…and then there was Naples.

Our last night in Clearwater beach was fraught with thunderstorms long into the night and early morning. The wind was howling off the water and whistling through a crack in the patio doors causing the curtains to dance to the rhythm of the wind. The morning brought fog and rain which quickly cleared as the morning progressed. The temperatures were warm and the sun gradually tried to peak out.

We headed down coast toward Fort Myers, but settled on Naples instead as our final destination. It is a beautiful little place about half the size of Brandon. It is one of the more expensive resort areas to stay in, but very well kept and manicured with a great harbour filled with big yachts. There is a wonderful stretch of beach that is accessible from every street and a very lively main avenue filled with shops and small cafes. People filled the outside patio tables and music could be heard from the local eateries as the evening came to life.

On the recommendation of the desk clerk we headed down to the beach for the sunset.  After a stroll along the shore we put up our chairs and watched the amazing Florida sun dip its head below the horizon.  It seems to be a popular pastime as there were many people lined up on the pier and along the beach to take pictures or perhaps catch a glimpse of the dolphins that frequent the area as the sun goes down. Tonight we did not see any, but we will try again tomorrow.

I think we will spend a couple of days here before heading to the Keys. Goodnight and stay warm.

The Sun Doth Shine....

After sleeping in and a quick shower it was off for a walk in the sun along the coastline. Yes a beautiful day it was with a temperature at 25 degrees C.  We stopped for breakfast before returning to the hotel to don our bathing suits and hurry back outside to sit in the loungers and read in the sun.  Although the Gulf is too cold to swim, the heated outdoor pool was excellent and provided a nice relief from the heat. Roger opted not to swim, but to sit in the shade. That was probably a good idea as I am a bit on the reddish side and my face glows. I am sure it will be fine by morning but I must remember to reapply sunscreen after the water.  To our delight dolphins swam back and forth along the hotel beach this afternoon as they followed boats along the waterway. Sailboats and cruise boats passed by throughout the afternoon carrying their sun hungry passengers with them. Whoops and hollers could be heard across the water.

As luck would have it the coin laundry is just off the pool so we were able to do our laundry while we lazed away the afternoon.  Between Roger and I the job got done and we now start the week with a clean suitcase of clothes.

Later this afternoon we took a short drive to Safety Harbour, a small community that is has a sailing club much like Pelican Lake. I believe the site was called Veterans Memorial Park. The boats were tucked safely in the harbour just to the side of long pier out onto the water. We watched the sun dip down on the horizon and chatted with a few people gathered on the pier. The entertainment seemed to be three young men throwing nets off the pier to catch mullet which they will smoke and sell. One man informed me that the manatee are plentiful in the region and come right to the pier. He was waiting for them, but he thought the water was a bit cool right now and perhaps they would reappear in a few days. Needless to say I received a lesson on the manatee and how they come to the surface with their noses to breath. They are also very large, like 1200 lbs. and very long as well. Hopefully we will see them on our travels.

It will be an early night for us after a wonderful supper at a local Italian Restaurant. The food was delicious, but huge platefuls, so we have enough left over for tomorrow’s picnic lunch. Bonus!  We plan to do a bit more sightseeing here tomorrow and then head down toward Fort Myers. Who knows what little gems of beauty we will find along the way…..all just part of the adventure.

Clearwater Beach

          Boats as seen through the fog along the coast.....

Our plan was to head to Tampa today, but this morning we changed our minds and headed for Clearwater Beach.  With the Gps set to the interstate 75 and a breakfast settled in our tummies off we went.  We headed south listening to Oprah radio when a few miles down the road, at a rest stop, I picked up some brochures of the area and decided we should take a detour off the beaten track.  Convincing the GPS to cooperate was another thing as it wanted to stay on the main roads.  I finally turned it off and used the old fashioned map to set our course before entering it in the GPS. It was a battle of wills between me and the gps today.  I am not sure who one out as it diverted us from Weeki Wichee , the  home of mermaids, a town on my wish list, but we did end up back on route 98 down the coastal highway as we wanted. The road was not as scenic as yesterday, but alas I did find another alternative road further on that we could take and it was lovely.  We passed many small harbour towns as we meandered along and took advantage of the local sites. The three and four story houses on the ocean front where unbelievable with their boat docks and boat lifts.  No wee cottage by the sea that is for sure.  Small sail boats dotted the coastline and looked very picturesque bobbing on their anchor about 500 feet off shore. Tarpon Harbour and Dunedin and just beyond hosted wonderful harbours with a variety of large and small boats. To Roger it was a sailor’s paradise and he can’t wait to see a few more harbours as we continue our venture. Just as a side note; the town of Dunedin is a sister town of Sterling Scotland. It even has a bagpipe player on the sign. (Sterling was our home base on our trip to Scotland).Equally enchanting was the small strip of villages before the causeway to Clearwater beach.

Clearwater Beach is a bustling place and is part of long string of resort communities that join together along a strip of land off of the main land. If it were not for a sign you would not know you had entered a different beach community.  After driving the strip we decided to stay in Clearwater beach as it seemed most scenic with good access to the water. The fog rolled in around the time we arrived so I have not taken any pictures yet, although I have high hopes for tomorrow as they are forecasting a 23 C day.  We are staying in a remodelled Best Western Hotel Resort right on the gulf with a private beach.  The pool is heated and looks very inviting as do the hammocks along the beach. We have a great room on the fourth floor with a view of the water and the best part is that it is half price as tourism is down and there is competition between hotels. Lucky for us as this area is usually very expensive.

We have booked for 2 nights here and will stay longer if we want more time to explore.  It is hard to believe we have been on the road a week already and I can see the time just flying by until we are home. We do miss everyone at home, but not the cold and I hear it is very cold there.

Goodnight all and stay warm.

  

The scenic coast...

                                              White sand beaches that look like snow!

It was a leisurely day on the road as we traveled the scenic coastal highway, stopping along the way at some small coastal retirement communities.  There are some beautiful little seaside places, but nothing that would be quite right for us. We realized that the panhandle area is pretty far from the rest of the action in Florida and might be a bit to isolated if we want to do anything else. The small communities reminded us of Clear Lake and had very distinctive charm with small artsy shops and local eateries. I would certainly recommend the drive down the coast though for the sheer quaintness and beauty of it all. 

I still love the sound of the ocean with the waves crashing on the beach. It was very windy this morning when we stopped at Santa Rosa Beach and as usual I found the ocean memorizing with its constant whoosh of the waves on shore. The pure white sand looked like snow on the beach and the white dunes like snow banks. A sight to behold as we walked along the boardwalk.  Perhaps my favourite place today was a small village called Mexico Beach where the community has grown into a retirement village. According to the locals (return retirees) many rentals are available this year as tough times and poor weather has kept people away. It is sad to see foreclosure signs and the endless rental signs in such a vibrant little community.

We ended our day on the outskirts of Tallahassee after an hour or so of driving in the fog. Roger did not seem to mind as he said he has driven in worse snowstorms and at least the roads weren’t icy. True I guess, but a bit unnerving I thought, especially over the causeways. Nervous Nellie me……nothing a good shot of rum didn’t cure. 

We are still discussing tomorrow’s travels, but it looks like we are heading to Tampa. Lots to do and see there.

Take care all.

The Long and Winding Road....

Picture taken through the windshield as we headed down road just outside Jackson Mississippi.

We have stopped along the Florida Panhandle for the night. It was a long day on the road as we drove through three states. We started at Memphis heading south through Mississippi to Jackson, down to Mobile Alabama and then on down to Pensacola Florida and along the coast to Destin. I must admit I was getting a bit tired and should I say the word cranky as we finally drove to our hotel for the night.  I kept the cranky inside, but man I was done with roadside bathrooms, maps and the Gps.

The scenery on the way down was really great though and I must admit I liked the route through Mississippi as it reminded me of Clear Lake and the drive through the park to Dauphin. It was a surprise with all the trees and the winding road. There were a lot of pine trees that looked like Scotch pine, but were not, kind of a cross between scotch pine and a tamarack. I don’t know my pines too well but it was all pretty anyway. Alabama sported oak trees with hanging Spanish moss and they were quite magnificent. The coast line along the panhandle is beautiful with pure white quartz sand. I can`t wait until tomorrow so we can walk along the beach. The temperature today was 19° C., warm to us, but cold to the locals. We went for a short walk to the restaurant tonight and it seemed down right balmy.

We are not sure how long we will stay in the area, but will decide tomorrow after a bit of sightseeing.  There is so much we want to do in other parts of Florida that we are anxious to get there. I keep reminding myself to just slow down and relax a little and enjoy the moment.  Old habits die hard I guess. 

Elvis is King!

OMG… loved Graceland, loved it, loved it. If you want a trip down memory lane this is the place to go. Even Roger who was sceptical really enjoyed the whole package. Believe it or not it was a very emotional tour, especially the mansion and meditation garden. It brings tears to my eyes to think about it. The mansion is modest by today’s standards but decorated with an upscale flair of the sixties and seventies with some rooms very unusual.  Everything has been preserved as it was when he died and it seems sad to think that all living in that house stopped the day he died. To hear his daughter narrate about her life there as a child and how she remembers her father and his affection toward her brought a reality to the tour.   It was an audio self-tour that you could listen to as much of, or as little of, as you wanted. I listened to everything.  Following the mansion tour we continued on to the Elvis car museum. The Hollywood movie museum displayed clothes, posters and memorabilia from the movies he was in. It was awesome, bringing back so many memories of the theatre in Minnedosa where I saw many of those movies. Of course the words to all the songs come rushing back as you listen to the music playing in the background.  They even have an Elvis radio station. The clothes museum was also a hit showing and explaining Elvis’s unique flair for fashion. He had a great wardrobe with many accessories and belts and was very into bling. After about three hours of Elvis we preceded to Beale Street to catch a little jazz.

Beale Street is very unique with its jazz clubs, cafes and trinket shops.  The road is made of cobblestone and closed to traffic.  Musicians sit outside the clubs and cafes busking and drawing in the crowds. We went during the day, but apparently at night it is a lively scene with jamming everywhere.  On the advice of a local we tried out the blues café. Gumbo was first up on the menu and Roger went for it. I too tried a small cup of the hot spicy thick stew like soup. Wow southern heat. I exercised caution and ate only half of mine leaving Roger to eat the rest. I warned him to be careful as these things may come back to haunt, but he heeded not. The haunting began not long after we left the café as rumbles and bumbles filled the air or should I say fouled the air.  

After a short drive to see a few sites we settled on a walk along the Mississippi River park as I took a few pictures and Roger did some sketching. The temperature along the river was cool and finally we decided it was time to pack it in and head back to the hotel. Yes a good day and a full day of activity and lots of memories to cherish.  

Tomorrow we head towards Pensacola Florida.

Memphis....

We are starting to get the hang of this traveling thing and realize it is time to slow down. Now that we are out of the snow and arriving in some interesting places we plan to do more sightseeing.  I was able to call Mom this morning as we had free long distance for 15 minutes to Canada from the hotel. It was good to hear her voice and she was pleased to hear from us. A bit of a slower start this morning, so we didn’t arrive in Memphis until just after 2p.m. The gps took us to the wrong hotel and we had to backtrack across the city to our destination.  The guest clerk at the hotel offered to book for us for tonight at the same type of hotel so we took her up on it. It is the Drury hotel and suites on the west side of Memphis. The perks of this hotel are great. Included in the $ 71 is a hot full breakfast smorg, supper (a different smorg each night) with 3 alcoholic drinks of choice per person, all the pop you can drink and a snack of popcorn in the evening. The rooms are really nice and it has a pool and hot tub. It is 8 minutes to Graceland from here.

Our initial plan was to see Graceland and other sites today and head further south tomorrow, but decided to take a bit of time and really enjoy ourselves. I was really tired today and laid down for a short nap that lasted 2 hours. I guess the long days and early mornings are catching up with me, not to mention the stressful traffic.  Tomorrow we will take in the sites of Memphis including Graceland which looks fantastic. There is a museum of his clothes that looks interesting as well as all his planes and automobiles and his mansion.   It is not high on Roger`s list, but I think he will like it. I am hoping the civil rights museum is also open tomorrow.

I look forward to the days ahead and what it will bring.  I hope you are well and not too snowed in. The temperatures here are around 12 degrees C., with crispness in the air like spring time. All in all we can`t complain.  

Y'all have a good night!

C.