Tuesday, February 16 – Tuesday,
February 23, 2016
Jim
and I are travelling together again and it feels so right. Our first
destination is the winter home of friends, Rick and Trish Chambers, who are
located in a town called Indialantic in the metropolitan area of Melbourne on
the east coast of Florida. These friends are the first of four sets of friends
who have invited us to visit with them for a few days each. Each of these
friends have rented very different and unique accommodations so we feel that we
are going to be able to experience a broad range of what is available in the
Florida rental market during the winter months. If we ever decide that we want
to join the Canadian snow birds, this survey tour will come in very handy.
Thanks, in advance, to all who are willing to share their homes with us.
Rick
and Trish have rented a townhouse on a residential street in Indialantic. It is
a two story structure with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a well equipped
kitchen. There is also a lovely view of the Atlantic Ocean from the living room
which is on the top floor. It is only a short walk to the beach.
While
we were with Rick and Trish, we had a great opportunity to explore the
surrounding metropolitan area. There are several old towns that have been
gobbled up by businesses and highways that traverse the area. Rick and Trish have
done a great job of searching out some of the more interesting areas to visit.
We had a terrific visit to the Brevard Wildlife Sanctuary where we saw several
bird species, turtles, and a few alligators. Pelicans and herons were among the
largest birds and coots and plovers were among the smallest. But, by far, the prettiest
was the roseate spoonbill that reminded all of us of a pale pink flamingo.
We
also had the opportunity to visit the Sea Turtle Preservation Area where staff
and volunteers work tirelessly to protect loggerhead sea turtles when they come
up on the beach to lay their eggs. Much physical adaptation has occurred
throughout the landscape to help ensure the safety of the turtles - fencing, low watt lights, beach cleanup, road
signs to name a few. One of the most interesting things about these turtles is
that they lay their eggs deep in a nest and then cover the nest. Next they move
to a new area and create a second nest to detract predators from the first one.
We
spent some time in Cocoa Beach where the original JonJon Surf Shop is located
and in Old Cocoa Beach, a charming town of older buildings and interesting
shops, kind of an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of tourist Florida.
We
had lunch at three different seafood restaurants, two of them overlooking the
water. Once again, it was fun to watch the birds swoop and sail as they
searched for their food in the water. Our favourite restaurant by far was the
Seafood Atlantic, a seafood wholesaler with a small outdoor restaurant on the
side. The seafood was fresh and the food was beautifully prepared. Seats on the
outside deck allowed viewing of the many, many pelicans (Jim counted at least 75) ready to eat whatever
was within their grasp. Happily we had a table umbrella over our heads so did
not have to worry about a pelican attack! A bonus of this location was that the Disney
cruise ship was in port and clearly visible from where we were sitting.
All
too soon it was time to leave Rick and Trish and turn our car to the west. We
travelled across central Florida, again visiting parts of the state that had
previously remained unexplored. It was surprising in parts to see the level of
poverty that existed in small communities. Other areas were completely covered
in orange groves with fruit that appeared quite ripe. There was also a large
measure of market gardening as well as strawberries being grown. Also a
surprise, we passed by several large and quite unattractive potash mines, a huge
industry to be sure but one that leaves its broad scars on the landscape.
Quite
suddenly the road changed in character and dimensions. A two lane road
transformed into a four lane divided highway and roadside businesses and
housing increasing quickly in density. We could tell our cross-state journey
was soon to end as we entered a busy and noisy metropolitan area. Bradenton was
not far off and with that, we would arrive at the winter accommodation of
another friend, Gail Birmingham.
Gail
has spent the last three winters in Florida in a beautiful community along the
coastline of water that separates Bradenton from Sarasota. From Gail’s front
windows one can watch the changing tide, jumping fish, swooping birds and
pleasurecraft of all sizes. Lush palms shade the community and well manicured
gardens and ponds create a cool, fresh environment around all the homes. Gail
lives in the upper level of a two story condo building. It is a spacious home
with two large bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large livingroom/diningroom and a
well equipped modern kitchen. Two screened in porches complete the floor plan,
one looking out over the sea and the other looking out over lawns, gardens,
pond and trees. Use of a pool is included with this condo, although we have not
yet had time to use it.
Not
only have we had some lovely time with Gail, but on Sunday, we were able to
have lunch with Lesley and Stuart Prange, also friends from home. Lesley and
Stuart have also spent three winters in Bradenton but they travel with their
home wrapped around them. They own a spacious and very comfortable RV
which they drive to each chosen destination. For the last two years, they have
settled in the same mobile home park and have enjoyed getting to know others
who also have been there for many years. This park also offers recreational
facilities and programs, many led by the residents themselves. It was a very
clean and friendly park. We could understand fully why Lesley and Stuart enjoy
it so much.
Well,
today was a day of some excitement. Our plan was to spend the day with Gail and
drive to Plant City to have lunch with a group of friends from
Kitchener-Waterloo who are also in Florida. And, in due course, that plan did
proceed. But there was a small delay to begin our day.
As
we made our way down the steps to the parking lot, Vince, a neighbour said,
“Someone has hit your car.” A bit stunned, we made our way to the car and, sure
enough, someone had backed into our car, damaging the front bumper. Happily the
car was/is still driveable and the driver of the vehicle that hit us had left
her details and insurance info on a note under the windshield wiper. Even
better, there was neighbour Vince with a buffer and a willingness to repair the
damage to our car. He has worked on cars over many years and owns several that
shine brightly in the parking spaces in front of his condo. Vince told us what
we would need from an auto repair shop to enable him to do the job. So, we
proceeded to Napa, spoke with a very knowledgeable woman and got a tube of
filler that was tinted the bright red colour of our car. From there, we
proceeded to Plant City. It’s a good thing we had planned to leave early because,
with all the unanticipated delays, we arrived right at the appointed hour to
meet our friends.
Lunch
was a very upbeat occasion. Inge and Lew Ford and Faye and Bill Lootsma joined
Gail, Jim and I for lunch at the Outback Steakhouse. We are all on holiday in
Florida in various communities in different kinds of accommodation and for
different lengths of time. But this was an opportunity for all of us to get
together to tell stories, discuss politics (the American election process is
very interesting) and to share laughter. And, we all had pretty good food as
well. It was fun to see friends who share breakfast every week at home and have
lunch in a totally different setting and circumstance. Conversation filled the
air and we lingered at the table long after the food was gone.
When
we left the restaurant, we all headed off in various directions. Jim and I took
Gail to Parkesdale Strawberry Market. It is not possible to be in Plant City and
not go to Parkesdale. Parkesdale is a very colourful farm market, offering many
varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables, many of them in season already this
year. Tasting samples of some were readily available. The tomatoes were
brilliant red and vine-ripened. The oranges had just arrived from the orchards
and were being washed and sorted by size in an old mechanical machine that has
been used for at least 35 years. It has been there ever since I began to visit
this area regularly in 1985.
But
Parkesdale’s main claim to fame is the large, lush strawberries. They were ripe and
abundant to purchase for use at home or to purchase to be consumed on site … or both! Options for berries included
milkshakes, just berries with or without sugar, berries with whipped topping,
berries with ice cream or, the piece de resistance – strawberry shortcake. All
three of us opted for strawberry shortcake (Jim even had ice cream with his)
and we made our way to one of the many, many picnic tables filled with other
people indulging in that same thing. There is nothing like strawberry shortcake
with berries from the filed at Parkesdale! We photographed the strawberry shortcake and we also photographed "Queen Gail" sitting on the strawberry throne. We bought some berries for home
and headed off in the car once more.
We
spent our final day in Bradenton relaxing at ‘home’, doing laundry, writing a
postcard to our grandkids, having a drink at a neighbour’s home, and going out
for a wonderful dinner in a restaurant right on the water’s edge (Pier 22). While
we were out (we went in Gail’s car), Vince fixed our car and we packed our bags
and loaded the trunk for an early departure tomorrow morning.
On
Wednesday, weather permitting, it is our plan to drive north to the Panhandle
of Florida and then west to the eastern edge of Alabama, about a 9 hour drive. We will be spending
the next 6 nights in Alabama with friends. We are so fortunate to have such
welcoming friends in our lives.
News
and thoughts from Alabama in the next chapter of this blog.
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