An absorbing tour

Tues. and Wed., Feb. 14-15, 2012 DUNEDIN, FL – Valentine’s Day dawned with the promise of warm temperatures, which suited our plan to visit the sponge docks at Tarpon Springs again. We wanted to take Mum out on a boat trip where they demonstrated how the famous sponges were harvested. Our first order of business was to have a seafood lunch at Rusty Bellies Waterfront Grill, a famous restaurant in the heart of the sponge dock area. It was, in addition to Valentine’s Day, John and Fawn’s 30th anniversary, so we had some celebrating to do as well. The restaurant, at the end of Dodecanese Boulevard, was busy enough, but an easier prospect than it might have been at dinner time on Feb. 14. We enjoyed a meal of grouper and crab cakes and admired the décor of fish trophies and old photos of fishing activity on the walls, as well as lobster traps and other equipment on wooden shelves. After a dessert of strawberry shortcake that was light as a feather and full of ripe, sweet berries, we headed out to do some browsing in the many small shops along the street. On the south side of the street, kitschy t-shirts, back scratchers and flip flops were jumbled together with bins filled with natural sponges of all sizes, harvested within a kilometer or two of the stores, plus loofahs and beautiful shells, and some higher-end stores with jewelry and clothes. On the north side were the docks where boats large and small were moored. Some were obviously working boats, but others were brighter and cleaner, to attract tourists. Val and John scoped out a good deal on a sponge boat ride while “the girls” shopped. By the time we were done, they had been in deep conversation for some time with Theodorus, an old Greek fisherman with gnarled hands, white whiskers and a captain’s hat on his head. He had been in the business for years, and seemed pleased to have an interested audience. We climbed aboard the St. Nicholas VI and sat on benches along each side of the boat. Our captain told us about the diving suit that was traditionally used, a thick rubber outfit with a metal yoke to which the diving headgear was attached just before the diver went overboard. The diver also had to wear a necklace of metal weights which, in addition to his weighted shoes and clothing, totaled 170 pounds, and ensured he would stay at the bottom. He carried what looked like a small pitch fork which allowed him to scrape the sponges away from the rocks where they grew. The captain said divers could walk three to five miles underwater in one diving session, and they sometimes stayed out at sea for weeks at a time. We followed the trail of bubbles that came up as our diver walked along the bottom – he could move surprisingly quickly considering how encumbered he was. Then he came up with a round black blob on his fork. Once he was hauled aboard again and his diving helmet was off, we all applauded his find. The captain brought it around to each of us. The blob was sort of slimy and rubbery, but the captain said it would be transformed into the soft, woolly natural sponge we all recognize after a thorough cleaning process on shore. It was a really interesting outing, and just the right length. Today was shopping day for Mum, who wanted to find some souvenirs to bring home. We were glad that the weather warmed up enough to showcase Florida at its best before it was time for her to head back to snowy, wintry Ottawa.

Catching a few rays

Sunday and Monday, Feb. 12 and 13, 2012 DUNEDIN, FL – Chilly winds and cloud cover plunged us into some pretty cold weather the last couple of days – at least by Florida standards. We kept our heat pump going overnight for the first time this trip. We didn’t unearth our parkas from the back of the car where we stashed them a few weeks ago, but Val said the thought crossed his mind. In the warmth of the car yesterday, we cruised around some neighbourhoods in the area, to show Mum (and see for ourselves) the different living styles people choose. There are plenty of parks populated with double-wide park model trailers. The aluminum-sided, one-level homes are modestly priced but comfortable enough to stay in for six months of the year, October through March. After that, the heat gets too oppressive for most snowbirds. Much larger homes for permanent residents were in other gated communities, with beautifully landscaped boulevards and secure perimeter fences around. Tall palm trees stood like sentinels on either side of one wide street, and many homes displayed beautiful gardens with colourful flowers and plants, and even lush green lawns. The sun was shining brightly this morning with the promise of slightly warmer temperatures, but it was still brisk when I went to the shower building. An indoor destination seemed appropriate for today’s outing. So we went to see the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, home of Winter, the tail-deprived dolphin. This creature is the star of the film Dolphin Tale, which tells the true story of how Winter got tangled in a crab trap that cut the circulation to its tail to the point that it fell off. Scientists developed a prosthesis tail for Winter to make it possible for the dolphin to learn to swim again. The aquarium is a rescue facility for all kinds of sea creatures that have encountered boat propellers, nylon filaments or even plastic soft drink rings and need surgery or rehabilitation to survive. There are sharks, turtles, dolphins and even otters in various tanks, and there are presentations for visitors who come by the hundreds to see the popular aquatic movie star. It was fascinating to see how Winter can propel itself in the water even without the prosthesis, which is too uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. We watched the volunteer handlers play with Winter and Panama, another rescue dolphin, and encourage them to jump out of the water, to the delight of the audience. It was heartening to see how happy the animals seemed to be. The aquarium gave a feeling of hope and purpose, rather than a place full of pitiful creatures. There was a shallow tank full of stingrays, which visitors were encouraged to reach out and touch as they swam by. I waited for one of them to come near me, and then put my hand out. The rubbery wings felt like velvet as they brushed against my fingers. It was amazing to get that close to something I had only seen on TV screens or in the movies. On the way out, we picked up a copy of the DVD “Dolphin Tale”, starring Harry Connick, Jr., Kris Kristofferson, Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman. We’re looking forward to watching the whole story, having met the star and seen a number of the sets at the aquarium that were used during the filming. We had also been to Honeymoon Island beach where other scenes were made.

Home things

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Feb. 8-10, 2012 DUNEDIN, FL – When you are in one place for as long as we have been here, there are quite a few ordinary days for relaxing, shopping, and getting little things done. It has been great having this time to really use our motorhome to the fullest, and make refinements in our comforts. We had a mess of shoes at the door, since there are sandals, runners, and slippers for the two of us. And our clothes were really jammed in the closet (and yes, I’m guilty of hogging the most space!). In the tiny bathroom, there was little space to hang two bath towels, hand towels and face cloths, and keys were cluttering the small counter. So, a couple of fruitful shopping hours later, we addressed all the issues. Hanging shoe pockets have cleared the clutter at the door, self-adhesive hooks on the bedroom wall have relieved the congestion in the closet, and a tension rod across the width of the bathroom provides plenty of hanging space. A handsome row of key hooks on wood that matches the cabinets has tidied up the counter. We are very pleased at how much more organized we feel with a few small additions! On Thursday afternoon, we headed for the airport while it was still daylight, to make sure we were in plenty of time to meet Mum’s plane coming in from Ottawa. Our plan was to eat a leisurely dinner at one of the restaurants and then meet the plane. We lucked out at Carrabba’s, an Italian restaurant with branches across Florida and Texas. Our meal of minestrone soup, spaghetti with meatballs and sausage and seafood cannelloni was absolutely superb! Val said he hadn’t eaten such good Italian food since he was in his grandmother’s kitchen. We will definitely look for another one to repeat that experience. After a bit of browsing through some of the airport shops, it was time to wait at the baggage carrousel for Mum. We had checked to ensure she would be met with a wheelchair, since at 86 years of age, trekking long distances wasn’t very appealing. Sure enough, after a few minutes, a smiling attendant wheeled Mum out of the elevator, looking fresh as a daisy! She’d had a lovely flight and felt totally pampered the whole way. It was great to see her, and when we got back to the RV park, we brought her to her lovely little suite at the Blue Moon Inn just a short walk from our site. Mum was ready to go this morning, after breakfast in the sunny breakfast room at the Inn. We took her on a little tour of the RV park and dropped in to see John and Fawn at their new trailer. Then we drove in to Dunedin so Mum could see the Gulf and some of the old homes in town. Our afternoon tour took us to Wall Springs Park, north of Dunedin, where there were some lovely paved walkways that Mum could easily navigate with her walker. Some people were throwing bread for the fish and seagulls at a boardwalk over the spring, and we were amazed to see both species scrambling for a free snack. The fish churned up the water, and the gulls actually snatched bits of bread in mid-air as they were thrown their way! The people kindly shared their bread so we could join in the fun. Mum was delighted to see the palm trees, green spaces and even some flowers – a welcome contrast to the snowy climes that were just a few hours behind her. We finished off her first day in sunny Florida with a hamburger barbeque – not your average Canadian February fare.

Swamp people

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

DUNEDIN, FL – Even though it looked a bit grey and damp this morning, we decided to go ahead with our plan to go kayaking in a state park north of here. From my point of view, an overcast sky was much more appealing for a day on the water than one that would bake us to a crisp anyway.
We packed a lunch, camera, hats, sunscreen and a change of clothing. Fawn had been once before to this spot and saw a couple go overboard, so it seemed prudent. John decided not to come with us, as his back can’t take a long spell in a backless kayak seat.
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park is north of Dunedin along the Gulf coast, at Spring Hill. It took about an hour to get there, during which a fine rain misted the windshield. Happily, when we arrived at the kayak place, the rain had stopped, and we virtually had the place to ourselves.
In short order, we were assigned flotation devices and paddles and headed to the water where our kayaks awaited. Fawn took a single, and Val and I were in a tandem kayak. We set off on the Weeki Wachee, a winding stream of crystal clear water with a smooth, sandy bottom where small fish darted out of the way as we approached.
The stream flowed with a steady current that made paddling practically optional. It meandered through dense bush with vines, ferns and palm trees that grew right up to the shore. We passed tall trees that had waded into the water with exposed, long, finger-like roots, and reeds that grew up from the bottom with round leaves, looking like green lollipops clustered along the shore.
Several times we saw herons, egrets and cranes, wading in the shallows or swooping overhead with huge outspread wings. Around one bend, we came upon a tree where half a dozen vultures were brooding with their hunched shoulders and wrinkled, black faces and hooked beaks.
Fawn told us that on her last paddle they had seen a manatee. These walrus-like creatures have been designated as endangered, so we saw lots of signs asking that we protect them. We even saw a couple of concrete manatees on some peoples’ properties in the more populated areas we passed through, but unfortunately the real McCoy declined to show itself today. Likewise, the only alligators we spotted were plaster ones!
In the clear water schools of silvery fish with pale blue heads flitted past, as well as other smaller fish with vertical stripes. Fawn spotted a needle-nose fish and alerted us to a large box turtle swimming under us.
After paddling for a couple of hours, we decided to pull over on a sandy shore and eat the lunches we had brought along. That’s when we discovered how wet our backsides were! The kayaks were molded plastic, and floated like corks, but they were not designed to be water tight. In fact, Fawn’s kayak actually had holes in it as part of the design! We had fun getting back into them after our lunch, and launching them from the sand bars, but soon we were on our way again. The total length of the trip was five and a half miles, at which point we were met by the paddling company’s van, to take us back to our departure point.
We were glad to get on our feet again, although our butts were pretty soaked. That’s when the wisdom of having brought a change of clothes really became evident! It was nice to be in dry clothes again for the ride home. Our venture into Florida’s swamp land was delightful.

Florida skies

Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Feb. 4-6, 2012

DUNEDIN, FL – The days are quickly passing when we look at our calendar and realize we’ve been away from home nearly a month now, but the sense of leisure and fine weather here, on the other hand, make time for us seem to stretch lazily like a cat about to curl up for a nap.
On Saturday, the boys went off in one vehicle and the girls in another, headed for different shopping destinations. The huge number of malls and big box stores around here are a shopper’s paradise, and when you can nab bargains of 70 per cent off, it only adds to the thrill of the chase. It’s a good thing our motorhome has very limited storage space. It keeps me from overindulging! But, since John and Fawn have a lot of things to get for their enlarged living space with the new trailer, I can satisfy my cravings vicariously, with no threat to the pocketbook or our compact lifestyle, by just tagging along.
Our plan for Sunday afternoon was to figure out the route to Tampa International Airport – by daylight, because on Thursday it will be after dark when we will be heading there for real to pick up Mum, who is coming to spend a week with us. The RV park has the Blue Moon Inn, a lovely little hotel, just two minutes’ walk away from our site, where Mum will be able to stay, so the set-up is ideal.
It was Val’s idea to do a “recce” on the airport, and a very good one at that. The general approach from here is fairly straightforward, but once you’re actually there, the roads curve around and under each other with signs pointing in all directions that you have to read before you’ve passed them, and in broad daylight that’s challenging enough, but doing it after dark would be really stressful. The airport itself is quite attractive, with nice landscaping and pools with fountains outside, and wide carpeted shopping and restaurant levels inside. We were able to figure out where to park and how to get to the baggage level so on Thursday night we’ll be calm and collected.
We got back to the RV park in time for a nice barbequed pork chop supper, and shortly after that we were regaled with a spectacular sunset – at first the sky was a pinky lavender, and it melted into great streaks of orange and purple as dusk set in. We are so close to the shore that it will be worthwhile to stroll over one evening and get the full impact of a flaming sunset against a watery horizon.
Since we were not great Super Bowl fans, Val and I decided to see a movie last night. We went to see The Artist, a black-and-white movie about the silent movie era that was very well done. We had no trouble getting tickets or finding a place to sit in the theatre, let’s put it that way.
Tonight is hot dogs and Bingo night at the rec hall, so I’ll try my luck once again at the prizes. I think the big one is $250, so that would be nice! I still get a kick out of the players with their little mascots and whistles and cute bingo dabber tote bags. Wish me luck.

Spongerific!

Thursday and Friday, February 2 and 3, 2012

DUNEDIN, FL – When the ice cream plopped into a soft heap in the bowl the other day, we knew something was fishy with our freezer. At first we thought it was because we had stopped for lunch after doing groceries, and the heat caused the ice cream to melt. But even if it had, it should have refrozen in the freezer after a while. So to test the unit further, Val filled the tiny ice cube tray with water and put it in to see what would happen. It took two days to turn into ice cubes.
So, yesterday morning we had a little visit from the RV repair van that frequents the park. Ed the repairman exposed the back of the fridge and immediately realized he was working with something he hadn’t seen before. He was right up to date with the 2011 fridge technology, but our unit is a 2012 model. After craning his neck with flashlights and prodding here and there, he decided it would be best to request the new material by e-mail and download it back at the office. So it will be a couple of days before we see Ed again. Meanwhile, the frozen stuff is frozen, so we’re not in any dire straits. We just want things to work right! Fortunately it’s all on warranty still.
It was a nice afternoon, so we decided to do some exploring north of Dunedin. We drove to the next town, Tarpon Springs, which has two claims to fame – its strong Greek heritage and its history as a sponge diving capital. We could see lots of Greek names on businesses and signs as we entered the small town. Then we turned onto Dodecanese Boulevard, where the sponge docks were located, and a sleepy little village was transformed into a seaside tourist haven, lined with little shops and boutiques where the wares spilled out onto the sidewalks and people milled about.
On the north side of the street dozens of fishing boats were moored at the docks, some festooned with sponges to attract the tourists, and others stripped down and worn from many a working voyage out to sea. The sponges are harvested at the bottom of the ocean by divers who remain at sea for several days at a time gathering them.
At several store fronts, figures of divers with heavy suits and bell-shaped headgear demonstrated the historic garb of some harvesters. The industry was founded here in 1905, according to a beautiful tiled mural we passed. Huge bins of beige and yellow sponges, ranging from grapefruit size to basketball size and even bigger, were displayed for sale at roadside stands – as well as fine, egg-sized sponges for applying makeup. We picked up a nice one from a tanned Greek saleslady, who explained how it would swell when immersed in water, and how gently it would clean our car.
At the end of the street is a popular restaurant called Rusty Bellies Waterfront Grill, which we will visit in the days to come when we have more time. We were due back at the park to go to Peggy O’Neill’s pub for supper with John and Fawn.
The pub was hopping when we got there – another couple joined us from the park, and we recognized several others, also from Dunedin RV Resort. Young waitresses in tiny kilts served us baskets lined with paper and loaded with fish and chips. The saucy message at the bottom of the back of their T-shirts read “Caught You Looking!” It was two-for-one night, and the bill for six of us (not including drinks) came to $43 and change!
Today was overcast and breezy. We stayed close to home in case Ed the repairman was going to visit. He called at lunchtime to say it wouldn’t be till tomorrow or Monday. No problem. Meanwhile, we finally have a chance to try out our new gas BBQ, with a juicy sirloin steak. Life is good.

Heart and home

Tuesday and Wednesday, January 31 and February 1, 2012

DUNEDIN, FL – The whole neighbourhood was out to see John and Fawn’s new trailer being delivered yesterday morning. The driver who towed it here from Lazydays in Tampa must have wished he’d sold tickets for all the audience he had. John gave him careful directions to position the trailer properly on their lot.
Once the great big Montana fifth wheel was installed, we could start to move the contents of the old trailer into it. Since the two were separated by a couple of streets, we set up a shuttle with John’s truck and our little car. Fawn had loaded dozens of bags with sheets and towels, pots and pans, and all the kitchen stuff. I unloaded the pantry and fridge while she toted out bags to the truck and car. Then we were off to the new trailer, where Val and John were fine-tuning the exterior set-up of stabilizers, power cords and hoses. We trotted in the bags and emptied them, and then headed back for more.
Algarve the dog was excited to see us whenever we came back to the old trailer, where he was housed while we made the move. After a couple of visits, though, his big brown eyes took on a perplexed expression as he tried to figure out what was going on! When it was finally time for him to go over, he trotted happily up the steps and into his new home. He was clearly thrilled as he galloped around inside and rolled on the carpet. John and Fawn gave him enough time to express himself before they reined him in and he settled down.
Val and I left the two of them to sort their way through the chaos we created for them, free of charge, and headed back to our postage-stamp-sized castle for an afternoon nap. Later on, we invited them to join us here for supper, and we watched as our two visitors began to sag visibly after their meal! They were pooped!
On the agenda this morning was the final step – moving the now empty RV into the storage lot. I headed off to get some groceries while Val helped them accomplish that chore.
The afternoon activity, for Fawn and me, was a Valentine-making craft class in the recreation hall. I can’t remember the last time I did something like this, but it felt like summer camp! We had four pre-designed cards to make, and we each got four little kits with all the bits to put together. Glue sticks, punch tools, rubber stamps, ribbon and scissors flew as we assembled our creations. It was fun to see the imaginative touches each person made to their own work.
In the same hall, Kelly was serving her weekly soup-n-sandwich meal, available from noon till five. Her invention for this week was pizza soup. We asked for take-out to eat at home later on. It was a good decision. When supper time rolled around, we joined John and Fawn in their spacious new home for pizza soup and sandwiches. It was delicious! Thick noodles, mixed with mushrooms, meatballs, pepperoni, peppers and a tasty tomato broth. With a generous shake of Parmesan cheese, the soup alone would have made a good meal, but we ate the sandwiches as well anyway. Yum!