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Published: February 2nd 2014
Florida Panhandle
This is why it's called the Emerald CoastSunday, Jan. 26 – We left Navarre Beach and headed east across the Florida Panhandle. Driving down Highway 98, we passed through several quaint little towns, including Destin and Seaside, before stopping for lunch in Panama City Beach. Jim’s Aunt Muriel spent the winter here for many years and this was the first winter she hadn’t gone down so we bought a postcard in Panama City Beach and mailed it to her to let her know we were there. The Florida Panhandle is called the Emerald Coast and it was easy to see why by looking at the beautiful, clear water. I was very impressed with the beauty of the water and the white fine sand. We continued to drive on 98 and got to Perry, FL around 4:00 (EST – we passed into Eastern Time at Mexico Beach) where we found a nice Hampton Inn for the night. This turned out to be one of the nicest hotels we’ve stayed in so far. They offered an early evening happy hour like the hotel in San Antonio and we talked to several snowbirds who said that this hotel was the usual stop-over on their way down to southern Florida. We ate
dinner in a forgettable diner as the restaurant we had heard about in Perry was closed on Sunday. We made some phone calls and found out that Jim’s cousin Lou is in Florida, north of Tampa, and we made plans to meet up with him on Monday.
Monday, Jan. 27 - The breakfast the next morning at the Hampton Inn was the best we’ve had on our trip. It included scrambled eggs that actually tasted good, sausage and hot cooked oatmeal that was a wonderful change from the usual powdery eggs and toast. We arranged to meet Lou at Weeki Wachee to go to the Springs and see the mermaids. Weeki Wachee is an old attraction from the 40’s that hasn’t changed much since then except the state has taken it over and made it a State Park. We enjoyed the boat ride along the river and hoped to see some manatees, but it was maybe a little too cool for them. The mermaid show was fun. The show is mainly underwater ballet and it’s amazing how the girls can swim and breathe through those air tubes. We talked to a couple mermaids-in-training and they both spoke
Weeki Wachee Springs
The mermaid show was really spectacular about how much they love doing it. It does sound like a wonderful job, but probably not one for me. :D We said good-by to Lou and continued south to Tampa where we got a hotel near where our friend and former tenant, Dave and his family live. Dave and Mabel moved into the apartment above our house when Dylan was 1 year old and moved out when he was 8. Natasha was born in the apartment and was only 3 when they moved so she didn’t really remember us, but we were well acquainted with Dylan. It was fun talking about old times. He is 16 now and has grown into such a nice young man. Natasha is 11 and is that charming mix of ½ girl and ½ young woman. We got a kick out of her. When we got back to their place after dinner, Dave took us into his garage and showed us the Shelby Cobra that he and Jim were building in our garage in Long Beach. What good times we remembered seeing that car. Dave says he still works on it from time to time. He and Jim had such wonderful times working on
Tampa, FL
Dave and Jim working on the Shelby Cobra once again! that car together.
Tuesday, Jan. 28 - we left Tampa and moseyed on down 41 toward Cape Coral. We passed through Long Boat Key and Venice, FL and then followed 41 through Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda till we came to North Fort Meyers where Jim remembered a restaurant on the Intracoastal where we had eaten with Tim when he played college baseball during Spring Break. I think it’s wonderful how Jim remembers these places. He showed me on the map where he thought it was and sure enough, there is was. The place had changed names, it’s now called the Three Fisherman whereas we knew it as the Crab Shack, but it was the same building. We enjoyed a nice lunch and the weather was beautiful with the sun shining on the water. We then drove through Cape Coral to our friends Pat and Joan’s house. Pat had a wonderful pot roast dinner ready for us. We lived near each other in Long Beach for many years and have remained friends ever since. Pat and Joan very graciously opened their home to us. Wednesday, the weather was not quite as nice as Tuesday, dawning dark and
gloomy with sprinkles during the day. Is this cold weather following us? It was so nice to be able to wash clothes. Had appetizers at their house and then went out for dinner to Outback. Thursday – lots of rain and chilly – certainly not what we were expecting. We went to Walmart which was very crowded as everyone else seemed to have the same idea. We walked around a bit to stretch our legs. Dinner was another wonderful home-cooked meal. Pat is a wonderful cook and it’s always a treat to have dinner with them. It’s been so nice to stay put for a couple days. Thank you so much to Pat and Joan for opening their lovely home to us and also for sharing the love of their sweet pets, Sophie the chocolate lab and Tommy the very affectionate black & white cat. Friday – we had thought to leave Cape Coral today and head toward the Keys, but Pat and Joan convinced us to stay one more day. The weather is still damp and rainy, but sounds much better for tomorrow. We did some shopping and then headed for the Monkey Bar for happy hour. I had
Pat in the Kitchen
I love the fact that he used my reading glasses. They look pretty good on him. :D two vodka martinis, kind of unusual for me, and they hit me kind of hard. Pat made homemade pizza for dinner. Yum!!
Sat. Feb. 1 - We left Pat and Joan's around 9:00 this morning and headed south. The sun was finally shining and the weather hit 80 degrees - hey, I think we're finally in Florida! :D We drove across the Everglades on Highway 41, Tamiami Trail. We stopped at Big Cyprus Swamp Welcome Center, Kirby Storter Roadside Park and Oasis Visitors Centers and walked down the boardwalk trails where we saw more alligators than we ever need to see again, but also the beautiful anhinga (similar to the cormorants we see in Long Beach) and several Ibis, egrets and ospreys. At the first stop, we also got to see manatees, the first we've seen this trip. I overheard a woman on one of the boardwalks saying that the alligators were hideous creatures. I had the thought that the gators must think the same thing about us. 😊 It was about 1:00 when we stopped at Shark Valley in the Everglades National Park. Thanks to Jim's senior citizen pass, we were able to get into the park for
free, otherwise there is a $10/car charge. We went right to the bike rental place and got our bikes fairly soon. We then started off on what is a 15 mile long trail. After about 4 miles, I started to feel the heat and the aftermath of two martinis the night before. We decided to turn back. Jim and I agreed that we may have to try this again when we are in a little better shape. We got to Homestead, FL around 3:30 and checked into a Holiday Inn Express. It turns out that hotels are cheaper in Homestead on the weekend so we lucked out a bit with this. We found our way to the pool and then went for dinner at Capri Italian Restaurant on Krome Ave as was recommended by the hotel receptionist. It turned out to be a good choice, especially since the waitress gave us some good tips for the Keys. We'll head there tomorrow.
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