6 Sep 08 Our Last Day in Fabulous Florida

Can I tell you how fast four women can clean and get a condo ready to close up? DANG FAST GINA! We gave our leftovers away to neighbors, washed the bedding, vacuumed, mopped, and packed our bags, we headed to Safety Harbor. Safety Harbor is on the Tampa Bay side of the peninsula and a very pretty little town. We went to the Art Musuem where they where having a Dr. Suess art festival, had ice cream at cold stone creamery, and then walked around the spa before heading to the airport and our flight back to Idaho.

Thank you Rose, Toni, and Tammy for a wonderful week celebrating not only turning the half century mark but celebrating our bond and friendships with each other. You are amazing women.

5 Sep 08 Chocolate Martini's and Water Volleyball

Our friends Barb and Linda invited us to their beautiful home in the Dunedin Country Club for a night cap after our Italian dinner. Linda stirred up chocolate martini's, and did I say we jumped into their pool, with our clothes on, for a game of volleyball? Well, four of us did - Linda, Toni, Tammy and myself. Rose, Barb and Esther stayed land side and opted out of taking a dip. And yes, my pants were still wet when I packed them for the flight home on Saturday!

Friday Night with Our Dunedin Friends!

As the four of us were getting ready for our last evening, we thought about going to Little Italy just across the street. We were prepping at the dining room table, baskets full of makeup and hair products, when Linda and Barbara walked up on their way to pick up our neighbor, Esther, for dinner. Within about 30 seconds, we all decided to get together for dinner at Positano's. What a fun night! Shrimp, pasta, wine, our own Italian Singer, and then to Barb and Linda's for chocolate martini's. What a great way to wrap up a Fun Friday in Fabulous Florida!

5 Sep 08 Clearwater Beach & Hurricane Hannah Winds

Our last beach day turned into a windy one. The outerbands from Hurricane Hanna covered Florida. Six foot waves kept us from actually getting in the water (remember Monday and the lost watch, sunglasses, and top!). We enjoyed watching kids playing around on their surfboard boards and scimboards, and we found lots more shells.

4 Sep 08 Tampa Bay Rays (7) vs. NY Yankees (5)

Hard to resist going to a major league baseball game when the Yankees are in town playing the Tampa Bay Rays. Derek Jeter and A-Rod were town so we bought tickets and headed to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. The beer was cold and tasted good on a hot summer's night.

4 Sep 08 Around Dunedin

After our ears were candeled, we walked around Dunedin. Went into a few shops, Q's was fun with all the jewelry and purses. Went to the Tropical Store where they had some wacky sunglasses.

Drove down Victoria Street and the Gulf views from the old plantation style houses were incredible.

4 Sep 08 Ear Candeling

Who said we aren't up for new adventures! We made appointments on Thursday morning to have our ears candeled at a Palm Harbor salon. Toni and I found our experience to be very relaxing but it sounded like Tammy and Rose had the giggles in the next room!

3 Sep 08 Dinner at Chic-A-Boom Boom Room

Great food just blocks from the condo, 1 block from the Gulf of Mexico

3 Sep 08 Key Lime Pie on a Stick!

3 Sep 08 Caladesi Island

Wednesday morning we were up early and ready for our boat ride to Caladesi Island at 10 am. As we were waiting to board, we met a woman who was going to the island for the day with her brother. She told us her husband passed away just two days prior and she needed a day on Caladesi Island. She said she and her husband came to Honeymoon Island in 1960 for their honeymoon, and never left. They found teaching jobs and stayed in Florida. Her story was sweet and we shared a tear with her while she was telling us her story. We got on the boat, all a little quieter, and reflective, about our lives. I love the beach, the sand, the water, and how it makes me feel alive again.

The water was crystal clear, and we found buckets of conch shells, sand dollars, cat's paws and many other kinds of sea life. We returned at 2:30 after 4 hours scouring the beach. We will return for sure. It's no wonder Caladesi has been voted #1 beach in America for so many years. You have to cover your head when eating, or the birds will snatch your sandwich right out of your hand.

After our day at Caladesi, we stopped at J.J. Gandy's Pie Shop to get the famous key lime cookies, and low and behold, they had key lime pie on a stick, covered with chocolate and frozen! Just like on the Food Network!

Dinner found us in downtown Dunedin at the Chic-A-Boom Boom restaurant. After watching the Tampa Bay Rays vs. the NY Yankees during dinner, we decided to get tickets to the game on Thursday night. Why not? Toni hasn't been to a big league game so it will be fun!

2 Sep 08 Shopping at the Outlet Mall & Dinner at Pass-A-Grille

You can't go on a girl's trip without spending a day of power shopping. We drove across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge (entry of the Gulf Mexico and Tampa Bay) to the Ellenton Factory Outlet Mall. We were crazed with bargains and great finds.

After a long day of shopping, we headed once again to the Gulf of Mexico for sunset. We had dinner on the roof top of The Hurricane, located on Passe-A-Grill, the southern most tip of the penisula in Pinellas County. We also walked through the Pink Palace of the Gulf, the Don Cesar Hotel and Resort. The beach is St. Pete Beach, and there we found an octupus inside of a sponge, met a marine biologist named Sarah from Barcelona, Spain who gave us a quick lesson on marine life, and also met a lovely couple watching the sunset. Another beautiful day in paradise.

1 Sep 08 Dinner and Sunset at Clearwater Beach

This evening found us parked in the lot next to Frenchy's Rockaway Grill, ready to enjoy a nice dinner and beautiful sunset. Squabbling kids in the car next to us, and a "knee bump" on our car meant we had to restrain Tammy from wanting to give the kids a tongue lashing!

Dinner at Frenchy's was fun, colorful and a table on the sand for sunset. Doesn't get much better than that! Toni even found a live clam, and the beach kids were eager to check it out.

1 Sep 08 Sand Key Beach

Wow - this day was incredible. First started off with a plumber at the condo to repair a leak. After thinking the worse, he found the problem to be a leak in the ice maker. Whew - no big disaster except I had to pay double time since it was Labor Day.

Six foot waves from the outer bands of Hurricane Gustav at Sand Key. We all lost a few things, Tammy and Toni both lost their sunglasses to the sea, I lost my favorite waterproof watch I've had forever, and Rose lost her top! I turned around and saw her topless after a wave came crashing down over her! She was able to regain her standing and pull her swim suit back up covering her ta ta's. We found losts of cool sea treasures that day.

31 Aug 08 Frenchy's Off the Hook

Of course we had to get a little beach shopping in so we stopped at Frenchy's Off the Hook. So many colorful things to see - we did pick up a new dice game, Left, Center, Right, excited to get the quarters out and play when we get back to the condo.

31 Aug 08 Dinner at Salt Rock Grill

Reservations suggested for dinner at the Salt Rock Grill on Gulf Blvd, great atmosphere, incredible food on the intercoastal waterway. When we got there it was raining, and during dinner, HEAVY rain poured in buckets (outer bands of Hurricane Gustav) and we could see the rain pouring down the windows. We stayed in for dinner just long enough for the heavy rains to pass, and then regular rain for the rest of the night. We highly recommend the Salt Rock Grill--I tried escargot for the first time and loved it!

31 Aug 08 Cold Beer at Cooters with a Tomato

It's one of the stories where you had to be there. We stopped at a local watery hole across from the beach, Cooters (correct, it's not Hooters, but Cooters) Toni ordered a beer with tomato, the young and inexperienced waitress brought her just that, a slice of tomato with her beer (she wanted tomato juice). It was pretty darn funny and yes, you had to be there!