Florida 2025

 

Florida

March 2025

 

            A 4^th “snowbird” adventure, with repeats of enjoyable 2022 & 2023 visits to Sarasota with friends Deb & Chris and Naples with Marjorie’s cousin Jim & wife Susan. Our winter hasn’t been too hard. Snow’s been cleared by very diligent Josh, working for Matt’s high school friend John. A busy end of February and beginning of March. “Warmth of Winter” fundraiser for Colonie Senior Service Centers. “Mardi Gras” celebration at St. Pius X. “The Garbologists” play at nearby Curtain Call Theater. Albany Pro Musica’s concert “Considering Matthew Shepard,” a very moving “choral drama” about the young gay man murdered in Wyoming in 1998. Russ singing with Mendelssohn Club at CSSC’s Beltrone Living Center, and the previous night friend Dennis singing there with the South Colonie Dance Band. Marjorie has started her annual fundraising for “Relay for Life” and selling tickets for Mendelssohn Club’s Spring Concert. And exciting news: she’s been accepted to be an “Artist in Residence” for a week in July at Wiawaka Center for Women, a retreat on the shore of Lake George. She also displays her work & classes at CSSC’s celebration of International Women’s Day.

As usual March is teasing, sometimes seems like Spring but then Winter comes back. So a break is welcome, especially when it includes warmer temps (we hope) with friends & family. There is a sure sign of Spring: Guptill’s Ice Cream opens Saturday!

Friday, March 14: “Pi in the Sky”

            It’s “Pi Day,” which triggers lots of lame jokes (Why is Pi so lucky in love? Because its

love is infinite and non-repeating.). Marjorie doesn’t care – she’s pulled an all-nighter packing & working on Mendelssohn Club concert tickets. We’ve used our United credit card miles for flights. Another very early departure from Albany to Chicago and on to Sarasota. We’re off to the airport after a good 3:30am view of a “blood moon” lunar eclipse. Shuttle from Economy-lot parking to the Terminal, still under long-time construction. 

A bright full moon for 6am departure, across Lake Michigan to Chicago skyline in the distance, pretty sunrise as we arrive on time at O’Hare before 8. A 3½-hour layover. Thinking we might pay to use the United Lounge, instead we find we have unexpired passes from our United credit card. Comfy chairs & breakfast buffet right by the gate for our next flight. Perfect, except the gate is changed. A long schlep, for which my bad back earns a wheelchair ride, to the new gate & another Lounge nearby. Onto the plane and our seats way back in Row 36. Why is there no Row 33? Attendants don’t know. Early Sarasota arrival before 3pm. Perfect: sunny, mid80s!

           

Deb & Chris swing by to pick us up. Thru rush hour & Spring break traffic; there always seems to be lots of traffic. Past gas for $3.14 (it’s Pi Day, after all). Along the way they point out damage from back-to-back hurricanes last Fall, often signaled by blue tarps on roofs. Tho their yard was covered by debris, they had little damage. Munchies on their porch. Then we settle down for a couple of naps; what exciting houseguests! Deb prepares a fine dinner: chicken & rice with capers, followed by a sinful frozen dessert.

 

Saturday, March 15: “Blue Bunting to Green Witch”

            A sunny AM, 68 at 7am (vs 48 in Albany), later up to above-average mid-80s. In the news: Starliner rocket launches to rescue astronauts stranded 9 months in space station. A yummy breakfast highlighted by Detwiler’s apple & cinnamon bread. I take a neighborhood stroll as the sun comes up, Chris circling on his minibike, a white egret along the way. Seems quite idyllic. 

Chris takes me to nearby Felts Audubon Preserve. A nice place to walk: “bee hotel,” bird blind with a pretty blue bunting. Thru a trailer park next door to view storm damage. Muscovy ducks by the pond in their neighborhood.

 

           We all head out over the Skyway Bridge to St. Petersburg. Views of parasailers, dome on Tropicana Stadium shredded by storms. To Sunken Gardens, started by husband-and-wife gardeners in the early 20^th C. Beautiful flowers & trees, colorful birds (tho “bird exhibits limited due to bird flu”), koi fish, and gift shop. 

A brief stop at Fort DeSoto with cannons from the Watervliet Arsenal near us. Another stop at pretty North Beach, more parasailers. Back home for snacks & relaxation.

 

 

          Out for dinner. Past a giant seahorse to RiverHouse Waterfront Restaurant. Breezy dining outside overlooking gatherings of many pelicans & seagulls. Shake Station for ice cream. Back home to start watching Wicked.

 

Sunday, March 16: “Storms and Sprinklers”

            A nice morning, mostly sunny, quite breezy. After Marjorie’s daily meditation, out to the car greeted by black ducks. Their car has a very chatty, informative, detail-oriented GPS (e.g. “car on the shoulder ahead”). 

Past a fancy horse owner’s estate, a large housing development underway that looks like another planet, pretty churches & resorts, Culver’s opposite Detwiler’s (a foreshadowing), to Anna Maria Island. 

Storm damage here includes one pier gone, another with a section gone. It took months to clean up storm damage here; snowplows to clear away blown sand, then smooth out beaches. Nonetheless very picturesque, pelicans & other birds. 

A “beach breakfast” outside, All You Can Eat Pancakes. 

Out Longwood Key to Bridge Street, lots of colorful shops. “Fudge Factory offers “Free Smells,” pretty decorated interior, fun watching fudge being made. A swing by Red Barn with lots of outside vendors. Too busy, the “seamy underside of resale” Marjorie says.

 

           Back home for a snack. It’s “Selection Sunday,” selecting & seeding teams for the college basketball tournament. Marjorie teaches Deb how to play “Connections.” Chris & Deb’s “Florida son” neighbor Josh joins us for corned beef & cabbage dinner (in honor of St. Patrick’s Day). Rather convoluted conversation ranges from TM to early color movies to in-ground sprinklers that need repair thruout the development (as shown by little white flags). A little rain after dinner.

 

Monday, March 17: “Turtle Sundaes and Chocolate Pizza”

            Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I sit out front drinking coffee with Chris. HOA President Joann stops by with excited dogs Bandit & Tinkerbell. More discussion of sprinklers. A pretty sky, cool & breezy, high today only mid-60s, which necessitates a change from shorts to jeans & jacket. More bird views by the pond. Poor Chris has to head out to dental work. 

I join Deb & Marjorie for a shopping tour under a cloudless blue sky. The 1^st resale shop is closed, the 2^nd quite busy. Marjorie won’t let me buy a large stuffed “emotional support” banana. 

On to Detwiler’s Farm Market, adorned with pretty decorations. A high-energy “Whoo-hoo” woman with tasty samples of bagels, cream cheese, and jams. I help find some cheeses requested by Susan, but we pass on “Holy Sheep” cheese.

            After a corned-beef sandwich lunch Deb rescues Chris. We all head to a Goodwill store, greeted by an array of “Hello Sunshine” flamingos. Very big & organized, quite different from earlier stops. Chris & I spend some time waiting in what seems the “husband’s sitting area.” Then to Culver’s, where we introduce Deb & Chris to the wonders of turtle sundaes (an icon of Marjorie’s Midwestern childhood). Back home to finish Wicked, only to end with “To be continued”! Dinner at Hungry Howie’s Pizza & Salad Bar. A pizza buffet with many kinds of pizza, even cherry, apple, and chocolate! Weather news: 123 tornados reported around the US, 2 funnel clouds locally but no touchdowns reported. Rivers turned green in Tampa & Chicago.

 

Tuesday, March 18: “Oh, What A Beautiful Morning!”

 

           A sunny, cool AM, a bit breezy, high 50s headed to high 70s. In the news: High winds & wildfires in the Southern plains. Israel renews bombing Gaza. Astronauts on the way home. Major league baseball season opens in Tokyo; Dodgers vs. Cubs. Chris & I drive to Emerson Point Preserve on Snead Island. A pretty morning drive, past trailer parks and golf cart stores. No gators found at the Preserve, but a crane & turtle, pretty dunes & flowers, a big tree brought down by the storms, view of Skyway Bridge in the distance. A truck full of kayaks to rent; Chris & Deb have their own. 

All together for breakfast at Waffle House, by a pond with pretty bird (they’re everywhere!). Then past a circus tent to Sarasota Cattlemen Transfer Center for our FlixBus to Fort Myers, a humorous “Get out!” from Grandpa Chris. A short wait in the sun by a pretty flowering tree. Our bus arrives early, departs on time at about noon. Very flat countryside, typical Florida views: pretty trees & vegetation, occasional resorts & golf courses, trailer parks, housing developments. A bit early to Edison Mall outside Fort Myers at 1:15.

Susan arrives shortly. Here also seems like traffic everywhere all the time, but we make good time to their condo outside Naples. A pretty entry to their area: horse sculptures amid flowers. They live on a small lake, golf course at one end. I see my “BFF” photo of a large bird standing by a gator at the top of their staircase. 

Greeted enthusiastically by their cute dog Poppy, and by Jim in his more subdued fashion. A beautiful afternoon, pretty birds around the lake. Susan & Jim fix a little lunch. While Susan takes Poppy for a walk, I go along the lake for bird photo ops (of which there are plenty here!). Later we watch the astronauts splash down, then a good steak dinner on their lanai overlooking the lake.

Wednesday, March 19: “Gators and Manatees and Pelicans, Oh My!”

            I’m up early as usual, pretty sunrise, lots of birds … and a gator swimming in the lake! Headed to high 70s; up to 68 in Albany. We hang out most of the morning. 

Then Susan joins us for a drive on Tamiami Highway into the Everglades. A stop at Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Water level very low, it’s been a very dry season. On to a Visitor Center for an unexpected wildlife bonanza: 5-6 gators, 3-4 manatees sharing a beautiful waterway.

Continuing to Historic Everglades City. A beautiful City Hall, colorful houses. 

Rod and Gun Club, now a hotel on the river, is a very cool, interesting place. Built on the original foundation set by the settler who founded the city in 1864, it’s a “living monument to the Gilded Age.” Guests here have included 5 Presidents (from FDR to Nixon), Ernest Hemingway, and Mick Jagger. The interior is chock full of stuff. Sign says “management frowns on sightseeing,” so we sit down for some refreshments overlooking a lineup of pelicans. Key lime pie for me, calamari for Marjorie & Susan. A lovely stop.

Back home Susan & Marjorie go “resaling.” “Early bird” Italian at Brunina’s Pizza and Pasta. A good meal, accompanied by accordionists. Publix Key lime pie back home for dessert.

 

Thursday, March 20: “Got All My Ducks in a Row”

Another beautiful sunrise on the 1^st day of Spring. After a walk along the lake, more bird photos!, coffee and newspaper on the lanai. After taking Poppy for a walk, Susan works on her basketball bracket picks. 

Then we’re off to the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, a new place for Susan. A longer 45-minute drive than expected, thru areas just recently being developed, and unexpected admission charge. But well worth it, way more here than expected on a beautiful afternoon.

Boardwalks take us thru 6 native habitats. Beautiful trees, including bald cypress up to 500+ years old, lush undergrowth. We’re able to spot red shouldered hawks perched in trees, wood storks (or maybe snowy egrets) along streams, a red-tufted pileated woodpecker, another bird dipping in & out of the water, a baby turtle riding piggyback, a gator relaxing under a tree. So quiet & peaceful; and no bugs!

Jim & Susan prepare a tasty dinner: roast pork, sweet potatoes, avocados. More rough weather reports around the country: wildfires in Florida, dust storms in the West, blizzards in the Midwest. But perfect here!

Friday, March 21: “On the Hippie Trail”

            Another sunny morning, breezy & a bit cool headed to low 70s. Out to the lake, lots of birds posing for me: anhida with outstretched wings, many ducks (or maybe “coots”) walking up close to me, egrets. 

We have a quiet unscheduled day. Marjorie & Susan head to resale and other shops. Jim & I watch some basketball & other programs. I return a call from my brother- Doug reports they have moved into senior housing, beating us to the punch! I have time to read a very interesting book given to me by Matt: On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer, by Rick Steves, a well-known travel writer and PBS personality. The book is from his journal & photos on a trip taken in 1973 at age 23 with a friend. Quite an adventure, especially their efforts finding transportation & lodging. It resonates with my travel & journaling interests, tho I prefer less “adventuresome” experiences.

            Another beautiful afternoon, I take a walk thru the neighborhood. Beautiful landscaping throughout; Susan is on the Landscaping Committee. 

I download tomorrow’s boarding passes onto our email. Marjorie & Susan return with a few purchases (including another turtle sundae for Marjorie!). But she says “resale” here is more like “boutique.” Carry-out from Culver’s for dinner; tasty butterburger for me. We discuss with Susan excursion options for our shared Columbia & Snake Rivers cruise in June.

Susan & Jim’s USA Today keeps us in touch with the news, mostly dismaying. Trump & Musk continue their lies and assaults on government programs, from USAID to Dept. of Education, in the name of “efficiency” and “fighting corruption.” They are getting pushback from court decisions, voter protests & declining approval ratings, even Tesla boycotts & plummeting stock value. But the Republican-controlled House & Senate have abrogated their responsibilities.

Saturday, March 22: “Nonstop to Paris”

            Yep, another beautiful morning, clear & chilly. Out for last photo ops, lots of birds including a group of ducks that walks right toward me. 

Susan drives us to Southwest Florida International Airport outside Fort Myers. Not crowded, smooth thru check-in & security (tho an unusually long “TSA Pre” line, guess they’ll let “just anybody” do this), and boarding (still no Row 33!). Attendant announces, “Welcome to Flight 2490 nonstop to Paris,” drawing chuckles. We taxi out, then “This is your Captain …” This can’t be good. A traffic control hold, expected to be 40-45 minutes, but turns out to be 20 and off we go. We brought a s snack of orange & apple slices, plus a stroopwafel courtesy of United.

            Gusty winds, a very bouncy descent, good view of NYC & Statue of Liberty, on time to Newark at 3:30pm. “Welcome to Paris” announcement. Another 3½-hour layover, but no Lounge passes. It seems quite a nice airport, tho we have a long walk & shuttle to Terminal C. We’re buoyed by exciting news: grandson Miles has been accepted at Ithaca College (and a few other places). We call cousin & Ithaca resident Marcia, who’s excited about the news as an Ithaca alum who also worked in Admissions. On-time departure just after sunset, some rain around, a pretty sky above the clouds. Albany arrival a bit after 8, very windy and 37 … and 25 next morning! It reached 70s here earlier in the week. Welcome to Spring in Albany! We retrieve checked bags & car, home about 9pm. Northern Lights should be visible late tonight, but it’s too cold to go looking for a viewing spot; our view of the Lights in Iceland will suffice.

            A wonderful trip! Just about perfect weather, lots of sun, warm but not hot, virtually no rain, no bugs. Pretty gardens, trees & vegetation along preserve boardwalks. Many beautiful birds & gators. Best of all, wonderful hosts and good company. Thankyous to Deb & Chris, who we can also see in Albany, and Susan & Jim, who we’ll be with again in 3 months on the river cruise. Tax forms are waiting for my attention, but Susan’s early bunny decorations a reminder that Easter is also still ahead of us.

As should be evident by now, there were lots of bird photo ops. I’ll finish with some more.