We spend the few days before Christmas getting ready for the holidays. Dave, Jannie and I visit Mazzaros, an amazing Italian specialty market, where we stock up on wine, cheese, meats, pastries, and mouth watering deli items. It is quite the shop and we have to wait in line to get in. It is so busy that for every fifteen people who leave the store, only five are allowed to enter. The system is quite efficient and although Mazzaros is definitely crowded, our entire experience there is less than an hour. We spend the holiday at Jan's enjoying lots of hors-d'eouvres, champagne, wine and desserts with family and friends.
Hamming it up at Mazzaros Italian Market
Christmas at Jannie's
For the next few days, we take our daily walks along the bay each morning, spend time with my sister and "hang out" at the Municipal. In my last blog I mentioned that Dave and I saw kite boarders while we were at Fort DeSoto. Dave was intrigued by them and so, a couple of days after Christmas, he books an appointment for a kite boarding lesson. We arrive by 8:00 am at the designated area under the Skyway Bridge on a very gray and chilly morning. I am dressed for winter, but Dave dons his bathing suit and a wet suit and prepares for his lesson with Tanner, his instructor. There are lots of people kite boarding or getting ready to and I am surprised at the variety in the ages of the participants, and no, Dave is not the oldest one participating. He spends the next three hours learning how to prepare the kite, to launch the kite and how to control it when in the water. It is very interesting to watch, but I can't believe that everyone in the water isn't freezing. Dave has a very successful lesson. His instructor, Tanner, remarks to me that he has never seen anyone do as well as Dave has done in his first lesson. He tells me Dave is a natural and that he has very good instincts and is very intuitive in the handling of the kite. After packing up the kite, Dave changes his clothes and we head back to St. Pete's. He hopes that the weather will get a bit warmer and he will be able to take a follow-up lesson where he will use the kite and the board.
Kite Boarding Lesson
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| Skyway Bridge |
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| Sunrise at the Bridge |
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| Handsome Dave in his wet suit |
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| Learning to set up the lines |
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| Preparing the kite |
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| Ready to Launch |
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| Flying the Kite |
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| Lesson Over |
First Night in St. Petersburg
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| Christmas Tree in the Park |
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| Luminaria Maze |
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| Throwing away and burning your troubles from 2017 |
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| Kate lights up the night! |
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| Bright Lights |
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| Street Performers |
After strolling the streets for a while, we head back to the boat for the early fireworks. St. Pete's puts on two displays.....one at 8:00 pm and then the grand finale at midnight. We have a front row seat on the boat as the display takes place right across from our dock at the Municipal. After enjoying the colorful entertainment, Kate and Jannie head home and Dave and I visit with other Loopers. We actually stay awake until midnight, see the next round of fireworks and welcome in the 2018!
Beautiful Fireworks in Downtown St. Pete's
Happy New Year! Today my sister Judy arrives from Connecticut for a week. She has an early flight and Dave and I pick her up in Tampa. We head back to Jannie's and Dave tries to arrange to have another kite boarding lesson. We visit with Judy and get caught up on the news from "home". After lunch, Dave drives the RV to his lesson. Again, it is a cold and windy day. We plan to meet Dave at the bridge in a couple of hours so I can take some pictures. However, when we arrive, Dave has not even changed into his wet suit yet. It seems Tanner is ill ( a little too much New Year's Eve, perhaps?) and the other instructor is running late. It is already 3:00 pm, so Dave decides to reschedule for another day. While waiting for his lesson, Dave took some shots of the area with his drone.
Kite Boarding Drone Shots
Today we decide to engage in an old Somerset Christmas tradition....making popcorn balls. We always had so much fun making this delicious treat as well as Christmas cookies when we were growing up. It's a few days past Christmas, but the "sisters" are all together so we say "Let the fun begin!" To be honest with you, although the finished product tastes delicious, we just cannot get the caramel mixture sticky enough to form the balls......we need Mom!
Making Pop Corn Balls
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| Phazer is just not interested! |
For the next few days, we have a ball just hanging out. We go to the Vinoy where we enjoy a
$19.25 full course meal in honor of the year 1925 when the Vinoy opened. We visit the Farmer's Market, have an amazing meal at La Cucina at the Farm Table in the Sundial in St. Pete's, go shopping at the Dilliard's Outlet in Tampa, and yes, we all take a Segway Tour of St. Pete. It is great to be able to spend time with family.
Fun in St. Petersburg with Family and Friends
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| Kate, enjoying dessert Dinner at La Cucina |
The Segway Tour
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| Kate with our Segway Guide |
On January 4th, Dave and I drive to Leesburg to have lunch with Dave's cousin, Judy and her husband Ernie. They are avid RVers and have been "on the road" for years. About a year or so ago, they bought a house in Leesburg. We share a delicious lunch and spend time chatting about family and life on the road. They are a wealth of information and we know that we can contact them whenever we have a question.
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| Dave, Judy & Ernie |
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Judy is leaving today, January 9th. Being the youngest and the only one who is not retired, she must return to Connecticut for work. She has actually stayed a couple of extra days due to snow up north, but she can no longer put off the inevitable. My sisters pick me up at the boat. Dave takes one final picture of the four of us and then it is off to the airport. We have had a great time!
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| The Somerset Girls |
Dave and I are planning to continue our journey south soon. We must leave the marina by January 13th, but we are now watching the weather. Although it is a bit warmer than it has been, the wind has held steady and we are waiting for it to calm down so that we have a smooth ride home. Once again we enjoy the beautiful scenery of St. Pete's.....the bay, its sunrises and sunsets, the wildlife and the well-kept parks.
St. Petersburg
The Morning View from the stern of "At Last"
Low Tide at the Dock
Sundial in the Park
During our segway tour we learned about this palm tree garden with over 200 varieties of trees located right in Vinoy Park.
Palm Tree Garden
The city of St. Petersburg is very health conscious. Everywhere we go we see joggers, walkers, bikers, volleyball players and skateboarders of all ages. The city provides excellent walking areas by the bay and also an outdoor area with gym equipment that is free for the public to use. There is always an upbeat, energetic vibe along the waterfront. The feeling is contagious and since we have been here, Dave and I have averaged over 20 miles a week of walking.
A Health Conscious City
One morning, during our daily walk, we encounter these beautiful birds mixed among the white ones.
Pink Spoonbill Birds
Everyday on our walk we see this sailboat anchored off the beach. Its owner uses his dinghy to come ashore. It has been there for the seven weeks that we have been here. The owner is definitely a "liveaboard" who is inhabiting some prime real estate.
Sailboat located off the seawall
On Monday, we meet Jan and Kate for a drink at the Canopy, a roof top bar in downtown St. Pete's. It has couches and fire pits and is a perfect setting for our final outing in St. Pete's. Although it is a bit chilly, we are not discouraged. After all, this weather is still better than the snow and cold temperatures up north.
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| View of the Vinoy from the rooftop of The Canopy |
Dave is carefully watching the weather, but it looks as if we might have to extend our stay by a couple of days to wait for the wind to die down. This is not a bad place to be "stuck". We spend the next couple of days doing laundry, putting the boat in order, and getting ready to depart. On Tuesday, January 16th, we leave St. Petersburg Municipal Marina. We have had an awesome stay. We have spent time with family, old friends and have made new ones. We are excited to be continuing our journey, but also a little sad as we know the end is in sight. However, we are going to enjoy every last minute of our Looper experience........and we can now see the "gold" that will soon materialize on our bow.
