With The Sun Comes Fun

Wednesday the 4th

With the temperatures hovering around 40 we spent the day at home reading, eating and watching TV. Gave the dogs a bath just before noon. Had lunch then I went down to the laundry and did a load of dog towels. Several dog walks during the afternoon but even they were happy to get back inside where it was warm.

Thursday the 5th

Cold weather continues but things are supposed to start warming up tomorrow. Tina went shopping in the afternoon while I stayed home and pampered the dogs. After dinner we rove to Palm Harbor and played pool at Sharp Shooters. We had fun, Tina played well and we were home by 9:00 PM.

Friday the 6th

Cold again this morning with a light frost but it warmed up to about 50 by noon. We decided to spend the day in town doing inside things starting with a trolley ride and historic tour of Tarpon Springs. We parked at the sponge docks and caught the Town Trolley right away. For two bucks we got an in depth tour of the town, docks, historic district, local parks and history of the Tarpon Springs, some of the older homes and churches in the area. It was a real treat!

Back at the sponge docks we got off the trolley and walked to Santorini's Restaurant. We were given a seat right by the windows where we could watch all the boat traffic pass by on the Anclote River. Tina ordered some humus and pita for an appetizer followed by shrimp fettuccine alfredo (delicious) while I had a spanikopita, really rich pie stuffed with spinach, onions, cheeses and herbs that are all enfolded by crispy, flaky phyllo dough. Yum!!

After lunch we strolled along the docks and spent some time walking through some of the shops. We stopped at a bakery favored by the locals and bought some sweets, heavy with honey and flakey crusts. Before tasting our purchases we got in the car and drove over to a parking spot in the center of town. From here we walked to the Historic Train Station which had been restored to its original condition and was packed with local history.

Next we walked to the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, reputed to be the largest in the US. Walking in we were almost overwhelmed by the 23 different and simply beautiful stained glass windows. Overhead are three massive chandeliers of Czech crystal. In addition the church has over 60 tons of Greek marble used in the Greek Exhibit at the first New York Worlds Fair.

From the Cathedral we walked to the old City Hall which has been converted to the towns cultural center. We were fortunate to be there at the same time as an art show highlighting Elizabeth Coachman http://www.elizabethcoachman.com/ whose whimsical works were simply delightful. We probably spent an hour there enjoying her playful artistry with words and media.

We finally came home so we could walk the dogs and plan for tomorrow. After dinner I went out to another local pool hall called Styx Billiards and shot for a couple of hours.

Saturday the 7th

It was chilly when we got up this morning but by 10:00 AM it was warm enough for shorts. After fixing lunch and filling the backpack we put the mountain bikes on the car rack and drove out to Fred Howard Park. This is a beautiful park that extends out into the gulf via a causeway http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/06_howard.htm . We planned to ride our bikes from the parking lot out across the causeway to the island and do a little beach combing. We had been at the park a week ago but the causeway was closed to cars. So that's why we came back.

We got the bikes off the carrier, mounted up and headed for the causeway. Just as we passed through the entrance to the causeway we were sent back by a park ranger. Turns out access to the island was closed to everybody, not just cars. Oh well. We turned around and spent some time riding through the park. Loading up the gear we drove to Sunset Beach Park and spent some time walking the beach enjoying the nice day.

Since we really had wanted to do a nice bike ride we decided to drive back into town and ride the Pinellas Trail down to Palm Harbor and check out the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary http://www.suncoastprimate.org/ . We watched two large apes and several orangutans play while we read about the purpose of the sanctuary. Their main reason for being is to act as a rescue resource for wild animals that had been pets, in show business or abandoned when they were no longer cute and cuddly. The have been able to rehabilitate over a thousand different animals which were subsequently released back into the wild.

Leaving the sanctuary we rode back to Tarpon Springs and out the other end of town. Eventually the trail curved to run alongside the Anclote River. Just before reaching Hwy 19 the trail jogged to cross the river and enter a wildlife preserve with trails and picnic areas. We stopped at a small clearing and in the shade of a hickory tree covered with Spanish moss we ate our lunch. Peaceful and tranquil, we were right at the rivers edge. Finishing our lunch we checked out the area for further riding opportunities then rode back to town where we loaded up the car and drove back to camp.

After walking the dogs we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. We took our books outside and sat in the sun for an hour before retiring to the coach - Tina to take a nap and me to finish updating the blog.

See all our photos at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski