Florida
March 2023
Never
thought of us as “snowbirds.” No interest in living in Florida, seasonally or
otherwise. But we seem to be developing something of a regular winter visit. It
began with a drive down to join friend Kay in Sarasota in January 2014. We took
the Queens family to Disney World for Thanksgiving that same year. A break in
the action until last winter: a 2-part stay, 1st with friends Deb
& Chris in Sarasota and then joining with Mary & Jeff to stay with
Susan & Jim in Naples. Very enjoyable, why not do a repeat? We do like the
Sarasota area, plenty to see & do without being too hectic. And the Naples
condo is nicely situated on a big pond, easy access to local sights &
activities. This time we’ll head down in March when travel should be less
affected by weather and more may be blooming in Florida.
After
a pretty quiet winter here we’ve had some recent snowfalls, still a couple of
inches on the ground. Nothing like California: 10’ of snow, some people trapped
at home for 2 weeks. Weather forecasts look good for Florida. Last September
Hurricane Ian, the 3rd-costliest weather disaster on record and deadliest
hurricane to hit Florida since 1935, caused damage around Naples &
especially nearby Fort Myers, even washing away a bridge to Sanibel Island, but
Jim & Susan’s condo wasn’t damaged.
In
the midst of prepping for the trip a UPS package arrives from Mary & Jeff.
Something new in giftgiving, many merged into one: Merry Christmas, Happy New
Year, Happy Valentine's Day, Happy St. Patrick's Day, Happy Spring! For me an
adorable mini–Red Cross van that reflects my blood delivery driving.
Tuesday, March 7: "You don't know until you know"
Up
very early to get to the airport. Smarty-pants
Marjorie now has an ap for Uber. But a ride to our airport costing $17 during the day turns out to be $48 at 4am! So
we drive ourselves. Mostly clear, almost full moon, 34º. "TSA Pre"
takes us past a long line, flight on time to Charlotte NC, sunny & up to 75º
during a 2½-hour layover.
Busy, lots of people boarding flights, tho our flight
turns out only about half-full. Been thru this airport a few times. Spacious
atrium, many eateries & shops, large mobile of various flying machines.
Poster for "Savor Charlotte," a festival of food in the "Queen
City." A nice phone chat with Charlotte friend Betty, Carl not available. I
take advantage of photo ops of takeoffs & taxiing with a skyline
background. A bumpy takeoff, maybe that explains the announcement: "Do not
put small children in the overhead bins."
On time to Sarasota, skyline
& bay view coming in, mostly sunny, 80º. Greeted by a manatee in the
atrium. Poster says 7 Hooters sites here! Deb & Chris waiting for us.
Now
what? Are we too tired or too hungry? A word of wisdom from Chris (and a source
of ribbing during our stay): "You don't know until you know." We
decide we're more hungry than tired. On the road, past Manatee Memorial
Hospital (we're in Manatee County), heavy traffic, past pretty resorts &
housing, over Manatee River to Whiskey Joe's. A nice site on the river, good
food: fish tacos, gumbo soup, rice & beans, sliders. A fine Florida start.
To
the house for naptime. Later Chris & I head to Emerson Point Preserve,
where he & Deb do biking & kayaking. A beautiful, interesting place.
Walkways, mangroves, Spanish moss hanging from impressive trees. A skittering
little spider crab. A pond full of white birds. An end of the road view of the
ocean & Sky Way Bridge in
the
distance, extending
4+ miles from St. Petersburg to Bradenton. Onto Temple Mound, built up
from tribal debris, the highest point around. Chris
says there can be lots of turtles in swampy water along the road, but none visible
now.
A detour into an industrial area to see an "Eagle Crusher" like
what Chris used to sell and train people for. Back home, a yummy dinner of
shrimp & linguini. After-dinner entertainment: Mel Brooks' "History of
the World. Part II." Adolescent humor, uneven quality.
An
enjoyable busy 1st day.
Wednesday,
March 8: "Tiffany and koi"
In
the news: Fox's Tucker Carlson is attacked for "cherry-picking" calm
moments from 41,000+ hours of January 6th footage to make it appear just a
peaceful protest. I'm up early for a stroll thru the neighborhood, full moon
setting, sun rising, pretty houses & landscaping. A white egret joins me
for a while on the other side of the road.
Deb & Chris have a lovely home, enhanced
by Deb's artwork plus Chris' handiwork. The back yard includes a cute little
papaya tree. An evil breakfast: baked French toast topped by fruit, "Maple
Joe" syrup, and whipped cream! After I kiddingly complain the TV in the
bedroom doesn't work, Chris threatens to start his own
"dealingwithruss" blog to counter my "ramblingwithruss."
Marjorie has an interesting generational juxtaposition: she's accepting Relay
for Life donations thru her webpage while contributing to young Girl Scout
niece Kexel's "Kexel's Digital Cookie Store." Cloudier today, muggy
as we head out from Palmetto (where Chris & Deb live), driving by such
Southern icons as Winn Dixie & Jimmy John's. To downtown Sarasota
and the Bay, past a marina park with a sculpture (from a famous photo) of
a sailor kissing a young woman on VE Day.
The
AM outing is Marie Selby Botanical Garden. We visited here with Kay, Deb &
Chris have never been; another case of visitors showing residents what to do.
There's more here than we remember. Enhanced by beautiful Tiffany glass in the
orchid conservatory and other places in the diverse gardens: a mosaic of
crushed glass & colored stones, colored panels bordering a Succulent
Garden, a gazebo decorated like a lampshade, and others. Also a separate
exhibit of Tiffany lamps & glassware - but no photos allowed there. Large
colorful koi fish in a pond; a toddler reaches in to feed them. Beautiful
flower beds along the shore of the Bay. Mangrove walkway has small dead fish
below, victims of red tide; a photographer says he'll send photos to Gov.
DeSantis.
Back to the house for leftovers lunch (just as good the 2nd time!)
& relaxation.
Out
to Bradenton for dinner at Bricks Irish Pub and Martini Bar. On an interesting
street, a very popular busy restaurant, diverse menu. A bit of a wait for which
they apologize, give us free appetizers, Happy Hour drink discounts. And
excellent food; gazpacho & shepherd's pie for me. A view of the moon rising
at Pier 22 marina. Back home for an enjoyable Beatles documentary.
Thursday,
March 9: "Whimsy and Detwiler Dinner"
Less
humid today, mostly sunny, to low 80s again; 40 in Albany, Tampa had record
high 87 yesterday. In the news: Norfolk Southern CEO on the "hot
seat" in the Senate for the toxic derailment in East Palestine OH. I have
a Zoom meeting of the Colonie Senior Service Centers Exec Committee; isn't
technology wonderful! Marjorie has a phone chat with Kay, who coincidentally
also flew here on Tuesday to visit her cousin; but unable to arrange a
rendezvous.
We all decide to go to Emerson Pt., since Marjorie hasn't been
there. Driving there, and other drives around the area, take us past an
interesting variety of Floridian images: a beautiful gate at a fancy horse farm
near Deb & Chris, pretty churches, impressive housing developments &
resort hotels; less impressive: trailer parks, pawn shops, lawyer billboards,
"arcades" we're told mostly serve a money-laundering function.
Into
Emerson Pt. Preserve. First, I spot a turtle (tho not the hordes described by
Chris). Morning lighting along the beach & mangrove trails give a different
look. More red tide victims along the shore here, but people also fishing.
Past
a manatee mailbox to 10th Street Coffee for drinks & snacks. A nice little
coffeehouse "Where everyone has a seat at the table" (a good political
statement in Florida these days). Even a little performance area – a true
coffeehouse. We skip nearby Glam-O-Rama, but maybe next time we'll get to
Hungry Howie's Pizza and Salad Bar.
We
swing into Marietta Museum of Art and Whimsy. The museum, founded by Marietta
Lee and named for her mother, grandmother, & niece (all Mariettas!), opened
in 2010 to be "a space of happiness, joy, and peace." We visited this
in 2014, but Deb & Chris have never been. Only a requested $10
donation. It's still a Wow! and even bigger. Only cellphone photos allowed, but
that's OK, I take plenty! It's impossible to describe everything. Interior
filled with paintings/drawings/cards floor to ceiling. Sculptures/statues of
flamingos from tiny to huge, flying pigs & horses, hippos outside.
Mannequins of a cop at the entrance & Elvis inside. Beautiful trees &
flowers. Colorful, clever, and (of course) whimsical. You can't stop smiling. Marjorie
& Deb pose for a whimsical photo. Deb & Chris are appropriately
impressed.
A
short drive thru Sarasota downtown, lots of building construction,
"SCAT" buses (a rather unfortunate acronym). A stop near the Bay to
take a photo of the kissing sailor sculpture. Past circus tents being put up
near the highway. We'd planned an early dinner at Cody's, very popular place which
Chris says has the best prime rib. But instead decide to relax at home.
Into
Detwiler Farm Market, a huge & colorful place, to get things for tonight
and to take to Susan & Jim's. A nice combo back home of stuffed peppers,
sliders, potato salad, etc. Joined for drinks & snacks after dinner by
young neighbors TJ & Josh, aka "the boys." They watch over Chris
& Deb’s condo when they’re back home in Albany, even putting up hurricane
windows. We enjoy meeting them.
Another fine day!
Friday, March 10: "Waffles and Ghosts"
Chris
& I up early as usual to watch news. Very colorful weather maps. Another
beautiful morning, but maybe showers this evening; looks nice for the weekend.
In the news: "Winter Storms Sweep Across the US." Massive flooding in
CA due to "Pineapple Express" off the Pacific. Trump & DeSantis
head to Iowa (I wonder why). Skier Mikaela Shiffrin ties the World Cup record of
86 career wins. Local news: testing green dye in a waterway for St. Patrick's
Day.
Out
for breakfast. We learn D & C's cheerleader granddaughter's "Valley
Girl" cheer (used for warmups) ending in: "Go, Go, Fight, Fight! Gee,
I hope I look alright!" To the Waffle House (occasional target of Colbert
jokes but very good here). An entertaining server; while cleaning the table:
"Don't panic, it's organic." Plenty of good food; for me:
"classic" waffle, hashbrowns "covered" (in cheese), bacon.
That should hold me for a while. Restaurant overlooks a big pond with 2
resident gators (so Chris claims, but he's been a bit unreliable). No gator
sightings, but nice view of a cormorant spreading its wings to dry. A stop on
the way home to look at sugar cane factory ruins, then Chris spots a turtle by
the pond at their development entrance. Not sure what it is about Chris &
turtles, but he seems to feel a bit vindicated.
After watching a Ghosts episode
we missed last night C & D drive us to our bus station: Greyhound Cattlemen
Transfer Center. But there's no station at the
station, building is locked & empty, no staff, no waiting area, just
outside benches. Locals tell us where the buses stop, and there's a phone # for
tracking buses. Ours is 1 hour late.
The 1-hour+ drive to Rosa Parks
Transportation Center in Fort Myers (an actual station with people inside!) is
smooth, passing very flat farms, wetlands, golf courses. Susan picks us up for
the drive to their Naples condo. A beautiful evening. Jim & adorable dog
Poppy greet us. Drinks & snacks on the lanai. Salmon for dinner on Jim's
smokeless grill. Jim & Susan stay up past midnight to, sadly, watch
Kentucky lose in the SEC basketball tourney.
Saturday, March 11: "Livin' the Florida life"
I'm
up & out for sunrise across the pond & a golf course, egrets &
cormorants along the shore. The pond is low- they're in "moderate to
severe" drought.
Coffee on the lanai, livin' the Florida life. Mostly
sunny mid-60s, headed to low 80s; 30 with snow in Albany. In the news: Pence
rebukes Trump as "accountable" for the January 6th
"disgrace." A run on Silicon Valley Bank creates the 2nd largest
US bank failure.
Susan drives us into Naples for the Farmers Market, past
beautiful resorts & condos, a community park with 65 pickle ball courts that
will host the US Open in April. Past a sign: "New homes - Starting in the
$500s." "Starter homes," retired realtor Susan says. [ENcompass: East Naples Community
Magazine in their condo has glossy realtor ads; one page has 7
listings $1.8 mill to $5 mill.] Susan tells us new neighbors downstairs are
"way younger"...in their 60s! Really, 60s is way younger? Oh well, I
suppose so. Every time we want to get closer to the Market we run into a closed
road. We forgot it's the day for the St. Patrick's Day Parade, lots of green,
floats, etc.
Change
in plans. We turn around, stop at a bistro with a small outdoor market: Bob's
PVC Birds (quite impressive), French pastries (quite tasty). Another stop at a
CVS to get sun block. A large, colorful store with everything from beach stuff
to wine.
On
to Naples Botanical Garden. A wonderful variety of plants, flowers, water
gardens, interesting trees (e.g., Silk Floss Tree, Shaving Brush Tree). A
display of art from classes here.
Sculptures & exhibits for "Frida and
Her Garden," celebrating the life & work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo
(1907-1954).
Out thru the orchid garden, many varieties & colors, and a large
colorful gift shop.
We take Susan & Jim out to dinner for their 51st anniversary. Outside
seating at Bice Ristorante. Our waiter has all the right moves, from serving
wine to fileting fish. A wonderful meal, all the way to dessert. The street is
lined with pretty lights & restaurants for several blocks, all jam-packed
on a beautiful evening. Back home to watch Marjorie's "star turn" as
an extra (a Senator!) in an episode of Billions on
Showtime.
.
Sunday,
March 12: "Art, music, and movies"
Another
beautiful sunrise in Daylight Saving Time, cormorants posing for me along the
pond. A light breakfast on the lanai. It's going to be another sunny day in the
low 80s.
Taco festival in Fort Myers today. Instead, we head out Tamiami Hwy to
Goodland, into the edge of the Everglades near Marco Island, for the 11th
Annual Harbor Arts and Music Festival at MarGood Harbor Park. Very busy, but
driver Jim scores a parking spot right by the entrance, in the shade! Sorry,
Marjorie, no riding the golf cart shuttles. A juried event with a wide array of
media, plus soundstage with large mural backing musical performers. Colorful
displays in white tents, lots of shells & jewelry - very Florida! - pretty
views of waterways & homes from paths overlooking a picturesque harbor.
Traffic
is way backed up as we leave. Onto Marco Island looking for lunch. Past
mailboxes with dolphins, seahorses, etc. to go with earlier manatees. Signs of
the locale: Tropical Department Store. Jet Set Surf Shop. One high-rise after
another, condos, Marriott, Hilton, etc. But no luck with lunch.
Back
to Naples for lunch at Pelican Larry's. Good unpretentious food; for me: blackened
shrimp taco with tasty pineapple/coconut dipping sauce, Larry's famous rice
& beans. Back home Jim & I watch the end of the Players Championship
(golf), Susan & Marjorie watch movie Tar. The Oscars are later, an enjoyable intro
by Jimmy Kimmel, Everything
Everywhere All At Once cleans up with 7 Oscars. I’m the only
one of our foursome to have seen it. Pizza followed by Key Lime pie from
Publix. Loud splashing in the pond; gators? Uh, oh! Forecast of 10-15" of
snow in Albany for Tues, into Wed. when we fly back. We ponder alternatives:
overnight in Atlanta?, flights Wed. or even Thurs.?
Monday,
March 13: "Education and kitsch"
Out
for sunrise again. Muggy today. Biden assures people banks are safe, seeking to
avoid more runs, but a 2nd bank collapses; it's become political, of course, Dems
& GOP blame each other. Off for more outings. A "silver alert"
along the road signifies a missing senior. Lots of construction.
First
stop: Rookery Bay Environmental Education Center. A friendly volunteer greets
us in the pretty entry hall. Past art galleries to an auditorium and film about
the site's history & programs. This large mangrove estuary was saved from
development by aroused locals.
Entry area has a "marine life touch
tank" & small aquaria. A short trail thru many varieties of palms
& other impressive trees, evidence of controlled burns, observation areas
over Henderson Creek. I spot one of newly hatched butterflies in a garden.
A
30-minute drive to Bonita Springs, a bit north of Naples, for some fun kitsch:
Everglades Wonder Gardens. Created 1936, an example of "old Florida"
along what was the main north/south road before the interstate. A charitable
organization with rescues & rehabs. Brightly colored (and noisy!) tropical
birds, small alligators, turtles along "jungle" walkways thru gardens
& ponds, Victorian-style enclosures. Driving home, bumper-to-bumper traffic
on the other side, we watch a car roll over into the median!
Back
home, muggy 84. More strolling thru the neighborhood. Beautiful flowers &
landscaping thruout, birds around the pond, views across the road. Can't stop
taking photos!
Time to relax. A new word on the news: "sargassum,"
giant weeds from the Sargasso Sea threatening Florida beaches, as if red tide
isn't enough. Chef Jim prepares dinner with assistance from Marjorie &
Susan. Another new term: sous
vide, cooking (chicken in this case) in a water bath.
After-dinner entertainment: Top
Gun: Maverick. Some thunder & lightning and light rain.
Very loud frogs in the pond.
Tuesday:
March 14. "Back to winter"
A
cloudy AM, cooler & fresher. Some sun by noon. Forecast offers hope that
snow will let up for our flight into Albany. We optimistically print boarding
passes. Hoping to get back for a Mendelssohn Club gig tomorrow evening. Not
news: Trump says January 6th is Pence's fault.
We
hang out until Susan drives the 45 minutes to SW Florida International Airport
south of Fort Myers for our 5:44pm flight. Everything is “on time.” Our “basic
economy” tickets via Expedia appear to be the lowest status: seats “assigned”
(we have 2 middle seats in different rows), last to board. But it’s OK, looks
like we’re headed home. Departure on time, 30 minutes early to Atlanta!, a
glimpse of the skyline as we land as sun is setting. “Plane Train” from
Concourse A to B saves a lot of walking. Recorded message from the Mayor greets
us. I’m inspired to get a local dinner to share from Pascal’s: A Southern Tradition.
BBQ pulled pork, black-eyed peas, man & cheese, corn bread. Onto the plane,
pilot welcomes us to the “Snowball Flight.”
The
trip could not have gone better. Enjoyable time with our wonderful hosts. Tho
next time we’ll have to remember to connect with other Florida friends: Jeff
& Brenda Vredenburg, Mike Hoblock. Beautiful and unusual outings. Good
food. Relaxation on the lanai. Birds seemed to be posing for me. Weather was
just about perfect. Another fine Snowbird Experience!
No comments:
Post a Comment