2016 Winter (home)

March 2016

Bob had a left total knee replacement February 1, so we spent most of February in and around the RV.  Before his surgery we were able to enjoy a cool but sunny day in Tarpon Springs, a small Greek town 45 minutes north of St. Petersburg. It is known as the "Sponge Capital of the world" and has a very strong Greek heritage. We had lunch at Hellas, a delicious authentic Greek restaurant. After touring the shops we took the St. Nicholas sponge boat tour. Established in 1924 by Michael Billiris and still operated by the Billiris family, it is the second oldest attraction in the State of Florida. We were treated to a demonstration of sponge harvesting with a live diver in traditional dive gear. We finished our day by stopping at South Bayou to see the manatee. Evidently even the Manatee thought it was a little cool; they stayed in the center of the bayou and surfaced only briefly.

Bob's ultimate goal post knee replacement was to attend the first Indy Car race of 2016, the  Firestone Gran Prix of St. Petersburg. We were able to borrow a wheelchair from a friend here at the park and spend Friday's practice at the course. It was great to see our friends, and of course, experience the awesome sound of the Indy Cars. The last picture in this group is of a three-some who really wanted me to take their picture. (I'm guessing they had been indulging in some adult beverages...lol) They seemed to be having a great day! We rounded out the day with dinner at the 4th Street Shrimp Store, a delicious local restaurant with a fun atmosphere.

 

Last week we enjoyed a beautiful day in Pass-A-Grille, a quaint little town on St. Pete Beach. We had lunch at Sea Critters Cafe where Kathy enjoyed cod fish and chips and Bob (being the landlubber he is) had an Angus Burger. Afterwards we walked along the beach and spent some time people watching.  

January 2016

Before heading to Indiana for Christmas, we were able to visit the Florida Botanical Gardens Holiday Lights with Jim & Marilyn, friends we’ve made at Clearview United Methodist Church.  We took these pictures with our phone so they don’t really do the display justice, but it is absolutely awesome.  Definitely a must see if you are in St. Pete for the holidays!  Santa and his elf, Tim, also took a break from their busy schedule to offer us some sweet tea and sunshine.

 

We had a great time being “home for the Holidays.”  We remained wandering homeless gypsies as we stayed with son Eric and his family, Kathy’s sister Ruthie and her family, and Kathy’s sister and brother-in-law Mariann and Rick.  Thanks to everyone for sharing their Christmas with us!  The weather was nice for an Indiana December, and we enjoyed seeing family and longtime friends Steve and Jan.

 

Once back at Conner Mobile Home Park, we attended the New Year’s Eve party, where we had a very nice time.  The first picture is our neighbor Becky, her 92-year old dad, Al and her sister Beverly, all who live here in the park.  The food and entertainment was good and everyone seemed to have a good time.

New friends Steve & Tim took us to lunch at Munch’s Restaurant, a little mom & pop restaurant just south of downtown St. Petersburg.  Munch's Restaurant has been a part of St. Petersburg history since Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House.  The Munch family claims a proud heritage of serving the finest breakfast and lunch in St. Petersburg since that time. It has also been featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives with Guy Fieri.  Known for their legendary Munchburgers, we all had their delicious Indiana tenderloin sandwich.  The food was good and the atmosphere was great!

January 6 we spent the day in Orlando, where we visited Camping World, had an early dinner at Harry Buffalo and enjoyed watching our Indiana Pacers beat the Orlando Magic.  We had good seats and enjoyed watching former IU star Victor Oladipo as well as our Pacers.

Although the weather’s been a little cooler, it remains sunny and pleasant and we are able to be outdoors a lot.

November 2015

Before leaving Indiana we were able to celebrate granddaughter Nora’s second birthday.  Elmo was the theme this year and grandma was able to make an Elmo pull-apart cake and an individual cupcake for her. 

We had a nice visit with son Mike and also Bob’s cousins in Middle Tennessee.  We arrived in St. Petersburg, Florida Oct. 13 and are wintering at Conner’s Park, a busy mobile home park with “young” active seniors.  We are learning shuffleboard, playing euchre, enjoying the pool and biking around the area.  We spent an afternoon at Madeira Beach where we enjoyed lunch and a beautiful time on the beach. 

Friends here at the park told us about the St. Petersburg farmer’s market, so we spent a Saturday morning there.  Not only do they have an abundance of fresh produce, but food and craft booths as well.  Apparently the market runs throughout the winter so we anticipate visiting again.  We also spent an afternoon riding the trolley downtown and learning a bit about the city.  We visited the St. Petersburg Museum of History which was quite interesting.

We spent a day at Treasure Island, enjoying Sanding Ovations, an international sand sculpting event.  As you can see from some of the photos, the sculptures were amazing!