Our last two weeks in the Tampa area were more than busy!!! Emily had a Saturday off, which was unusual, so we planned a day trip north of Safety Harbor to the Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. Their Mermaid Show is a true Florida experience! It was about an hour's ride north to the park where mermaids have been performing in the spring since 1947.
The weekend we chose did have a little change in programming as the mermaids performing that Saturday were the "former" mermaids, meaning they had been mermaids many years ago, not quite what we had expected, but still entertaining.
The park has a 400 seat submerged theater looking right into the spring for the live mermaid show. I think in the regular shows the swimmers wear the mermaid costumes the entire show, this performance they didn't.
It was a clear but VERY cold day but we also wanted to take the river boat cruise out along the river.
So beautiful and peaceful; we even had an eagle sighting along the way.
From the park we took an alternate route home to see more of the coast nearby.
taking a ride and walk through this pretty county park
Sunday we spent at the Tampa Downs Race Track enjoying the Groupon package Emily had found on line: box seats, $2 betting coupon, $5 food coupon, and the Racing Form for the day. What fun!!! Em and I look over the ponies, place out bets and have fun cheering, then back to the booth to cash in on our wins. Making $2 bets doesn't crank up any big gains, but sure is fun!
Our day finished with a fantastic concert at the Ruth Eckhard Hall in Clearwater and an evening of music from the James Bond films. The female singer was excellent, the music so memorable. We all loved it!
Monday, January 20th was Martin Luther Kind Day so we headed south to St. Petersburg to catch the parade and spend some time with our nephew, Lars.
We walked to the Museum of Fine Arts afterwards to see the newly installed show,
New Mexico and the Arts of Enchantment. Excellent, and free with our NARM membership. We didn't tour any of the permanent exhibits this time but decided to have lunch at Lars's favorite little place for Cuban sandwiches. A fun afternoon, then back to Safety Harbor.
Tuesday morning PK and I were up about 4 AM so I could get to the Tampa airport for my 6:25 flight to Phoenix. I was catching a visit and overnight with Peggy and Jack in Wickenburg, AZ and then meeting up with Marcy, Diane and Katie for 2 more days of fun in the sun of the southwest. Peggy had just had just come home from the hospital the day before after an abdominal surgery, and I was so glad I had the chance to spend time with her. She and Jack have been renovating their home and it was so fun to just relax and visit with them both. Peg was moving slowly so we sat and watched a beautiful sunset from her bedroom and caught up on life. It's wonderful to see her so happy in her new life. We got up early Wed. morning for a little coffee time before I said goodbye about 8:30 and drove back to the Phoenix airport to meet flights coming from SLO and Seattle. Jack had recommended his favorite Mexican Restaurant not far from the airport and that's where we went first, it was fantastic!
Our condo was near Scottsdale and a great location for evening Happy Hours at Roy's, on the beautiful grounds of the Marriott Resort Wed night and The Sanctuary Thursday evening, plus a great day hiking out at McDowell Mountain Regional Park Thursday morning. My flight out on Friday was cancelled early that morning but a call to American Airlines got me on a later non-stop flight, giving me time for boot shopping and lunch in old town Scottsdale. A fast whirlwind of a visit but so fun to be together.
I got back to Tampa late Friday night and Paul and I spent Saturday at the fun Gasparilla Pirate Fest in Tampa. It's the annual re-enactment of the legendary pirate Jose Gaspar's invasion of Tampa. The world's only fully-rigged pirate ship, the Jose Gasparilla, sails up the Hillsborough Bay and docks at the Convention Center amid cheers and booming cannons.
Pirates take over the city for the rest of the day and about 2 hours later the Parade of Pirates begins the city streets.
To avoid the congestion of parking in or around Tampa itself, we had parked in Ybor City and used the transit to get into Tampa. the fun ride back on the old trolley really made for a perfect ending to our day.
Sunday afternoon, Emily and I had tickets to see an August Wilson Play in St. Petersburg and went a little early so I could see the new Andy Warhol exhibit at the Dali Museum,
Warhol: Art, Fame, Mortality. I loved having the month near Tampa doing so many things with Emily, and seeing her almost daily. It's always so hard when we leave and have to say good bye, but with our traveling life style, I know we'll be back next winter. That's something I probably wouldn't have had a chance to do otherwise. She and I both love the benefits of being near a major city…theater, music concerts, museums and events, while staying in the smaller Safety Harbor. I love her new little town.
We packed up early Monday morning and moved a little south for the next two weeks and some warmer days; out of the RV Park and back into some new state park campgrounds. YES!!!!
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