So long to the Sunshine State…

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We ended our trip in Clearwater where we had started. Due to the ever increasing number of our (copious) extended family members that are spending the winter in this neck of the woods, I’ve found myself in the area a ton of times and have managed to do some great things around the gulf coast. These are some of my favourites from past visits:

· Snorkelling with manatees at Crystal River - A million good reasons to go: you can pet a manatee, the water is warm and super clear (despite the odd manatee turd that may drift by) and everyone looks good in a wetsuit (strutting permitted).

· Fort Desoto Beach – I’m not normally a beach person (on account of I don’t like the sun to touch my skin), but this one is breathtaking. Despite being just generally gorgeous, the beach has a line of trees next to the sand that supplies me with my much-loved shade and a perfect place to picnic. Amazing swimming too...it's got it all.

· Tampa Zoo – you can feed a giraffe. I’m sorry, I’m not sure that was clear…YOU CAN FEED A G-I-R-A-F-F-E!!!!!! I know, right!!! Up close their heads are huge and very eyelashy. You can also get up close to some very charming penguins. Loved them.

· Botanical Gardens - Best during the holidays when the gardens are all decked out in a million little lights. Plus they have a tree that smells like cotton candy. For reals.

· Take in a Tampa Lightning game - They were playing the Habs when we went. Let me say this, for a hot city, Tampa does their ice hockey well (or as we Canadians call it -just "hockey"). Great arena and easy parking (ahem, Ottawa, you could take a lesson from their excellent traffic flow). What was curious though, is that they had cheerleaders. At a hockey game. Their ways are so very strange to me.

· No trip to Clearwater is complete without some fresh juice and ice cream at Citrus Grove. Just get the medium cone, though. The large will be as tall as your head and no human being can escape a cone that size without some serious brain freeze. You can also pick up some key lime juice and bring it to my mother and beg her to make you her scrumptious key lime pie. She might cave if you keep at it. Mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom.

Lots of other fun things to see and do - too many to mention. Farewell Florida, keep the sun shining, the palm trees swaying and bless my Pa with flat greens and no dead bowls (that's lawn bowlin' talk fer y'all who don't know any retired folks).

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Photos

Botanical Gardens
Sparkly awesomeness