= Wednesday, Day 1 =
Julie and I met up at the Tampa airport after she flew from Baltimore and I flew from Cleveland. We got to Mom & Dad's house around 12:30 PM, and spent the next 10 hours visiting with them. They immediately put out a giant spread of appetizers, which we appreciated because we were really hungry. It was great to be back with Mom & Dad again and I had to check out the banana tree, orchids, and other plants in the yard. After chatting for a while it was time to get the cavatelli going (my favorite!). Mom had already made the dough, and she let me roll some out and feed some through the old cavatelli machine. Its familiar squeak-and-clack was music to my ears. Dinner was fantastic, and we sat in the living room talking until after 10:00 PM before we hit the sack.		Makin' cavatelli with Mom

= Thursday, Day 2 =
We had breakfast and then ran a morning errand with Mom & Dad. For lunch we all went to the Schnitzelhaus restaurant, where I enjoyed a German favorite - pork jagerschnitzel with spaetzle. Julie surprised even herself and ordered wienerschitzel topped with an egg (sunny-side-up) and an anchovie!  Rockin'!

Spectacular blooms - in January!

About 1:30 PM we left Mom & Dad and struck out to see the sights. We took the Courtney Campbell Expressway over to McMullen-Booth Rd. where we pointed the car north toward the former Kapok Tree restaurant. Before long we spotted the massive tree towering over nearby buildings. And what luck - it was in full bloom!

Under the spreading kapok tree

Main fountain of the West Garden

We were taking pictures of the former Italian Gardens when a very nice employee of Kapok Special Events invited us inside to see some of the old restaurant! She showed us the Ball Room, the Florida Room, the Chandelier Room, the Velvet Lounge, the Grand Staircase (an exact replica of the staircase from the Titanic!), and even the women's powder room. It was a real experience. I can't wait to use some of our new photos on my Kapok Tree Restaurant web page. We went inside the Sam Ash Music store to see the rest of the old restaurant, and then took pictures of the West Gardens out front. It would be hard to top this first stop on our tour of Classic Old-Time Florida.

Next we headed for the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo. We sort of rushed through it, (my fault), but were able to see more of it that way. We especially enjoyed the "Native Ecosystem" trail, which let us imagine what the area might have looked like long ago, except for some evidence of prior habitation like the kumquat tree at right.

Having left freezing temperatures just over 24 hours ago, we enjoyed the strong sun, the bright colors, and the Spanish Moss swaying in the breeze.

Kumquat tree along the trail

Julie and I stopped to tour the hotel at Indian Rocks Beach where Anne and I had stayed just 15 months earlier. We got a quick bite to eat, visited a small local greenhouse, and then proceeded south along Gulf Blvd. Julie was delighted as we stopped to check out the beaches driving through Redington, Madiera Beach, Treasure Island, and St. Pete Beach. We both liked the small old motels along the way, their architecture and their neon signs. Eventually we made it down to Ft. DeSoto Park where we checked out the old fort and took photos of a beautiful Gulf sunset. We realized we could have spent an entire day here, exploring the beaches, maybe even kayaking.

Atop the walls at Ft. DeSoto

Since it still wasn't completely dark, we decided to cross the (new) Sunshine Skyway bridge. It's a beautiful bridge, built so that you can see the water as you drive. We watched as a giant cruise ship crossed under the bridge and headed silently into the Gulf of Mexico, its lights sparkling in the darkness. We turned around and came right back over the bridge, retraced our route up to Indian Rocks Beach, and had dinner at Crabby Bill's. We got back to Mom & Dad's around 9:30 PM, and talked till nearly 11:00 PM about our adventures.

= Friday, Day 3 =
Examining Dad's Cordovox	Under the butterflies	Julie with Grandma and Grandpa
It was Friday morning, and Mom fixed us breakfast again. Then we checked out Dad's Cordovox for a while before heading over to the International Mall for some sight-seeing and window-shopping. We had a nice lunch together at Crazy Buffet where you get an amazing selection of Asian dishes (including sushi) for a great price.

It was now about 1:30 PM and Julie and I set out for New Port Richey and thence northward to take in the show at famous Weeki Wachee Springs. Alas, when we arrived at 2:40 PM we had missed the last mermaid show by 10 minutes! They wouldn't even let us peek around to take pictures. After much fussing with maps, we headed north again and eventually found Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park. Julie and I both enjoyed this park more than we expected to. Besides the manatees (Why Jo, you old sea cow!) there were black bears, Florida panthers, foxes, 'gators, a hippo, and many cool and strange birds. We spent a quick afternoon there before heading down to Vic & Renee's house for a 5:30 PM rendezvous.

Manatee feeding at Homosassa

Renee, Vic, Julie & Corrynn

We were originally going to try and meet Liz and her family and Vic and his family for dinner Friday night, but sadly Liz was quite sick and had just discovered she had bronchitis. When we got to Vic & Renee's, Renee gave us a tour of the place. They had made a lot of improvements both inside and out, and the back yard looked fantastic. After Vic got home from work, we all piled into Renee's car and had a nice seafood dinner at Rusty Bellies Waterfront Grille down in Tarpon Springs. We had to wait for a table, but we didn't mind because it gave us a chance to talk and catch up on things. Too soon we had to say our goodbyes, and with the late dinner we didn't get back to Mom & Dad's until 9:30 PM. We talked about our day for about an hour before heading off to bed.

= Saturday, Day 4 =
Julie and I took off while it was still morning for an antique show at the state fairgrounds, where we saw an interesting mix of "normal" and "Florida" antiques. We continued east on Route 60 into the heart of Florida's strawberry and orange-growing area. There were many road-side stands, and many also offered "boiled peanuts". I sort of wish we had stopped and tried some, but we were busy with maps and sightseeing and such. Next we thought about visiting Cypress Gardens, but the nearer we got, the more insane the traffic got, until we finally had to leave it for another day. We drove on, and when we spotted the Sunshine Flea Market along Highway 27, we abruptly turned in and parked. We listened to an old dude on the stage playing electric bottle-neck guitar accompanied by a karaoke/beatbox machine, and wandered around looking at some serious junk. We felt right at home. When we left we drove through the surprisingly industrial town of Bartow towards our next target, Bok Sanctuary.
Julie at Bok Tower	By the time we reached the grounds of Bok tower, the weather had clouded over again. But the temperature was still excellent for hiking the grounds, which we did for almost 2 hours. We strolled the planted gardens, visited the famous "singing tower", and took in a delightful half-hour carillon concert as we went.	Samples of the sanctuary flowers

At the lagoon, Bok Sanctuary

While at Bok Sanctuary, we hiked the Pine Ridge Trail through an endangered "sandhill forest" ecosystem. The trail took us along Iron Mountain, penninsular Florida's highest point, and we had a panoramic view of orange groves in all directions. The trail was really interesting, with weird oaks and bromeliads, but we both managed to pick up dozens of genuine Florida chiggers (or ticks?). I was slow to recognize Julie's concerns but eventually we fled to the parking lot where she removed all she could find. It wasn't until bed time that I realized I had some under my socks too. I easily removed each one and crushed it, but it was creepy just the same. Typical tourist mistake, wandering off the trails like that.

At last we drove on, through Winterhaven, to meet Laura and Matthew at Old Town in Kissimmee. We found excellent parking, and met up with Laura thanks to the magic of cell phones and her yelling real loud. ;-) Laura had arranged to to get us all free VIP passes, so we didn't have to pay for dinner, drinks, deserts, or ride tickets. I somehow agreed to ride both the Scrambler and the Tilt-A-Whirl with Laura, and we just laughed and laughed like lunatics. Julie and Matthew rode those rides and a roller coaster, and I forget what else.

Julie and Matthew on the coaster

Matthew in the Corvette Stingray

Me and Laura at Old Town

The place had a fun, county fair feel to it and we all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. Laura and I got some time to talk, Julie and Matthew got some time to hang out, and the night ended with Matthew riding atop a classic Corvette Stingray in the vintage car rally/parade. We had some beers and some laughs, and it was just what Laura and I needed. We left just as it started to sprinkle rain, and got back to Mom & Dad's around 10:30 PM. They had very nicely waited up for us, and we had fun recounting the day's events for them.

= Sunday, Day 5 =

Sunday morning we went to church and sat with Dad while Mom sang in the choir. The choir was the best part of the service; especially the altos. ;-) I have to add that the men sounded very strong this year. One of the songs the choir did (Mom called it the anthem) had the same melody as Neil Young's "Natural Anthem". Absolutely beautiful. I also enjoyed the second reading, which is more often heard at weddings: "Love is patient, love is kind." etc.

After Mass Julie and I took off for our last destination, the Greek community of Tarpon Springs. One of the highlights there was our visit to the Sponge Factory and its famous "Sponge-O-Rama". We enjoyed the many dioramas even though they were poorly maintained, and even attended a screening of the classic 1950's era movie about the sponge industry in Tarpon Springs and the superiority of its Natural Sponges. The movie ended with a voice-over rattling off the many uses for the Natural Sponge as the music swelled and a choir chanted, "Need it, Need it, Need it" in the background. We were delighted!

Hooray for Sponge-O-Rama!!

At the blue and white restaurant	Afterwards I told Julie I wanted to have lunch at "the blue and white restaurant". She patiently pointed out that all the restaurants there were blue and white, those being the national colors of Greece and all. We had a tasty lunch, but then the sky clouded up and a cold wind blew up, and we had to duck into shops to keep warm. Julie was sizing up the many natural sponges and eventually settled on two different types, chosen mostly for their interesting shapes.	At the Dolphin Gift Shop
We wandered around a bit more, stopped for some yummy Greek desserts and coffee, and then called to see if we could hook up with Liz. She was still very sick, and I had to make the tough decision to miss her on this trip. Liz and I were deeply disappointed, and Julie even more so because she didn't know when she would next be back in Florida. Hopefully we can all get together before too long.
Julie and I got back to Mom and Dad's in time for dinner, and they had a complete spread of food ready within minutes. We had a leisurely meal, then Dad went over some stuff he wanted to show me, and we pretty much all sat and talked the rest of the day. On Monday morning Julie and I packed up, said our goodbyes, and headed for the airport. I always hate to leave, but this trip I got to spend three hours each with Vic and his family and Laura and Matthew, and many more hours than that with Mom & Dad, and got to see some of Florida with Julie too. It had been a great vacation.
Hangin' out with Mom & Dad	Mom & Dad, thank you for your hospitality - listening to our stories, giving us each bedrooms, feeding us all our breakfasts, and many lunches and dinners. You are the best hosts, and we both really enjoyed all the time we got to spend sitting around visiting with you. You're the best!	Julie's picture of me & Mom & Dad

© Copyright Ben Mancine, 2007