The Empty Nesters Magical Mystery Tour *1/28* Link to New Girl's TR p141

[JanaJohn]

I just love the way your liquid refreshment stops all seem to center around getting a beer!
Anna Maria Island looked great and we'll probably add it to our list of possible stops next time we're in the area.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

How convenient that there was beer at the end of the pier.

All is as it should be.

This was actually a picture in the rest room, but I liked it so much I took its picture. That makes sense, right?

Poolrat would approve.

When we started to leave the island we noticed that the traffic was CRAZY! Really CRAZY! So we decided to drive south instead of inland. Let me just say that you can run, but you can’t hide when it comes to traffic!

It's almost like it's a resort area with only one road or something!

Spaghetti the Clown. Gotta love it!

Unless you're not a fan of clowns.

And then the sun started to set

Nice photos!

If you thought the bridge was scary during the day, imagine it at night! At least you can’t see how far you might fall. Yikes!

It's not scary. It's awesome.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

What a fun day you had! I love the amount of shells on the gulf side. Can't wait to check some of it out in March.

Cool pictures of so many cool things!

 

[rndmr2]

Looks like you had a nice day, lots of nice pictures.

Just to let you know I started my TR, the link is below.

 

[KatMark]

MaryEllen, I am too far behind to comment on everything, so please forgive me.

First to answer your question, No, we do NOT normally take that way to Marco. It is too congested. But we did go to Treasure island twice and took that route.

The entertainment you saw looks charming, and your pictures are beautiful as always.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

 

[jenseib]

That bridge at night looks twice as scary. Holy cow!

Loving the beach and pier pictures.

 

[MEK]

Mary Ellen - that traffic is crazy. Yes, pretty condos.

I guess you could say, what did we expect for a Sunday afternoon during the high season? Probably not the best day to pick to go to the beach, but still fun!

And that bridge....think the Bay Bridge is enough for me!

Rebecca

In actuality, I guess they are both fairly similar in length although this one is a single span.

And another great update. Your photos are awesome. I love all the impressions of the little towns.
Traffic looked crazy!

We did get to visit some neat areas along the gulf coast. I am glad we decided to do that. It was fun, except for the traffic.

And crossing the bridge at night looks absolutely scary. I really loved it during the day - not sure I'd like it during the night.

Once again, yours truly kept her head down or behind the lens of a camera!

I had to look at a map to see where all these places were. That was quite a day trip you took! I bet the traffic was worse on the way back to Tarpon Springs because it was a Sunday night and everyone was heading home. It must have been really frustrating to sit in traffic without an escape route.

It was quite the day trip, but I'm glad we did it. I thought those areas would be just the right distance from Tarpon Springs without feeling like we went too far. And, Doh, of course we were going to hit Sunday beach traffic. What were we thinking?

Anna Maria Island looks like a very nice place. There is really a lot to see and do in that area.

Anna Maria Island was super cute. I would definitely go back there and visit again. Loved it!

I'm going to guess that on your next day you decide to go anywhere but south.

You think?

You called that one right. We went north, we went south, now it was time to just stay local!

Gorgeous photos, Mary Ellen. Definitely captured the laid back beach mentality along the coastlines of FL. Key West is similar to those places. Lots of open bars, live entertainment, colorful houses.

Definitely a laid back mentality, except for the traffic. I kept feeling little swells of jealously to know that people could enjoy so many beautiful places in the dead of winter.

Can't WAIT to see Key West!!!!

 

[MEK]

Wow, what a gorgeous area! Love the shots of the beach and all the shells. Just gorgeous. I even love the front porch pictures, the whole place looks adorable.

Anna Maria Island really was so adorable. I'm so glad we stopped there because the vibe was perfect.

Yikes!! To the traffic! Glad you (finally) got through it!

On the other hand, the traffic was a bummer. But Denny was driving and he took it in stride. Fortunately I had my camera and phone to distract me!

HAHAHA that does kind of look like Pee Wee's bike. "MY BIKE!!!!" Great movie.

OMG! I was such a Pee Wee fan back in the day! It was like a cult! He was hysterical. I swear he would still be around today if.......

Beer on the Pier... Oh Yeah!

Gotta love it! That bar looked a little seedy, but the beer was spot on!

OK, I was just trying to make sure I was reading the photos and text in the right order. Text THEN photo... otherwise...



I was going to ask how many beers you had.

Uhmmmm - yeah - that view was NOT breathtaking. Entertaining, but not breathtaking!!!!!!!! I always put my captions FIRST!

The "OPEN" sign at the art store reminds me of Pepsi.

Nice pick up!

I don't know where my mind is lately, but that frog photo made me Yes, I'm 5.

It made me laugh, too! I really enjoyed photographing all that fun folk art!

You're a DISer mary Ellen. Photos in restrooms are totally ok.

Thank you Rob!

OK, so the photos of the juggler are from the car? If so, that's actually pretty cool.

Yes. But, remember, the car was literally at a stand still most of that time. It was the slowest traffic circle on Earth. I shudder to think how many minutes of my life were lost there.

I am loving these updates! Sun, palms, beaches, love it!!! Especially since it got so darn cold SO FAST! Bummer about all that traffic.

The traffic SUCKED, but it was made so much more palatable by the great weather and wonderful views.

And, yes, I hear you on the getting cold fast. I need these pictures now more than ever! They warm me up just looking at them.

What a great tour you went on! I love seeing the small towns, pretty beaches and palm tress! That bridge is scary though - I would have been white knuckling the whole time lol

It was a really fun day trip and I'm glad we did it! Everything was gorgeous considering the weather was snowy and yucky at home.

That bridge was crazy, but I kept myself distracted with my camera!

I"m not a beach person but that area looks lovely. I can see why you would want to live there! Gorgeous!

Jill in CO

I've spent my whole life living fairly close to the beach and I've always loved it, but tend to take it for granted. It holds such beauty in the summer and in the winter. But the beaches in Florida seems to have so much more variety. I could definitely live there!

 

[MEK]

Nice update. It looks like you had an exhausting but great day checking out all the sights. The view while the sun was setting was great!

Thanks! It was a really fun day! And, yes, we were pretty tired when it was all over, but it was great!

Nice exploring. Lived in Clearwater for a little over a year and I think I went over the bridge once. Well twice - we had to get back home.

That's so funny. I keep forgetting that you lived there for awhile. It seems strange to live in the area yet rarely use the bridge. But once you get into your little grove, I get it.

Do not like that traffic..... ick. Glad you avoided it as much as you could, even though you finally had to bite the bullet to get back.

We definitely could not hide from that traffic, unless we wanted to try to spend the night down there and THAT wasn't going to happen.

Thanks for sharing these areas with us!

You're welcome! It was a great day trip! Have camera, must share!

Anna Maria Island looks so cute and laid back and fun!

It was a really cute little town. I would definitely head back there again.

"Let's have a pier beer, here, Dear"

Hey - that would have been a great name for this update! Maybe I should go change it right now!

The driftwood sculptures are incredible. I am in awe of the creativity of artists.

Me too! I am so NOT creative in that way. I love seeing fun folk art like that!

UGH on all of the traffic. Too bad- Sarasota looks like another beautiful place.

I would love to go back to Sarasota when I could explore properly. I bet there is a lot to see and do in that city!

That bridge is gorgeous at night, too, but better you (or Denny) driving over it than me.

Yes, better Denny, NOT me!!!!!

Mark and I really need to get over to explore the gulf coast of Florida. I think our only time close to there was a one day visit to Busch Gardens Tampa.

I know a lot of people start there Disney vacation with a short trip to the gulf coast. I am no Florida expert, but it does seem very different from the east coast of Florida. They are both unique.

Looks like a fantastic island day! Well worth the walk down the pier for a beer or 2.

No doubt! That was such a score. We had no idea there would be beer at the end of that pier. How could we NOT get one and sit and stare out over the beautiful water?

Looks like a beautiful and fun place to visit, but the traffic definitely sucks! As for having time to get out and look around Sarasota... looks like you had plenty of time. Denny wasn't going anywhere!

True! I seriously could have gotten out of the car and walked around while he was waiting in that parking lot. Believe me, I thought about it!

 

[MEK]

I just love the way your liquid refreshment stops all seem to center around getting a beer!

You mean there are OTHER forms of liquid refreshment besides beer? Who knew????

Anna Maria Island looked great and we'll probably add it to our list of possible stops next time we're in the area.

It was an adorable little town. Very eclectic and fun. I'm glad we spent the afternoon visiting.

All is as it should be.

Exactly! Finding that beer at the end of that pier was like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Ok, maybe not THAT exciting, but...

Poolrat would approve.

Of course she would. And she would have taken 10X as many pics!!!!!

It's almost like it's a resort area with only one road or something!

How dare a resort town only have one road in and out? Sheesh!!!!!

Unless you're not a fan of clowns.

Hadn't considered that when I posted umpteen million clown pictures. Sure hope I didn't lose any readers over that one!

Nice photos!

Thank you!

It's not scary. It's awesome.

Said the civil engineer!

What a fun day you had! I love the amount of shells on the gulf side. Can't wait to check some of it out in March.

We had a great day and there were some really cool shells there.

You MUST tell me all about your March plans? Where on the gulf coast are your going?

Cool pictures of so many cool things!

Thanks!

 

[MEK]

Looks like you had a nice day, lots of nice pictures.

Thanks and we did really have a great day. It was just lovely! So glad we took the day to explore the area!

Just to let you know I started my TR, the link is below.

Woo hoo! Thanks for the heads up. I will be subbing momentarily!

MaryEllen, I am too far behind to comment on everything, so please forgive me.

You know there are never any apologies necessary here!

First to answer your question, No, we do NOT normally take that way to Marco. It is too congested. But we did go to Treasure island twice and took that route.

Just from what I recall on the map (and I haven't looked at it for awhile), it doesn't seem like the most direct route, so that's good! At least you don't have to white knuckle it across that bridge!

The entertainment you saw looks charming, and your pictures are beautiful as always.

Thanks! The clown was a lot of fun! Definitely a diversion when you are stuck in traffic!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

Thank you. Same to you! :good vibes

That bridge at night looks twice as scary. Holy cow!

Hiding behind the lens of my camera definitely made it a whole heck of a lot easier! Diversions are great!

Loving the beach and pier pictures.

Thanks!

 

[KatMark]

​

 

[SimplyGoofy]

What beautiful pictures of the gulf coast!

Yes, south(ish) Florida coast traffic is crazy. My uncle lives in Fort Myers and he often comments how bad the traffic can be.

That bridge looks crazy (but quite pretty, as well). You could never put that in the Midwest with all our ice and snow - you'd attempt to climb up and then slide right back down!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Our March plans are not very well planned yet!
We are staying at VWL for 3/28-4/1 and then heading to the gulf. Sarah's friend has a place near Destin, I can't think of the name. We're planning to spend a day or two there and meet up with them and have some beach time.

Then we're heading to New Orleans for one night. Just to see a few sights and check off Louisiana from our list of states. We're going to hit up a few states on our list - Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas I think. Of course we're driving, so we can just stop anywhere and count it.

I'm so disappointed that our spring break is so late this year. Usually we're about the first or second full week in March - before most others! Now we're right before Easter, with everyone else. Not looking forward to the crowds. First we go at Christmas then Spring Break - we are gluttons for punishment!!

 

[MEK]

​

Thanks Kathy!

I hope you had a wonderful day! We had a really nice family day!

What beautiful pictures of the gulf coast! :good vibes

Thank you!

Yes, south(ish) Florida coast traffic is crazy. My uncle lives in Fort Myers and he often comments how bad the traffic can be.

Ugh. I wonder if its bad all year round and worse during the winter. I thought I would love to be a snowbird on the gulf coast, but I think the traffic is worse than the Atlantic coast and I do not want to be a snowbird in traffic. So right now I am leaning towards the Atlantic coast. Picky, aren't I?

That bridge looks crazy (but quite pretty, as well). You could never put that in the Midwest with all our ice and snow - you'd attempt to climb up and then slide right back down!

You know - I never thought about that, but yes, a steep bridge anywhere there is snow and ice would definitely NOT be good.

Our March plans are not very well planned yet!
We are staying at VWL for 3/28-4/1 and then heading to the gulf. Sarah's friend has a place near Destin, I can't think of the name. We're planning to spend a day or two there and meet up with them and have some beach time.

That will be nice. I'm not sure how far Destin is from Orlando because its on the panhandle. I'm guessing its a pretty substantial drive. But a little beach time over spring break is definitely NICE!

Then we're heading to New Orleans for one night. Just to see a few sights and check off Louisiana from our list of states. We're going to hit up a few states on our list - Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas I think. Of course we're driving, so we can just stop anywhere and count it.

You are turning into a regular Captain Oblivious. He has crossed off every state but Alaska. Wow - you really have a nice vacation planned. It sounds great! I have not been to any of those states, but I certainly would like to!

I'm so disappointed that our spring break is so late this year. Usually we're about the first or second full week in March - before most others! Now we're right before Easter, with everyone else. Not looking forward to the crowds. First we go at Christmas then Spring Break - we are gluttons for punishment!!

I do recall your spring break being really early. Bummer for the late break. I wonder why that happened. One of the big reasons we never went to Disney during spring break was for that reason. My kids always had off the actual week after Easter and that would be crazy to try to visit then. So-yes-you ARE a glutton for punishment this year!

 

[MEK]

Fly Like An Eagle

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a lovely day visiting my brother and his family. My boys are both home this weekend and its been fun to see them together. It’s not much longer until they are done finals and home for the winter break. This fall semester has certainly flown by.

In my last update we spent the day traveling south of Tarpon Springs to visit some beach areas. Today we decided to stay closer to home. It was a toss up as to whether we would visit Clearwater, St Pete’s Beach, or a state park. The state park I am referring to is called Honeymoon Island State Park. How could we resist a place with that title? Especially since it was only about 10 miles down the road.

I started my day in the usual way - with a run.

I took a quick picture of the courtyard before I left



I ran back through the same development of multi-million dollar homes. Yup - I could get used to running here. Today I got brave and decided to venture down their private pathway to the lake.





And I found this view at the end of the boardwalk



NICE!



Well worth ignoring the “Residents Only” sign.

Since this was our third day of exploring we took a little more time getting ready, especially since today’s adventure was fairly local.

The camera came out as we were driving on the Dunedin Causeway.





Oh Florida. Fishing on a Monday morning in March.



I noticed their were kayak rentals in the area and that was a tad tempting



The causeway ended at the entrance to the state park



In Delaware we have one charge per car - there is an in state and out of state, so charging per person was a little different.





Good to know…



We drove around a bit to get our bearings. There are 4 Pavilions complete with restrooms.






Description of Honeymoon Island State Park (from the Florida State Park Web site)

The pioneers called it Hog Island, but it became Honeymoon Isle in 1939 when a New York developer built 50 palm - thatched bungalows for honeymooners. Today, visitors can drive across Dunedin Causeway to enjoy the sun-drenched Gulf beaches, mangrove swamps, and tidal flats. Nature lovers will find osprey nests, a wide variety of shorebirds, and one of the few remaining virgin slash pine forests in South Florida. The park boasts several nature trails and bird observation areas. Visitors can swim, fish, and snorkel in the warm waters of the Gulf or picnic while they enjoy the beautiful scenery. Shelling is particularly good here, as the Gulf currents deposit an incredible variety of seashells on the shore. Showers are available and the park´s concession has a gift shop and snack bar. Located at the extreme west end of State Road 586.

Here is a map of the area.




On the map you can see Caledesi Island. It is possible to take a ferry from Honeymoon Island to Caledesi. I think its around $20 a car. We debated whether or not to head to Caledesi, but decided to explore Honeymoon Island instead.

Our first stop was the Visitor’s Center.



There was a retired couple volunteering there that morning. The woman was sort of quiet, but the man, who I will call “that guy”, struck up a lengthy conversation with Denny. They volunteer once or twice a week. They are snowbirds from the Seattle area who stay in the area every year from November to April. The man went on to tell us about one trip where they became stranded in their car due to a freak snowstorm somewhere in the Rockies on the return trip in April. It did NOT sound like fun!

I took a few pictures while I was waiting for Denny and “that guy” to finish talking.



There was a lovely deck on the back of the Visitor’s Center and I went out to take pictures.







Finally, FINALLY “that guy” stopped talking to Denny and we proceeded on our way. We learned that there was an eagles nest complete with eaglets at the end of one of the island trails.

We decided to take a stroll on the Osprey Trail in hopes that we would see the eagle’s nest.



This little guy was on the trail to greet us



We found an announcement that confirmed the Eagle’s nest



We started on the eastern end of the trail



Continued In Next Post

 

[MEK]

And the trail looked like this



I remember thinking that walking this trail on a hot summer day may not be that much fun, but the weather was perfect for today’s walk.

There were plenty of nature photo ops



And it didn’t take long to have a bird sighting



or a cactus sighting



or a yoga godess sighting











I decided to zoom in on this guy enjoying a snack



Oh Yeah - "I gotta worm to eat”



Take that..Yum Yum



Ok, maybe more like YUCK!

Tree bark that I though looked cool



We got passed by a couple of rangers. I seriously thought about asking for a ride



Random branch that I thought looked cool



We eventually got to the end of the path and caught up with the rangers.



One of them had a really nice scope. It was set up to peer directly into the Eagle’s nest. OMG! So cool! The view was amazing and I was so jealous I didn’t have a better distance lens because it was impossible to get really close to the nest. The perimeter was all roped off.

But here’s what I got







The rangers told us that the eaglets would be flying away in approximately a week, so our timing was perfect. I believe they were born sometime in January. He told us that every winter an eagles nest is constructed here.

I have to say that seeing the eaglets was seriously one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I’m not a birder or nature nut, but this was a really amazing testament to mother nature. I could have been anywhere in Florida on that day, but I was fortunate enough to be standing here looking into a eagles nest. Priceless!

One more look



Then one of them ducked out of sight



We turned around to walk back and saw a few more, although not as impressive, nesting birds



Pine cones



I think there is a bird right in the center of this tree



We took a slightly different trail back and got to meet a new island inhabitant



Continued In Next Post

 

[MEK]

One last bird before finishing the trail



We left our car in a parking lot with picnic facilities. We noticed that there were quite a few cars with license plates from a variety of states. Not long after, we noticed a group of seniors coming back on their bikes. The proceeded to set up a big picnic. Nice. I could definitely get into that type of activity after retirement.

I tried to paparazzi a picture for proof that there is life after retirement. lol Take my word for it - they had one heck of a cook out going on.



Denny and I had packed lunch again and we sat under one of the trees and ate.

After eating, we drove to another location so we could take a walk on an area called Shell Beach



That’s Clearwater in the distance





Someone had a little collection going on on this picnic table





The beach was very, very narrow, but we decided to brave the many shells under our feet and walk a bit further.



We had some company





There was a ton of seaweed everywhere





Shell beach - literally





As we walked back to the parking I tried to take a picture of this guy





I don’t think my lens focuses fast enough anymore, but I finally got a good picture of him as he was flying over an unsuspecting sunbather



Beach bird





And then, up in the air, signs of civilization



We used a rest room near the parking lot that had lovely views of the surrounding area







We drove to yet another pavilion/parking lot with a refreshment stand in order to get something to quench our thirsts. We sat for awhile, just taking in the views. I decided to fool around with the fish lens attachment to my camera. I don’t really love this attachment and don’t use it much because the pictures don’t have good definition. I’ll share some of them with you anyway. It was pretty inexpensive, so I’m not sure what I expected.





Continued In Next Post

 

[MEK]

This was taken with the same lens



The beach in this area was really lovely. It was a nice white sand. We contemplated taking a walk on the white sand beach, but we had already been walking for several hours, so we nixed that idea.

A fish eye look at our resting place



One final look



At that point we decided to leave the park. We had been going strong for the last several days, so we decided to head back to the carriage house for a little R&R.

I kept trying to work with the lens while we headed back across the Dunedin Causeway







We decided to drive around Dunedin in the daylight.



Of course, we had no idea where we were going and we got a little lost





and ended up at a road closure



right at the entrance to Clearwater



We got lost around the outskirts of Clearwater



but eventually found our way back to Tarpon Springs. It was tempting to go see the beach at Clearwater, but the call of a little afternoon siesta complete with adult beverages won out.

I still had my fish eye attachment on as we set up for happy hour on the deck.



We hadn’t had a chance to use the deck yet, so this was nice.






The owner saw us on the deck and came over to talk with us. She commented that she was surprised she hadn’t seen us at all. We told her how much we enjoyed the place. She said she was probably going to stop daily/weekly rentals for 2015 and focus on monthly rentals, since this was really the “bread & butter” season. We had a nice conversation and I was glad we got some time to chat.

Up Next - our last dinner in Tarpon Springs and "up and at em” to head back to the bubble!

 

[Pinkocto]

What a fabulous afternoon at Honeymoon Island State Park!!! Seeing the bald eagles must have been so cool.

You didn't go swimming???

Nice view from the private pier during your running.