Home again

It's amazing that I went from summer to winter in 2 1/2 hours! I landed at DTW at 2:45 PM Tuesday, just missing the snow and freezing rain--it began in the short car ride home from the airport.

Wednesday was grandma day, and I gave Zane, Adam and Delia the hats I bought them in Tarpon Springs. They liked them! I gave Toby his, but did not get a photo. I must see Sydney before Easter to give her hers.

It's been hard to come up to speed since I've been home. I biked 347 miles, swam 7.5 miles, and played 95 games of Scrabble while in Florida for 19 days. It was a great time! I plan to be fully recovered by Monday so I can bike with Fred.

This morning I went out to get the newspaper and slipped on the ice and landed on my right hip (the one with bursitis) and both hands. Ouch. After that I did not feel like doing the work I had planned so I unboxed, cleaned, and reassembled my bike. It looks sort of sad, doesn't it?

Florida. February 29, 2016.

This was our last full day here, so Kathie and I went for a bike ride (what else?). It was already in the 60s when we left, so I did not even wear a jacket--Kathie took hers off after about 2 miles.

We rode to the Pinellas Trail, and headed north to Tarpon Springs. When we were almost there Kathie had a flat tire. She was quite upset, having just put new Gatorskins on her bike before this trip. We changed it and were back on the trail in no time.

We stopped by Spring Bayou and saw a manatee. We didn't stick around to see if there were more today--in this warm weather it's nice to see even one!  We headed out to Howard Park, and I only took one wrong turn getting there. The weather was perfect--about 70 degrees and a light wind.

Fred Howard Park was nearly deserted on this lovely day; we took each others' photos overlooking the beach.

On our way home we decided to go south an extra mile on the trail, stopping at Day's to get a photo of the weather--Kathie was thrilled that it finally warmed up! We needed the extra mileage to make it an even 30 miles for today.

We got home and started disassembling our bikes. Mine was packed up first (I've done this a lot of times) so I went in and made lunch. After lunch Dianne took me to FedEx to ship my bike home. We stopped at the hardware store to return the percolator we bought last week--we burned it up already!

When we returned home with yet another new percolator Kathie had found the lost filter basket from the original one. What a strange thing... I called the parts center and tried to cancel my order for a new filter basket but it had already been mailed. We seem to have a lot of coffee pot problems here.

Dianne and I picked up the Scrabble board and drove to the pool and played outside in the shade. After 4 games we returned home and Dianne took Kathie to FedEx to send her bike home.  It's a lot of running around, but she did not think both bike boxes would fit in the car. And we knew we could not put 3 people in the car with a bike box.

We went to Mystic Fish and had a wonderful dinner on this, our last night here. Kathie witnessed Dianne paying the Scrabble debt--we played 92 games so far this trip!

Florida. February 28, 2016.

Today was the big day! We've been planning for 2 weeks to ride with Stan, Barbara and Ed; with Stan in charge of the route. Stan and Barbara showed up right on time--9 AM. Barbara called Ed and got voice mail. We waited around for a half hour and he did not call back, so we left.

The route was perfect! We rode low traffic roads that I did not even know existed here. We rode a loop through a development called "Top of the World"; there was no traffic there either. There were many large residential buildings, each one with its own "nationality": Chinese, Russian, Austrian, Australian, Ecuadoran, etc. Each building had architectural elements of its nationality. It was all very cool. We stopped for a photo at the main entrance to the development on our way out.

After Top of the World we made our way over to the Ream Wilson Clearwater Trail. There was one section at the end that was under construction so we had to go back on the road for a short distance. Then we got on the Courtney Campbell Causeway Trail that led to the Causeway Bridge.

This is an incredible mile-long bridge, built for bicycle and pedestrian traffic. The Causeway runs along the beach from Clearwater to Tampa, with the bridge right alongside the auto and truck bridge, and just as high above Tampa Bay (to allow boat traffic to pass beneath it).

We stopped for a photo at the top of the bridge, and then headed to Ben Davis Beach for a break.

After the break we decided we needed lunch, and right now. Stan suggested a 7-11 store on the route but we nixed that right away... there was a restaurant very close to where we were, and the rest of us decided Whiskey Joe's would be our lunch stop.

We got a table on the beach where there was a limited menu, since the main restaurant was really busy and none of us had thought to bring a bike lock. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch and the view of the beach--especially Kathie and me, who will be back in the frozen north in a couple of days.

We got back on the bike path for a couple of miles, then we had to go on the street. I was afraid we'd be on the streets for a long time, but Stan really did his homework--we went down a deadend road that led right to the Town and Country Greenway, another bike trail.

We left that bike trail and went on another very low traffic road; it led to a trail in Oldsmar. Oldsmar is very close to Palm Harbor and I asked Dianne why we never used this trail, and she said she had no idea it was there!

We got back to Dianne's house about 3:30 PM, with 45 miles behind us. We all went inside and talked about new adventures, some planned for this year and some on hold for some other time. It was a wonderful sunny day, and a great ride with friends I am always happy to see.

Florida. February 27, 2016.

Since this is Saturday we planned on riding with Dianne's bike club at 8 AM. The weather prediction for this morning was in the 40s, so last night Dianne and I gave Kathie some warmer bike clothes; she did not bring stuff for cool weather riding.

When we got up we decided to wait until it warmed up a little and do our own ride. We left at 10 AM and it was up to the mid 50s by then, and sunny. We rode to the Pinellas Trail, then headed south toward Clearwater. Below you can see Kathie and Dianne in the bridge over highway Alt. 19.

We took the trail all the way to Clearwater, got off the trail and into heavy traffic! There were a couple of areas of construction, but we got through them and there was somewhat less traffic once we got past the beach.

We rode the 3 bridges and then headed back toward the trail. The wind was against us but it was such a relief to be out of the traffic!

We stopped at Nauti-Nancy's for lunch. A man on the trail yesterday told me he goes there every Friday for the shrimp and grits, so I ordered it. I am not usually a fan of grits, but it was really good!

We got back on the bikes after lunch and the 15 miles to home flew by--amazing how much easier it is to ride when you're replenished! Total mileage for the day: 44 miles.

After dinner Dianne and Kathie went to Red Box and got a movie--the three of us watched A Walk in the Woods and had a good laugh. We are having a great time being here all together!

Florida. February 26, 2016.

Dianne went to play tennis and Kathie and I went for a bike ride this morning. It was 54 degrees and windy when we left--she had on every bit of warm bike clothing she brought from Rhode Island, and one layer that was not bike clothes... this is not the weather she expected when she came here.

We rode sidewalk and street to get to the Pinellas Trail. We decided to go south on the trail even though that would put the wind at our backs going out and head on coming back. We just did not want to do a repeat of yesterday's ride and we wanted to be on the trail and off of the busy roads.

We had a fake hill about 8 miles into our ride--the trail bridge goes over the road you see above, then turns 90 degrees and goes over highway 19, then goes back down to street level. We stopped in Dunedin and had to ask several people where to find the police station. I found a bracelet on the ground when we dropped off the recyclables yesterday and I wanted to turn it in. That done we got back on the trail and headed south to Clearwater.

We stopped at Nauti-Nancy's but it was not open yet. This little restaurant fronts on the Pinellas Trail and we have heard that the food is excellent. Unfortunately we didn't get to try it. They did sell us a cup of coffee (me) and a diet coke (Kathie), and we sat on the porch and drank them and had a snack from the bike bag. While there a man on a bike came by and told me he eats there every Friday and that the shrimp and grits are the best in the area.

We headed north into the wind then, planning to get home by noon. We arrived at Dianne's house at 11:58, with 30 miles behind us. We showered and had lunch and Dianne and I were back out the door to get to Scrabble Club at 1 PM. After Scrabble I went to the empty swimming pool and swam 2,000 yards. What a great day!

Florida. February 25, 2016.

Today is Thursday, a biking day! We started out from home about 8:30 but I had to take a photo of our matching bikes first. Aren't they cute?

We rode through 5 miles of bad traffic on sidewalk and road, then we stopped at Chestnut Park.  If you look closely you can see 3 deer in the background. Like the deer at home they are not afraid of people.

We rode trails into Tarpon Springs, against the wind all the way. I could not believe that Dianne and Kathie were talking about television shows while we were riding!

We rode down Dodecanese Blvd. and stopped at some of the shops. Tarpon Springs is a Greek sponge diving settlement, sort of like Greektown in Detroit but more authentic. There were several decorated bikes on display and we saw a man riding one (couldn't get the camera out of my pocket in time). We were not sure why the bikes were decorated.

I bought some things for the family, and then had to figure out how I was going to get them home on the bike. I finally managed to get the bag attached to the bike in a safe, if not elegant, manner.

We circled around to Spring Bayou but there were no manatees today. We stopped at a bike shop but they not have the shoes I am looking for, then cycled home with the wind at our backs (we planned it that way).

When we got home Dianne noticed that the strainer basket for her percolator was missing. We finally determined that it must have gone out with the trash that morning.... I went on line and found a new percolator in Dunedin, so after lunch and showers we drove over there and bought it. Never a dull moment!

Florida. February 24, 2016.

Dianne and I set out for a walk around 7 AM. It was quite cloudy, but the sunrise was impressive.

We had to cut our walk short because it started storming. That sure changed our plans--they don't play tennis when the courts are wet, and I don't swim when there's lightning and thunder. Oh well. I needed a rest day anyway.

Dianne went to the gym and Kathie put her bike together. This was the first time she had ever done this, and she did very well. It was easy to help her because she has the same bike as me!

The pavement was still wet when she finished assembling the bike, but she did a couple of loops around Dianne's neighborhood to test it out. Dianne came home from the gym and we all got ready for a bike ride. We got about a quarter mile out and it started raining again. Darn.  We headed home quickly because we don't want to have to clean the bikes!  We put our street clothes back on and drove to the Sandbar for my favorite grouper sandwich--this time I added key lime pie!

We got groceries, then went home and Dianne and I played Scrabble while Kathie took a nap. We went for a walk before dinner--it had finally stopped raining by then.

Florida. February 23, 2016.

Jan showed up at 7 to see if we wanted to walk. It was 65 degrees out and look how she was dressed! I am amused every day by the people who act like it's cold out!

Dianne and I set off for our bike ride and met Jan and Mark on the way out of this community. Jan had removed her sweat shirt by then, but was still dressed toasty warm, as was Mark. They're both from New York originally, but like Dianne they're fully acclimated to Florida.

Since Dianne was hit by a car a year and a half ago she has become much more careful when biking. We rode the sidewalk and side streets until we got to the start of the bike lane, then rode the bike lane until we reached the Pinellas Trail. We took the trail to Tarpon Springs and then took surface streets out to Fred Howard County Park. This is the beach we visited with Toby and Adam a couple of years ago.

We stopped for a comfort break and I got a text while we were there--Kathie's plane was having mechanical issues and she was worried she would miss her connecting flight.... then I got another text that her flight was cancelled and she was in line to rebook. The wind picked up by the time we were ready to leave, and of course it was a headwind.

We rode into Tarpon Springs to look for manatees but did not see any today--it really is pretty warm out and did not cool down overnight. They usually come in to get warm.  We followed the Pinellas Trail to the extension on Keystone Rd., against the wind all the way. I remember a couple of years ago when they were building this part of the trail. It's such a relief to ride out of the traffic on these busy roads!

We rode the trail along East Lake until it ended and then had a harrowing couple of miles in heavy traffic on the way home. Total mileage for today: 30 windy miles.

Finally I received another text from Kathie with her updated flight information. She had originally planned to land here at 2:25 and now would arrive at 5:25. OK. We went home and took showers, ate lunch and played Scrabble until it was time for Dianne to drive to the airport.

Kathie arrived and we had dinner and wine. Life is good! Tomorrow after swimming she will put her bike together and we'll do a shakedown cruise to make sure she's ready to ride Thursday.

Florida. February 22, 2016.

Monday morning I was moving sort of slowly.... Neither Dianne nor I walked with Jan this morning although she was at the door right at 7. Dianne went to play tennis at 8 and came back for me on her bye so I could swim before the walkers or the water aerobics class arrived.  I had the pool and hot tub to myself.

After swimming and gym, showers and lunch, we played Scrabble--lots and lots of Scrabble. 13 games. We took a break for dinner, and kept on playing until 7 PM. We're going to call this a rest day even though we both worked out in the morning.

Florida. February 21, 2016.

We met in the Publix parking lot in Dunedin for today's bike club ride. We rode like the wind to get there, and of course arrived in plenty of time. The planned route was riding the bridges in Clearwater. Dianne tried to get Ray to do a different ride since we rode the bridges with the club last Saturday, but he stood firm. Here he is in the yellow helmet.

We found out this morning that 3 cyclists crashed yesterday, including our friend Ed. He's OK, but the man they picked up in the ambulance in Tarpon Springs is still in the hospital.

There were over 60 bikers there today, and only 2 rides. The A ride left first and went north to do an extra loop, passing us later on the outskirts of Clearwater. I was in the B group. There were about 30 of us and I was beside a woman in a Texas jersey and we got to talking... she thought I knew where we were going and I thought she knew. Fortunately we kept up with the group!

After a while she realized that I was from out of town and I realized that she was with the wrong club. She was supposed to meet a bike club from St. Petersburg in the same parking lot and ended up with us instead. Debra is a triathlete, originally from Texas and now a resident of St. Petersburg.

At about 25 miles into the ride (20 for the riders from the parking lot) we saw the A group at a rest stop. Ray waved them out and they joined us; we all had a rest stop a couple of miles later.  Pam asked if I was cold, and I told her I was overheating!  She laughed and told us she had on wool socks and a long sleeved undershirt. Dianne had on socks and undershirt too. They are both from the northeast originally, but have lived in Florida so long that they get cold when it's 60 degrees out!

We finished with almost 44 miles. I told Dianne that this was the first time I really enjoyed a ride with her club. I spent too much time on previous club rides just trying to keep up! As we were leaving the group to head home Pam asked us to come over for a glass of wine before I leave for home. That will be fun!

We drove over to the Land O'Lakes area mid afternoon to visit Bill's cousin Richard and his family. Rachel made a wonderful dinner and we had a great time! They have come here to visit when I am in Florida, but this is the first time we went to their home. Here we are: me and Reichen, Ethan, Rachel and Richard. I think I have adopted them as my own cousins now... One can never have too many cousins!

Florida. February 20, 2016.

We rode out of here at 7:30 to meet Dianne's bike club at 8 AM. We were there in plenty of time. There was quite a large group today; it started out a little chilly but it's going to be 72 and sunny.

Ray called out on his megaphone and the A group (fastest) left first, followed by B+ and Between groups, and then our group, the slowest. Dianne had told Ray that we were not going to do the whole ride. Our plan was to ride to the rest stop and then head home. The "slow" group started out at 21 MPH! Dianne and I got caught by a long red light about 4 miles into the ride and we watched the Suncoast Cycling Club as they rode over the horizon.

We dropped our windbreakers at home and then rode over to the East Lake Trail, the Keystone Trail, and finally the Pinellas Trail. We stopped in Tarpon Springs to see the manatees (3 today).  While we were looking at manatees the fast group from Dianne's club rode into town in close formation. It was a little too close--one of the cyclists kissed the wheel of the bike in front of him and crashed. We saw the fire engine and ambulance, but did not go that way when we left the bayou--there were about 20 cyclists and several EMTs. I figured they did not need us!

We rode home and got ready for the show--Dianne and Jan bought tickets for "Book of Mormon" months ago. They thought their sister Julie would be here so they bought 3 tickets. Fortunately for me (sorry Julie) she is not here and I am! The show was terribly irreverent and funny--it spoofed not only the Mormons but every other religion and polite convention there is.

Patrons are not allowed to take photos during the show, but when I found out I was sitting next to 2 people from Trenton (right across the river from me in Michigan) Jan took a real quick shot of us during intermission. Judy and Jim come to this area every year for a month and their son bought them tickets for the show for their anniversary. What a small world it is!

I posted a bike ride on facebook a couple of days ago and my cousin Eileen responded that we rode right past their condo! Of course we got in touch, and decided to meet for dinner today. She and her husband David met us at the restaurant, and we had a grand time catching up on each others' lives. I love having a big family!