CLEARWATER, FLORIDA Jan 2-14, 2014

One thing we really really like about this area just west of Tampa is the beautiful Pinellas Bike Path and trail.  It runs for miles through parks and wooded areas rarely taking us on streets. Just across from our park we can jump on the trail and ride in just about every direction. 

 There are lakes and water everywhere we ride and always so many birds! The boardwalks are a great place to look for gators.

 Lovely oak groves usually are the setting for frisbee golf courses.  These Disk Courses are in many parks and we always see groups out playing.  They carry a shoulder satchel full of varying discs for all the challenges of the course, played much like golf.

 Its always fun to pull off the path and watch.

 Our ride that day took us to Safety Harbor for lunch at the Nantucket Bucket. Safety Harbor is a darling small town and Emily's new home. We sat on the deck for lunch and watched the sky change from clear and sunny to cloudy and windy...a true sign that a storm is coming soon. We finished lunch, got back on the bikes and made it home in 40 minutes just beating a downpour!

 Saturday, Jan 4, we drove over to USF, University of Southern Florida (not San Francisco), to watch the men's basketball team play.

 A fun game and great way to spend a gray Saturday afternoon. The game was played in the newly refurbished Sun Dome;  USF Bulls 58,  Houston 67.

 Sunday the weather warmed up and another perfect day to explore more of the bike trail. This time we drove the bikes up near Tarpon Springs to begin a new part of the trail.  The trail passes through lots of small towns and these decorated signs let you know where you are...this one is for Palm Harbor.

 Our plan was to meet up with Emily and Steve at a wonderful restaurant, Ozona Blue. The restaurant over looks a pool and jacuzzi and since it was such a warm afternoon we sat down by the pool. The food is great and happy hour goes all afternoon.

Emmy and Steve came in their VW bus just in case we needed a ride back to our car, so thoughtful.

 Paul and Steve moved up to the bar area to watch some football, Emmy and I stayed down in the shade by the pool.

 By 4:00 it was time for us to head back. Such a perfect afternoon and 16 miles of biking, YES!!!

 Another afternoon we did some errands and ended up at Molly Goodheads for lunch in the teenie town of Ozona.  Too cold for sitting out front but a great lunch at the bar.

 The weather during our month has been mostly cold, wet and windy which means long pants, scarves and boots for me...not quite like last year. And all the time I keep checking the weather in California and they're having a tremendous heat wave!!!!

 When we do get a warmish afternoon we try to get to the beach.  Just about 2 miles from us is a beach along a causeway where we can drive onto the small sandy road and put chairs up for a little time in the sun.  So far we haven't had very many warm afternoons for the beach, so disappointing.



 Then the weather changes and we are back to our blue skies and colder air, so we take walks along the waterfront.

 Emily works only 10 minutes from our favorite Olde Bay Cafe so we try to meet up with her for a sunset there when we can.  Otherwise she stops on her way home from work for a visit and glass of wine here at the RV Park.  So nice to see her almost every day, but our month is going by too quickly!

 Shrimp and drinks on the patio

 Sunset and dusk setting in.

 Near us in Oldsmar is a HUGE flea market. Paul went to check it out one Saturday morning and met a couple who make covers for outdoor furniture so he had them make a new cover for our bikes to protect them against the constant rain and salt air here. It turned out great!!!

 I used my AAA Guide book to see what other interesting places we could visit here in Tampa and this was listed: The Tampa Theater.  It was built in 1926 and has been an active theater through all these years.  It has an incredible interior, a must see for any Tampa visitor. It is used for all kinds of performances, not only movies. One I wish we'd be around for is coming up late February.  The Florida Orchestra will play while a Charlie Chaplin silent film is shown, that would be too fun!



 So, Monday night we drove into Tampa to enjoy the theater and see the movie Inside Lleywn Davis.  We got there a half hour early just to walk around the inside of the theater to see the amazing design. This is the lobby, original to 1926.

 And this is the entrance to the Men's restroom. So elaborate!

 I took some photos of interior from our seats in the balcony, it's hard to show the incredible architecture with my photo.  So glad we got to experience it all.

 But the most amazing part of the evening is when the Wurlitzer Organ comes up from the floor and the organist plays before the movie begins.  That night he played all Stephen Foster tunes, including Way Down Upon the Suwanee River which became Florida's state song.

Tuesday evening we had tickets to see the Broadway Musical, Porgy and Bess at the Straz Center in Tampa. We went over early so we could enjoy the fantastic happy hour selections at The Fly Bar only blocks from the theater. The atmosphere is very chic and trendy, open air tables out front and a rooftop bar area on an upper deck, just a fun place!  Our table was next to a large sculpture of Dali's Melting Clock, a favorite of mine. The show was excellent, (even with the very obnoxious women talking behind us)! Love finding great tickets on Craig's List and getting a chance to see live theater.


Another two weeks here then we leave the RV park and get back to our state park campgrounds. It's fun to be so close to Emily and also have the advantage of city life activities. While here we've had access to so many things, so we've had the body work done on the car from that flying experience I had on the car dolly, and we had our front chairs in the RV reupholstered and updated. They turned out beautifully. We love being able to live a city life AND a country life!