Pirolli Park - Petersburg, MI

We decided to have a weekend get away before the camping season starts and the RV parks fill up with people, so we headed about 30 miles south to the Perolli RV Park at Petersburg.  We stayed here the last weekend of July last year.  We had just taken delivery of our motor home and needed a weekend close to home to learn all of the in's and out's of the equipment.  Dog friendly and free Wi-Fi.  No cable, but the antenna picks up about 20 Toledo stations.

There's a nice size pond where you can swim in the summer.

There's hardly anyone here, including the seasonal folks.  It's nice and quiet!

We got here around 2:00 yesterday, got set up and relaxed.  It rained a good part of the late afternoon and night.  Today we drove north to Cabela's.  Doug wants to learn to fly-fish so that when we head out west this September, he can wet a line in a trout stream in Wyoming.  We bought an instructional DVD and we both signed up for a free lesson this Thursday!  I can't see myself standing in a stream, but I can see myself watching Doug in the stream while I fish from the bank.

We took the dogs on a walk and sat in the Edith Anne chair.

No camping trip would be complete without a campfire and the Texaco TV trays.

We just finished a great dinner of steak, potato salad and Carolina cole slaw.  Now for a fresh cup of coffee and my book.

It Ain't Over Until the Fat Lady Sings

We left Florida on Wednesday morning.  It was 74 degrees at 8:00 a.m.  By the time we got off the road, it was 42 degrees.  We headed north and decided to see if we could make it to the Georgia/Tennessee border.  I found an RV park in the Woodall's directory that was at the first exit in Tennessee.

With 8 miles to our destination, the traffic on I-75 came to a stop.  I turned on the CB to listen to the truckers to see if we could find out what was going on.  Turns out that a truck with an over-sized load had rolled-over on 24 and it was backing up traffic on 75.  It took us an hour to go those last 8 miles.  Snail's pace.  But we made it safe and sound and got a site for the night.

We took off Thursday morning at 7:15 and continued heading north.  In the middle of Tennessee, we were in rock slide zone with snow, rain, limited visibility, rough road conditions and somewhat steep grades.  Who could ask for anything more?

We had some slow going at a couple of construction areas and one accident.  11 hours on the road on Wednesday and 12 hours on Thursday.  I thought I would go to the office on Friday to at least review my messages and organize things for Monday, but I was so burnt out that I didn't go in.  It will all wait until Monday.   As for now, the fire is burning in the fireplace and the coffee just finished brewing.

As for the fat lady...

Weekend Happenings and a Rainy Monday

On Sunday morning, the weather forecast was for rain all day Monday and possibly Tuesday.  Although it was the weekend and we knew the beach would be crowded, we decided to head there anyway.  If Monday and Tuesday were to be rain-outs, this could be our last day at the beach.

It was crowded, hot and windy.  We saw 90 degrees for the first time this trip.  I took some photos at the beach thinking my blog post would be something like "Our Version of Where's Waldo", but the photos don't make it look as crowded as it felt.

Maybe I took these shortly after we got there and the beach got more crowded later in the afternoon.  I can't remember now.  We really like it when you can't overhear someone's conversation.  And we could hear plenty.  The north end of the beach was supposed to be good for shelling, so I walked that way.  When I got back, Doug told me that I had missed a seagull stealing his sandwich right out of his hand!  Anyways, it was a great afternoon.

I'm very glad we went because it did rain ALL day Monday.  It started shortly after midnight, rained off and on until around 7:00 a.m. and then at about 10:00 a.m., it started raining again and didn't stop until around 8:00 last night.  I always liked the way rain sounds on the roof , but let me tell you, after hours and hours of rain, it really got on my nerves.  Florida is in a drought and they needed the rain.  I kept telling that to myself...they need the rain...the farmers need the rain.  But after 3 inches of rain, I was grateful that it stopped.

The area where the dogs get walked turned into a mini lake.

Needless to say, they didn't get walked there until after the rain stopped.  It was amazing to watch the "lake" disappear!  I guess that's the advantage of sandy soil.

This morning, the forecast did not include rain (until tonight), but it wasn't exactly going to be a sit at the beach day.  So we decided to head to Howard Park where dogs are allowed on the causeway.  Before we headed there, we went back downtown New Port Richey so that my husband could do one of his favorite things - take a photo of a former Texaco gas station.

Now how would he know that this was a former Texaco station?  By the restroom signs!  He can spot those a mile away.

Out to the causeway we go.  The sun was out and then there were clouds, sunny then clouds, sunny then clouds.  It continued that way, but we sure enjoyed it as did the dogs.

We saw a Great Blue Heron.

A flock of Cormorants.

Doug got his feet wet, but the dogs were not interested in trying out the water.

It was a great last day at the beach!  The trip is not over because this is not our last night out.  Maybe tomorrow is the last night out or maybe Thursday night (if we decide to mosey home instead of killing ourselves in doing a 2 day drive).  But before we leave Florida, we wanted to send all our love to our most faithful blog followers and dear friends, Erol and Susan.  Seeing you guys and fishing with Erol is always the high point of our Florida trips.  We miss you more than you can know.

Now for the last cup of coffee outside in Florida... 

Honeymoon Island State Park and Tiger Town

On Friday, we drove down to Honeymoon Island State Park.  The beach is very nice and you can take a ferry to Caladesi Island State Park.   Here's the beach at Honeymoon Island.

Beautiful sugar sand.

Sudoku on the beach

It was a great beach and we may go back there.  It takes about the same amount of travel time, so we will see.

Saturday morning, we headed to Lakeland to see the Tigers play the Phillies.  Before we were out of town, Doug says "Did you see that big boat?"  I said, "Nope, I was watching the GPS for our next turn."  Doug says, "There it is again."  We had caught up to it.  It was a very large, motorized pirate ship with several pirates aboard.

They were blasting out "Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night" by the Black Eyed Peas.  It was fun to see them driving down the street.  I think they were probably on their way to the parade for Chasco Fiesta.  I mean, why else would a pirate ship be driving down the street on a Saturday morning?

It was the first time we had ever been to Joker Marchant Stadium.  We have seen the Tigers in Spring Training before, but we saw them at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, the home of the Washington Nationals.  Here's the outfield and scoreboard at Joker Marchant:

 The only tickets available were general admission, so first we sat on the berm.

It was so hot yesterday.  We went for a hot dog and to sit in the shade for a bit.  We tried the bleachers, but it was hot there too and no breeze, so we headed back to the berm.  Look at the intricate and colorful tatoo on this guy's back:

We left shortly after Rayburn hit a home run to tie the game, but the Tigers did win 3-1.  It was 88 degrees there yesterday and humid.  It was the warmest weather yet.

We weren't going to go to the beach today because of the crowds on the weekend, but it looks like it's going to be a stormy, rainy day tomorrow, so we may change our plans.  As I'm writing this, it's 17 degrees back home and 64 degrees here.  Stark reminder of what we'll be headed back to next week.

Doug and the dogs are sleeping and I'm ready for a fresh pot of coffee.

Chasco Fiesta in New Port Richey

This evening, we drove to New Port Richey to check out opening night of the Chasco Fiesta.  The festival began in 1922 when they planned a celebration to attract people to the city to raise money for the community library.  Today the festival lasts 11 days and benefits more than 30 non-profits.  It's held in Sims Park on the banks of the Cotee River.

Tonight was basically food and music.  We had barbecued ribs and corn on the cob.

Then we shared a deep fried Twinkie.  I had heard of them, but had never tried one and it was good!

Then we shared a strawberry shortcake.

Each of the different food booths is run by a different non-profit group.  So the more you eat, the more you contribute.  There were funnel cakes, hot dogs, corn dogs, Italian sausage sandwiches, jerk chicken, beans and rice, sweet plantains, gyros, cotton candy, boiled peanuts, snow cones, ribs, deep fried candy bars (including Twinkies), strawberry shortcake and fried bread.   About the only thing I didn't see was coffee!

The entertainment tonight was Native American Music.  There is a Pow-Wow Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Some of the dancers took the stage before the concert.

Then Arvel Bird and his band took the stage.  He is a Native American flutist/violinist.  He's from Arizona and is staying here at the RV park where we are. I listened to him rehearse last night for about 40 minutes.  He was very good tonight, but I think I enjoyed him more last night because it was casual and intimate.

Here's a link to some videos of Arvel Bird playing.  His music is a very interesting blend of Native American, classical and Celtic.

Arvel Bird's Website

It was a great time.  This weekend, there are many activities...the Pow-Wow, a carnival, a flea market, a crafts show, a parade and a car show.    So, who knows, we may go back again. For now, I'm pouring that cup of coffee that I couldn't find at the festival.

Sponge Docks - Tarpon Springs

We've been here for four days and finally made it to the Sponge Docks.  Not only do you find some of the finest sponges in the world, but there are also many Greek restaurants, markets and bakeries.  We parked at Spongeorama where we watched a movie about the history of sponge diving in Tarpon Springs and walked through their museum.

The sponge diving boats are docked here along with sightseeing boats and fishing charter boats.  Here's a sponge diving boat with sponges strung:

A woman was also selling sponges in a parking lot.

We walked all the way down one side of the street and as we turned to head up the other side, we found a very old fishing charter sign.

That is still a fishing boat and we picked up a brochure to find out more about their charters.  It's an all day deal, from 8:00 to 4:00.  It takes about 45 minutes each way from the RV park to the docks and that's a long time to leave the dogs alone.  We'll try to find a charter that's 4 hours or so.

As we walked up the other side of the street, we found the Hellas Bakery and Restaurant.  It was too early for lunch, but not too early for a dessert.  So many choices..it was so hard to decide.

We finally settled on a piece of baklava cheesecake to share.

We sat outside to eat the cheesecake.  It was so good!  The center of the cheesecake had the traditional baklava filling of nuts and honey and there were crumbled pieces of baked filo pastry on the top.

We headed to the beach for a few hours and then back to the RV park.  When we got back, I took the dogs for a walk.  I could hear a violin being played.  I took the dogs back to the MH and then set out again to find the music.  Turns out it is a man by the name of Arvel Bird who is from Arizona.  He plays Native American flutes and the violin.  He's also a story teller.  I sat there for about 40 minutes listening to him.  His music is beautiful and inspiring.  

Here's a link to information about him:

http://arvelbird.com/bio/

I found out from another person here that he's playing tomorrow night at a local festival called Chasco Fiesta in New Port Richey.  Coincidentally, when we stopped at the grocery on the way home, they put a brochure about the festival in our bag.  I definitely have to talk Doug into going there tomorrow night.  

For now, I'm fixing a cup of coffee and wishing I had bought a tray of pastries at Hellas Bakery.

A Day at the Beach

Today we hung out at the beach again.  We tried a different spot and it was heaven for awhile:

It was mostly us, just a few other people.  We even put the chairs in the water for a bit and sat there with our feet in the water and listened to the sound of the waves lapping.  Then the tide came in.  We kept moving closer and closer to shore.  By the time the water hit the previous sea grass that washed up, all these bugs came out.  They were every where.  I'm not sure what they were.  They didn't seem to bite, but they jumped. I don't think they were sand fleas, but perhaps they were.  When I Googled sand fleas, the results I got were of what the skin looks like if you get bit by them.

Well anyways, we moved having enjoyed 2 hours of mostly solitude.  When we went over to the main beach (where there were no jumpy bugs), it was a bit crowded, but not like it had been on the weekend:

For dinner tonight, I baked some of the fish that we had caught with Erol last week.  Susan and Erol gave us two packages of the fish that Susan had frozen.  I think what I baked tonight was the mahi-mahi.  I sort of did the fish like Susan had prepared it for us.  Salt, pepper, chopped green onion, a squeeze of lemon juice, some white wine and topped with tomato sauce.  Here it is when it came out of the oven:

This was the first time we have used the oven in the motor home.  I think the temperature is off a bit but I will bring a hanging thermometer the next time we travel so we can test it.  Anyways, Doug said it was great and I loved it as well.  We had broccoli and rice along with the fish:

The only thing to top off this day is to have a brownie and (what else?) a cup of coffee.