lunch and ate outside in the shade of a huge banyan tree. We then made a leisurely tour of the gardens, which are like a peninsula with water on three sides. Near the end, in one of the old buildings (a converted home) was an exhibition of very colorful wall decorations (called masks, but not meant for covering the face) all carved from solid balsa wood logs by talented Central Americans and brightly painted. All had been for sale and the vast majority had sold for prices from around $300 up to nearly $700. We did not buy!
We cruised the gift and the flower shop which had many beautiful exotics, largely but not only orchids, but all I bought was a cactus for my kitchen window cactus planter. It is lovely to have opportunities for trips out like this but the travel time does consume quite a bit of the day. Once we were back Jean made dinner and afterward we continued sharing our daily pictures and then moved on to showing each other our older photos. My taking of my Qoop "albums" has proven to be an excellent idea. A small selection of today's pictures have been posted on Flickr, and may be found here.
We went down to Sarasota and to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. MS had been a wealthy wife with a deep love for gardens and exotic trees and plants and bequeathed the estate on her passing 35 years ago. We basically spent the whole day there, seeing all that was there at a gentle pace. After doing the conservatory with a variety of less-common orchids on display we bought salads and sandwiches for lunch and ate outside in the shade of a huge banyan tree. We then made a leisurely tour of the gardens, which are like a peninsula with water on three sides. Near the end, in one of the old buildings (a converted home) was an exhibition of very colorful wall decorations (called masks, but not meant for covering the face) all carved from solid balsa wood logs by talented Central Americans and brightly painted. All had been for sale and the vast majority had sold for prices from around $300 up to nearly $700. We did not buy!
We cruised the gift and the flower shop which had many beautiful exotics, largely but not only orchids, but all I bought was a cactus for my kitchen window cactus planter. It is lovely to have opportunities for trips out like this but the travel time does consume quite a bit of the day. Once we were back Jean made dinner and afterward we continued sharing our daily pictures and then moved on to showing each other our older photos. My taking of my Qoop "albums" has proven to be an excellent idea. A small selection of today's pictures have been posted on Flickr, and may be found here.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Spring Fling 2011 - Day 10
This was the day we went to the Fort De Soto park on a barrier island (but reachable by road and bridge). To J&P's disappointment its definition as the #1 beach in the country in 2005 immensely increased its popularity & instead of just a day or two camping reservations are now up to 6 months out. There are also vastly more day trippers, such as we were this day. The old fort itself is undergoing massive restorations and is closed to the public, but we went primarily for the beach.
It is a fair drive, but not a difficult one. Being a Saturday the beach was busy/crowded but nothing like it is going to be in the upcoming spring break weeks. The sun shone brightly all day, but when staying still the cool breeze made the addition of a coat or fleece wise. We set up and picnicked in the grassy part close to the huge parking area, then we packed up, grabbed some portable seating and headed for the beach, settling in fairly close to the edge to absorb some rays as the saying goes. A full stomach & relaxation had it's inevitable effect and it didn't take me long to doze off for a nice nap.
After I woke we left Pete behind a pile of chairs (acting as a windbreak) with his newspaper and Jean and I took a nice long walk all around the beach perimeter as far as the protected area (for ground nesting birds) one end and a minor bay entrance the other end ending at the back by the facilities where we bought cups of ice cream for dessert for the three of us.
Eventually we took our leave, making short stops at a fishing pier, the (closed) fort, and the tip of the island with a good view a long way across the water to the bridge, easily seen with the eye but not so much by our cameras. By the time we were getting close to home it was after seven so we went to a local family-owned authentic Spanish restaurant and all had a delicious meal, each of us walking out with at least 45% of our serving in a doggie box as they were way more than any of us could eat all at one time.
It was a very nice day, enjoyed by us all. I have weaned the pictures we took down to a reasonable number and posted them on Flickr, findable here.
It is a fair drive, but not a difficult one. Being a Saturday the beach was busy/crowded but nothing like it is going to be in the upcoming spring break weeks. The sun shone brightly all day, but when staying still the cool breeze made the addition of a coat or fleece wise. We set up and picnicked in the grassy part close to the huge parking area, then we packed up, grabbed some portable seating and headed for the beach, settling in fairly close to the edge to absorb some rays as the saying goes. A full stomach & relaxation had it's inevitable effect and it didn't take me long to doze off for a nice nap.
After I woke we left Pete behind a pile of chairs (acting as a windbreak) with his newspaper and Jean and I took a nice long walk all around the beach perimeter as far as the protected area (for ground nesting birds) one end and a minor bay entrance the other end ending at the back by the facilities where we bought cups of ice cream for dessert for the three of us.
Eventually we took our leave, making short stops at a fishing pier, the (closed) fort, and the tip of the island with a good view a long way across the water to the bridge, easily seen with the eye but not so much by our cameras. By the time we were getting close to home it was after seven so we went to a local family-owned authentic Spanish restaurant and all had a delicious meal, each of us walking out with at least 45% of our serving in a doggie box as they were way more than any of us could eat all at one time.
It was a very nice day, enjoyed by us all. I have weaned the pictures we took down to a reasonable number and posted them on Flickr, findable here.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Spring Fling 2011 - Day 9
The major event of this day was a trip to the other side of Tampa Bay and over to the coast to the town of Tarpon Springs. We finally got going in the latter part of the morning and didn't return until the evening. The day was bright and sunny, but breezy, and once at the coast cool enough to make wearing a jacket or fleece wise.
The old city of Tarpon Springs is centered around the sponge fishing industry, and similar to the U.P. which was largely populated by Cornishmen & other north European miners, was started by Greek sponge fishermen. It is now a tourist haven (trap?) with two dominant themes, sponges and Greeks. It is still a center for sponge fishing as most of the shops can attest, and it is also hugely into Greek food of all kinds.
With strategic pacing and resting Peter was able to walk further this day than he apparently has been able to do for months. We absorbed sponge knowledge and history (I had never realized how ignorant I was on the subject) and wandered about the touristy/marina part of town. We had lunch at a restaurant that claims it is scheduled to be part of a Food Network show in a couple of months, and it was good. We took a look at, and into, a number of the shops (which didn't seem to be quite as tacky, by and large, as one might expect) but beyond a bakery to get a dessert treat (Kok or baclava) and a couple of sponges for P&J temptation was largely resisted, except for a couple of different specialty soap shops (sorry, Carol!).
We eventually left and managed, with some judicial map reading, to fake out their Garmin enough to route us back across the causeway dividing inner Tampa Bay instead of the inland route we were guided to use on our outbound journey. All in all it was a very nice and interesting day, enjoyed equally by P&J who until having the excuse of a visitor to make the effort to go there hadn't actually been back for some 10 years!
A large number of pictures were taken between us, and shared in the evening, and some of them have been uploaded to Flickr and may be found here.
The old city of Tarpon Springs is centered around the sponge fishing industry, and similar to the U.P. which was largely populated by Cornishmen & other north European miners, was started by Greek sponge fishermen. It is now a tourist haven (trap?) with two dominant themes, sponges and Greeks. It is still a center for sponge fishing as most of the shops can attest, and it is also hugely into Greek food of all kinds.
With strategic pacing and resting Peter was able to walk further this day than he apparently has been able to do for months. We absorbed sponge knowledge and history (I had never realized how ignorant I was on the subject) and wandered about the touristy/marina part of town. We had lunch at a restaurant that claims it is scheduled to be part of a Food Network show in a couple of months, and it was good. We took a look at, and into, a number of the shops (which didn't seem to be quite as tacky, by and large, as one might expect) but beyond a bakery to get a dessert treat (Kok or baclava) and a couple of sponges for P&J temptation was largely resisted, except for a couple of different specialty soap shops (sorry, Carol!).
We eventually left and managed, with some judicial map reading, to fake out their Garmin enough to route us back across the causeway dividing inner Tampa Bay instead of the inland route we were guided to use on our outbound journey. All in all it was a very nice and interesting day, enjoyed equally by P&J who until having the excuse of a visitor to make the effort to go there hadn't actually been back for some 10 years!
A large number of pictures were taken between us, and shared in the evening, and some of them have been uploaded to Flickr and may be found here.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Spring Fling 2011 - Day 8
The day started with a bang - literally - as a very loud thunderclap directly overhead woke me betimes, although being accustomed to such things both Jean & Peter slept on through the storm. The day was pleasant and relatively quiet. I am beginning to understand why projects take a long time here. The plan to replace a doorlock & a deadbolt never actually got beyond opening the package & reading the instructions, a combination of mutual AAADD and conversations, and meals quietly overtaking our good intentions.
In the afternoon Pete had to go for some extensive physical therapy and after dropping him off Jean & I returned to a local large pond/small lake and proceeded to walk all around it twice, at 20 minutes/lap. It contained a lot of lillypads all very close to blooming and a wide variety of water birds, herons, egrets, spoonbill, cranes, ibis, coots and anhinga, a bird I had never seen before.
After dinner I introduced Jean to Facebook, which consumed us in setting her up to such an extent that Pete retired to bed and left us to it! It has been a pleasant and relaxing day.
In the afternoon Pete had to go for some extensive physical therapy and after dropping him off Jean & I returned to a local large pond/small lake and proceeded to walk all around it twice, at 20 minutes/lap. It contained a lot of lillypads all very close to blooming and a wide variety of water birds, herons, egrets, spoonbill, cranes, ibis, coots and anhinga, a bird I had never seen before.
After dinner I introduced Jean to Facebook, which consumed us in setting her up to such an extent that Pete retired to bed and left us to it! It has been a pleasant and relaxing day.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Spring Fling 2011 - Day 7
After a good night I had the usual excellent juice, yogurt, eggs biscuits and gravy, and waffles breakfast. I/they had a hard time getting "club" credit for my stay & they were unable to tell me what the night cost as it turned out I had unknowingly booked through Travelocity - to my mind almost a scam - when I thought I was calling Country Inns - no wonder there only appeared to be 4 rooms! I'll know better next time.
Portia did a great job of getting me to my destination the quickest way, but it was still a long run again. Three observations - trucks eschew the right hand lane whenever there are more than two; on three-lane sections universal speeds, right to left, are 74.9, 75, 75.1; and I-10 has almost 100 miles of not being near enough to any towns for there to be either food or refreshment actually at the exits. By the time I could actually see the Golden Arches & Gas signs from the highway I was running on fumes - it took $90 to refill the van! By the time I wanted to stop again I was headed south and things were more normal. I forced myself to take a "leisurely" McD's lunch to stretch the legs and have a change of position.
Finally, after 1249.1 miles from home and at 3:20 in the afternoon Portia got me to the end of the unmarked lane. Bouncing down the unmarked lane I had no trouble finding the house:
Of course, at the time it was just the flag! We took pictures later!
It is warm, but not unbearable here. Jean & Pete seem to be delighted to see me. Apart from when we were eating the large & delicious meal Jean had cooked constant talking was the order of the day, apart from Pete showing me his well-equipped but cluttered workshop (actually a garage but who needs more than a car-port down here). After dinner we continued talking until bedtime and 99% of the conversation covered our mutual reminiscences of the period 1939-1950. With a 9-year advantage over me Pete held the lion's share of the conversation, but then he always was more loquacious than I am.
Portia did a great job of getting me to my destination the quickest way, but it was still a long run again. Three observations - trucks eschew the right hand lane whenever there are more than two; on three-lane sections universal speeds, right to left, are 74.9, 75, 75.1; and I-10 has almost 100 miles of not being near enough to any towns for there to be either food or refreshment actually at the exits. By the time I could actually see the Golden Arches & Gas signs from the highway I was running on fumes - it took $90 to refill the van! By the time I wanted to stop again I was headed south and things were more normal. I forced myself to take a "leisurely" McD's lunch to stretch the legs and have a change of position.
Finally, after 1249.1 miles from home and at 3:20 in the afternoon Portia got me to the end of the unmarked lane. Bouncing down the unmarked lane I had no trouble finding the house:
It is warm, but not unbearable here. Jean & Pete seem to be delighted to see me. Apart from when we were eating the large & delicious meal Jean had cooked constant talking was the order of the day, apart from Pete showing me his well-equipped but cluttered workshop (actually a garage but who needs more than a car-port down here). After dinner we continued talking until bedtime and 99% of the conversation covered our mutual reminiscences of the period 1939-1950. With a 9-year advantage over me Pete held the lion's share of the conversation, but then he always was more loquacious than I am.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Spring Fling 2011 - Days 5 & 6
These two days represented the end of one phase and the start of the next. On Monday morning Marissa went to the library and John played "househusband" and generally got things ready for the Tuesday departure. We went to lunch at Tequila's Mexican restaurant and had a surprisingly good meal, stopping on the way back to fill up the van and get a bake-it-yourself pizza for the evening. The pump snapped off at exactly $75, either a coincidental good sign or a maximum setting per card swiping, but the van was full.
The afternoon was lazy, mostly watching DVDs with a break to take Zoe for her first "outing" in several days, which she clearly enjoyed. Marissa went back for the second part of her split shift and the evening thereafter was calm and pleasant.
I woke early Tuesday, to Marissa's displeasure as little "ears-like-a-bat" hears every minuscule sound, but the bottom line was that I was pulling out of her driveway at 7:00 AM (8:00 EST) with 292.1 miles on the odometer. The morning was dull, but dry and not too cold. "Portia" was confused by the changes to the Lloyd Expressway & had to "recalculate" to find the bridge without taking me along the waterfront. The Ohio is in serious flood already, edge of water to edge of water being an immense distance, but not affecting bridge or roadway. More road construction also had Portia confused later on but the situation was self-correcting, but I must remember to see if I can update the GPS when I get home.
At 10:30 (EST) I stopped for a stretch and a fancy McCoffee prior to weaving my way through the Nashville interstate system. I slogged on until almost 1:00 when I fortuitously stumbled on a Love's with both a Subway for a sandwich and a McD's for a coffee, both of which were consumed in the back of the van, semi-recumbent, while I read and forced myself to take a decent break. It started to sprinkle as I subsequently filled up with gas and no sooner had I returned to the highway than it rained at varying intensities, but mostly very hard, for all 90 miles remaining to Birmingham, where it stopped just before a mess of road construction was encountered. Luckily it was not bad going south, but the northbound traffic looked to be in real trouble. Subsequently the day improved both in temperature and in sunshine.
In Montgomery I switched from hot lattes to iced, but still McD's. Thereafter it was just a steady slog on to Dothan, to my easily-found hotel and comfortable room. My travel time, stops included, had been 9 hours and fifty minutes covering 561 miles. The van has made longer trips, but always with two or more drivers. This was the longest run it has made with a single, companion-less driver, kept alert by an eclectic mix of CD's all the way from grand operatic arias to Patsy Cline & everything (not modern) in between.
Dothan, apparently, has the highest per-capita rate of both motels and restaurants in the land, very largely catering to transients, such as myself. Reluctant to enter the van again today I was pleased to find several restaurants within 150 yards, and chose Ruby Tuesday's to which to take my "date", Ms. Kindle. I indulged in a leisurely fashion over a really excellent meal, blue cheese flavored cole slaw, tilapia topped with many large shrimp and covered with a spicy parmesan sauce and a baked potato, and a fruit and yogurt based parfait for desert. I'm on holiday, I've driven a long way, and who was to stop me?
I kept wondering why "Portia" always seemed to be an hour off with her ETA until I entered the hotel and found that yea, verily, it is CST here - who knew? Now all that remains is a nice soak in the hot-tub/whirlpool & some peaceful reading. All in all a good day.
The afternoon was lazy, mostly watching DVDs with a break to take Zoe for her first "outing" in several days, which she clearly enjoyed. Marissa went back for the second part of her split shift and the evening thereafter was calm and pleasant.
I woke early Tuesday, to Marissa's displeasure as little "ears-like-a-bat" hears every minuscule sound, but the bottom line was that I was pulling out of her driveway at 7:00 AM (8:00 EST) with 292.1 miles on the odometer. The morning was dull, but dry and not too cold. "Portia" was confused by the changes to the Lloyd Expressway & had to "recalculate" to find the bridge without taking me along the waterfront. The Ohio is in serious flood already, edge of water to edge of water being an immense distance, but not affecting bridge or roadway. More road construction also had Portia confused later on but the situation was self-correcting, but I must remember to see if I can update the GPS when I get home.
At 10:30 (EST) I stopped for a stretch and a fancy McCoffee prior to weaving my way through the Nashville interstate system. I slogged on until almost 1:00 when I fortuitously stumbled on a Love's with both a Subway for a sandwich and a McD's for a coffee, both of which were consumed in the back of the van, semi-recumbent, while I read and forced myself to take a decent break. It started to sprinkle as I subsequently filled up with gas and no sooner had I returned to the highway than it rained at varying intensities, but mostly very hard, for all 90 miles remaining to Birmingham, where it stopped just before a mess of road construction was encountered. Luckily it was not bad going south, but the northbound traffic looked to be in real trouble. Subsequently the day improved both in temperature and in sunshine.
In Montgomery I switched from hot lattes to iced, but still McD's. Thereafter it was just a steady slog on to Dothan, to my easily-found hotel and comfortable room. My travel time, stops included, had been 9 hours and fifty minutes covering 561 miles. The van has made longer trips, but always with two or more drivers. This was the longest run it has made with a single, companion-less driver, kept alert by an eclectic mix of CD's all the way from grand operatic arias to Patsy Cline & everything (not modern) in between.
Dothan, apparently, has the highest per-capita rate of both motels and restaurants in the land, very largely catering to transients, such as myself. Reluctant to enter the van again today I was pleased to find several restaurants within 150 yards, and chose Ruby Tuesday's to which to take my "date", Ms. Kindle. I indulged in a leisurely fashion over a really excellent meal, blue cheese flavored cole slaw, tilapia topped with many large shrimp and covered with a spicy parmesan sauce and a baked potato, and a fruit and yogurt based parfait for desert. I'm on holiday, I've driven a long way, and who was to stop me?
I kept wondering why "Portia" always seemed to be an hour off with her ETA until I entered the hotel and found that yea, verily, it is CST here - who knew? Now all that remains is a nice soak in the hot-tub/whirlpool & some peaceful reading. All in all a good day.
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